The backbone of any effective search engine optimization strategy includes two methods that should be implemented to complement one another and work together to boost a website’s ranking in search engines. These two methods include on-page optimization and off-page optimization. On-page optimization refers to strategies that should be implemented on the pages of a website to help search engines better understand the content of each page and determine how relevant the content is to specific search phrases. This is often the first step a website or blog owner needs to take to reach a better position in Google and other major search engines.
The second method, known as off-page optimization, refers to all the elements that need to be imple-mented on external sources to affect the ranking of a website in a positive manner. All off-page strategies include some form of backlink building. Backlinks are, in fact, the backbone of any off-page search engine optimization strategy. Backlinks are links that point towards a specific website from external sources. For example, if you own a blog about fitness, you may write and publish content on another fitness blog that includes a link back to your fitness blog.
Quality Vs. Quantity
Quality versus quantity is something that has sparked a lot of debate among website owners, bloggers, and online marketers. While some prefer to have thousands of backlinks pointing to their website, others would rather have only a few backlinks that are of high quality. With the advancements in internet technologies and the frequent updates that are implemented into the search algorithms of Google and other search engines, it is now better to focus on the quality of backlinks rather than the quantity of backlinks – most individuals who frequently build links to their sites have noticed that quality always wins over quantity.
Should You Buy Backlinks?
Most website owners do not have enough time on their hands to constantly work on building backlinks for their website to increase and maintain a high ranking for specific keywords in search engines. Let’s face it – building quality backlinks that have a positive effect on a website’s position in Google is hard work and takes time. Many of these individuals have started to opt for buying backlinks so they can focus on producing valuable content for their website or blog. Unfortunately, many of these individuals have learned that buying backlinks to rank higher in search engines aren’t always a wise choice, especially if thorough research has not been performed before getting the links to point back to their sites.
Even though buying backlinks rather than building them yourself may not always be the best way to go, sometimes you may not have a choice due to a very restricted schedule. In such a case, you should ensure you perform some initial research and only purchase from trusted sources. Before any person you are buying a link from gives you the backlink, ask them for details of the website that they will be linking from. If the person refuses to give you the URL, then move on and find someone else. If they do provide you with the URL, then you should do some research to find out whether the link will be good or bad for your online property. Some of the most important factors that you should consider while doing your research include:
- A lot of people will give you a “PageRank” value. This value is of no relevance as Google has discontinued the use of this feature and do not take this into account anymore. Thus, if the seller is giving you a “PageRank” value, it means that they are most likely not caught up to the latest trends in SEO.
- Take a look at the content that is found on the website and make sure the content is relevant to the content on your site. If you own a fitness blog, you don’t want a blog about computers linking to you.
- Analyze the website’s on-page SEO. This is an important factor when it comes to author and ranking. If you are not sure how on-page SEO works, then you can use a free online tool to draw up a report. If the website has a poor on-page optimization rating, then skip forward.
- Analyze the website’s search rankings. There are many free tools that will give you detailed in-formation about how well a specific website is ranking in search engines and for what keywords they are ranking. Make sure the website isn’t ranking for any scaly keywords.
- Finally, take a look at the website’s backlinks. It is also important to know what sites are linking to the site that you are buying a backlink from. Make sure the sites linking in also have relevant content and that they are also trustworthy. You can also use a free online tool to draw up a list of links that are pointing to the website.
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Conclusion
Building backlinks yourself is often the best way to create a natural increase of rankings in search en-gines, but some people are not patient enough to wait for this process or simply do not have enough time on their hands to perform these operations themselves. In such a case, buying backlinks from other websites are often a preferred option. If you are considering this option, you should make sure you educate yourself about different aspects of SEO. You can also utilize an SEO agency to perform all of these tasks for you, including the off-page SEO strategy. Many agencies, such as Proven SEO, provide more effective backlink building strategies by getting high authority sites to link back to you.