How Do I Improve My Website’s Authority with High-Quality Backlinks?

• Overview
• What I Think
• Deep Dive: Earning Quality Links
• 8-Step Action Plan for Earning High-Quality Backlinks
• Quick Solutions
• About Us

Overview

Backlinks are endorsements from other sites, and when they are high-quality websites, it signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy. 

And it may come as a surprise that maintaining a quality-over-quantity approach to links can be an effective strategy for a strong backlink profile (versus trying to collect as many links as possible).

What I Think

Even though links don’t hold the same weight in the Google algorithm as they used to, they are still a quality signal and they should not be overlooked as part of your SEO program. 

Links are one key piece of the trust equation when building an online presence — and we know that Google values trust above many other factors. 

We have found that websites with strong backlink profiles typically rank higher in search results. But you don’t necessarily need more links than the competition. 

We’ve seen sites with fewer – but higher quality — links outrank the competition.  

So what’s one of the most important things to begin with in a backlink strategy? Quality, noteworthy content that people want to share. 

Second to that is a distribution strategy that includes building relationships with industry influencers and peers so you can get your content into the right hands, as well as a social media plan. 

Search engines will continue to refine how they value and assess link quality, so staying informed of this as you run your link program is key.

Deep Dive: Earning Quality Links

Earning high-quality links takes time and effort. Here are some things to consider.

Know the Value of a Link

What makes a link valuable? Factors like relevance of the linking site and authority of the linking site all contribute to its weight. 

For example, links from reputable sources within your industry can be particularly valuable. 

Start with Great Content

Excellent content is the first and most important step in earning backlinks. Crafting unique, insightful and shareable content naturally attracts links from other sites. 

Resources like research studies and detailed guides can get a lot of attention from industry professionals and organizations that want to reference this type of material. 

Regularly revisiting your content creation strategy keeps your brand relevant and link-worthy.

Perform Outreach

Great content naturally earns links, but you can’t forget to put in the extra effort for outreach.

This includes building relationships with bloggers, journalists and others to ensure your content gets seen. 

Take a page from the old public relations book and think about how you can personalize your outreach. Maybe it’s offering exclusive insights or resources. 

Monitor Your Profile

Monitoring your existing backlinks helps you keep a strong profile. 

Use tools to identify any broken or lost links and take steps to restore them or acquire alternatives.

You’ll also want to monitor your competition’s content and backlink strategies, so you can meet or exceed what they are doing. 

Analytics data helps ensure your efforts are targeted and effective here. 

9-Step Action Plan for Earning High-Quality Backlinks

Here are some ways to earn more quality links:

1. Conduct a comprehensive analysis of your current backlink profile to get a feel of its quality.
2. Identify links from low-quality or spammy sources and only disavow them if you are facing a manual penalty or negative SEO from competitors.
3. Research high-authority websites and organizations within your industry, and develop a list of potential relationships you can forge to share or create content with. 
4. Create high-quality, original content to attract backlinks, this may include original research studies or in-depth guides. 
5. Regularly monitor your competitors’ backlink strategies.
6. Use tools to track your backlink performance, including identifying broken backlinks and working to restore them.
7. Other strategies include participating in relevant forums and online discussions, publishing press releases to attract media attention and engaging in community and local sponsorships.
8. Use analytics to measure the impact of your backlinks and continuously update your content to keep it link-worthy.
9. Stay informed about updates in search engine algorithms and backlink valuation.

Strengthen your website’s authority with impactful backlinks:

Contact Us Today to Explore Unique Link Strategies!

Quick Solutions

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About Us

Bruce Clay, Inc. is a leader in search engine optimization that has been providing expert-level  services since 1996. We specialize in link-earning strategies that build website authority through ethical and effective practices. Learn more about us.

Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing firm providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, SEO-friendly web architecture, and SEO tools and education. Connect with him on LinkedIn or through the BruceClay.com website.

See Bruce's author page for links to connect on social media.