What are backlinks, and are they still important when improving organic SEO?

By Sarah Jones|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |Comments Off on What are backlinks, and are they still important when improving organic SEO?

 

 

Written by: Ryan Walsh

What are backlinks?

Backlinks, in short, are when another website directs a hyperlink towards your domain name. This could be featured on the homepage, a blog post, or a main page. The more quality links accumulated over time, the more links are added to your business’s backlink profile.

The businesses in the U.K. with the strongest backlinks are typically the ones that rank in the top three results on Google. Now, of course, the other search engine optimisation elements need to be good quality as well; for example, the content marketing will need to be very high quality.

However, good links usually are what drive any business up the ranks on Google.

 

Are backlinks still that important?

Backlinks are still an essential part of organic search engine optimisation. However, as we now move into this new era of AI and AI search, we are unsure at the time of writing how important backlinks will be in terms of how AI ranks businesses. However, for the time being, when talking about organic search engine optimisation, backlinks, and having a strong backlink profile are still very important.

 

Does the number of backlinks matter?

Yes, whether we are talking about backlink building in 2025 or whether we are talking about backlink building during the days when Google used Google PageRank as the algorithm to rank websites, backlinks were always important.

In a nutshell, if a business wins a business award and accumulates backlinks from reputable sources like the BBC, Wales Online, and The Guardian newspaper online, mentioning the product innovation award, linking to your business can significantly boost your organic search engine optimisation.

In terms of Google’s search ranking factors, how important are backlinks?

As most good SEO agencies know, there are now in excess of 200 ranking factors. Now, backlinks, or links for short, are the most critical ranking factor that Google’s algorithm uses to decipher how strong or weak a business’s SEO is.

In a nutshell, if a business has powerful backlinks and good on-page SEO, then it’s more than likely going to rank higher on Google.

Therefore, regardless of the business sector, whether you’re a plumber or a solicitor, usually the businesses ranked right at the top of Google’s organic results will be those companies which have the strongest and highest quality backlinks.

Are all backlinks worth the same?

Most definitely not; some backlinks, such as a good link from the BBC, can have a massive and dramatic uplift in terms of where the company ranks. For other links, such as spam links, this can actually move the business down a few places. In fact, accumulating too many spam links can result in a link penalty.

 

What’s the difference between a dofollow and a nofollow backlink?

The difference between a do-follow and a no-follow backlink is relatively simple: one passes SEO goodness known as link equity, and the other doesn’t. To supercharge your business’s organic search engine optimisation, you need good links that pass link equity.

No-follow links are not worthless; they are still worth accumulating. The reason is that they can enhance your business’s backlink profile and overall search engine optimisation. The reason is that having a lot of quality websites that link to you, whether do-follow or no-follow, is still a sign that the website has decided to link to you.

If several high-quality websites, such as the BBC, link to you, it’s a sign to Google’s algorithm that your content marketing is of high quality.

Google’s perspective is straightforward: if the BBC decides to link to you, it’s likely because you offer high-quality content marketing or are an innovative company that has achieved notable recognition, such as winning a business award.

 

How do you go about building good-quality links?

Regardless of which type of business you run, whether your best solicitor in a pin-stripe suit, or your best hairdresser sliced bread, to rank at the top of Google, your business is going to need a lot of links.

When you place your direct competitors’ websites into a good backlink checking tool, and try Moz Pro, it’s fantastic and one of the best on offer.

Then, using the backlink checking part of the website, you can see that your competitors who are currently ranking number one on Google will generally have good quality links. Typically, businesses that rank at the top of Google or Bing will have over one hundred quality links.

For competitive business sectors, let’s say your business sells legal services across the U.K.

Your business will be competing against thousands of other solicitor practices, so your business backlinks must be superior in every possible way. You will often need thousands of quality links. This is where a top-quality agency is usually required to improve the SEO substantially.

 

What does link-worthy content marketing even mean?

Regardless of the question the customer has, there are often thousands of businesses that have also answered that exact question. The reason is that they want the shopper to land on their piece of content marketing, which offers an answer to that question.

Then they can direct that shopper to a page where they can buy a product from them.
Content marketing is, therefore, a way of bringing shoppers to the company website.

However, for that piece of content marketing to even get close to page one of Google, you must have a lot of high-quality links.

 

And how do you get those good-quality links?

Well, your business must offer a superior, more detailed, and better answer than the competition.
If the competition has written 700 words which are boring to read, nobody is going to want to link to that work.

However, if you write 2000 words and have an expert in a YouTube video explaining the benefits of that product, the website is likely to have a low bounce rate.

Then you can cram the page with as much valuable and helpful advice as possible. This will decrease the bounce rate and also sometimes substantially increase the dwell time. Plus, because you’ve offered good advice, it’s clear as day that you have put a lot of effort into creating that page, and other businesses may link to you.

Now you may well be scratching your head, thinking, “Well, why would other businesses want to link to us?”

Well, because quite simply put, those other businesses may not be your competitors. For example, let’s say that you make and bake the wedding cakes. And you may have a partnership with a local hotel, where if you refer them, you get a commission. Therefore, on your wedding cake website, you may offer a link to an exclusive, luxury hotel where you know you send your customers to have a great day. Plus,

you have sent out a link, which also helps improve the hotel’s SEO.

 

What is link velocity?

Link velocity is simply a measure of how quickly your business is accumulating links. Is your business accumulating the links super fast?

Or are you accumulating the links very slowly?

When you have a chat with a leading SEO agency, they will always tell you that an ideal world is one where you accumulate links slowly and steadily.

If your business accumulates too many links too quickly over a month or two, it can appear as if you’re buying links. Google doesn’t want you to buy links; it wants your business to earn links slowly over a long period.

If businesses are buying links, they are ignoring Google’s rules.
It is then perfectly possible that the business will incur a link penalty. When you chat to any good SEO company that’s worth its salt, they will tell you that bad links, spam backlinks, can mean that your website disappears from Google. Getting back can be arduous work, slow, and expensive, especially if you’re paying an agency to do this work. So, don’t cut corners or buy spam links. Doing so can mean your website disappears from Google because it’s been hit by a Google Penguin Penalty.

Should I cheat and buy a load of links?

No, most definitely do not buy links. Google wants you to earn high-quality backlinks. If a business pays for links, such as spam links,

Google’s algorithm can often detect these low-quality links very quickly. If a company has too many spam links, it can soon obtain a Google penalty. When you sit down and have a chat with an SEO agency owner, they will tell you it can take a very long time for a business in the UK or globally to recover from a link penalty.

For example, a business, let’s say here in Wales, might be right at the top of Google’s organic results. However, because it has bought spammy links and built too many low-quality links, Googlebot can index these links. When Google detects excessive spam links being built, a link penalty can be applied to the entire domain name.

This can mean the website moves down substantially, or it could be totally removed from Google because of the link penalty.

To build quality links, we recommend choosing a top marketing agency to improve your business’s search engine optimisation. You should therefore ask if link building is part of the monthly process, as you want quality do-follow and no-follow backlinks built.

 

How can spam backlinks make my business’s SEO crash and burn?

Your goal is to have no spam links. Therefore, make sure that you take your time to hire the right marketing agency. You don’t want to hire a business that cuts corners or builds spam links, as this can massively damage your company’s SEO.

 

How do I get these top-quality links you’re talking about?

You need to write high-quality content marketing. Whether it’s a main page or a blog post, you should aim for that page to have a high

Google E-EAT score. Use Google Analytics to monitor the pages’ dwell time, make changes to improve the page over time, and lower the page’s bounce rate. You can use a good quality backlink checking tool, such as Ahrefs, or perhaps you would prefer to use Moz Pro to check for incoming backlinks.

 

How long should my content marketing be?

It depends on the question being answered; sometimes, someone prefers less text and more visual content. For example, if you were describing how to fix a dripping tap.

On the other hand, if your writing is an article for your family law practice, then often people want a more comprehensive and detailed answer. This means you should examine the amount of text your competition has written and aim for a similar word count, ensuring the work is high quality and has a high Google E-EAT score.

 

Why does content marketing require me to invest so much effort and time in the work?

Content marketing, such as the page you are reading, requires a significant amount of time to write; however, it’s essential work if your business aims to improve its Google ranking.

If you were to ask our agency, we would say that it’s practically impossible to get any business on page.

 

Why hire Ryan Christopher Walsh SEO?

We are a leading SEO agency based in Cardiff.

If you would like a free quote, then contact us today.

 

What does “AMP” mean?

By Sarah Jones|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |Comments Off on What does “AMP” mean?

 

The rise of AMP- should our business get an Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) website?

Welcome, folks! Let’s talk about something changing the game in mobile SEO: AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages. You might be wondering, “What’s all the fuss about AMP?” Let’s unravel this digital conundrum together, and we will explain why your business should strongly consider getting an AMP version of your website design.

 

What is AMP, and why is it causing a mobile revolution?

Why is everyone who works in digital marketing chatting about AMP? It’s simple: AMP pages are like a bullet train in Japan for transport, for what it can offer your customers, that’s loading at an almost unbelievable pace on your smartphones and tablets. It’s a super-fast version of your company website.

 

Does my business need an AMP version of the website?

So, what makes AMP the talk of the town? For starters, it’s not just a trend; it’s a necessity for some. For large brands to keep their competitive edge and to keep that business high on Google, they often need to improve all aspects of the website to ensure that their search engine optimisation has the edge over the competition. With mobile devices ruling the roost, having a website that caters to mobile users isn’t just lovely; it’s critical.

 

Speed is now the name of the game:

When it comes to SEO and mobile optimisation, speed is king. AMP takes this very seriously.
Imagine a web page that loads faster than you can say- “accelerated mobile pages” – that’s AMP for you. It’s not just about loading fast; it’s about creating a good U.X. because it’s a bit like a lift in a shopping centre; customers prefer to get to where they want to go fast rather than slowly. This is the same for your company’s website; they will want to get to the product they want to buy as fast as they can, so if the website is too slow, this may increase the company’s bounce rate.

Here’s something to ponder: faster web pages mean more engaged users and a lower bounce rate, which can mean better business. With AMP, your pages aren’t just quick; they’re efficient and streamlined, making for a seamless user experience. As any good SEO consultant will tell you, your marketing agency should work hard to improve your company’s U.X. A happy user often translates to a happy business owner.

 

 

How does AMP work?

AMP isn’t just magic; it’s a marvel of technical ingenuity- and the most suitable web designers will be able to design an AMP version of your website. From prioritising resource loading to optimising JavaScript, AMP is like a finely tuned engine on a sports car that ensures your website runs smoothly and swiftly, no matter the traffic.

 

So, what does the future hold for AMP?

In the ever-evolving world of SEO, AMP isn’t just a passing trend; it’s a cornerstone of the future. It can enhance your website’s U.X., meaning that because you made your company website fast, shoppers will appreciate this; they will see how quickly every page loads, making it easier to browse more products. Because you’ve made it easier for your customers, making the website load faster can help reduce your company’s bounce rate.

With mobile usage skyrocketing, AMP isn’t just a choice; staying ahead in the SEO race is necessary.

FAQ:

Your burning questions About AMP answered:

 

What Exactly is AMP?

AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages. In layperson’s terms, it’s a way to build web pages and blog posts for static content that load much faster.

 

Why does my business need AMP?

In the fast-paced digital world, user experience (U.X) is everything. AMP enhances user experience by drastically reducing load time, leading to better engagement, lower bounce rates, and potentially higher revenue.

 

How Does AMP Work?

Without getting too technical, AMP works by simplifying the HTML code, optimising files like CSS and JavaScript so that the page loads much faster, and leveraging various performance techniques. It’s like streamlining your website to be more efficient.

 

Is AMP only for mobile devices?

Primarily, yes. AMP is designed to make web pages load faster on mobile devices such as your iPhone or Android smartphone. While it works on desktops, its main focus is improving mobile user experience.

 

Will AMP help improve my website’s organic SEO?

Faster load times and better user experience (U.X) can indirectly improve your business’s organic SEO. While AMP isn’t a ranking factor, its benefits can increase search rankings.

What exactly is local SEO?

By Sarah Jones|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |Comments Off on What exactly is local SEO?

 

Local SEO is simply the process of optimising a website so that it appears higher within the organic search results and also so that the company appears Google My Business results.

Google’s algorithms will take into account the proximity of where the person is at that moment in time.

For example, if they ask Google to find for a “local MOT station”, then that person will be shown local garages based on exactly where they are standing at that moment in time. If they are North of Cardiff, garages will be shown in that area, as that’s where they are at that time. Google will presume you want businesses which are close to where you are standing at that point in time.

If they were to change the location later on the day, let’s say to a different part of Cardiff, the results would be different again within the Google My Business results.

Prominence

How important is that business within the local area? How many quality backlinks does the website have for example? How many positive reviews they have?

Relevance

How relevant is the business to the product or service the persons looking for it? For example, somebody might ask to find a local bakery, and they may also ask Google to find companies that make wedding cakes.

Therefore, there might be a bakery just around the corner, but if the website doesn’t stipulate that they make wedding cakes, then that business is unlikely to be shown in the results.

 

 

Why we think your business needs to invest in quality SEO

In our opinion, there are often many excellent SEO consultants in any given city; these people can help to place your business higher within Google’s organic search results and help to get your business ranked in the Google My Business results as well.

When you think about how many shoppers use Google daily, to find everything from post office opening times to finding a local solicitor. As a matter of fact, Google’s global search engine market share was 92.06%.

A representative from Google also stated in 2018 that 46% of Google’s searches have local intent.

This is why so many businesses invest in seo, as it can help your business to draw in more customers.

 

Here is what you should think about before investing in SEO: whether you will outsource this work to a local marketing agency or perhaps you would like to do it yourself, we would highly recommend that you must understand white hat SEO.

For example, that gives you a quick example of what not to do; let’s say that you are creating a Google Business Profile; you might think it’s a brilliant idea to add a keyword you want to rank higher for on Google. For example, you might add the company’s name, plus electricians and the name of the city where your business is based.

But you shouldn’t do this, you should just write your companies name, as it appears on companies house.
So for example, if “electricians + name of city” is not part of your business name, then don’t add this within the business name section on

Google My Business, this is not a white hat. This is just one example, of what not to do, there are a lot more.
In a nutshell, only use white hat seo methods.

NAP details

Your business premises, where you meet your customers, this will form part of the NAP information.

NAP information represents your company’s name, address, and phone number.

We can help your business improve your local SEO

We have partnered with many businesses here in South Wales for over 10 years, to help get those businesses onto page one of Google.

We have helped these businesses dramatically increase the number of organic shoppers which visit their websites. This has helped those companies to increase their profits.

If you would like to learn more about how local SEO can increase your sales, why not give us a ring today?