Not All Backlinks Are Created Equal

As an SEO professional, one of my top priorities is securing high-quality backlinks for my clients' websites. Backlinks remain one of the most important ranking factors that Google uses to determine search rankings. However, not all backlinks provide the same SEO value.

When trying to improve a website's search performance, it's critical to focus on obtaining backlinks that will actually move the needle.

In this post, I'll explain the key metrics I use to evaluate the quality of potential backlinks, so you can learn to identify and pursue only worthwhile linking opportunities.

Relevance of the Linking Site

The first factor I examine is how relevant or topically related the site containing the backlink is to my client's niche and content focus. If there is little overlap between the content of the two sites, then the link is less likely to pass much equity or traffic.

For example, a link from a major news publication like The Wall Street Journal could seem impressive. But if my client runs a yoga studio, then a link from WSJ likely won't deliver targeted visitors who are interested in yoga classes.

Instead, I try to land placements on industry-specific sites. For a yoga business, relevant sites could include YogaJournal.com, DoYouYoga.com, and WellAndGood.com. The closer the content matches between the sites, the more valuable the link.

Domain Authority of the Linking Site

Domain authority is a metric calculated by Moz that predicts how influential a domain is for ranking purposes, on a 1-100 scale. In general, links from high domain authority sites pass more equity.

For example, a link from a site with a domain authority of 60 will likely be more powerful than a link from a site with a domain authority of 20. So I always check the domain authority of potential linking sites when evaluating opportunities.

However, domain authority isn't the be-all-end-all. Relevance is also crucial, as mentioned above.

Natural Link Acquisition vs. Manual Outreach

How a link is acquired also impacts its SEO value. Organic, editorially-given links generally have more weight than links you manually request via outreach.

If a site naturally finds and links to your content because they found it useful, that's a stronger endorsement than a link you asked for. Links earned through outreach can still be worthwhile, but they aren't as powerful, all else being equal.

So I prioritize opportunities where we can pitch great content that's likely to be linked to organically, rather than just asking a site for a link.

Link Velocity of the Linking Domain

Link velocity examines how rapidly a particular site adds and removes links. Sites that rapidly gain and lose links regularly are more likely to be using manipulative SEO tactics.

Google is skeptical of sites with high link velocity, as constantly shifting links looks unnatural. So I avoid pursuing links from domains with lots of churn in their backlink profile.

Link Location Within Content

Where on a page your link appears also impacts value. In general, links higher up in content pass more equity.

For example, a link in the opening paragraph of a blog post is more valuable than a link buried at the bottom of the content or in a site's blogroll.

When evaluating potential backlink content, I look at where our link could be placed. Prominent, natural link placement is ideal.

In Summary

Not all backlinks help with rankings and traffic, so it's important to vet opportunities thoroughly. Using criteria like relevance, domain authority, link velocity, and placement, I'm able to determine which prospects to pursue and which to pass on. This helps avoid wasting time on link building that doesn't move the needle.

By being selective and focusing only on quality over quantity with backlink acquisition, I'm able to drive more SEO value for clients in an authentic way that Google appreciates.