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Earning top backlinks from websites is easier said than done. Many factors go into deciding the best backlinks you can benefit from for your website.

Having such links can help you build authority, relevancy, and much more. So, without further ado, let’s dive into how you can get the top backlinks for your website.

Table of Contents

What is a Backlink in SEO?

A visual explanation of backlinking in seoBacklink is the incoming hyperlink from one web page to another website. As a rule, the more backlinks you have pointing to your website, the more popular it will become.

As you can see from the diagram above, the other website contains a link to your website on their platform, and your website has a backlink from the other website.

In visual terms, you can place the link in a button, image, or text, depending on what you want. You must only ensure that the source is a website different than yours.

Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors in SEO, as search engines take these into account before deciding which articles to rank on the top.

The Importance of Top Backlinks in Your SEO Strategy

A hexagonal diagram on the importance of top backlinks for SEOThink of the backlink as a vote of confidence in your website. When other sources are linking to your site, it means they are adding votes of confidence in the trustworthiness of your website.

This kind of vote of confidence is incredibly difficult for small businesses and startups.

Let’s review the importance of top backlinks in SEO one by one:

Helping Readers Get High-Quality Information

When websites link to your site, it means you have useful and valuable information. It shows users that your website link will answer their search queries and satisfy their search intent.

Because of this, it is crucial to answer people’s questions and provide valuable information. You will automatically have other sources linking to your site when you do.

Pleasing the Algorithm Gods with Top Backlinks

SEO is not just for humans but also algorithms. Google’s crawlers are constantly crawling the internet, looking for useful websites that provide valuable information.

Top backlinks remain on the top because the quality of the information pleases the algorithm. When various websites link to your website, Google will note it and know you are offering something relevant, useful, and high-quality.

So, to please the algorithm Gods, you must add top backlinks in your SEO strategy. Once you do, you will begin reaping the results after a while.

The Data Points to the Importance of Backlinks in SEO

As new data comes to light, we find that top backlinks have become one of the most important aspects of SEO. Based on our deep dive into this topic, here is what the research by top companies suggests:

  • Ahrefs: Indicates that over 40% of top-ranking pages on Google contain reciprocated links.
  • Ascend: More than 10% of search experts reiterate that buildings are a valuable SEO strategy.
  • Backlinko: Found that the number of links that point to web pages is one of the top ranking factors for Google.
  • Aira: More than 50% of marketers emphasize that top backlinks are important for the Google algorithm and will remain so for years from now.
  • HubSpot: Businesses that conduct blogging get over 95% of backlinks than other websites.

Your priority must be to gain backlinks of high quality. These will help you build top backlinks that will only improve your SEO over time.

Learn More: 10 SEO Examples in 2023

Types of Top Backlinks to Implement in 2023


Before you add top backlinks to your SEO strategy, it is crucial to understand the different types of backlinks available to you. Every backlink has a unique purpose, and some might not be useful.

Our SEO experts have created a complete list of the top types of backlinks you can implement in 2023:

1. Dofollow Backlinks

Dofollow backlinks allow Google and other search engines to point back to your site. When you add dofollow links on your website, they will point back to you, strengthening your authority.

These links will show search engines what other blogs and websites link to you. Remember that these links don’t have sponsored, UGC, or nofollow attributes.

Most places call these links as followed now. So, if you see followed, remember that it means the same thing as dofollow.

2. Nofollow Backlinks

A pie chart representing how nofollow links impact SERPsNofollow backlinks are hyperlinks with the tag of rel= “nofollow.” These links may not be useful because they don’t influence the rankings on the search engine.

This is because Google doesn’t transfer PageRank or anchor text across these links. Another shocking fact is that Google doesn’t crawl nofollow links.

Because of this, many businesses don’t add nofollow backlinks to their SEO strategy. However, some marketers still add them to their strategy because such links provide valuable referral traffic.

According to a survey of 755 link builders, 89% say that nofollow backlinks also affect search engine rankings.

So, while you should focus on dofollow backlinks, we recommend adding some nofollow top backlinks to your strategy. This is because Google is evolving the nofollow attribute for backlinks.

3. Guest Blogging Backlinks

Google search results of guest blogging websites in the digital marketing nicheGuest blogging is among the top backlinks strategies many people add to their SEO arsenal. One challenge with such backlinks is that most people don’t take the time to build these backlinks.

Most marketers will outsource this type of strategy to others, and because of this, the links can end up on low-quality websites.

Remember that these top backlinks are easy to acquire if you take the time and effort to work on this strategy. You get a great backlink from an authority site, and they get high-quality content to ensure more blog traffic.

As the image above shows, a simple technique is to write your “niche + write for us.” Then, as you click search, you will find top results of great websites that will help you get top backlinks in your niche.

You must add guest blogging outreach to your SEO plan as a marketer or business. The key is to find high-quality sites for the best results.

4. Editorial Backlinks

An example of an editorial backlink on the Forbes websiteEditorial backlinks are created when your content, such as an infographic or article, is mentioned in certain information sources.

These can include:

  • When your website is featured in a link roundup of a certain topic
  • The quotes of business representatives
  • And much more

We recommend publishing evergreen content if you want to benefit from editorial backlinks. These will position your website as a thought leader and will establish your website as the go-to destination for industry expertise.

You can also use PR strategies or reactive PR with platforms allowing you to be quoted as an expert source. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a popular platform for this purpose.

In the image above, Adam Steele, the owner of a link-building agency, posts on Forbes as an expert source. You can also sign up on such communities and build authority to get top backlinks to your site.

These tactics will help you achieve editorial backlinks to your website.

5. Forums and Q&A Websites

These are also known as user-generated backlinks because they are placed in blog comments, forum posts, comments, and more.

Such links have an attribute of rel = “UGC” to indicate to Google and other search engines that the content is user-generated. The links are valuable to SEO because it means your website has an active and engaged community.

You must be careful when using this strategy and ensure you don’t spam. Many people exploit this strategy and spam comments and forums that will only hurt your website.

However, genuine comments on high-quality blogs can help you boost traffic and improve brand awareness.

6. Business Profile Backlinks

As a business, you have set up various digital profiles and listed your business on relevant:

  • Websites
  • Industry directories
  • Review websites
  • And more

When you post such top backlinks, you can link back to your website. Search engines look at these entries as evidence that the website has existed for a while.

So, you can also build top backlinks from your business profiles and boost your authority.

Types of Backlinks to Avoid in 2023

Infographic on types of backlinks to avoidWhile there are top backlinks you must add to your SEO plan; there are also some types of backlinks we recommend you avoid. These links will hurt your SEO and not offer much value to your strategy.

The top backlinks to avoid in 2023 include the following:

1. Irrelevant Directory Links

We just mentioned above that you will list your business in different directories. One thing you must ensure is that these are high-quality websites.

However, making links on any directory without checking the quality can lead to spam practices. Only choose the most relevant directories and link your website there.

Quality is much more important than quantity for this purpose. You will soon witness the SEO results once you focus on quality.

2. Link Schemes

Link schemes, also known as link spam, are unnatural links that will affect your ranking in Google Search results. These schemes include inbound and outbound links to and from your website.

A few examples of these link schemes include the following:

  • Excessive exchanges of links
  • Selling or purchasing links
  • Followed links on advertisements
  • Keyword-rich links in guest commenting and posting
  • Over-optimized links in guest posting and commenting
  • Requiring links for an agreement such as a Terms of Service or Privacy Policy
  • Templates and footers with mass-distributed links

Avoid hardcoding links to your website in the WordPress theme you sell or give for free. These practices will only hurt your top backlinks and SEO in the long run.

Some other link schemes include:

Using an Automated Link Building Tool

You will find many automated link-building tools in the market that promise to help you build links. However, these practices are part of Black Hat SEO and are looked down upon by search engines.

We recommend you avoid such practices because you don’t know what you will get, as everything is automated. On the other hand, these tools build a huge network of links from wiki pages, social bookmarks, blogs, and more.

So, you will find layers of complicated links that will increase the links going back to the one main website. These tools will manipulate your rankings, leading to the violation of webmaster guidelines by Google.

Leveraging Private Blog Networks (PBNs)

A visual explanation of PBNsPBNs are a collection of backlink sites made to link to one another and raise the organic search exposure of the site. Remember, these networks only provide the illusion that the website has earned backlinks from other websites.

The hope is that Google will witness these as real websites and help you rank better. However, these networks are also risky and lead to penalties and violations.

Make sure you use white hat backlinking strategies if you want long-term results.

3. Unnecessary Press Release Links

Press releases are official statements that are issued to the media. Businesses use these releases to announce anything noteworthy they have done to get the attention of the media, such as:

  • Rebranding updates
  • Mergers or restructuring updates
  • Launching a new business, service, or product
  • And more

These press releases will not help you build top backlinks if the story is not newsworthy. So, if you only want to create a press release to build links, it will be considered a spam practice and hurt your SEO.

When you utilize this strategy, ensure you have something important to offer to benefit from.

How to Build Backlinks for Top Google Ranking: 10 Tested Strategies

A bar graph on the most popular link building tacticsNow that you have a comprehensive idea of top backlinks, their importance, and the types of backlinks to avoid and use, it is time to learn how to build backlinks.

Our backlinking experts have created an extensive guide for you to learn how to build backlinks for top Google ranking. Here are ten tried-and-tested strategies:

1. Use Diverse Content Formats Known For Generating Links

An infographic on types of content formats that do well on search engines

Image Source

According to a content study done by Backlinko and BuzzSumo of 912 million articles and blog posts, more than 90% of online content doesn’t get any links.

Why is this so?

Well, certain types of content did perform consistently better in the studies. For example, they discovered that these types of content formats get the top backlinks:

  • List posts
  • How-to posts
  • Why posts
  • Infographics
  • Videos
  • What posts
  • And general posts

If you want to get the top backlinks, these diverse content formats must be an integral part of your SEO strategy. We don’t mean that these are the only types of content you should publish.

However, add in all types of formats and focus on ensuring that your content is high-quality. When you write amazing content, it automatically works positively for your website.

Our recommendation would be to focus on the aforementioned content, make it high-quality, and keep your formats diverse for effective results.

2. Become a Trustworthy Source for Bloggers and Reporters

A screenshot of the HARO website home pageAs we have mentioned before, getting top backlinks means you need to build backlinks from authority blogs and news sites.

The secret is to get white hat links from trusted sources. While this may sound difficult, we have a solution that can help you out.

HARO is a free service for PR that can help you connect with journalists and bloggers for the exposure you need. However, opting for such a strategy will take time and work.

But, if you want something to provide you with returns for a long time, then this is a good place to start.

Here are the steps you can follow to create white hat backlinks from here:

  • Register yourself as a source on the website
  • Select the free plan or a paid one if you have the budget
  • Be on the lookout on the website to check requests you can make contributions to
  • Find journalists and send them a concise but useful pitch

Then, wait for the magic to work. Make sure that the information you offer is accurate and valuable.

Doing this will take time, but the users on this platform will take note of your efforts, and you will reap the rewards.

3. Publish Long-Form Guides

Bar graphs showing how long form content does better than short form

Image Source

Building top backlinks means you must have stellar content to go with these links. But, you might wonder the way you can get other sites to link to yours with ease.

Well, the answer is simple: publish long-form guides. You might think, what makes them work so well?

The good thing about long-form guides is that they contain a lot of content on one page. For example, such a guide can easily range from 3,000 to anywhere between 10 and 15,000 words.

Various studies on ranking have shown that long-form content performs better on search engines than short-form content. On average, the Google top 10 results contain around 1,500 words.

These content guides become the go-to resource for anyone looking for valuable information on a topic.

Our blogging experts have listed the complete strategy you can follow to publish a long-form guide just like this one:

Think of a Topic that will Work

Your topic will be the make-or-break factor of whether your content will perform well. The key is to find a popular topic that has not been covered by major businesses in your industry.

For example, if you are working in the digital marketing industry, then writing a complete guide on SEO may not work so well. The topic has been covered a lot by almost everyone.

Instead, you can find a niche under this topic and then create a guide. These can include white hat SEO, Facebook SEO, YouTube SEO, and other such topics.

We chose top backlinks as our topic for this guide because it had room for better information and improvement.

Create an Outline

An infographic on content outline examplesThe purpose of an outline is to provide you with structured and systemic content for your blog. List out all the subheadings that will be related to your topic.

For example, in this guide for top backlinks, we decided to create the following outline:

  • What is backlinking in SEO?
  • The importance of backlinks in your SEO strategy
  • Types of top backlinks you can implement
  • Types of top backlinks to avoid
  • How to build backlinks to rank high on Google
  • Top backlink sites for high-quality link-building
  • Factors to consider when choosing backlink sites

Each subheading has become a section with many other topics explaining it in detail. Creating an outline will help you break down the content and systematically explain the topic to the reader.

Write the High-Quality Content

Finally, it is time to write the content. If you have the luxury of time, we suggest you don’t give yourself a word count.

Instead, conduct thorough research on the topic and keep on writing. Once you begin the writing process, you will automatically have a lot of information to write.

Make sure you cover everything about the topic in your guide so it can be seen as the top resource for that topic.

4. Update Old Content

Finding an old piece of content that has not been updated in a while can be like finding a goldmine. Check how many backlinks that piece has and if there are various publications that are referencing it.

If that is the case, it is time to update that old content by creating a fresh and better piece of content. Add relevant data and make sure that the information is up to date.

After you make the URL live, we recommend you reach out to journalists and bloggers who have linked to this old content. Then, you can let them know that you have created an updated version of that content.

In a few days or weeks, you will begin noticing the results of your outreach. These will show up in the form of social media shares or top backlinks.

However, there are various benefits to building such relationships, which can include:

  • You can collaborate with the same people on other projects
  • These collaborations will help you boost traffic and brand visibility
  • It will serve as a long-term strategy for your backlinking efforts

While the goal should be backlinking, it is crucial to also keep other long-term benefits in mind. Then, these top backlinks will become a bonus for you.

5. Leverage the Power of Skyscraper Content

Skyscraper content is website content that has been modelled after other popular websites of the same niche. Many new businesses and startups use this technique to gain more traffic and attention on their site.

If you are also just starting out in the world of top backlinks, we recommend you leverage the power of skyscraper content. The key is to see what is getting attention and then create a version that meets the needs of your business.

Your skyscraper content can be:

  • More updated
  • Have a longer length
  • Created by an expert
  • Published on authority sites
  • Presented in a better manner

Let’s review the steps you can follow to leverage the power of such content:

Find the Right Content

The first thing you must do is find competitive content in your niche that you can improve. These can include listicles, buying guides, comparison guides, how-to guides, and more.

The type of content you select is up to you. Just make sure that it has a lot of backlinks you want to inherit and has gaps you can fill.

Analyze the Content of Competitors

Next, you must conduct a comprehensive analysis of your competitors. There are many tools that can help you with this, such as:

  • SEMRush Backlink Analytics Tool
  • Ahrefs
  • And many others

The one you select will depend on your budget and needs. Ahrefs is a great backlinking tool that can help you dive deep into backlink analytics.

Review the Opportunities for Backlinks

Not all backlinks and their content will be worth inheriting. If you want your skyscraper content to do well, we recommend you focus on the following backlinks.

Such attributes will help the content rank better and help you to find top backlinks. Another thing you should check is the authority score to determine how valuable the backlink is.

Here are some questions to ask to help you identify if it is worth creating skyscraper content based on the existing content:

  • Can your content fulfill the same function or improve it in some way?
  • Will updating the link take a lot of time?
  • Is the previous content keeping it up to date?
  • Will there be a conflict of interest if you link to your site?

These are important questions that will help you identify whether the topic is worth it to create skyscraper content. Once you identify these opportunities, you can fill in the gaps by creating even better skyscraper content.

6. Use the Power of Branded Techniques & Strategies

The power of branding is important to help you stand out in the digital world. People are always looking for unique techniques and strategies that can help them improve a certain aspect of their personal or work life.

An Example of a Branded Technique

The Briefcase Technique is a popular branded strategy created by Ramit Sethi. The purpose of this strategy is to ensure you can get what you want out of a meeting.

For example, if you are giving a job interview, then you can implement the Briefcase Technique to help the business believe you are the right candidate.

Over time, people will take note of this, and the name of the technique will be easy to remember. It will help you get the top backlinks and maintain you as an authority in what you are talking about.

So, you might wonder how you can create a branded technique or strategy to gain more backlinks. Well, here is what you need to know.

Create a Unique Technique or Strategy

Creating a unique strategy or technique is easier said than done because there is a lot of information out there, and someone might already be doing what you have to say under another name.

However, the entire strategy doesn’t have to be unique. Instead, the strategy must have something unique about it.

For example, one unique element of the Briefcase Technique is that it can be applied to anything outside the original intended use with some creativity.

So, you can apply the same principle and find a unique tip, strategy, or technique you want to share with the world.

Give it a Name

Once you have the technique, it is time for you to give it a name. Avoid any complicated names because it will make it difficult for people to remember the technique and use it.

Whatever name you choose, make sure you add a word in it that shows it is a strategy or technique. These can include the following:

  • Blueprint
  • Method
  • Strategy
  • Approach
  • Formula

You get the point by now.

Publish it on Your Website

Now that you have the name and strategy down, it is time to showcase it to the world. Show people how it works by publishing all about it on your blog or website.

Publishing it in the form of a case study can make it seem more valuable and authoritative. Doing this will ensure that people have your website or blog to link back to when they reference your work.

In this way, you will benefit from the top backlinks and create relationships with others that will help you get links.

7. Get Mentions for “Best X” Lists

We live in a world of consumerism. People are always looking for various options before they settle on a purchasing decision.

Because of this, comparison and buying websites and blogs are highly popular. It allows the users to see the recommendations of others and then decide accordingly.

We recommend using a keyword research tool to find the Best X lists in your niche. These tools provide monthly search volumes to help you gauge whether this list is worth it or not.

When people mention you in their Best X lists, it means they are reinforcing your brand. More people are likely to try your product, and you will also get top backlinks from such sources.

The best part about this tactic is that it only taps into backlinking but it also helps with brand awareness. Here is what you can do to get mentions for the best X lists:

Start with a Google Search

Begin with a simple Google search by finding high-ranking blogs that are writing about your industry or product. For example, if you sell project management tools, you can use such search terms as:

  • Top (product name)
  • Best (product name) for (use). Example – best project management tool for startups
  • Best (product name)
  • Top (product name) for (use)

As you write a keyword, Google Autocomplete will give you suggestions of the most searched terms regarding that product.

Create a List & Prioritize the Results

As you conduct the research, we recommend you create a list of the top prospects. Then, you can prioritize the top backlinks based on various factors.

These include the following:

  • Domain authority
  • Referral traffic potential
  • Rankings
  • And backlink profile

Shortlist your results, and decide which ones will provide you with the highest value. Not all such sites will be applicable to what you want.

Write a Pitch for the Author

After shortlisting, you have a list of backlink sites you would like to collaborate with. We recommend you write a concise yet valuable pitch to show the author why your product should be included in the list.

Think of this as an outreach campaign where a customized, concise, but clear pitch will help you remain unique. Then, you have to wait for them to reply to you.

After that, you can get your brand name mentioned in the list of these articles, which will help boost your backlinking efforts.

8. Utilize Images to Gain More Mentions and links

Visual assets are one of the best ways to gain more mentions and top backlinks to your site. If you have not used visual assets like videos or images before, then it is time to add them to your strategy.

Make sure they are original and diverse. For example, you can offer various images, such as:

  • Graphs with original data
  • Charts with original data
  • Explain complicated concepts through diagrams
  • Infographics with useful and original data
  • Free photo galleries others can use
  • One-page templates for use

For example, Pexels and Unsplash are some of the top free photo galleries that websites use to get images. These get millions of views and help them earn top backlinks from endless websites in different niches.

9. Get Backlink Checkers in your SEO Arsenal

While this may not be a comprehensive strategy, it is crucial to have tools in your SEO arsenal that will help you with the strategies you implement.

Investing in top backlinks checkers is crucial to see what tactics are working for your link-building campaign. What time works for one website might not work for you, and these checkers will help you decide the things that provide you with the most gains.

Here are some backlink checkers you can add to your SEO arsenal:

  • Ahrefs
  • Cognitive SEO
  • SE Ranking
  • RankWatch
  • Monitor Backlinks
  • Backlinks by Neil Patel
  • OpenLinkProfiler

Go through each of these checkers, and then decide which one will work best for your business, budget, and backlinking needs.

10. Track Your Results

Finally, it is time to track your results and see where the gaps lie. Tracking results will help you gauge what works and how you can improve your backlinking efforts.

When you have your backlink checkers, you will have complete details of the top backlinks and how they are doing. Then, you can tweak your strategy and implement new techniques for your next link-building campaign.

5 Top Backlinks Websites for High-Quality Backlinking

High-quality backlinking requires you to collaborate with top backlink sites that will reap high rewards in the long run. We have listed some of our top picks to begin your high-quality link-building journey today:

1. B2C

A screenshot of the B2C home page

Website URL https://www.business2community.com/
Backlink Type DoFollow Backlink

Business2Community is a community based on content for various business resources. These include white papers, interviews, case studies, posts, and more.

You can contribute to this website by signing up as a blogger. Another way you can utilize this site is by opting for their Advertising program and uploading white papers.

However, we think the best way to get top backlinks from B2C is to become a contributor for blog posting and syndication. Make sure you go through their guidelines to get content approval.

Blogs have different guidelines, and white papers and case studies have different guidelines. Go through each in detail and then decide what you want to do about it.

2. GrowthHackers

A screenshot of the GrowthHackers home page

Website URL https://growthhackers.com/
Backlink Type DoFollow Backlink

As the name suggests, the community has been created for growth hackers. They let you post original content while sharing and syndicating content based on discussions about growth.

The best part is posters will be rewarded with a followed backlink. GrowthHackers community is based on discussion, so make sure you take the time to engage with people in the comments.

The strategy we recommend for this platform includes:

  • Register on the platform
  • Begin the journey by contributing to discussions
  • These discussions will help you with visibility and engagement
  • Start posting your own content
  • Acquire authority in the community and gain top backlinks and opportunities

As you engage with people and provide sound feedback, they will trust what you have to say. Such trust and community will help you get quality backlinks and mentions.

3. LinkedIn

A screenshot of LinkedIn articles

Website URL https://www.linkedin.com/
Backlink Type NoFollow Backlink

LinkedIn is a popular platform, but unfortunately, you will not get an SEO boost from their backlinks because they are Nofollow. However, the community is incredibly strong, which means you can leverage the platform to put your website and content in front of many people.

A good way to do that is to also utilize the power of LinkedIn Groups. We recommend you use the posts on the platform to syndicate content for conversion and discussion.

Then, encourage discussions in the comment section to build top backlinks and authority. Such a strategy will help you with a better relationship with other people and possibly collaborate with them.

4. GitHub

A screenshot of the GitHub home page

Website URL https://github.com/
Backlink Type DoFollow Backlink

GitHub is a high-quality site with a high domain rating that can help you earn top backlinks for your SEO efforts. It will help you improve the credibility and visibility of your site in the long run, as all the links are DoFollow.

Just make sure you follow their guidelines and create high-quality content. You can also engage with other users and create quality relationships to help your SEO efforts.

5. BizSugar

A screenshot of the BizSugar home page

Website URL https://www.bizsugar.com/  
Backlink Type DoFollow Backlink

If you are running a small business, then BizSugar can be a great platform for you to share content and earn top backlinks. Remember that the community is moderated, which means they will only accept and publish high-quality content.

We recommend you spend some time first to research the platform. After some familiarity, you can sign up and begin sharing content to get top backlinks.

It is a great community for small business owners to create top backlinks through collaboration and relationship-building.

However, it is also great to meet like-minded people and have enriching conversations with other small business owners.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Backlinking Site

While having the right backlink sites and strategies is important, it is also just as crucial to understand the various factors that can help you select the right backlinking site.

Before you decide on top backlinks and websites, here are the most important factors to keep in mind:

Domain Authority or Rating

A screenshot of the domain rating of YouTube on AhrefsThe domain authority of a website is rated between 1 and 100. Its purpose is to measure the quality of a website.

DA is perhaps the most valuable metric that will let you know if the backlink is valuable or not. Forty factors are taken into account when deciding the domain authority of a certain website.

These include things such as the number of inbound links, root domains, and more. Tools such as Ahrefs, MozBar, and SEMRush provide the DA of the links you want to assess.

Niche Relevancy

How relevant is the backlink site to your industry? This is one important question you must ask to ensure that the site you are using is relevant to your niche.

For example, if you are a digital marketing agency, then it will not make sense to get top backlinks from a website for influencers. These links will not be valuable to your business, and your backlinking efforts will go in vain.

Always assess the relevancy of the website to your niche before deciding whether it is the correct choice for top backlinks.

Type of Backlink

The type of backlink will help you decide between follow vs. nofollow links. Google looks at these two types of top backlinks differently, which means they will affect your SEO efforts in a different manner.

Followed backlinks help with the page ranking of your website. On the other hand, a nofollow link will affect your website’s ranking indirectly.

We recommend adding a healthy amount of followed and nofollow backlinks to your website. Both of them will help with better traffic and SEO in the long run.

Anchor Text

Anchor text consists of the words you click to get to the link. There are a few guidelines to follow before you write anchor text for a link for it to have a high impact for top backlinks.

Here are some general guidelines we recommend you follow:

  • The text should be specific
  • It should be relevant to the source you are linking to
  • You must use precise keywords for the anchor text

The anchor text helps Google understand what the content on the linked website contains and which keywords it should rank for. So, make sure to curate accurate anchor text for your content posts and top backlinks.

Content Structure

Content structure is one of the top ranking factors for SEO, which is why the top backlinks have impeccable structure. Backlinks from spammy and low-quality websites will only hurt your website.

High-quality content is organized in a systematic and easy-to-follow manner. It has a clear structure and a hierarchy of ideas.

We have helped you visually explain the ideal content structure in the image below:

A layout of the ideal content structureLevel of Ads and Popups

If you have too many ads and popups on the top backlinks site, people will not stay. They will find the site spammy and leave it as a cluttered website that is not pleasing to the eyes.

High-quality backlink sites keep the number of ads and popups to a minimum so users can stay for longer on the website. So, make sure you take this into account before selecting the top backlinks.

Website Page Rank

A screenshot of Google's explanation about page ranking factorsFinally, many factors determine the page rank of a website. These factors are then quantified and calculated to create rankings for the SERPs.

The ranking of the website will affect the strength of the backlink. If the website is not ranking or the ranking is poor, then it means the website doesn’t have much authority.

Such a lack of authority shows that the link doesn’t offer much value, and the page is not worth targeting for a backlink.

FAQs

What are Tier 3 backlinks?

These are low-quality backlinks that come from blog comments, forums, and social media platforms. Such links are mostly nofollow and point to the secondary publishers.

Are 1000 backlinks good?

The quality of the top backlinks is better than the quantity. It is always better to get 50 high-quality backlinks from high-authority websites than get 1,000 backlinks from one website or a few low-quality websites.

What is a good example of backlinks?

A link page from a page on the New York Times is highly valuable because it is an authoritative website. Lesser-known backlink sites have less authority.

How do I get SEO backlinks?

You can get SEO backlinks by:

  • Using diverse content formats
  • Becoming an authoritative and trustworthy source
  • Publishing long-form guides and content
  • Updating old content
  • Leveraging skyscraper content
  • Using branded strategies
  • And more

Final Thoughts

We hope our guide to the top backlinks and backlink sites was helpful to you. It is crucial to be consistent with your link-building strategies and focus on getting high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites.

However, if you don’t want to go through this hassle, you can always hire our SEO experts to help with your backlinking efforts. We focus on quality backlinks that will help you rank high on SERPs without an issue.