When it comes to improving your website’s rank on Google, backlinks matter a lot. Many people focus only on keywords, SEO, and using the right location-based (GEO) tags. While those things help, you can’t ignore backlinks if you want better results.
Let’s explore why high-quality backlinks are so important.
What Are Backlinks?
A backlink is a link from one website to another.
Think of it like a vote of confidence. If a popular website links to yours, search engines see that as a sign your site has value. The more quality links you get, the more likely your site will show up higher in search results.
Example:
If a major news site like CNN links to your blog about fitness tips, Google will see your content as trustworthy. This can boost your site’s ranking.
Why High-Quality Backlinks Matter
Not all backlinks are equal. Some are helpful, and some can actually hurt your ranking.
Here’s what makes a backlink “high-quality”:
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Comes from a trusted site (like news websites or respected blogs)
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Is relevant to your topic or industry
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Has good anchor text (the words used in the clickable link)
Low-quality links from spammy or unrelated sites won’t help—and might even get you penalized by Google.
How Do Backlinks Affect Ranking
Search engines like Google use backlinks to figure out how important and useful a page is. When they see many quality sites pointing to yours, they think, “This must be good content.”
Here’s what backlinks can do:
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Boost your rank in search results
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Bring in more traffic from other websites
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Build trust with search engines and users
Example:
If you run a local pizza shop and a popular food blog links to your menu page, you’ll likely see more visitors and rank higher for local searches like “best pizza in [city].”
Don’t Rely on GEO and SEO Alone
Using keywords and local targeting is smart. For example, saying “plumber in Dallas” helps people find your business in that area.
But that’s just part of the puzzle.
If you skip link building, your site may stay stuck behind others that have stronger backlink profiles, even if your on-page SEO is great.
How to Get Good Backlinks
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Write great content that people want to share
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Reach out to blogs, local news sites, or business directories
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Offer guest posts on other sites
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Get listed on trusted industry websites
Start small. One strong backlink from a good site is better than 50 weak ones.
The Link That Lifts You Higher
Backlinks are one of the top ways to grow your site’s visibility. GEO and SEO tactics help, but they can’t replace real authority, and backlinks are how you earn it.
So don’t skip link building. It could be the missing piece that takes your rankings to the next level.
Check out my article on the best techniques for getting backlinks.
Let me help you make sense of all these and earn quality backlinks from high authority websites relevant to your industry, which will move the needle for your brand. Reach me at mainaalphan@gmail.com or alphan@alphaseoplus.us.