How many backlinks do I need to rank?

Why are backlinks important for ranking?

Before we begin, let’s define what a backlink is. Basically, it’s a link to a blog embedded in an external resource. Backlinks are crucial to making a good SEO campaign, as they show how popular the website they’re referring to is. Also, the only thing that can promote a new blog to the world is Google search backlinks. How else can people find it among the thousands of websites on the internet?

This is why search engines prefer to show websites with a higher number of backlinks as it shows their credibility. But bloggers make a common mistake in thinking that the more backlinks a website has, the higher it will rank. Search engines don’t just check for website backlinks and add them. There is a complex algorithm that selects only the most valuable backlinks. In the next paragraph, we will see what factors affect the credibility of backlinks and what number you need to reach.

How many backlinks do I need?

Basically, the more backlinks you have, the better your website SEO. However, it’s only about high-quality backlinks. The exact number of backlinks depends on the size of the company and the level of competition. A few backlinks will suffice for low competition keywords, while a very popular topic will need to build a much larger network.

Speaking numbers, forty to sixty backlinks would be good for starting an SEO campaign for a small business. But that doesn’t mean placing that many backlinks. It’s important to keep announcing everything so you don’t let competitors take control.

“How many backlinks does my website have?” Use software like Ahrefs, Backlink Checker or others to answer the question:

Now let’s see what criteria determine how many backlinks a website should have.

Competition

One of the backlink ranking factors is the level of competition for certain keywords in the market. It doesn’t need as many backlinks if its competition is low, but the more backlinks it has when the competition is high, the higher their blog will rank in the search engine results. Type keywords into Google to check the level of competition and get the top ten results. Check the number of links pointing to each page with the backlink counter software (excluding the highest and lowest numbered pages), sum the results and divide by eight. This result is the average number of backlinks you need to enter the top 10 search results for your keywords. At least, one of the ways.

Quality

Another important point is the quality of backlinks. Too often, bloggers only consider their number and forget the value, resulting in useless activities. Never forget that the goal is to strike the right balance between the number and quality of backlinks. Search engines analyze the quality of the content on the website and then evaluate the link. A quality backlink is better for ranking than dozens of lower quality links. To make them valuable, consider the following:

• Links should come from a reliable and relevant source with lots of useful resources and information so that those links look solid and are not paid.
• The content of backlinks to domains should be related to the blog themes.
• A web page is also important, it should have PageRank and few other backlinks.
• The link should send you traffic.
• The link cannot be reciprocal: The website should not have any backlinks to the original source. If you place backlinks from one of your websites to another, keep in mind that Google checks the IP addresses and in this case it cannot be the same address for both websites.
• It could be a link to your other backlinks.

So if your backlink meets these criteria, it is likely to be considered valuable and can improve your position in the search results.

optimization

Even if you manage to get backlinks from reliable sources, there is still some work to be done to ensure that relevance is not undermined by poor content on the blog. Basically, a well-optimized website is a niche working platform with minimal useless content. Optimization helps make it more attractive to both users and search engines, but the difference is that users love smart design and beautiful images while search engines evaluate it from a technical standpoint.

To get started, check if your website meets these requirements:

• The interface should be easy to use and all pages should be easily accessible. The most important articles can be a click or two away from the homepage, while other materials should be a maximum of five clicks away. The closer a page is to the home page, the higher its value.
• Next, you need to check your website for broken links and URLs and fix each one.
• Page layout is as important as the quality of the content. Each should contain a title and description. Also, pay attention to the formatting and readability of the texts.
• Consider adding a sitemap to make the website easier to navigate.
• Add in-content links.

These are just a few steps you need to take to optimize your website. You can do some things once and that will be enough, but it’s better to repeat the other steps once in a while.

expert opinion

Our SEO expert, Oleg Mishyn, gave a detailed explanation on the issue at hand. Basically, the number of backlinks depends on the type of request and the ranking is calculated differently. For example, text relevance and age are crucial for ranking informative materials, but backlinks don’t have much impact for blog promotion. On the other hand, providing backlinks to commercial keywords is very important.

Another important factor is the level of competition for keywords. If you go head-to-head with your competitors in other aspects, more backlinks can help you outrank others.

There are special platforms that allow to estimate the approximate number of backlinks. Shows how many links competitors have for a domain or full page. For example, you can analyze 10 other blogs and calculate the average number of links needed to bring your text to the top three search results.

If you’re not targeting that high right now and want to raise your blog’s position little by little, checking the number of backlinks your competitors have will still work. Especially those who have recently published material. As for timing, results will be visible two to three months after backlinks are placed.

Other ways to promote your blog

There are many other ways to get the word out and promote a blog. In this part of the article, we will discuss what can drive more traffic to a website, whether it’s a new resource or new material on a blog.

• Email marketing

This option is good for informing readers about a new article. Just use your email list and send a letter with a backlink to the post. This is a great way to generate traffic for new material right from the start. Write a captivating description to keep followers reading. Tell them why they should read this article, but keep it short. Visuality is a difficult thing. They attract attention but are also often considered spam. Another option is to send email newsletters that combine the latest news and updates in your niche. In this way, the information will certainly be useful to readers.

• social media marketing

Today, social media is the most popular place for people to share their opinions and get the latest news. Why not use this to your advantage and share the post on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and other platforms? It is possible to post once, immediately after posting new material, or several times to let everyone know.

• social help

Many bloggers collaborate with each other to promote their content. Thus, you can reach those who have shared similar materials before, provided that your texts are of higher quality. In turn, you can mention influencer names that will be an advertisement for them in your upcoming articles.

• Guest posts

Try guest blogging. Write an article for another website in exchange for a backlink to your blog. This method of promotion is becoming more and more popular as it allows interaction between different companies, mutual development, sharing of useful information and yes, the promotion itself. Writing guest posts for trusted sources can build credibility for your name and provide insight into your blog.

How many backlinks do you need?

Getting backlinks for a blog is crucial to its successful promotion. If you ask yourself how many backlinks I should give, there is no clear answer: it all depends on the size of a business and the quality of the content. To rank high in search results, a blog needs to have some backlinks, but for every link to count, you need to provide quality content, optimize your website, and place links only from reliable sources with relevant material. So it will be easier than ever to outrun your opponents!