The Characteristics of High-Quality Links

In search engine optimization, getting links is perhaps the most important thing to do. Without relevant links, it is unlikely that you will be able to rank for your target keywords. This is especially true for profitable keywords. To rank for profitable keywords, you must compete against many other sites. Getting high-quality links can make the difference between making profit or not in such a competition.

The obvious question is: what are the characteristics of high-quality links? What kind of links should we pursue? Without knowing the characteristics of good links, you may spend a lot of time and just get the wrong links. Don't waste your time. Aim to get the right links from the beginning.

Let's learn what makes the quality of a link high.

First of all, a high-quality link has your target keyword in its anchor text. This is the most important characteristic of high-quality links. If your target keyword is in your anchor text, search engines will assume that your site has authority for that keyword. After all, someone is referring to your site using that keyword. Without the keyword in the anchor text, search engines may give you authority for the wrong keywords. You should always make sure that your target keyword is there in the anchor text. Avoid using general text like "Click here" as your anchor text.

The second characteristic is related to the relevance of the page that has your link in it. Your link will be more valuable if it's contained within a relevant page. For example, if your site is about wine and you get link from a wine-related page then the link is good. On the other hand, a link to your wine site from a page about electronics has less value.

The third characteristic of high-quality links is related to the authority of the page that has your link in it. The more authoritative the page, the more valuable your link. One way to know the authority of a page is by looking at its PageRank value. The lowest value of PageRank is 0 and the highest value is 10. You can see the PageRank value of a page by installing Google Toolbar in your browser.

The fourth characteristic deals with the position of the link. A link within a paragraph of relevant text is more valuable than a link on the sidebar, header, or footer. The relevance of the surrounding text gives more value to the contextual link. On the other hand, a link on the sidebar, header, or footer has less value because it has less surrounding text to support it.

By understanding these characteristics of high-quality links, you will save a lot of time in your link building. Instead of wasting time on getting the wrong links, you will directly go for the right links.