Understanding Main Different Types of Backlinks and Their Impact on SEO
In the world of SEO, backlinks continue to be crucial elements for search engine ranking. As you work to enhance your SEO performance, you necessarily need to familiarise yourself to different kinds of backlinks and their impact becomes essential.
In this guide about types of backlinks in SEO, we explore the two main types of backlinks (Follow and NoFollow) you need to know together with the newest Google introductions.
It's essential to understand that four main categories of backlinks impact your SEO:
- DoFollow backlinks
- NoFollow backlinks
- Sponsored backlinks
- UGC backlinks (in User Generated Content)
Link building strategies have evolved significantly, and search engines now focus on quality backlinks and their relevance instead of just the number of backlinks you have.
It's important for website owners to understand how various kinds of backlinks affect their SEO strategy.
Having a mix of different types of backlinks can really boost your website's authority and help you acquire high-quality backlinks naturally.
Understanding this helps create an effective link building process that fits within Google and other engines' rules while improving your backlink profile.
What Are DoFollow Backlinks? Why Do They Boost Your SEO?
Do-Follow backlinks are the primary way websites link back to your website on the internet. By default, any HTML link is a "do-follow" link, which means it doesn't need any special settings to work. These attributes of links help search engines discover and index new pages on your site, making them valuable for SEO.
Do-Follow backlinks are especially important for improving your website's visibility and SERP ranking.
They effectively share a website's reputation and authority with the linked site, making them one of the best styles of backlinks you can acquire.
So, when a reputable website links to your content using a do-follow link, it boosts your site's credibility and SEO value.
These high-quality backlinks show search engines that your content is reliable and trustworthy, which can help improve your search engine ranking.
- Links from other trusted websites show Google that your content is legit, and it works as a green flag.
- They also help your site get recognized as an expert in certain topics or industries.
- Plus, they can improve your site's authority and help you rank better for specific keywords.
- On top of that, they make it easier for search engines like Google to find and index new pages on your site.
For example, if you have an all-in-one SEO tools website and get editorial backlinks from popular content creators, SEO agencies, and trusted bloggers, search engines assess those links as strong signals that your content is reliable and valuable for those who really matter!
Where Should I Add DoFollow Backlinks to work best?
Do-follow links work well when real value and trust are on the table. They really shine in several key situations where using them makes the most sense for your link building process:
#1 Editorial Content and Natural Mentions:
When other websites point to your site through their articles, blog posts, or research papers, it's a great way to acquire good-quality backlinks! These editorial backlinks are among the best kinds of backlinks you can earn.
For instance, if a news site highlights your research or a blogger links to your helpful guide, those mentions can really help your SEO by passing some of their credibility your way.
It's like having a trusted website vouch for your content!
#2 Resource Pages and Directories:
Directory backlinks from trusted educational websites and professional organizations are fantastic ways to build backlinks! These models of links often lead to important resources and help strengthen your backlink profile.
Think of these sites as organized collections of quality backlinks tailored to your interests, making it super easy for others to find exactly what they need.
#3 Business Relationships:
When teaming up with other businesses, professional groups, or industry associations, it's a perfect opportunity to acquire backlinks through do-follow links.
This means getting links from partner directories, supplier lists, and membership pages that highlight these connections.
These links really help emphasize the trustworthy relationships between organizations while optimising your SEO efforts.
Common Strategies to Get Do-Follow Links
There are several effective link-building strategies website owners can use to acquire backlinks, which are super helpful for boosting their site's SEO performance:
- Create High-Quality Content: If you whip up interesting and valuable content --what some call "linkbait"-- you can naturally earn backlinks. When other websites see your content as useful, they're more likely to link back to your website.
- Broken Link Building: This strategy involves finding broken links on other websites. If you discover dead or broken links, you can reach out to the site owner and suggest your content as a quality replacement, helping you build backlinks naturally.
- Outreach: This link-building strategy focuses on connecting with publishers and sharing your articles. You can pitch the idea of including a link to your content as a valuable reference in their content.
- Engage in Online Forum Discussions: By joining industry-focused forums and participating actively, you can share insights and occasionally include a link to your relevant content, though be mindful of forum backlinks guidelines.
Where to Avoid Using DoFollow Links?
It's important to know when to steer clear of dofollow links to maintain your website's SEO value and search engine health.
#1 Paid Arrangements:
Any form of paid or sponsored content should not use dofollow links. This includes:
- Sponsored blog posts
- Advertorial content
- Paid reviews
- Affiliate links
- Advertisements
2 User Generated Content:
Although users could add their links to their comments, it's a good idea to use nofollow backlinks. This way, search engines won't consider these types of links when determining your search engine ranking. It's just a way to keep your links profile looking natural and trustworthy.
- Forum signatures and posts
- Blog comments
- Social media profiles
- Wiki entries
- Community discussion boards
What Are NoFollow Backlinks? Do They Play Any Role in Link Building, Too?
NoFollow backlinks are links that include a rel='nofollow' attribute, telling search engines like Google not to pass SEO value to the linked site. These types of backlinks are essential components of a diverse links profile.
They come with a tag called "rel=nofollow" which Google introduced in 2005 to help cut down on spam in online comments and keep the web's linking system fair.
Again, think of backlinks as votes or recommendations from one website to another.
But sometimes, website owners don't want to show support for the site they're linking to, which is where no-follow links come into play.
When a link has that nofollow tag, it means search engines will skip it when determining SERP ranking or indexing the page.
You'll typically find these no-follow backlinks in blog comments, forum backlinks, and certain social media backlinks.
While no-follow backlinks won't directly boost your SERP ranking, they're still valuable for SEO as part of maintaining a well-rounded and natural links profile.
Where Should I Use NoFollow Backlinks?
In simple terms, if you can't control where some content comes from, it's an appropriate idea to implement nofollow links. This helps protect your optimistation strategy from potential issues that might arise from links to other people's content that you can't manage.
1# User-Generated Content
Any platform where users can freely add links should use nofollow attributes to maintain your links profile's quality:
- Blog comments sections
- Forum discussions and signatures
- Social media posts
- Wiki entries
- Community Q&A platforms
#2 Commercial Relationships
When money or products change hands, nofollow attributes are essential to comply with search engine guidelines:
- Sponsored content
- Paid links
- Affiliate marketing links
- Product reviews with compensation
- Banner advertisements
#3 Untrusted or Unverified Content
When linking to content that you cannot verify for accuracy or trustworthiness, using no-follow backlinks helps protect your SEO Process:
- User-submitted resources
- Third-party claims
- Controversial content
- Rapidly changing information
If your website includes content from other sources, it's crucial to implement no-follow links appropriately. This means telling search engines not to consider these types of backlinks when determining SERP ranking.
There are many ways to acquire backlinks through nofollow links that still benefit your overall link-building strategy.
For example, if you want to link to a competitor's site without helping their SEO efforts, nofollow is a helpful option.
It's important to know that since March 1, 2020, Google has changed how it handles no-follow links: Now, they see them more as a suggestion rather than a strict rule.
This means that using a nofollow link doesn't completely guarantee that Google won't follow it.
What Are Sponsored Backlinks? When Should You Use This Backlink Type?
Sponsored backlinks are a specific type of backlink that Google introduced to help clarify how these links are created. Their main purpose is to prevent website owners from unfairly boosting their search engine ranking through paid link-building strategies.
A sponsored backlink has a special tag called "rel=sponsored" added to it, identifying it as a paid link in your link profile.
This tag shows that the link was created as part of a paid arrangement or commercial relationship, helping maintain transparency in link building efforts.
Google introduced this kind of link in 2019 to help search engines distinguish between editorial backlinks (those written for genuine reasons) and links created for advertising or sponsorships.
You can think of sponsored links as clear indicators of advertising: They inform both search engines and users that these models of backlinks exist because someone paid to acquire backlinks.
This openness helps maintain search result integrity while still allowing websites to earn money from their content.
It's important to know that while these paid backlinks can be part of your overall SEO strategy, they shouldn't be your primary focus for building backlinks.
If you decide to use sponsored links in your online promotion efforts, make sure they come from good-quality backlinks sources that are relevant to your content.
The key to using sponsored backlinks effectively is to strike a balance in your link-building strategies.
They can bring more visibility and traffic to your site, but they should be used carefully and in line with search engine guidelines to maintain your SEO.
How Can I Use Sponsored Links Appropriately in My Backlink Profile?
Sponsored links should be implemented strategically as part of your overall link building strategy. Here are specific scenarios where these kind of backlinks are appropriate:
#1 Paid Content Placements:
- Paid guest post backlinks
- Advertorial content with embedded links
- Influencer collaborations that include backlinks
- Brand partnerships with link exchanges
- Native advertising with contextual links
#2 Commercial Relationships:
- Product reviews with compensation where they link to your site
- Paid directory listings
- Sponsored research publications
- Event sponsorship mentions with backlinks
- Brand ambassador programs that include link to your site
#3 Promotional Content:
- Press release backlinks through paid distribution
- Sponsored social media backlinks
- Paid newsletter inclusion with links
- Sponsored podcast mentions with links
- Compensated case studies that points to your content
Understanding UGC Backlinks and Their Role in SEO
UGC backlinks are a specific backlinks that come from user-generated content, like comments and forum backlinks, and they have a special tag called "rel=ugc". These links play a unique role in your overall backlink profile.
This tag helps search engines like Google recognize that these links are created by users rather than through editorial backlinks or paid link arrangements.
Think of UGC backlinks as links that represent a community's voice: It's clear these come from people participating and contributing, rather than from polished editorial content. This helps search engines determine how to value versatile types of backlinks.
Even though UGC backlinks might not carry the same SEO value as high-quality backlinks created by site editors, they're still valuable for SEO when used appropriately.
They help create a more diverse link profile for your site and can bring in relevant traffic when they link to your website from active communities.
To get the most out of UGC backlinks, it's wise to engage with the community through link-building strategies.
Instead of just trying to gain backlinks everywhere, join in on the conversations and offer genuine insights that naturally earn backlinks.
This way, you can build real connections and find more opportunities to get backlinks that boost your SEO naturally.
If your site has a place for comments or lets users submit content with links, make sure those links are marked as "ugc" to maintain your SEO strategy's integrity.
Since spam can pop up from user submissions, tagging them as user-generated content helps keep your backlink profile clean without requiring excessive moderation.
Implementing an Best Backlink Strategy for Long-term SEO Success
To create a successful SEO strategy and enhance your SEO performance, it's crucial to understand how a mixture of types of backlinks impact your SEO. Your link-building strategies should focus on ways to get backlinks from various high-quality sources.
This means you should aim for a diverse mix of backlinks, including editorial backlinks that help boost your site's reputation and other types of links that serve different purposes in your link profile.
Using SEO tools regularly can help you monitor your links profile and find new opportunities to build backlinks. These tools can show you the types of backlinks you need and help identify valuable link building strategies.
Regularly checking your link profile can ensure that your SEO efforts are practical and align with current search engines' guidelines.
Always remember that it's more efficient to acquire good-quality backlinks from trusted websites in your field than to focus on just increasing the number of backlinks. Quality backlinks from relevant websites will have a greater impact on your SERP ranking.
When implementing your link-building strategies, focus on:
- Creating content that helps you get backlinks naturally
- Building relationships with other website owners
- Finding opportunities to get links through various channels
- Maintaining a balanced approach between different types of backlinks
- Using SEO tools to track your progress and identify new opportunities
By focusing on obtaining links from reputable sites and implementing diverse link-building strategies, you can enhance your website's SEO performance and achieve long-term success.
Additionally, you can use free tools like Seobility's Backlink Checker to analyze the types of links your website has and ensure your back-link profile maintains the right balance to boost your SEO effectively.
