Are Backlinks Relevant for SEO Rankings in 2022?

While it’s true that Google and other search engines, including Yahoo and Bing, have made many changes to their backlink strategies, the method continues to yield significant results for online businesses.

If you are unsure whether building backlinks is needed for your website, then you are at the right place. In this blog, you will learn some of the reasons why website backlinks are still crucial to a business’s success and also learn tips to improve backlinking.

Get started to learn the magic of backlinks in 2022.

What are Backlinks?

Backlinks are undoubtedly the backbone of a solid SEO strategy. In recent years, businesses have invested millions of dollars in improving and strategizing their backlink-building activities. Here’s what Google’s most prioritized (yet scrutinized) SEO method does.

A backlink allows a website to redirect traffic to itself through other websites’ content. Here’s an example:

You’re running an online shoe business, and posting a list of hot favorite shoe designs for 2022. A leading fashion magazine mentions your list in its blog with an external link. The audience of that fashion magazine will most likely click on the link mentioning your website, thus leading you to gain more visitors and increased outreach.

Another way to build backlinks is through guest blogs. Some websites allow businesses to post guest blogs on their platform. Choosing the right website for guest blogging can keep you safe from any search engine penalties against guest links.

Backlinks Continue to Dominate

Believe it or not, there’s plenty of data that suggests backlinks continue to dominate the SEO strategy. The first-ranking website on a Google search reportedly has 3.8 times more backlinks than the second and third-ranking pages.

Here are some more benefits of backlinks that continue to reflect in 2022.

Higher Website Traffic

As discussed above, backlinks help your business gain an audience from other websites. This translates into a higher footfall for your website. So the higher number of backlinks you have on other websites, the more website traffic you will enjoy.

Stronger Domain Authority

Repeated mentions on other websites also improve your website’s domain authority. The search engine’s bots identify you as a credible website that’s getting mentioned repeatedly and mark you as a credible entity in your industry.

Improved SEO Rankings

The more internet users click on your website, the more your SEO will be boosted. If you’re looking for a higher SEO ranking, then connecting with a credible backlink service for strategy may help you achieve this goal.

Better Click-Through-Rate

Naturally, if you reach the first page of a search engine, you will enjoy a higher click-through rate. Click-through rate has a significant relationship with backlinks, and you should employ both strategies.

Increase in Conversion Rates

And lastly, more backlinks mean more people visiting your website, which in turn means a higher chance for you to convert visitors into customers. This will have a lasting impact on your conversion rate, and your website will be able to generate sales, expand your customer base, or convert leads into clients.

How to Ensure Backlinks Work For You

But not all backlinks are created equal. Some backlinks work better than the rest, and here’s how you can crack that code.

Audit Your Backlinks Quality

The first thing to do is hire a backlink audit service. An experienced backlink auditor will help you identify poor links that may bring down your website’s ranking or lead to a penalty. Auditing backlinks is essential to ensure that your backlinks are compliant with Google’s guidelines.

Quality trumps Quantity

We have repeatedly mentioned that the higher the number of backlinks, the more benefits you can get. However, quantity does not always mean quality. When looking to build a backlink strategy, focus on the quality of the host website instead of the number of links you can place. Avoid websites that sell backlinks or those that have a poor reputation on Google.

Stay Away from Black Hatters

Black hatters deploy tactics that artificially boost your backlinks instantly. While this practice may get you short-term benefits, it’s not a good idea for long-term success. Google and other search engines can easily identify black hat tactics and will flag your website for engaging in malicious backlink activities.

Deliver Quality Content

If you want more backlinks for your website, then deliver high-quality content. Make content that adds value to another website and offers relevant information to its audience. Constantly update your website’s content and try to create catchy infographics that get you more mentions.

Stay Within the Niche

Google is particular about manual backlinks that are relevant to the content as well as go along with the website’s niche. When building a backlink strategy or offering guest blogs, make sure to stay within your industry. This is to avoid getting flagged by Google for irrelevant backlink placement.

Make a Comprehensive Strategy

While backlinks are surely great and important in 2022, they’re not the only thing a solid SEO strategy needs. Make a comprehensive SEO strategy and incorporate all the elements, such as personalized marketing, content marketing, and backlink auditing.