We were able to sit down with our Sales Manager, Alex Hatch, who has over eight years of experience in marketing and advertising, to get his take on the importance of backlinking, as well as how it can boost your business’s SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Q: How many years of experience do you have in building backlinks for businesses?
In March 2024, I will have been supporting businesses with digital growth through content marketing for eight years.
Q: Why are backlinks important and how can they help my business?
The same reason they have been important since 2013 and will still be in 2033. Backlinks are the backbone of credibility. We all know Checkatrade, Trusted Trader, TripAdvisor and Trust Pilot, etc. People like credible recommendations, and so does Google. ‘Trust Flow’ is a metric which tells you how trustworthy a website is and is well recognised in our industry. Google is supportive of this metric.
Backlinks build credibility – both to the page they are aiming at, as well as the website they reside on.
Q: Can you buy backlinks?
Yes, you can. Typically, individuals or businesses buying backlinks aim to enhance their website’s search engine ranking, but this can be pricey.
I recommend gaining backlinks through content being provided to a site that carries real benefit. Earned media (content published by a third party without any form of payment) with a follow link is what businesses should aim for.
Q: Do you really need backlinks?
Do you buy a holiday without looking at TripAdvisor? Do you use a tradesman with bad reviews? Until there is a point where people are happy to buy products or service without confirmation of their credibility and reputation, backlinks will always be of utmost importance.
Q: What would you say are your biggest issues facing backlinks?
Making sure the websites you get links from are trustworthy, and their content is original, relevant, and interesting.
Q: Are there particular technologies that can aid businesses in managing their backlinks effectively?
Yes. Digitel has its own backlink analysis tool that can map out the most effective strategy to acquire a suitable and rewarding backlink profile. We always offer free audits to anyone interested in using our services, to both check their current situation and to plan a path forward. A common issue we encounter is when businesses have previously used questionable SEO techniques. Instead of fixing the root problem, they opt for ongoing remedial SEO services, which often prove ineffective.
You might be amazed at how many businesses I’ve assessed that face penalties or restrictions on their websites from search engines, hindering or even halting the effectiveness of sound backlinking practices. I firmly believe that a thorough review of past efforts serves as an essential first step before embarking on a fresh start with link-building.
There are lots of other aspects to backlinking and a website without backlinks can still exist on the internet, but it often faces several challenges.
Firstly, its visibility in search engine results is limited because backlinks help search engines discover and index web pages. As a result, people may have a harder time finding the site through organic search. Additionally, the absence of backlinks can lead to a lower search engine ranking. Search engines consider backlinks a crucial factor in their algorithms, and websites with more high-quality backlinks tend to rank higher.
Furthermore, the lack of backlinks can reduce organic visitor traffic to the site, as it won’t appear prominently in search results. This can affect the overall website traffic and the potential audience reach
A website without backlinks may experience slower growth as it misses out on referral traffic from other websites. To enhance a website’s performance, it’s essential to create valuable content, optimise on-page SEO, and actively seek opportunities to acquire relevant and authoritative backlinks.
Alex’s experience is an asset to the Digitel team and it was a privilege to learn more about the importance of backlinking with him. Feel free to get in touch with Alex if you would like to ask him more questions about the subject of backlinking, or if you just fancy a quick chat.
