Relevant Backlinks [2023] Why They Matter And How To Get Them

If you’ve been working on your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) for any amount of time, you’ve likely heard about the importance of backlinks. 

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your site. They serve as a vote of confidence from other sites and can improve your search engine rankings. 

However, not all backlinks are created equal. 

In fact, the relevance of the linking site is a crucial factor to consider when building your backlink profile. 

In this article, we’ll explore what link relevance is, why it matters, and how to check for it.

What Is Link Relevance?

Link relevance refers to the degree to which a linking site is related to the content of your site. 

For example, if you run a pet food website and a veterinary clinic links to your site, that link would be considered relevant because it comes from a site in the same niche. 

On the other hand, if a fitness blogger links to your pet food site, that link would be considered irrelevant because it comes from a site that has nothing to do with your niche.

Link relevance is important because search engines like Google want to provide their users with the most relevant and useful results possible. 

If a search engine sees that your site has many backlinks from irrelevant or low-quality sites, it may think your site isn’t very relevant or useful either.

This can hurt your search engine rankings and make it harder for potential customers to find you online.

How Important Is Link Relevance?

Link relevance is one of the most important factors to consider when building your backlink profile. 

While it’s true that any backlink can help your rankings to some extent, a relevant backlink will have a much greater impact. 

In fact, some experts believe that a single relevant backlink can be more valuable than dozens of irrelevant ones.

One reason for this is that relevant backlinks can help you attract targeted traffic to your site. 

If someone is reading an article about pet nutrition on a veterinary clinic’s website and sees a link to your pet food site, they’re much more likely to click through and check out your site than if they saw a link on a completely unrelated site. 

This can lead to higher conversion rates and more revenue for your business.

Another reason why link relevance is important is that it can help you avoid penalties from search engines. 

Google, in particular, is known for penalizing sites that use shady link-building tactics like buying links or participating in link networks. 

If you focus on building relevant backlinks from high-quality sites, you’ll be much less likely to run afoul of Google’s guidelines.

How To Check For Link Relevance

So how do you know if a backlink is relevant or not? 

There are a few things to look for when evaluating a potential linking site:

1. Check the site’s niche: Is the linking site in the same or a similar niche as your site? If not, the link may not be very relevant.
   
2. Look at the anchor text: The anchor text is the text that’s hyperlinked to your site. If the anchor text is related to your niche, that’s a good sign that the link is relevant.
   
3. Consider the context: Is the linking site’s content related to the content of your site?
   
   For example, if you run a pet food site and the linking site is about pet care in general, that’s a good indication that the link is relevant.
   
4. Check the linking site’s authority: Finally, it’s important to consider the authority of the linking site.
   
   A link from a high-authority site in a different niche may be more valuable than a link from a low-authority site in the same niche.

There are also tools you can use to help evaluate the relevance of potential backlink sources. 

One popular tool is Ahrefs, which allows you to enter a domain or URL and see a wealth of information about that site’s backlink profile, including the number of backlinks, the authority of the linking sites, and the relevance of the linking sites. 

Ahrefs also has a feature called “Content Explorer” that lets you search for relevant content in your niche and see which sites are linking to it. 

This can be a great way to find potential backlink sources that are highly relevant to your site.

Another tool you can use is Moz’s Link Explorer. Like Ahrefs, this tool allows you to see detailed information about a site’s backlink profile, including the relevance of the linking sites. 

You can also use the tool to find potential backlink sources by searching for relevant content in your niche.

In addition to using these tools, it’s also a good idea to manually review potential linking sites to ensure they’re truly relevant to your site. 

Take some time to read through the content on the site and get a sense of its overall tone and focus. 

If the site seems like a good fit for your site, it’s worth pursuing a backlink.

Checking Backlink Relevance In Ahrefs

Ahrefs is one of the most popular SEO tools that can help you check for relevant backlinks. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

1. Log in to your Ahrefs account and enter your website’s URL in the search bar.
   
2. Click on the “Backlink” option in the left-hand menu.
   
3. You’ll see a list of websites that link to your website. To check for relevance, click on the “Referring Domain” option, and you’ll see a list of referring domains.
   
4. Use the search bar to search for keywords related to your industry or content. For example, if your website sells sports equipment, you can search for “sports,” “fitness,” or “outdoor activities.”
   
5. Ahrefs will show you a list of referring domains that contain your keywords. These are the relevant backlinks that can help boost your website’s SEO ranking.

Bulk Checking For Relevant Links

If you have a lot of backlinks to check, manually checking each one can be time-consuming. Fortunately, there are bulk checking tools that can help. 

One such tool is LinkMiner.

Here’s how to check for relevant backlinks using LinkMiner:

1. Go to the LinkMiner website and create an account.
2. Enter your website’s URL and click on the “Check Backlinks” option.
3. LinkMiner will show you a list of backlinks to your website. To check for relevance, use the search bar to search for keywords related to your industry or content.
4. LinkMiner will show you a list of referring domains that contain your keywords. These are the relevant backlinks that can help boost your website’s SEO ranking.

Checking For Relevance With Other Tools

Apart from Ahrefs and LinkMiner, there are several other tools you can use to check for backlink relevance. Let’s take a look at some of them:

1. Moz: Moz has a tool called Moz Link Explorer that can help you check for backlink relevance. Enter your website’s URL in the search bar, and Moz will show you a list of backlinks to your website.
   
   To check for relevance, use the filter options to filter by industry, location, or other relevant factors.
2. SEMrush: SEMrush has a backlink analysis tool that can help you check for backlink relevance.
   
   Enter your website’s URL in the search bar, and SEMrush will show you a list of backlinks to your website.
   
   To check for relevance, use the filter options to filter by industry or topic.
3. Majestic: Majestic has a tool called Majestic Site Explorer that can help you check for backlink relevance.
   
   Enter your website’s URL in the search bar, and Majestic will show you a list of backlinks to your website.
   
   To check for relevance, use the filter options to filter by industry, location, or other relevant factors.

How To Get Relevant Links

If you want to improve your website’s search engine ranking and increase traffic, then getting relevant links from other websites is crucial. 

Here are some effective strategies you can use to acquire relevant links:

Get Started With Semrush

Semrush is a powerful SEO tool that can help you identify high-quality websites that are relevant to your niche. 

Use Semrush to identify websites that are linking to your competitors but not to you. Reach out to these websites and ask them to link to your site.

Analyze Potential Leads

Using Keywords Using relevant keywords, search for potential link leads. 

Look for websites that are relevant to your niche, have high domain authority, and have a good number of backlinks. 

Contact these sites and request a link.

Analyze Your Competitors

Identify your competitors and analyze their link profile. Look for websites that are linking to your competitors but not to you. 

Reach out to these websites and ask them to link to your site.

Track Your Link Opportunities

Keep track of your link opportunities using a spreadsheet or a tool like Ahrefs. 

Monitor your progress and follow up with websites that haven’t yet responded to your requests.

Answer Questions With Haro

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a platform that connects journalists with sources. Sign up for HARO and respond to relevant queries. If your response is used in an article, you’ll get a valuable backlink.

Check For Broken Links

Use a tool like Broken Link Checker to find broken links on websites that are relevant to your niche. Reach out to the website owner and suggest a replacement link – ideally, one that leads to your website.

FAQS

How Do I Find Relevant Backlinks?

To find relevant backlinks, you can use tools such as SEMrush or Ahrefs to analyze your competitors’ link profiles and identify websites that link to them. 

You can also use keyword research to find potential websites that are relevant to your niche, and reach out to them to request a link.

What Is An Example Of A Backlink?

A backlink is a hyperlink on one website that leads to another website. 

For example, if a fashion blogger includes a link to a clothing store in their blog post, that link is considered a backlink for the clothing store’s website.

What Is Relevant Links In Seo?

Relevant links in SEO are links that come from websites that are relevant to your website’s content or industry. 

These links carry more weight in search engine rankings because they demonstrate that your website is an authority in your niche.

What Is The Importance Of Relevant Backlinks?

Relevant backlinks are important in SEO because they signal to search engines that your website is a credible source of information within your niche. 

They can improve your website’s search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site.

Do Backlinks Still Matter For Seo?

Yes, backlinks still matter for SEO. 

While search engine algorithms have become more complex over time, backlinks are still one of the most important factors in determining search engine rankings.

How Many Backlinks Are Considered Good?

The number of backlinks considered good varies depending on the competitiveness of your industry and the authority of the websites linking to you. 

However, it’s generally better to focus on acquiring high-quality, relevant backlinks rather than simply trying to accumulate a large quantity of links.