Backlinks are links that lead from one website to another and are used by search engines to index content as well as pass on some relevance signals to linked web pages or websites.

Attracting backlinks from quality sources is vitally important. Dofollow links should be relevant and non-spammy.

High-quality backlinks

Backlinks have the ability to significantly impact a page’s SEO, yet not all backlinks are equal. Relevance, authority and diversity are keys to creating high-quality backlinks; using a quality framework can help identify opportunities as well as evaluate their effect on website rankings.

Search engines traverse the web link by link, following their trails of content to discover websites which they then present in search results pages (SERPs).

Search engines require that websites have many backlinks in order to be discovered by them; therefore, quality must come before quantity when seeking backlinks. You should strive to get backlinks from authoritative and relevant sources within your industry – for instance a gardening or wildlife site would likely offer more value than an apparel store or shoe shop when looking for backlinks that drive traffic and raise rankings overall.

Relevance

Backlinks remain a key factor that search engines take into account when ranking pages, yet no longer serve as the sole measure for SEO success. Google has made it abundantly clear that relevance is one of the primary deciding factors.

Relevance can be measured through its pages’ content, the number and relevance of keywords it ranks for and its ability to attract searchers. One way of increasing relevancy is using descriptive anchor text that describes what each linked page contains.

Avoid low-quality backlinks that could adversely impact your SEO. Spammy links from irrelevant sources should also be avoided by creating high-value content and building relationships with other websites; then your backlinks are more likely to have greater worth, helping increase search engine visibility and strengthening brand image.

Trustworthiness

Backlinks are important indicators to search engines because they show that a website is credible and trusted, helping search engines assess its significance and value. But not all backlinks are created equally – their quality depends on factors like relevance and type.

An effective strategy for earning high-quality backlinks is creating content people are likely to want to share, such as blogs, articles, infographics or any other relevant to your target audience. Engaging with fellow bloggers within your industry may also prove helpful in this respect.

Finally, it is essential that you avoid over-optimizing anchor text as this can appear spammy and result in a link penalty from Google. Furthermore, prioritizing dofollow links from reputable websites in your niche would be wise as well as being aware of which domains your backlinks come from as some could potentially be associated with illicit practices.

Anchor text

As readers and search engines click through links, they use anchor text as a barometer of relevance for content linked through that link. If the anchor text doesn’t make sense to them, they may click away without reading the entire article linked through; hence the importance of using appropriate anchor text when linking both internally and externally.

Anchor text should be descriptive and include keywords targeting the page being linked to. This allows both Google and users to understand that two pages are related – for example “Hedgehog Map” makes it clear this is a page about hedgehogs.

Avoid over-optimizing anchor text. Overdoing it will only make your website appear suspicious to Google, potentially leading to penalties from them. Rand Fishkin of Moz counts anchor text among 20 attributes that influence backlink value; he advises using both exact match keywords and partial match keywords for anchor text use.