In-depth Backlinks SEO
Links were previously the primary SEO factor for rankings
Now they are losing relevance in the age of semantic contexts and machine learning
User experience and content relevance are gaining more importance
Google is improving at ranking the most relevant content without heavy reliance on backlinks
High ranking is possible for niche topics without many high-quality backlinks
Mobile users often like/share content rather than actively linking to it
Increasing role of apps and app rankings reduces backlink importance
Backlinks are now just another SEO factor, not the primary one
Dofollow Links:
Standard HTML link: <a href="example.com">anchor text</a>
Passes "link juice" from source page to target page
Contributes to search engine visibility and domain authority
Nofollow Links:
HTML link with nofollow attribute: <a href="example.com" rel="nofollow">anchor text</a>
Instructs search engines not to pass link juice
Less direct impact on domain authority
Link Juice: Domain authority or search engine visibility passed through links
PageRank: Google's system for measuring a page's importance (no longer visible to public since March 2016)
Domain Authority: Overall measure of a website's search engine visibility
Anchor Text: The clickable text in a hyperlink (e.g., "anchor text" in the examples above)
Domain authority doesn't directly depend on:
Nofollow links
Dofollow links from low-quality websites
Simply having more backlinks doesn't guarantee higher rankings
The absolute number of backlinks matters less than commonly believed
Significant differences in backlink numbers only affect positions 1-3 in search results
For positions 4-20, backlink quantity shows minimal correlation with rankings
Mobile search results show more pronounced differences between positions 2-3 than desktop
Total backlinks = Number of dofollow links + Number of nofollow links
A website with 1,000 dofollow backlinks won't necessarily outrank a website with 10 dofollow backlinks
Backlink quantity primarily matters for:
Competition between top 3 positions
Getting a site from "nowhere" into the top 30 results
For positions below 3rd, other factors become more important than backlink quantity
Referring domains: The number of unique websites linking to you
More unique referring domains correlates with higher rankings
Example: A site with 50 backlinks from 10 different domains will rank higher than a site with 50 backlinks from 5 domains
The number of referring domains to top-ranking pages is increasing year by year
This trend is especially true for brands occupying top positions
Brand awareness and relevant content naturally generate more backlinks from different domains over time
How link juice flows:
When a page links to multiple sites, its link juice is divided among those links
Example:
If Site P (30 points) links to 3 sites, each gets 10 points
If Site Q (30 points) links to 10 sites, each gets 3 points
Sites receiving links from pages with fewer outbound links benefit more
As the number of domains linked from a URL increases, the link juice flowing to each site decreases
Pages with 4+ dofollow outbound links provide significantly less SEO value
This applies whether the outgoing links target different domains or the same domain
Seek backlinks from pages with few outbound links (ideally fewer than 4)
Avoid pursuing backlinks from pages with many external links
Backlinks with keywords in anchor text can improve rankings but are considered a risky SEO factor
Google's Penguin algorithm targets unnatural link building, including keyword-stuffed anchor text
The percentage of backlinks with keyword anchor text is declining (from 29% to 20% over time)
Domain names or brand names in anchor texts are increasing yearly
Google can distinguish between natural and unnatural backlinks
Natural backlinks: Users or customers organically sharing your content
Unnatural backlinks: Deliberately created with keyword-rich anchor text
In 12-18 months, keyword-rich anchor text will likely lose its advantage
Websites with brand name anchors will eventually rank equally to those with keyword anchors
If there's a natural opportunity to get keyword-rich anchor text (like using a full post title), use it
Otherwise, brand name or domain name anchors are safer and more future-proof
Focus on looking natural to Google's algorithms
Backlinks from news sites have significant impact on search rankings (22% correlation factor)
This correlation is rising year by year
Especially important for websites that publish news or press releases
Top 10 search results averaged 333 backlinks from news sites, rising to 522 within a year
First 3 results often have fewer news backlinks because they tend to be newer content
Results 4-10 typically have more news backlinks but rank lower due to other factors
Some news sites link directly to the original news page
Others link to the homepage of the source website
Both types contribute to authority, though direct page links are generally more valuable
Older backlinks correlate with higher rankings (19% correlation factor)
Top 10 search results have an average backlink age of 470 days compared to 389 days for top 30
The difference in backlink age is most prominent between the top 5 websites
Backlink age is used to combat unnatural link building practices
Sudden surges in backlinks can trigger scrutiny
Natural link profiles show steady growth over time
A 10-year-old website with 10 backlinks gained weekly will typically outrank
A 1-year-old website with 100 backlinks gained weekly (but same total)
This is because the older site has a more natural, time-tested link profile