What Are Inbound Links & How They Help SEO

What Is An Inbound Link?

An inbound link (also known as a backlink or incoming link) is a link on another domain that points to your website.

For example, this link on Microsoft.com points to a page on reliablesoft.net with the anchor text "Here are some of the benefits:".

For Microsoft, this is an external link, and for my website, it's an inbound link.

Why Are Inbound Links Important For SEO?

Inbound links are crucial for SEO because they help search engines differentiate between important content and not so popular content.

The idea of using backlinks as a ranking factor emerged from the initial Google algorithm created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The Google founders noticed that good web pages have more incoming links from other websites, and they used this concept to rank those pages higher in the search results.

This concept is still valid today, as Google explained in the How Search Works guide.

In order for incoming links to act as a signal of trust from one website to another, they need to have the following characteristics:

1. Posted on related pages: Inbound links should come from websites covering similar topics to your website. For example, if you run a fitness blog, a health or nutrition website link will be more valuable than one from a website posting articles on random topics.

2. Surrounded by relevant content: The context in which your link appears also matters. Ideally, your link should be embedded in content related to your topic. For instance, if your link is part of an article discussing workout routines, it should point to related content on your site.

3. Uses proper anchor text: Anchor text is the part of a link that is clickable and visible to users. For best results, it should be specific and not generic.

For example, an inbound link with the anchor text "digital marketing guide" is more meaningful to search engines and users than a link with the anchor text "click here".

4. Posted on pages that receive traffic: Links from pages that receive Google traffic are more beneficial than pages with zero traction.

5. Posted on websites with a higher domain authority than yours: If a website with a high domain authority links to a website with a lower domain authority, the linked website gains more value. Search engines trust these links more than links posted on websites with a low DA.

In addition, for any links to count for SEO, they must be dofollow links. Let's see below what this means.

DoFollow vs. NoFollow Inbound links

When an inbound link has the rel="nofollow" attached to the link attributes, it is called a nofollow link. This instructs search engine crawlers to ignore that link so no "page authority" is passed from one domain to the other.

In other words, nofollow links have no SEO value.

To check if a link is nofollow, highlight the linked text, right-click, and select INSPECT from the menu.

If you see the word "nofollow" within the rel attributes, it's a nofollow link (like the example below).

On the other hand, if a link doesn't have the rel="nofollow" attribute, it means it's a dofollow link. A dofollow link allows search engines to follow it and pass authority from one page to another.

Dofollow links with all the characteristics of good links (as described above) can help your content rank higher in search engine results.

Here is an example of a dofollow link.

Other Types of Links

Besides inbound links, the other types of links you should know about are:

• External links: An external link is a hyperlink that points from your website to another website (or resource) on the internet.
• Broken links: A broken link is an external or inbound link pointing to a no longer existing page. Users and search engine crawlers see a 404 (Not Found) page instead of the page they are looking for.

How to Get High-Quality Inbound Links (Best Practices)

As mentioned above, for inbound links to positively impact your SEO, they must have specific characteristics. Here are some best practices for getting those precious links:

1. Get Links From High Authority Related Websites

Natural link building is the best way to build links to a website. This means publishing cornerstone content that other webmasters naturally want to link to.

Link-worthy content includes well-researched articles, engaging visuals, and unique insights people want to reference.

For example, our guide on "What is SEO and Why It's Important." received 1.8K links from 513 domains (including well-known websites )without us building them.

Another way is contacting high-authority websites that accept guest post contributions in your niche. For this method to work effectively, you need to do two things:

1. Send personalized emails to the editors with the finished article. This will increase your chances of being accepted. In the email, ensure you highlight your expertise and experience on the topic.
2. To guest post on websites that can potentially generate traffic to your website and industry recognition and not just an incoming link. An inbound link on pages that receive traffic is more valuable than links on pages that receive no traffic and user engagement.

Here is an example of one of my guest posts on Content Marketing Institute.

Another way to get inbound links for SEO is to become a source for journalists and big media outlets. Through Digital PR campaigns, you can find and connect with journalists who want to source experts in their articles.

2. Publish Free Linkable Assets On Your Website

Creating free resources like ebooks, downloadable guides, and tools is the best way to get inbound links from other websites.

Ensure your content is genuinely useful and something others might want to reference and use; otherwise, you'll waste your time, money, and resources.

Offer unique insights or data that others can't find elsewhere. For example, our free AI text generator tools rank on the first pages of Google and get references from other websites.

Here is an example of an inbound link we got from a high-authority website.

Promote these assets through your social media channels and email newsletter to maximize their reach. Additionally, reach out to influencers and industry leaders who might find your resources valuable and encourage them to share your content. Since the content is free, it's a win-win for both.

They will get to share something useful (and free) for their audience, and you will get valuable inbound links to your website.

3. Follow Your Competitor's Link Building Practices

When you run out of ideas, you can analyze your competitor's link profile and see where they get links. Using a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs, you can identify the websites that link to your competitors and understand the type of content that attracts these links.

• Start by compiling a list of your top competitors.
• Enter their URLs into your chosen tool to see their backlink profiles.
• Look for patterns in the types of websites linking to them and the type of content they link to.

Next, reach out to these sites with your own high-quality content. If they linked to a competitor's guide on a similar topic, show them how your guide offers more up-to-date information or unique insights. Personalize your outreach emails to explain why your content would be valuable to their audience.

4. Run Broken Link Building Campaigns

Broken link building campaigns involve finding broken links on other websites and suggesting your own content as a replacement. Here's how it works:

First, use a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs to identify broken links on relevant sites in your industry.

Once you've found a broken link, determine the topic of the original content. Then, create or identify a high-quality piece of content on your site that matches the topic.

Next, contact the webmaster of the site with the broken link. Inform them about the broken link and suggest your content as a replacement. Briefly describe how your content adds value and fits their site's context.

5. Turn Unlinked Mentions Into Links

Mentions of your brand across the web are valuable for your SEO, even if they are unlinked mentions. For example, when people discuss your brand in forums and social media, these are positive signals that Google considers when calculating your rankings.

When these mentions appear on blogs, it's an opportunity for you to contact the webmasters and turn those mentions into inbound links that can help your SEO more. Here is how to do it:

Go to Google and type the following command: intext: "yourdomain.com" (like the example below).

This will show you all mentions of your brand on other websites. Use different variations of your brand to get more results.

Find the ones that can be potentially turned in links and contact the webmasters.

How Many Links Do I Need To Rank On Google?

There is no precise answer to how many backlinks you need. It depends on the search query, competition, and your website's topical authority on the particular topic.

For non-competitive queries, you can rank high on Google without links, but for competitive keywords, you'll need more or better links than your competitors to get one of the top positions.

To get an estimate, follow the instructions in this post: How Many Backlinks Do I Need For Google?

Learn More About Link Building

Understanding how inbound links work is a basic SEO concept that requires no special skills or expertise. Learning how to get valuable inbound links through link building is an advanced SEO technique that can be mastered by following the right advice and practicing.

The Complete SEO Course will show you how to build links without violating Google guidelines or getting your domain into trouble. The course starts from the beginning and covers everything you need about SEO. It's perfect for beginners who want to become pros as quickly as possible.