Inbound and Outbound Links: Debugging & Differentiating the Terminologies
So you have just started pulling the strings of SEO. You just finished on figuring how search marketing actually works. You have a basic concept of On-Page. And now, you are driven into the main meat – “Backlinks.” If you have read few beginners’ guide, you probably know backlink is the real deal. It’s the only major factor that can rank your website and help drive sales to your business. There are forums and sites that sell backlinks. This sums up the value it brings to the table.
Now for most people starting out, there is a confusion that looms around the mind – What is inbound and outbound links? Aren’t all the links supposed to be same? Let me put this in a layman’s term. Outbound links are the type of links that is given from your property to another web property. You might have noticed links on the blogs that you frequently visit. Do you see a hyperlink that takes you to another website? That’s the outbound link. Theoretically as well as practically speaking, backlinks are referred to as inbound links. It’s the hyperlink that is created from an external website directed to your website. For example: If your website is yourdomain.com and external domain is notmydomain.com. A link given from notmydomain.com to yourdomain.com is the backlink also known as inbound links. One thing to notice is that the outbound link to us may be an inbound link for the website that we are linking. Another link type that carries hidden SEO value and maintains proper site architecture is the internal link. It’s the process of linking to a relevant page and post within your own website. You might have understood the basic concept of inbound, outbound as well as internal links. Outbound and Internal links don’t need any precise effort rather than working on content. The one that carries more weight and more attention are the Outbound Links. And here are 3 ways you can get backlinks that work.
Guest Posts
Image Source: Make Money Directories
I chuckle every time people start debating upon the death of guest posts. Guest posts for me are one of the best ways to gain white hat links. With guest posts, you not only get an authoritative link but also referral traffic that is an additional boost for any business. It doesn’t matter the niche you are in, there is always someone offering guest posts. By simply using search strings like: “keyword” + “write to us” and “keyword” + “Guest Blogger”, Google will hook you up with hundreds of guest post opportunities. Reach out to them, offer your value, and get your link.
Directories submissions and Citations
Still, directories play a vital role in ranking a small business website. If you run a business like a cleaning company, then citations and directories are the first two sources where you want to build links. It’s as easy as creating a profile and submitting your website by adding required information. There are sites like Apsense that lets you build a profile page and also has a reputable authority. So, these are the first place you want to be to build inbound links.
Content Marketing
This is a recent buzz word that has taken SEO by storm. This is regarded as one of the safest and profitable methods to build links. However, it’s really time-consuming and you should REALLY know your work. If you don’t understand SEO properly, your safest bet would be to stay away from content marketing. This is a method where you produce a quality content that will naturally attract links. Then you need to give it an extra push by pushing it to the market and people who are likely to link to the content. This can also be considered as the skyscraper technique made popular by Brian Dean. Understand the role of Anchor Text Anchor text is the phrase or words that carry your outbound or inbound links. For instance, this is the HTML code for a hyperlink – anchor text As you can see in the above illustration, anchor text is the two-word phrase that has your link. More than the backlinks it’s the anchor text that defines how well your website will rank in Google. Post penguin era is here and you need to be careful while selecting your anchor text profile. You can’t just place your main keyword every time you build links. This will only stretch the eyebrows of Google and soon you will find yourself slaughtered with Google’s favourite animal – The Penguin.
Closing Down So you probably have got a better concept of outbound and inbound links. Backlinks are single handily the most important ranking factor. With few of the above-given strategies, you can start building a great link profile that will certainly help your website get an edge over your competitors.