You must have come across the tempting SEO offers of 100 backlinks at $20. But do you know that a single good backlink can outperform hundreds of low-authority backlinks?
If you plan to purchase quality backlinks to enhance your authority, trustworthiness, and ranking, one of the most valuable skills to acquire is the ability to distinguish between a good backlink and a poor one. Different backlinks can have different effects. Some can get you long-term authority, while others can land you in a penalty.
In this blog, we help you understand the two types of backlinks that will allow you to navigate the SEO journey smoothly.
Good backlinks are those that you get from a trusted and relevant site. These links act as a signal of trust, credibility, and value. For quality backlinks, editorial, natural, or contextual backlinks work best.
1. Relevance is the Most Important Factor
Search engines give more emphasis to the backlinks of websites running in your business or in similar industries.
For example:
A fitness site that receives backlinks from a nutrition-related blog is considered highly relevant. While a real estate website getting a backlink from a fashion magazine is not very relevant.
Relevance makes the backlinks sound natural, being a source of value to the reader.
2. Website Reality
Before you purchase the link, make sure the site from which you are getting the backlink has strong authority. Checks its domain authority (DA), domain rating (DR), and trust flow (TR).
3. Naturally Placed Links
If it looks unnaturally pasted, be aware it can be a link farm. Look for those sites in which the links are placed in context and the content tone is not hampered. Naturally placed links suggest to the readers and the search engine that the link is not bought for link-building purposes but is placed in order to add value to the content.
4. Clean and Consistent Link Profile
Make sure that the linking site includes the following:
- Consistent traffic
- Low spam scores
- Organic keyword rankings
- High user engagement
When a site appears abandoned, full of advertisements, or with no actual visitors, the backlinking is not going to help you in gaining ranking or visibility.
5. Transparent Ownership and Sincere Editorial Response.
Authoritative sites are:
- Clear contact details
- Active blogging
- Recently updated posts
- Writers and editors with expertise and experience
Quality sources are operated by actual individuals who have a concern with what they produce.
What Makes a Backlink Low-Quality?
Poor-quality backlinks are dangerous to your website’s ranking, raise penalties, and dilute your SEO strategy. These links are usually spamming, irrelevant, and automated sites.
Poor quality backlinks are dangerous to your rankings, raise penalties, and dilute your SEO strategy. These links are usually spammy, irrelevant, and automated sites.
1. Random, Useless and Unrelated Websites
In case the backlink is provided by a site with zero relation to your industry and niche, Google identifies it as unnatural.
For Example:
A gambling site link, adult content, or unrelated discussion board posts create disparity in search engine optimisation.
2. Link Farms and Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
PBNs consist of linking networks of websites that are established with the sole purpose of generating backlinks. They often have:
- Thin content
- Reused design templates
- No real traffic
- Man-made measurements of authority
These networks could offer a fast ranking boost, but they would generate Google penalties after being identified.
3. Low-Quality, Duplicate, or Auto-Generated Content
Backlinks, when placed in content that may appear to be spun, copied, or machine-written, will cause the search engines to look at the content and devalue it. Incorrect grammar, the stuffing of keywords, and meaningless paragraphs are red flags.
4. Sidebar, Footer, or Sitewide Links
Backlinks placed on sidebars, in footer sections, and in global navigation menus are viewed as less natural and do not have many SEO advantages. Too many links on the site are a form of overkill, mostly by the irrelevant sites.
5. High Spam Scores Websites
The spam score is a measure of a risky domain. Sites that receive high spam scores usually sell too many links, have fake traffic, and lack editorial direction. Links from these websites must be discouraged.
How to Test the Quality of Backlinks?
Here are some real-world, practical ways to test the quality of backlinks before incorporating them in your link profile.
1. Find Out the Relevance of the Website
Search for a site that aligns with your niche and industry. In case you are in the home services sector in Australia, for example, a backlink with a gardening blog or home decor blog will be very relevant.
2. Review Domain Metrics
For checking domain metrics, use SEO tools such as:
- Ahrefs
- SEMrush
- Moz
- Majestic
Look for balanced metrics. An example is that a DA of 60 with no traffic is suspicious. An effective domain usually has authority with constant organic traffic.
3. Test the Quality of the Linking Page.
To check the quality of the linking page, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the page have original content
- Do the external links exceed the necessary
- Is the content helpful to the target audience
If the page offers true value and does not appear as a dumping space of paid links, then you can buy high-quality backlinks from this site.
4. Test the Anchor Text Strategy
Anchor text says a lot about the backlink quality, so don’t forget to check it. It should be:
- Natural
- Relevant
- Varied
Overoptimization may lead to concerns, and thus, avoid using commercial keywords repeatedly.
Summary
When you buy quality backlinks, don’t turn a blind eye to clear indicators. An authentic SEO package in Australia will help you attract organic visitors, boosting site visibility and enhancing SERP ranking at a realistic price. Tempting low-price backlinks packages with an unrealistic amount of links can be spammy and harm your link profile and even get you penalised.