Backlinks are one of the most important factors for SEO success. They help to boost your website’s authority, popularity, and relevance in the eyes of search engines. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Some backlinks can have a positive impact on your rankings, while others can harm your reputation and even get you penalized by Google.
That’s why backlink analysis is a crucial skill for any SEO professional or website owner. Backlink analysis is the process of evaluating the quality and quantity of links pointing to your website or to your competitors’ websites. By doing a backlink analysis, you can:
- Identify and remove or disavow bad or toxic links that could hurt your SEO performance.
- Find and replicate the best link building strategies of your competitors or industry leaders.
- Discover new link building opportunities that can help you grow your organic traffic and authority.
- Monitor and measure the effectiveness of your link building campaigns and adjust them accordingly.
In this article, we will show you how to do a backlink analysis using some of the best tools and techniques available. We will also share some of the easiest ways to build links that can boost your SEO results. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What Makes a Good Backlink?
Before we dive into the backlink analysis process, let’s first understand what makes a good backlink. A good backlink is a link that:
- Comes from a relevant and authoritative website in your niche or industry.
- Has a natural and contextual anchor text that matches the topic of the linked page.
- Is placed on a page with high-quality and original content that provides value to the readers.
- Is not part of a spammy or manipulative link scheme or network.
- Is not paid for or exchanged for goods or services.
To evaluate the quality of a backlink, you need to look at various metrics and factors, such as:
- Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA): These are scores that measure the overall strength and popularity of a website based on its backlink profile. The higher the score, the more authoritative the website is.
- URL Rating (UR) or Page Authority (PA): These are scores that measure the strength and popularity of a specific page based on its backlinks. The higher the score, the more authoritative the page is.
- Referring Domains: This is the number of unique domains that link to a website or a page. The more referring domains, the more diverse and natural the backlink profile is.
- Traffic: This is the estimated amount of organic visitors that a website or a page receives from search engines. The more traffic, the more popular and relevant the website or page is.
- Relevance: This is the degree of similarity between the topic of the linking website or page and the topic of your website or page. The more relevant, the more valuable and trustworthy the backlink is.
These metrics and factors can help you assess the quality of a backlink, but they are not absolute or definitive. You should always use your own judgment and common sense when analyzing backlinks.
How to Do a Backlink Analysis
To do a backlink analysis, you need to use a tool that can crawl and analyze millions of web pages and links. There are many tools available for this purpose, but some of the most popular ones are:
- Semrush: This is an all-in-one SEO tool that offers various features for backlink analysis, such as Backlink Analytics, Backlink Audit, Link Building Tool, etc.
- Ahrefs: This is another comprehensive SEO tool that has one of the largest and most updated backlink databases in the industry. It also provides various features for backlink analysis, such as Site Explorer, Backlink Checker, Link Intersect, etc.
- Moz: This is another well-known SEO tool that offers various features for backlink analysis, such as Link Explorer, MozBar, Link Intersect, etc.
Each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages, but they all provide similar functionalities and data. You can choose any tool that suits your needs and budget.
Here are some steps to follow when doing a backlink analysis using any tool:
- Enter your website’s URL or domain name into the tool’s search bar.
- Check your website’s overall backlink profile summary, such as total number of backlinks, referring domains, DR/DA score, traffic, etc.
- Filter and sort your backlinks by various criteria, such as type (dofollow/nofollow), platform (web 2.0/blog/forum/etc.), language (English/Spanish/etc.), date (new/lost), etc.
- Analyze each backlink individually by looking at its source page URL, anchor text, DR/UR/PA score, traffic, relevance, etc.
- Identify and remove or disavow any bad or toxic links that could harm your SEO performance. You can use the tool’s features to create a disavow file and submit it to Google Search Console.
- Export your backlink data to a spreadsheet or a report for further analysis or documentation.
The Easiest Ways to Build BackLinks
Now that you know how to do a backlink analysis, you can use the insights and data you gathered to improve your link building strategy. Here are some of the easiest ways to build links that can boost your SEO results:
- Content Marketing: This is the process of creating and distributing valuable and relevant content that attracts and engages your target audience. Content marketing can help you build links in various ways, such as:
- Guest Posting: This is the process of writing and publishing articles on other websites or blogs in your niche or industry. Guest posting can help you build links by including your website’s URL or a specific page’s URL in your author bio or within the article’s content.
- Skyscraper Technique: This is the process of finding a popular and high-quality piece of content in your niche or industry, creating a better version of it, and reaching out to the websites or blogs that linked to the original piece and asking them to link to your improved version instead.
- Resource Page Link Building: This is the process of finding web pages that list useful resources or links related to your niche or industry, and asking them to add your website or a specific page as one of their resources or links.
- Email Outreach: This is the process of sending personalized and targeted emails to website owners, bloggers, journalists, influencers, or other relevant people in your niche or industry, and asking them to link to your website or a specific page. Email outreach can help you build links in various ways, such as:
- Broken Link Building: This is the process of finding broken links on other websites or blogs in your niche or industry, creating a similar or better piece of content that can replace the broken link, and contacting the website owner or blogger and informing them about the broken link and suggesting your piece of content as a replacement.
- Unlinked Brand Mentions: This is the process of finding web pages that mention your brand name, product name, service name, or any other relevant term related to your website, but do not link to it, and contacting the website owner or blogger and asking them to add a link to your website.
- Testimonials: This is the process of writing positive and genuine feedback or reviews about a product, service, tool, or resource that you have used or benefited from, and asking the provider to feature your testimonial on their website along with a link to your website.
- PR: This is the process of creating and distributing newsworthy stories or events related to your website, brand, product, service, or industry, and getting them covered by reputable media outlets, publications, podcasts, blogs, etc. PR can help you build links in various ways, such as:
- Press Releases: These are official statements or announcements that provide information about a newsworthy story or event related to your website, brand, product, service, or industry. Press releases can help you build links by including your website’s URL or a specific page’s URL in the press release’s content or distribution channels.
- HARO: This stands for Help A Reporter Out. It is a platform that connects journalists and sources who can provide expert insights or quotes for their stories. HARO can help you build links by responding to relevant queries from journalists and providing them with valuable information along with your website’s URL or a specific page’s URL as a source.
- Influencer Marketing: This is the process of collaborating with influential people in your niche or industry who have a large and loyal following on social media platforms, blogs, podcasts, etc., and getting them to promote your website, brand, product, service, or content. Influencer marketing can help you build links by getting influencers to share your website’s URL or a specific page’s URL with their audience.
These are some of the easiest ways to build links that can boost your SEO results. However, they are not the only ones. There are many other link building strategies and tactics that you can use depending on your goals, resources, and creativity.
What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow links?
Dofollow and nofollow links are two types of links that have different effects on SEO. Dofollow links are links that pass on authority and link juice to the linked website, while nofollow links are links that do not pass on any authority or link juice to the linked website. Dofollow links can help improve the ranking and visibility of the linked website, while nofollow links can help prevent spam and abuse of the website.
The main difference between dofollow and nofollow links is in their HTML code. Dofollow links have no special attribute in their anchor tag, while nofollow links have a rel=“nofollow” attribute in their anchor tag. For example, a dofollow link would look like this:
<a href=“https://example.com”>Example</a>
And a nofollow link would look like this:
<a href=“https://example.com” rel=“nofollow”>Example</a>
By default, most links are dofollow links, unless they are manually changed to nofollow links by the website owner or by certain platforms that automatically add the nofollow attribute to some or all of their links, such as social media sites, forums, comments, etc.
How often should I do a backlink analysis?
Backlink analysis is the process of evaluating the quality and quantity of links pointing to your website or to your competitors’ websites. By doing a backlink analysis, you can identify and remove or disavow bad or toxic links that could hurt your SEO performance, find and replicate the best link building strategies of your competitors or industry leaders, discover new link building opportunities that can help you grow your organic traffic and authority, and monitor and measure the effectiveness of your link building campaigns and adjust them accordingly.
There is no definitive answer to how often you should do a backlink analysis, as it depends on various factors, such as your website’s size, niche, goals, competition, etc. However, a general rule of thumb is to do a backlink analysis at least once a month to keep track of your link profile and identify any changes or issues that need your attention. You should also do a backlink analysis whenever you launch a new link building campaign or whenever you notice a significant change in your ranking or traffic.
What are some free tools for backlink analysis?
There are many tools available for backlink analysis, but some of them require a paid subscription or have limited features or data. If you are looking for some free tools for backlink analysis, here are some of the best ones:
- [Semrush]: This is an all-in-one SEO tool that offers various features for backlink analysis, such as Backlink Analytics, Backlink Audit, Link Building Tool, etc. You can use Semrush for free with some limitations on the number of queries and reports per day.
- [Ahrefs]: This is another comprehensive SEO tool that has one of the largest and most updated backlink databases in the industry. It also provides various features for backlink analysis, such as Site Explorer, Backlink Checker, Link Intersect, etc. You can use Ahrefs for free with some limitations on the number of queries and reports per day.
- [Moz]: This is another well-known SEO tool that offers various features for backlink analysis, such as Link Explorer, MozBar, Link Intersect, etc. You can use Moz for free with some limitations on the number of queries and reports per month.
These tools can help you perform a basic backlink analysis for your website or your competitors’ websites. However, if you want to access more advanced features and data, you may need to upgrade to a paid plan or use other tools that offer more functionalities and insights.
Conclusion:
Backlink analysis is an essential skill for any SEO professional or website owner. It can help you improve your link building strategy and achieve better SEO results. To do a backlink analysis, you need to use a tool that can crawl and analyze millions of web pages and links. You also need to look at various metrics and factors that determine the quality of a backlink. Based on the insights and data you gather from your backlink analysis, you can then use some of the easiest ways to build links that can boost your SEO performance.
We hope this article has helped you understand how to do a backlink analysis and how to build links using some of the easiest methods available. If you have any backlink requirements or feedback, please feel free to contact Impact Digital.
FAQs:
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about backlink analysis and link building:
- Q: How often should I do a backlink analysis?
- A: There is no definitive answer to this question, as it depends on various factors, such as your website’s size, niche, goals, competition, etc. However, a general rule of thumb is to do a backlink analysis at least once a month to keep track of your link profile and identify any changes or issues that need your attention.
- Q: How can I find my competitors’ backlinks?
- A: You can use any of the tools mentioned in this article to find your competitors’ backlinks. Simply enter their website’s URL or domain name into the tool’s search bar and check their backlink profile summary and details. You can also use the tool’s features to compare your backlink profile with your competitors’ and find gaps or opportunities for improvement.
- Q: How can I avoid getting penalized by Google for bad or unnatural links?
- A: The best way to avoid getting penalized by Google for bad or unnatural links is to follow Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and avoid any link building practices that are considered spammy or manipulative, such as buying or selling links, participating in link schemes or networks, using automated tools or software, etc. You should also monitor your backlink profile regularly and remove or disavow any bad or toxic links that could harm your SEO performance.
- Q: How can I measure the impact of my link building efforts on my SEO results?
- A: You can measure the impact of your link building efforts on your SEO results by using various metrics and indicators, such as:
- Ranking: This is the position of your website or a specific page on the search engine results pages (SERPs) for a given keyword or query. The higher the ranking, the more visible and accessible your website or page is to potential visitors.
- Traffic: This is the amount of organic visitors that your website or a specific page receives from search engines. The more traffic, the more popular and relevant your website or page is.
- Conversions: This is the number of actions or goals that your website visitors complete on your website or a specific page, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, making a purchase, etc. The more conversions, the more successful and profitable your website or page is.
You can use various tools and platforms to track and analyze these metrics and indicators, such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz, etc. You can also use these tools to set up custom reports and dashboards that show you how your link building efforts affect your SEO results over time.