How to Check Backlink Quality – A Complete Guide

Backlinks have always been a core SEO technique for boosting website ranking. It is actually the secret behind Google’s success, as it creates a chain and makes content more accessible.

In today’s time, backlinks have become even more important and serve as one of the biggest SEO ranking factors. However, the concept of link-building has changed drastically in the past few years. Earlier, it was all about having a ton of links directing the audience towards a webpage. 

But now, the quantity of links doesn’t matter much because Google considers the quality of backlinks. 

This change in Google’s algorithm makes it necessary for link builders to conduct backlink quality checks. 

In this article, we will show you how to check backlink quality for SEO success.

About Backlink Quality

Before we learn about how to check backlink quality, you need to know what it actually means. A quality backlink refers to any type of link that offers minimum value. It is a dofollow link located within the body text of high-quality websites. The link is relevant to the topic and easily directs the visitors to a page on your website. 

These are high-quality links with proper keywords in the anchor text. It’s important to note that backlink quality varies across a spectrum, rather than being a binary classification. This means that the link could be of high quality without meeting any of the specifications. The majority of the backlinks only meet a few quality criteria. 

Here’s what makes a link high-quality,

  • Domain authority
  • Uniqueness
  • Relevance
  • Traffic

Why Is Link Quality Important?

Link quality plays a very important role in SEO as it directly affects the ranking. There is a term in link building called “link juice.” It is the value of equity transferred from one site to another. 

The quality of links is important because it determines the amount of link juice passed to your site. The better the link quality, the more value your site will receive. 

During early SEO days, the focus in link building was only on numbers and the quantity of the link. Google used it to decide which site deserved better SERP ranking.

However, people started taking advantage of this system to manipulate SEO ranking. Website owners often use black hat SEO techniques to artificially increase the number of links. Some common link schemes they used were,

  • Purchasing links
  • Automated comment spamming
  • Press releases that are overly optimized
  • Sharing content that includes links to your site 
  • Links tucked away in widgets
  • Arrangements of link wheels

In order to stop this malpractice, Google came up with a new algorithm update called the Penguin. Now, if you use any of these manipulation techniques, Google will penalize your site. This update is the reason why you need to check the quality of backlinks.

The best guest blogging services play a pivotal role in effective link-building strategies. By leveraging established platforms, businesses can secure high-quality backlinks, enhancing their online visibility and authority. 

This not only drives targeted traffic but also strengthens SEO efforts, ultimately contributing to improved search engine rankings and increased brand credibility.

How to Check Backlink Quality?

The quality of backlinks depends on some important factors. In order to check the quality, you need to make sure the link meets all the necessary criteria. 

However, it is not necessary for quality links to meet all the criteria. You need to evaluate each link on its own to determine its quality. 

If you are wondering how to check backlink quality, follow these tips.

1. Check Domain Authority

The first thing you need to do is check the domain authority. This is the score that helps you check how successful a website is in terms of SEO. 

The benefit of having links from other domains to your site increases with their domain authority. 

It makes sense and is necessary for larger websites to have a mix of domains with high and low influence. 

Since there are typically more low-impact domains on the internet than high-influence domains, it’s acceptable to have fewer highly authoritative domains than those with no influence.

Several online SEO tools are available for determining a website’s domain authority. They will give you the DA Score of the site. 

Domain AuthorityRating
40 to 50Average
50 to 60Good
More than 60Excellent

If you need links from websites with excellent DA scores, Link Publishers can help. They provide guest posting link-building services and will add your links to websites with high domain authority. 

2. Anchor Text Relevance

Anchor text is the clickable text within a hyperlink, often appearing as blue and underlined. Google utilizes this text when scanning a webpage to establish the relevance between the linked content and its destination URL.

An ideal link contains anchor text that uses the target keyword of the linked page in a way that feels natural and connects meaningfully to the linking page. 

For instance, if an article on dog care directs to a page selling dog food, suitable anchor text might include words such as “dog food,” “food for dogs,” “dog treats,” or “health dog food.”

The anchor text should align with the content of the linking page. For example, using “dog food” as the anchor text linking to a dog food page is highly relevant, whereas if the linking page discusses smart TV, it constitutes a low-quality backlink.

While backlinks using keyword-rich anchor text are highly valuable, a link profile exclusively relying on such text can potentially harm rather than help. 

A profile composed solely of keyword anchor text might appear unnatural, suggesting an attempt to manipulate Google’s ranking system. Ideally, a website should feature a diverse mix of anchor texts.

3. Linking Page Quality and Relevance

In addition to anchor text, you also need to check the quality and relevance of the page. Links from high-quality pages with content that aligns with your page’s topic carry more link juice compared to links from irrelevant or lower-quality pages.

Here’s how you can check the linking page quality,

  • Does the page’s topic match the website’s niche? There shouldn’t be significant mismatches. 
  • How aggressive is the content monetization? There shouldn’t be excessive ads or affiliate links. 
  • Is the site owner genuinely providing value to users? The content on the page should be high quality and useful. 
  • Are many links coming from the same IP address? More links coming from the same page could indicate a PBN network.

4. Link Location

You also need to check the location of the link. While every link on a page contributes to its link juice, not all links offer the same value. Typically, links within the body content of a page are most valuable for SEO and more resistant to Google algorithm changes.

Links within the body content, especially higher up a page, are more integral to the page’s content. These links hold greater value for readers. Their position in relation to other links on the page also influences their SEO value.

Furthermore, the quality of the links surrounding the link to your page influences its SEO value. For instance, a link within a list, including reputable sites, holds more value than a link among lower-quality sites.

5. Traffic

While traffic doesn’t actually affect link quality, it still holds importance because it helps to divert visitors to your site. If you want to increase organic traffic, you need backlinks from a site with higher traffic. This way, the people who visit the might also reach your site when they click on the link.

Conclusion

These are the five criteria you need to check when evaluating the quality of backlinks. Even a few of these links will help your website gain authority and better ranking. If you are looking for high-quality links, visit Link Publishers

They have a strong network of more than a thousand authority websites. They can easily build your backlink profile by using white hat link-building techniques like guest posting.

Author Bio:

Dezeal Khedia is an experienced SEO Analyst with over five years of expertise in the field of digital marketing. 

She is passionate about SEO and digital marketing and enjoys exploring the latest internet trends and strategies. 

Additionally, she likes to share her insights and tips on SEO and digital marketing through her writing.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dezil-khedia/

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