Backlink management is the process of monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing the links that point to your website. It involves various tasks, such as:
- Identifying the types of links that you have and need
- Removing toxic links that can damage your SEO reputation or performance
- Acquiring new high-quality and relevant links that can improve your SEO ranking and traffic
- Maintaining your link health and performance over time
In this post, we will cover everything you need to know about backlink management, and how to do it successfully. We will explain:
- The different types of links, and how they affect SEO
- How to get rid of toxic links and avoid penalties or issues
- How to manage your backlinks effectively and achieve optimal SEO results
Let’s get started!
Types of Links
Not all backlinks are the same. Depending on their attributes and characteristics, they can have different effects on your SEO performance. Some of the most common attributes that determine the value of a backlink are:
- Dofollow vs Nofollow: A dofollow link is a link that passes link juice (or authority) to the linked website, and helps it rank higher in search engines. A nofollow link is a link that does not pass link juice, and does not affect the ranking of the linked website. Nofollow links are usually used for untrusted or irrelevant sources, such as comments, advertisements, or sponsored posts. Dofollow links are generally more valuable for SEO than nofollow links, but having a mix of both can make your link profile more natural and diverse.
- Relevance: A relevant link is a link that comes from a website or a page that is related to your website or topic. Relevance can be determined by various factors, such as the domain name, the content, the anchor text, or the context of the link. Relevant links are more valuable for SEO than irrelevant links, because they signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and authoritative in your niche or industry.
- Authority: An authoritative link is a link that comes from a website or a page that has high authority or popularity in the online world. Authority can be measured by various metrics, such as domain rating (DR) and URL rating (UR). Authoritative links are more valuable for SEO than non-authoritative links, because they signal to search engines that your website is endorsed by reputable and influential sources.
- Diversity: A diverse link is a link that comes from a different source than your existing links. Diversity can be achieved by having links from different domains, different IP addresses, different countries, different platforms, different types of websites, etc. Diverse links are more valuable for SEO than non-diverse links, because they signal to search engines that your website is popular and relevant among various audiences and segments.
Based on these attributes, we can classify backlinks into two main categories: good backlinks and bad backlinks.
Good backlinks are backlinks that have positive effects on your SEO performance. They are usually dofollow, relevant, authoritative, and diverse. They help you improve your ranking, traffic, reputation, and conversions.
Bad backlinks are backlinks that have negative effects on your SEO performance. They are usually nofollow, irrelevant, non-authoritative, or non-diverse. They can harm your ranking, traffic, reputation, or conversions.
Of course, there are exceptions and nuances to these categories. For example, some nofollow links can still be valuable for SEO if they come from high-authority or relevant sources. Similarly, some dofollow links can still be harmful for SEO if they come from low-quality or spammy sources.
The key is to evaluate each backlink individually and holistically, and determine its value and impact on your SEO performance.
To help you with this task, we have compiled a list of the best types of backlinks for SEO.
Editorial Backlinks
Editorial backlinks are links from high-authority sites that cite your content as a source or include your linkable assets (such as infographics, videos, guides, etc.) in their content.
Some examples of editorial backlinks are:
- A link from a reputable news site that mentions your research or study
- A link from a popular blog that features your infographic or video
- A link from a well-known industry site that quotes your opinion or expertise
Relationship-Based Backlinks
Relationship-based backlinks are links from sites that you have built a connection with through networking, outreach, or collaboration.
Some examples of relationship-based backlinks are:
- A link from a partner site that showcases your collaboration or partnership
- A link from a testimonial site that features your feedback or review
- A link from a referral site that recommends your product or service
Guest Blogging Backlinks
Guest blogging backlinks are links from sites that accept your guest posts on relevant topics. Here is how to do outreach for guest posts.
Some examples of guest blogging backlinks are:
- A link from a niche site that publishes your guest post on a specific topic
- A link from an industry site that publishes your guest post on a general topic
- A link from an authority site that publishes your guest post on a trending topic
General Directories
General directories are links from reputable directories that list your site in a relevant category.
Some examples of general directories are:
- A link from a business directory that lists your site in a local or regional category
- A link from a web directory that lists your site in a topical or thematic category
- A link from an academic directory that lists your site in a scholarly or educational category
Niche Directories
Niche directories are links from niche-specific directories that cater to your industry or audience.
Some examples of niche directories are:
- A link from a travel directory that lists your site in a destination or activity category
- A link from a health directory that lists your site in a condition or treatment category
- A link from a fashion directory that lists your site in a style or trend category
Resource Page Backlinks
Resource page backlinks are links from pages that curate useful resources for a specific topic or niche.
Some examples of resource page backlinks are:
- A link from a page that lists the best blogs or websites on a topic or niche
- A link from a page that lists the best tools or products on a topic or niche
- A link from a page that lists the best guides or tutorials on a topic or niche
These are some of the best types of backlinks for SEO that you should aim to get for your website. However, there are also some types of backlinks that you should avoid, because they can harm your SEO performance or reputation. These are:
Paid Links
Paid links are links that you buy from other sites or networks in exchange for money. Paid links are bad for SEO, because they violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, which state that “any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.”
Some examples of paid links are:
- A link from a site that sells links to anyone who pays them
- A link from a site that is part of a private blog network (PBN) that sells links to other sites
- A link from a site that is part of a link exchange scheme that trades links with other sites
Links in Articles for SEO
Links in articles for SEO are links that you insert in low-quality articles that are written for SEO purposes only. Links in articles for SEO are bad for SEO, because they violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, which state that “creating pages with little or no original content” and “participating in link schemes” are examples of “thin content” that can negatively affect your site’s ranking.
Some examples of links in articles for SEO are:
- A link from an article that is stuffed with keywords or irrelevant topics
- A link from an article that is spun or copied from other sources
- A link from an article that is published on low-quality or spammy sites
Header, Footer, and Sidebar Links
Header, footer, and sidebar links are links that appear in the header, footer, or sidebar of a site, and are not related to the content or context. Header, footer, and sidebar links are bad for SEO, because they violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, which state that “links embedded in widgets that are distributed across various sites” and “widely distributed links in the footers or templates of various sites” are examples of “unnatural links” that can negatively affect your site’s ranking.
Some examples of header, footer, and sidebar links are:
- A link from a widget that displays random or unrelated links on different sites
- A link from a footer that contains a list of unrelated or spammy sites
- A link from a sidebar that contains a banner or an advertisement for an unrelated or spammy site
Comment Spam Links
Comment spam links are links that you leave in the comment section of other sites, usually with generic or irrelevant messages. Comment spam links are bad for SEO, because they violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, which state that “commenting on blogs with irrelevant comments” and “posting forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature” are examples of “link schemes” that can negatively affect your site’s ranking.
Some examples of comment spam links are:
- A link from a comment that says “Great post! Check out my site here: [link]”
- A link from a comment that says “I agree with you. By the way, have you seen this: [link]”
- A link from a comment that says “Nice article. You might also like this: [link]”
These are some of the types of backlinks that you should avoid, because they can harm your SEO performance or reputation. However, there are also some types of backlinks that you should get rid of, because they are already harming your SEO performance or reputation. These are toxic links.
How to Get Rid of Toxic Links
Toxic links are links that can harm your SEO performance or reputation, either by violating Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, or by being low-quality, irrelevant, or malicious. Toxic links can cause various problems for your website, such as:
- Lowering your ranking in search engines
- Triggering a manual or algorithmic penalty from Google
- Reducing your traffic or conversions
- Damaging your reputation or credibility
It is essential to get rid of toxic links as soon as possible, and prevent them from affecting your SEO performance or reputation.
But how do you identify and remove toxic links? Here are the steps you need to follow:
Step 1: Gather All Your Backlinks Data
The first step is to gather all the data related to your backlinks from various sources, such as:
- Google Search Console: This is a free tool from Google that allows you to monitor and manage your website’s presence in Google search results. You can use it to download a list of all the links that point to your website.
- Ahrefs: This is a paid tool that allows you to analyze and optimize your website’s SEO performance. You can use it to collect and consolidate all your backlinks data in one place, using various metrics and data sources.
This is the “Links” report from the Google Search Console, from which you can export data of links that point to your domain.
Being a paid tool, Ahrefs offers so much more information about backlink quality and relevance that is essential to backlink monitoring processes.
By gathering all your backlink data from these sources, you will have a complete and accurate picture of your link profile, which will help you identify and remove toxic links.
Step 2: Evaluate Your Backlinks Quality
The second step is to evaluate the quality of your backlinks based on various criteria, such as:
- Relevance: How related is the linking site or page to your website or topic?
- Authority: How authoritative or popular is the linking site or page in the online world?
- Diversity: How different is the linking site or page from your existing links?
- Dofollow vs Nofollow: Does the linking site or page pass link juice to your website or not?
- Anchor Text: What is the text that is used to link to your website?
- Link Position: Where is the link placed on the linking site or page?
- Link Context: What is the content or purpose of the linking site or page?
By evaluating these criteria, you will be able to determine which backlinks are good for SEO, and which backlinks are bad for SEO.
Step 3: Identify and Remove Toxic Links
The third step is to identify and remove toxic links from your backlink profile. Toxic links are links that have a very low BQS (usually below 20), and can harm your SEO performance or reputation.
Some examples of toxic links are:
- Links from spammy or malicious sites that have a very low DR or UR
- Links from irrelevant or unrelated sites
- Links from sites that have been penalized or deindexed by Google
- Links from sites that have a high number of outbound links or a low number of inbound links
- Links from sites that have a high percentage of nofollow links or a low percentage of dofollow links
- Links from sites that have a high number of ads or pop-ups
- Links from sites that have a poor user experience or design
Some methods to remove toxic links are:
- Contacting the webmasters: This is the most polite and effective way to remove toxic links. You can contact the webmasters of the linking sites and ask them nicely to remove the links to your site. You can use tools like Hunter.io or Voila Norbert to find the email addresses of the webmasters. You can also use templates like this one to craft your outreach emails. However, this method can be time-consuming and not always successful, as some webmasters may ignore or reject your request.
- Using the Google Disavow tool: This is the most convenient and reliable way to remove toxic links. You can use this tool to tell Google to ignore certain links that point to your site. You can use this tool by creating a text file with a list of the domains or URLs that you want to disavow, and uploading it to the tool. However, this method can be risky and irreversible, as it can affect your ranking if you disavow the wrong links.
Some best practices and precautions for removing toxic links are:
- Keeping a record of your actions: You should always keep a record of the toxic links that you have identified and removed, such as the date, the method, the domain, the URL, etc. This will help you track your progress and results, as well as troubleshoot any issues or errors.
- Being selective and careful: You should always be selective and careful when removing toxic links, as not all low-quality links are necessarily harmful. You should also avoid removing too many links at once, as this can cause sudden fluctuations in your ranking or traffic.
- Monitoring the results: You should always monitor the results of your link removal efforts, such as the changes in your ranking, traffic, penalties, etc. You should also monitor the status and performance of your remaining backlinks, and make sure that they are healthy and effective.
By following these steps, you can get rid of toxic links from your backlink profile, and improve your SEO performance and reputation.
How to Manage Backlinks Effectively
Getting rid of toxic links is not enough to ensure optimal SEO results. You also need to manage your backlinks effectively, and ensure that they are helping you achieve your SEO goals.
Backlink management is an ongoing process that requires regular attention and maintenance. It involves various strategies and tools, such as:
- Conducting regular link audits to assess the quality and health of your backlink profile
- Monitoring your link status and performance
- Building new high-quality and relevant backlinks using tools like Ahrefs’ Link Intersect or Content Explorer
- Analyzing your competitors’ backlinks and finding link opportunities using tools like Ahrefs’ Site Explorer or Link Gap Analysis
Let’s take a closer look at each of these strategies and tools, and how to use them effectively.
Conducting Regular Link Audits
Conducting regular link audits is the first and most important strategy for managing your backlinks effectively. A link audit is a process of reviewing and analyzing your backlink profile, and identifying its strengths and weaknesses.
A link audit can help you:
- Evaluate the quality and relevance of your backlinks
- Detect and remove any toxic or harmful links
- Find and fix any broken or lost links
- Discover and leverage any link opportunities
- Optimize your link profile for SEO performance
You should conduct a link audit at least once every six months, or more frequently if you have a large or dynamic website.
Monitoring Your Link Status and Performance
Monitoring your link status and performance is the second strategy for managing your backlinks effectively. Link status refers to the availability and accessibility of your backlinks, while link performance refers to the impact and value of your backlinks on your SEO performance.
Monitoring your link status and performance can help you:
- Ensure that your backlinks are working and active
- Track the changes and trends in your backlink profile
- Measure the effectiveness and ROI of your backlink strategy
- Identify and resolve any issues or problems with your backlinks
- Adjust and improve your backlink strategy accordingly
You should monitor your link status and performance on a regular basis, or whenever you make any changes to your website or backlink strategy.
Building New High-Quality and Relevant Backlinks
Building new high-quality and relevant backlinks is the third strategy for managing your backlinks effectively. Link building is the process of acquiring new links that point to your website, from other websites that are related to your niche or industry.
Link building can help you:
- Increase the authority and popularity of your website
- Improve the ranking and visibility of your website in search engines
- Drive more traffic and conversions to your website
- Enhance the reputation and credibility of your website
You should build new high-quality and relevant backlinks on a consistent basis, or whenever you create new content or launch new products or services. Use effective backlink outreach strategies to increase your rankings in the long run.
Analyzing Your Competitors’ Backlinks
Analyzing your competitors’ backlinks is the fourth strategy for managing your backlinks effectively. Competitor analysis is the process of researching and evaluating the backlink profiles of your competitors, who are the websites that rank higher than you for your target keywords or topics.
Competitor analysis can help you:
- Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors’ backlink strategies
- Learn from their best practices and avoid their mistakes
- Find gaps and opportunities in their backlink profiles
- Outrank them in search engines by building better backlinks
You should analyze your competitors’ backlinks on a regular basis, or whenever you want to improve your ranking for a specific keyword or topic.
Wrapping Up
Backlink management is the process of monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing the links that point to your website. It is one of the most important factors for SEO success, as it can help you improve your ranking, traffic, reputation, and conversions.
However, backlink management is not a one-time task. It is a continuous process that requires regular attention and maintenance. You need to keep track of your link status and performance, build new high-quality and relevant links, and analyze your competitors’ links.
