Are Backlinks Good or Bad for SEO?
There are few optimisation techniques that have been as widely used and misused, as backlinking. However, this doesn’t mean your business should avoid it altogether. Like most things in marketing, when done well, backlinks can significantly improve your Google ranking. Done poorly, they can harm your SEO and leave you with a difficult mess to clean up.
What is a Backlink?
A backlink is when another website links to yours. It’s a key indicator of how popular and credible your site is and search engines like Google value it highly. While backlinks aren’t the sole focus of optimisation, they are an essential part of any online presence. If you’re serious about promoting your business, a solid backlink strategy is a must.
The Downside of Backlinks
In the early days, any backlink could help push your ranking up on search engines. While everyone knew that links from reputable sites were beneficial (because they drove more valuable traffic), the emphasis quickly shifted to quantity over quality. This led to marketing schemes offering vast numbers of backlinks for a small fee and even to the creation of sites specifically designed for backlink posting.
However, search engines constantly evolve and their algorithms grew more sophisticated, giving more value to high-quality, relevant backlinks and penalising those dependent on spammy or irrelevant links. This left many businesses scrambling to clean up bad backlinks that were dragging their rankings down. Some marketing companies have also been slow to adapt, continuing to promote outdated backlink strategies.
Good Backlinks vs Bad Backlinks
A good backlink comes from a reputable, relevant site. Google likes to see links that make sense contextually. For example, if you run a clothing shop, a link from a fashion blog is a good thing. However, a link from a pet products forum is less relevant and could raise red flags. Google also examines how often the link is clicked—if no one is using it, it may be seen as spammy or unimportant.
Building a good backlink profile takes time, effort and expertise, but it is worth it.
Directory Backlinks
Online business directories have been around for years, allowing you to submit your business details and create a backlink. Opinions vary on whether directories still help SEO. Some argue that high-quality directories still play a role, while others suggest they have little to no effect or could even harm your ranking. However, reputable directories are still worth considering.
Creating a Good Backlink Profile
Backlinking is important, but it’s not the sole factor in achieving successful organic SEO. The key is quality over quantity: focus on getting backlinks from authoritative, reputable sites while avoiding spammy or low-quality sources. An additional factor is ensuring strong, varied branded anchor text (the clickable text in a hyperlink), which should be relevant to the link’s destination.
Backlink development is a powerful SEO tool, but it’s not just about getting as many links as possible. If you’re working with a reputable marketing team with the necessary experience, they’ll consider various factors to ensure your backlinks enhance your search engine ranking, rather than harming it.
If you’d like to explore how backlinks can boost your SEO or need help cleaning up poor-quality backlinks contact The Last Hurdle. We’re here to help your business grow!
