There are billions and billions of links on the internet. One search query on search engines will prove that. And the number grows steadily each day. As more businesses and people go online, more links are created. 

Links play a fundamental role on how the internet works. Without it, the world wide web is just a giant string of mess. 

The Purpose of A Link in Search Engine

Links allow search engines to find websites and content that are relevant to each search query. More importantly, links are a way for search engines to validate the relevance and indicating the importance of a specific web page. 

As we have mentioned in a previous article, whenever one web page links to another, the search engine sees that as if the page is voting or corroborates for the target page. This is called backlinking. 

The more votes or vouchers a website or web page receives, the more trusted it becomes. In turn, that specific web page or website will be deemed important, earning a higher ranking on search engines. 

One of the main purposes of a link is to help send signals of trust. A third-party source is the only one allowed to send these signals of trust. To put it simply, trusted sites are the ones who can transfer trust to unknown websites with the help of links. 

Another important purpose of a link is to validate a web page’s relevance. For instance, if you are linking a text to another website or a source, that text helps  validate the relevance of the link. 

Different Parts of A Link in Search Engine

Basic HTML knowledge is required when you are operating a website, or doing search engine optimization. In HTML, the code for a link is listed as <a href=“http://www.targeturl.com/targetpage.htm”>Anchor Text</a>. We will dissect this below:

  • <a href > and </a> tag. These HTML tags indicate where the link starts and where it ends. Every end tag for HTML is listed with </>
  • http://www.targeturl.com/targetpage.htm This is the page where the link leads to. You simply copy the link of the web page or website you want your audience to go to and paste it in this part. Make sure that you are linking to not just to the homepage but a significant web page.
  • We also have the anchor text. This is the visible text that embodies the link. It should contain a key phrase you are targeting. Once your audience and the search engine sees a link, it sends a signal that the target URL is relevant for the subject that was used in the anchor text. 

Additionally, there is also different data that can be constituted in this anatomy. You can also cast directions telling the search engine not to follow the link. There is also the choice to cast a direction for the browser on opening the link to a new window or not. 

Usually, this link goes as follows: <a href=“http://www.targeturl.com/targetpage.htm” rel=“nofollow”>Anchor Text</a>

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The no follow tag can be included if you do not want to vouch for the target URL. This gives the signal to search engines not to count the link for ranking purposes. Its main purpose is to combat comment spam. Which leads us to our next bit below.

Are All Links Equal?

The short answer to that is a big no. Not all links are created equal. Just because you have a lot of links leading to your website, doesn’t mean you are automatically considered as a high ranking website. 

This is where link authority comes in. Link authority reviews the worth of the links, not just the number. As we have already established, there are some websites that are more trusted than others. 

So, the links coming from this website are considered worth more compared to links coming from websites with low authority ranking. In a similar sense, there are some websites that are more admissible than others to definitive terms. 

To put it simply, the more relevant a website is, the more valuable the link becomes. For instance, relevant websites such as well-established news sites are more valuable. Additionally, government websites (.gov), university domains (.ac) carry more weight and value. 

Links from websites like the ones mentioned above have a higher PageRank and carry a lot more link weight. Additionally, the search algorithms also look into the relationship between these linked websites.

By reviewing these things, search engines try to rule if the links are legitimate. There are some links that are artificial, manipulative and are created for ranking purposes only. This is called blackhat SEO, which was discussed in a previous article. 

Websites that use blackhat SEO often get banned or flagged by search engines. These manipulative links don’t have the same worth compared to natural links. 

In addition to that, the search engine algorithms also rule the aptness of the citing website to the site it is being linked to. The results are always better when relevant websites are linked together. 

Tips on Getting More Links for Higher Search Engine Ranking

Naturally, every website wants more links to get higher search engine rankings and better site traffic. As previously mentioned, there are ways to “”cheat” the system by using Blackhat SEO. However, these methods are frowned upon by search engines.

So, how do you generate more links without getting penalised and demonitized by search engines? Well, there are plenty of ethical and honest ways to do so. Check out some of the proven methods to generate more link below:

Create Valuable Content

Creating valuable content is a great foundation to every website. Not only are you proving your relevance and value to your audience base, you are also showing search engines that you are offering great and useful content. 

If the audience likes what you are putting out there, your audience will be more than happy to share your content. Write content that will appeal not just to your audience, but to the whole of the Internet population. 

Focus on creating valuable content that is better than what your competitors are offering. And be sure that your content is created over your key phrases.

Create Remarkable Content

To do this, you need visual aids for your audience. Infographics and visual representation of data appeal most to users. Understandably so, most people would rather watch a 2-minute video or look at a photo instead of reading a whole article.  

Capitalise on Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing helps businesses reach more audiences easier than search engines. Your website content should always be shared on your social media accounts to help reach more people. 

© Image credits to Steve Johnson

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