Marbella SEO

Also called “incoming links”, “backlinks” are links on another blog that go right back to your own blog or blog posts.  For instance, if a blogger decides to put up a link to your blog on his blog or website, that link that directs people to your site is what a backlink is.  These little bits of HTML code are actually a driving force in the success of many blogs, and if you’ve decided to make money blogging, you’ll have to try getting as many backlinks as you can.

Sounds simple enough, right?  But as unassuming as these backlinks are, they actually play a major role in boosting your site’s rankings in Google and other major search engines.  In fact, these search engines will judge your site according to the number of backlinks that are credited to your site.  The more backlinks you have, the higher your ranking will ultimately be.  Between two blogs posts that deal with the same niche, and everything else being equal, the blog post with the higher number of backlinks will rank higher in Google’s search results for the same keyword relevant to both posts than the blog post with fewer incoming links.

You also have to know that backlinks are better if they contain a keyword that’s already targeted by your blog.  You also have to know about “anchor text”, which is basically a backlink that contains your targeted keywords.  These kinds of backlinks have a stronger pull on Google, so aim to get more of these, as well.  Here are some of the ways by which you can start getting backlinks and blogging more profitably:

1.  Comment on other blogs:
Don’t just keep yourself huddled in a little corner: let the blogosphere know of your presence by interacting with fellow bloggers, particularly those in the same niche as yours.  A good way to make yourself known is by posting relevant and well-thought out comments on other blogs.  This is also a very subtle way to create a backlink for your site:  simply type out your comment and include your URL at the foot of your message.  Even better: you can use your targeted keyword as your name, which will normally contain a link back to your own site.

2.  Hop onto forum boards:
Forum boards are also a great way to create backlinks for yourself.  Be a member of a forum board that deals with your blog’s chosen niche, and set out to be an active poster in various discussions.  Always be courteous and informative in your posts, since forum boards are also notorious hotbeds for online brawls.  Be friendly with everyone, and don’t forget to sneak in your blog’s URL (and keywords, if possible) on your signature.

3.  Link baiting:
Take advantage of hot news about your niche and put up an entire blog post dedicated to that issue.  Link baiting essentially means that you’re dangling out a blog post that’s bound to reel in a lot of backlinks, mostly because your post talks about something that people are very interested in.  Although backlinks aren’t guaranteed, you jack up your chances at getting linked at if your post is unique or offers a new perspective on the issue.  Remember to put up your keywords as the post’s title!  That way, webmasters can easily copy that and put it up as an anchor text when they link to your post.

Backlinks comprise a major part in a blogger’s success, and once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll find that it isn’t very hard to boost your backlink count and make money blogging.  Remember, however, that the quality of your blog posts is still your winning ticket to blogging success.  Work on your blog and its reputation, and you’ll later realize that you won’t have to go and look for backlinks – people will just happily link to you without your knowing it.