Are you keen on building authority in your niche industry? Start determining who links to your website!
Wondering why it matters?
Well, search engines use backlinks as a crucial ranking factor. So, if your website is linked to high-quality sites, then it will be deemed as a high-quality website, too. This means your site’s chances of gaining organic traffic will increase. Also, having links from different websites shows that your site is trusted by many others in your industry.
So, how do you know who links to your site? How can you improve your backlink profile? How to get quality backlinks?
All your concerns in regards to backlinking are answered in this blog. So, sit back and expand your knowledge!
0.1- Strategies to determine who links to your website
There are multiple tools that you can use to determine who is linking to your site. Listed below are a few commonly used by white-label SEO companies –
0.1.1- Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free solution that offers important SEO data about your website, including who is linking to it. To use it, you need to create an account and verify your website.
Once set up, Search Console will start tracking your backlinks.
To view your backlinks, go to Search Console, then click on “Links,” followed by “External links,” and finally “Top linked pages.”
There, you’ll discover important details about your website’s backlink profile. Check out the section titled “Top linking sites,” then click on “More.”
At the top of the page, you’ll see the total number of backlinks detected by Google for your website. Below that, you’ll find a list of websites linking to your domain property.
If you’re unsure about a website on the list, you may want to check its quality. Click the arrow next to the domain to open the linking URL in your web browser. In case you desire more information about the linking site, simply click anywhere on the domain name.
There, you’ll find:
- The total number of links from the root domain.
- The number of pages on your site linked to from the domain.
- Page URLs on your site are linked from the domain.
You can repeat this process for each linking site on your list. Plus, you can rely on Google Search Console to notify you whenever a new website links to yours.
0.1.2- Semrush Backlink Audit
To find and analyze backlinks using SEMrush Backlink Audit, work with the experts at your chosen firm of PPC Management Kelowna and follow these steps:
- Go to “Link Building” > “Backlink Audit.”
- Click on “Create project.”
- Enter your homepage URL, name the project (if desired), and then click “Create project.”
You’ll need to choose the version of your domain you want to audit first. Then click on “Brand Settings.”
Enter any brand names linked to your website. Next, click on “Domain categories.”
Select the primary topic categories for your website. After that, click on “Target countries.”
After selecting your website’s primary topic categories, choose the target countries where you want your website to show up in search results. Then, click “Start Backlink Audit.”
Once the audit finishes, you’ll receive an email notification. Click “Go to Backlink Audit” to view your report. If you remain on the dashboard, wait for the audit to finish, then click “View.”
You can see who is linking to your site in the “Analyzed Backlinks” section of your report. The number listed there is the total number of backlinks identified in the audit.
To view a complete list of your backlinks, click on the blue number in the “Analyzed Backlinks” section. Then, select the “Domain” tab. Each backlink will be labeled with the title tag of the page where it appears.
Check the bolded text next to the word “Source” to identify the website where the link is located.
You can also utilize “Referring Domains” on your dashboard to see who links to your website. The blue number indicates the total number of websites linking to yours.
To access a complete list of your Referring Domains, click on the blue number. Same as before, the website where the link is located will appear in bold.
With SEMrush, you can gain additional information about the linking site, including –
- Authority Score of the linked site, indicating its estimated authority.
- Toxicity Score of the linked site, showing its potential harm to your SEO.
- URL of the source page, where the link is located.
- The type of backlink, such as text or image.
- The hyperlinked text that is clickable, a.k.a. the anchor text.
- Actions you can take based on the link’s quality. These include “Move to Whitelist” or “Move to Remove.”
This information can be used to assess the quality of the linking sites and identify if they are assisting or damaging your SEO.
0.2- Top ways to enhance your site’s backlink profile
Simply knowing who links to your website isn’t particularly insightful. It’s similar to looking at someone’s Facebook friends. You’ll see a long list of people, but without context, it’s hard to distinguish between real friends and acquaintances.
It is crucial that you use your gathered data wisely post-audit and build solid link-building strategies. Most typically, organisations rely on experts of PPC Management Victoria for their link-building needs; there is nothing wrong with gaining first-hand information on the same to know what to expect from the experts.
And this section aims to do the same!
Let’s explore some practical ways you can leverage link data to enhance your SEO efforts and drive more organic traffic.
0.2.1- Develop content that attracts link
Placing high-quality content on your website gives other sites added reasons to link back to you. This content, often referred to as “link bait,” is so valuable that other webmasters find it easy to link to.
Good link bait typically possesses these qualities:
- Audience-centric to grab attention
- Delivering tangible suggestions
- Matches the search queries (whether it’s to purchase a product or find information)
- Addresses on-hand needs on the users/readers (such as offering helpful tools)
- Featuring high-quality visuals
- Features valuable data, including surveys, stats, facts, etc.
Now, the question is, “How do you create link bait on your website?”
Well, there are plenty of ways! For instance, analysing keywords and competitors can reveal the kind of content that resonates within your industry. This insight serves as inspiration for generating fresh content ideas.
Creating different types of content might require various resources, such as graphic design, web development, public relations, and more. However, investing in high-quality, evergreen content is worthwhile because it continues to generate links year-round.
0.2.2- Strengthen your ties with serial linker
People who repeatedly link to your website are often referred to as serial linkers. These individuals likely have existing positive relationships with you.
In Google Search Console, you can identify them by accessing the top linking sites report and sorting the target pages from high to low.
Exclude social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, as well as forums such as Reddit and other platforms where links are typically user-generated content.
The key is to cultivate and sustain your relationships with the individuals behind these sites, as they are likely to link to you again in the future.
But here’s an actionable way to expand on this concept even further:
Identify the serial linkers of your competitors, and then establish connections with those individuals as well! This is because people tend to link to those they know and appreciate. So, cultivate relationships with your own serial linkers and those of your competitors.
If you believe the process is getting complicated, don’t shy away from hiring Victoria SEO Company for complete link-building assistance.
0.2.3- Extract information from linked content
Link building is most effective when you offer content that people genuinely want to link to.
However, it’s not guaranteed that infographics will always attract more links than blog posts, studies, interactive quizzes, or other content types. Various niches tend to prefer different types of content.
To grasp what resonates in your niche, work with your chosen Kelowna PPC company to identify commonalities among your most linked pages. You can employ the search console to identify the same. It will give you an idea of which content attracts a lot of links. Accordingly, focus on producing similar types of content for your audience.
0.2.4- Capitalise on the value of your current links
Have you ever clicked on a broken line? It must have taken you to an error page displaying, “Not Found, error 404,” right?
Broken pages not only degrade user experience but also impact SEO negatively.
Backlinks enhance your website’s authority, and some of this authority is transferred to other pages through internal links. However, broken pages lack internal links due to their non-existence.
In summary, broken pages can impede your site’s search engine performance. Hence, it is imperative to address them promptly.
In Google Search Console, the Coverage report notifies you about broken pages. And if you wish to know if any of the affected pages have backlinks, go to the “Top Linked Pages.” Then, filter it for the broken page.
Once you determine broken links, do what SEO consulting experts would do, that is,
- Restore the dead page
- Reroute the dead page to the page that is working and is relevant
- Reach out to linkers and request that they link to a working page instead
Another option is to leave the page as a soft 404, especially if it lacks valuable backlinks.
0.2.5- Recreate Competitors' Linked Content
Every website and web page possesses a unique link profile.
While you may have backlinks your competitors lack, they also have some that you don’t. To acquire more backlinks, begin by replicating your competitors’ links.
Link acquisition varies based on various reasons, adding nuance to the process.
For now, let’s focus on two straightforward methods to secure competitors’ links, starting with repairing their broken links.
This time, you will need to determine the broken links of your competitors.
Once you have an idea of the broken links and the referring domains, contact the referring domains linking to the broken link on our competitor’s site. You can then propose replacing the dead link with your active one. If you lack a similar piece of content as your competitor, create one and do this process.
If you need expert assistance in the process, work with a digital marketing agency. Their experts can assist you with outsourcing SEO services and enhance the health of your backlinks.
0.2.6- Keep an eye on your website's Toxicity Score
The “Toxicity Score” in your Backlink Audit displays the proportion of your backlinks originating from non-toxic, potentially toxic, or toxic websites.
Aim for a low Toxicity Score. A high score may indicate that too many of your backlinks are situated on low-quality websites.
“Toxic” websites may encompass spammy websites, non-indexed websites, or those hosting malware or viruses. If you’re uncertain about why a website linking to yours is labelled toxic, revisit your list of Referring Domains in the Backlink Audit report. Then, click on the number in the “TS” column.
You’ll find a list of toxicity markers detected on the linking website. These markers are highlighted because they have been specifically identified by Google as indicators of low-quality, untrustworthy websites.
Here are some strategies to reduce your Toxicity Score:
- Obtain more backlinks from reputable websites.
- Reach out to webmasters to remove any toxic links.
- Consider whether disavowing toxic links is necessary. (Note: This should be a last resort and handled by someone experienced with Google’s disavow tool.)
0.2.7- Give your best content a promotional boost
To encourage the creation of backlinks, a gentle push is often necessary. Take one of your top blog posts and share it with your network, social media followers, and friends and family. Politely ask them to share the content if they find it helpful.
Next, reach out to authority figures and bloggers in your industry via email or direct message. Ask them if they would be open to reviewing your content. Many top bloggers and influencers share links to content they find valuable with their followers. You increase the chances of it being included in their communications by pitching your content to them.
The best thing is that this process will take less than an hour, even if you spend 10 minutes per mail sending it to four authority figures in your niche.
1- Final thoughts
Getting backlinks from top-notch websites can significantly boost your web page’s organic ranking potential. Also, understanding who links to your site can help you maintain a strong backlink profile and uncover fresh linking prospects. So, wait no more and use the tips listed above to your benefit. Besides maintaining consistency in tracking the linking sites, you will never miss a problem or a chance to gain links.
Also, remember, knowing who links to your site is a good start, but it won’t boost your SEO on its own. The key is to see how you stack up against your competitors and learn from those who are successful in SEO.
Are you keen on knowing “how to outsource SEO?” Work with expert link-building company like SEO Resellers Canada. With experts at aid, it becomes easy to navigate even the most complex concepts like link building! Experts will streamline the SEO outsourcing for you, too!
