Best and Worst Backlinks in SEO: A Review

Without a doubt, backlinks are important. SEO experts, and content marketers all know the importance of backlinks. The majority of them, however, have no idea what constitutes a good, powerful backlink that keeps their site high on search engine results pages (SERPS).

It is critical to understand the differences between a good backlink and a backlink that would result in your site being penalized. You should also make sure you know exactly what type of backlinks you should compete for when providing or getting backlinking services.

We will discuss good and bad backlinks in this blog post-

• Good backlinks (the most valuable links you can get to your website)
• Bad backlinks (bad backlinks that you should avoid)
• Worst backlinks (Google may penalize your website for these backlinks if you have them on your website)

Firstly, in order to differentiate the link value of a backlink, you must first know what factors affect the link’s value.

Link Value Is Influenced by 3 Factors

Links are valuable if you know what makes them so. Not all backlinks are equal. There are a number of factors that can influence the value of backlinks, and there are also some factors that damage SEO directly.

Linking authority
Backlinks from quality websites are the most valuable. A link from a site recognized as an authoritative resource will have a greater impact on search engines than a link from a less-known site of low quality.

Do-Follow vs. No-Follow Status
In HTML code, a publisher can set a link as “do follow” or “no follow” when adding a link to their website.

• Links marked as do follow are seen by search engines and are of SEO value.
• Links that are followed tell search engines to ignore them and give them less SEO value.

Do follow links are more valuable than no-follow links because they send more signals to search engines. Make sure your links are coded as do-follow. It is still possible to drive traffic to your site even with a no-follow backlink.

On-Site Link Location
The importance of a link may be impacted by the section where it appears on a website.

Sites with the most valuable links are those with main body content. When links appear in the header, footer, or sidebar of a page, they may not receive the same value from search engines. As you work toward building high-quality backlinks, you must keep this in mind. Make sure that the links you build will be included in the main content of a site.

Let’s read about the types of backlinks, from best to worst, after learning what factors influence the quality of backlinks.

The Best Types of Backlinks

Editorial Backlinks
Links from editorial mentions are the most valuable in local Search Engine Optimization. Your website is referenced and linked to in an editorial mention when another website links to it from their quality content. This can be done by:

• Referencing someone or something from your company or content as a source
• Utilizing your website as a source of additional information
• Citation of your website as the source of an infographic
• Finding someone associated with your website to interview

Guest Blogging Backlinks
Posting as a guest can also assist you in getting valuable backlinks. Guest posts often come with editorial backlinks. Building authority and trust through backlinks from other authoritative publications is an effective method.

Newsworthy Press Release Backlinks
A press release can also be used for marketing purposes. Backlinks can be gained to your website and media outlets can be notified. However, if it is executed properly, it can effectively build links. A brand should only write press releases when it has newsworthy or interesting information to share with the public. It is possible to gain links to the press release and its accompanying articles using this strategy.

Bad Types of Backlinks

Due to the importance of high-quality backlinks in local search engine optimization, it’s easy to think that each link, no matter how valuable, will benefit your website. However, not every link is worthwhile. Some links can actually be detrimental.

When building links, do not create these types of backlinks.

Paid Links
You shouldn’t pay other publishers and websites to link to you, even though it seems like an easy way to acquire links. Links bought or sold by sites can negatively affect their search ranking, Google explicitly says that.

Non-Newsworthy Press Releases
In addition to newsworthy press releases, brands can also gain attention and links from interesting press releases. However, a brand can also appear spammy if it continuously distributes press releases that aren’t newsworthy and are just intended to gain links.

General Business and Article Directory Links
The same holds true for directory listings, as you do not want to overreach with your press releases. Don’t create profiles on spammy directories just to generate links, but rather use reputable, trusted, and industry-relevant directories.

Forum Links
Likewise, joining dozens of forums for the purpose of posting links back to your website is not a good idea. Do not spam a thread with posts about your brand and content. Instead, join high-quality forums that focus on authentic discussions.

Worst Type of Backlink

Comment Spam
With comment spam, you can create thousands of backlinks, but it won’t benefit you in any way.

In the comment section, the majority of backlinks are no-follow, meaning that they add no value organically. Nonetheless, you could still get penalized for links.
In addition, spamming comment sections of other websites can easily piss off website owners who will happily report you to Google.

Backlinks from Irrelevant Websites
The goal of creating backlinks is to add value to the readers of the original website. Given that context, it makes little sense that a link coming from a drone website would go to a divorce lawyer’s website.

It is best to avoid backlinks coming from non-relevant websites, no matter how easy it is to acquire them. The following chart illustrates how Google Penguin specifically targets websites with too many backlinks from non-relevant domains.

Summing it up
The importance of backlinks cannot be overstated. As a result, your website becomes more credible and authoritative in the eyes of search engines, and your web pages rise in the SERPs. Nevertheless, you should also pay attention to the types of backlinks you generate.