As the third installment of SEO for the novice, this article will expound on a very important aspect of SEO, that being backlinks. Search engines use links as a way to rank a site. In other words, the more links a site has, the higher it will appear in a search engine’s algorithm. Read below to learn more about site links and how they can alter your website’s placement in a search engine’s results, thus improving the chance of success for freelance blog writers:
What is a Backlink?
A backlink is simply a connection between two sites. This means that either a visitor to your site links your site to theirs or you link your site to another site. This type of link is also referred to as incoming links, inward links, or inbound links.
How Does the Amount of External Links Alter the Search Engines’ Algorithm?
In essence, the presence of links on your website act as votes, thereby showing a search engine the importance of your site. In other words, consider it like a mini election, the more links or “votes” your site has, the higher it will rank.
What is an Internal Link?
An internal link acts as a navigation tool for site visitors. For example, if you place an article on your site and mention something you have previously posted, you can create an internal link within the text to transport or link the reader to your previous post. This allows easy navigation of your site and it does not send readers off your website.
How to Create a Backlink:
Creating links involves the use of HTML. If you master this, you can link to virtually anything and everything. The following is an example of a standard external link:
<a href=“http://www.html.net/”>Here is a link to HTML.net</a>
The a in the reference above stands for anchor, and the href is an abbreviation for hypertext reference, which reveals where the link will lead.
What About Creating Internal Links?
There are two examples of this type of link listed below:
<a href=“page2.htm>Click here to go to page 2</a>
<a href=“../page1.htm”>A link to page 1</a>
Use Keywords and Anchor Texts to Guide Readers or Link Sites:
To place links within your site, simply employ an anchor text or hyperlink using a keyword. When site visitors are reading your site, your anchor text will act as the connecting point between your site and another site or between the current page of your site and other previously posted material. An example of how to construct a link with an anchor word is written below:
<a href=http://www.fakewebsiteforexample.com>Fake Website</a>
The part of the code that has the long website address is the link that goes to another website, and the “Fake Website” would be the anchor text or keyword which would appear to readers on your website.
Admittedly, links are a bit difficult to understand, but once you master the art of building them, you will improve your site’s SEO rankings and make it easier to navigate for your readers.
Brandie P is a proud mother of two and has been married to the love of her life for 15 years. She enjoys reading and of course writing. Brandie cannot wait for the start of the college football season as it is her favorite time of the year.
