Can you tell me how many backlinks are needed to a get business on page 1 of Google?

Building backlinks can be massively time consuming, therefore naturally the link builder will want to know how many backlinks they need to build.

However, lets answer this question right at the top of the article, that is there’s no fixed number of backlinks a business can build to get on page one of Google.f

This means that there is no magic set number.

The reason being is that there are so many other factors to consider.

In SEO we call these factors, ranking factors, and in matter of fact there are over 200 ranking factors to consider.

Therefore, you could be building backlinks until your blue in the face, however, you have to work on improving the other SEO areas as well.

Why competitor backlink analysis is like comparing apples with pears

When you use a quality backlink checking tool, you can have a look at what backlinks your direct competitors have been building.

If they have been busy bees, then they might have built a ton of backlinks.

However, here’s why comparing your businesses backlinks with your direct competitors is a bit like comparing apples with pears.

The reason is, often businesses have a few or many really good backlinks. These might pass a lot of link equity, and are like the jewel’s if you like in the crown. Meaning that these are the many links that are giving that business so much domain authority.

However, here is the slight dilemma, that is, sometimes these links can’t be replicated.

If you run a restaurant, and it’s been voted the best restaurant in the whole country for what you do, you might gain a backlink from a national newspaper.

However, you direct competitor that’s just down the road, who also owns a restaurant doing the same kind of food can’t easily replicate that link. Because, well, the link has been given on the basis of a food award.

This is why comparing competitor’s backlink profiles is a bit like comparing apples with pears- as sometimes, you see that your direct competitors have good links, however replicating them is difficult.

 

Naturally built

Therefore, if you approach backlink building, from a mere mathematical perspective, often this approach to link building just doesn’t work.

The reason is, well you might say our direct competitors have 100 backlinks, I need 101 and I will then outrank them.

It really honestly does not work like that, and we shall explain why.

The reason that we think that is quite simple, that is the best backlinks come when you build a natural backlink profile.

Now what this means is, rather than just trying to replicate the same links most of your competitors have, the best links come from publishing superior quality content marketing.

 

Google EEAT and standing out by being better

Therefore, we would highly recommend having a good read of Google’s Helpful Content update as well as having a good read of Google EEAT advice.

Now what that will tell you is, if you offer top quality superior advice, and you answer that question better than any other business on the planet, then Google will rank that page highly in the SERP’s.

Now if you answer the question really well, then you can rank higher than the competition.

Perhaps if you have answered the question really, really well, then you might rank in the top 5 globally for that question.

Now, as perhaps millions of people might find that page super useful, they will naturally want to link to you.

For example, imagine you offer some DIY advice, which paint brushes and varnishes should be used on floorboards to achieve a transparent finish.

Imagine how many DIY websites, bloggers, interior design websites might link to you. Then rather than just replicating the competitor’s same links, well, you’ve potentially opened the flood gates for a lot of relevant websites to want to naturally link to you, therefore, if the content marketing is really helpful you can earn links this way.

Quality is far better than quantity

Think of it like this, you can stuff yourself on pizza and garlic bread and feel rather bloated!

Yet at the same time, a short period after you can feel hungry.

The reason being is that food offers no nutrients, its just empty calories, that are going to expand your waist line!

Now building backlinks, can do the exact same thing- that is you can have a backlink profile as long as your arm, but if there not quality links, then this could actually be harming your businesses organic SEO.

Therefore, think of quality links, the same way you would think about quality food. You want to obtain quality links; therefore, quality is far better than quantity.

How do I earn quality backlinks?

The best way to earn quality backlinks is to gather your most experienced and knowledgably staff all in one room.

Then put the kettle on, work with your SEO agency to come up with a “content calendar”.

What this will do is set out for the months ahead, what you are going to be writing about.

Then you want your staff, who have the most experience and expertise in that area to help write the content marketing.

Pour their knowledge and expertise into the work, just the same way you pour a large glass of wine on Friday evening!

This means, work with the person that’s the expert on that product, and incorporate their knowledge into the article.

This will then improve the Google EEAT score of the work, because Googlebot when indexing it will instantly know that the person who has published the work, knows what they are talking about.

Plus, think about how you can improve the Google EEAT score for that page, so if that person is say an expert on employment law, then do get their opinion and incorporate that into the employment law article.

 

Link diversity

Now, it is possible with link building too have too much of a good thing.

Now what we mean by that is, let’s say you use a backlink checking tool, you see that you have a good quality backlink that has just linked to say the homepage on the website.

Now you might think, that’s good, lets reach out and contact the website that’s linked to you, and see if we can get some more, then some more, and some more links from he same business.

However, this is a flawed strategy.

The reason why it’s a flawed strategy is simply because you’re going to then obtain far too many links all from one place.

Ideally, the best backlink profiles, a business can get is when you have quality links, from websites with high DA score, but from a wide range of different businesses.

Therefore, you have say 100 links, but all of those links come from say 100 different websites.

 

Don’t buy or use spam links

Our top recommendation to you, would be never, ever buy links.

Spam links are a total false economy, waste of time, and even mean that the website obtains a Google penalty.

This means that Google doesn’t link businesses which build spam links, what can happen is that the business is removed from the index.

Which means that the website can disappear, it could be ranked say 3rd, then because the SEO company has built so many spam links, it then gets removed.

This means that its de-indexed because of say a Google Penguin penalty.

Then it can be a very long road to recovery.

In matter of fact the business may never sometimes get back on page one of Google, because of it building spam links.

It damages Google’s trust in that business.

So, this is why you have to choose your SEO agencies wisely!

 

Backlinks are not everything!

As we mentioned right at the top of this article, backlinks are not everything!

There are a lot of other ranking factors which Google uses to work out which businesses should be ranked on page 1.
Content quality is key.

Therefore, if your website has a lot of content thin, duplicated pages, or AI written text, well this means that even if you have been building a ton of links, if the content marketing is low quality, often you will never rank on page 1.

 

How do I find quality links to build?

The best way to gain links is to earn them.

This is why even the biggest brands in the whole world, why they still spend millions on creating content marketing.

Whether this be blog posts, infographics, on embedded video.

What the businesses want is to offer helpful advice.

Whether that’s why a particular running trainer is the best in the world, or someone sat at a desk explaining why they are the best solicitor in that area.

This can help create links, because your suppliers, other businesses, people who have found the work useful and helpful can then link to it.
So therefore, by being super helpful, you can gain links.

 

Does link building ever come to an end?

No, not really.

Links are always being deleted, plus, the competitors are always building brand new links.

So, in that respect it’s a bit like building sand castles when the tide is coming in!

Therefore, this is why it’s a balance between competitor backlink building, however, we think at this SEO agency that more emphasis should be placed on creating high quality, helpful content marketing.

This work should have a super high Google EEAT score, which can then help to raise that page in Google’s SERP’s.

When you do this, quite simply more people will read the work.

The more people that read you work, some of them might have their own blogs, business websites and choose to mention your work.

Why is my website ranking lower if I have better links?

This comes back to the point that we made a little earlier on.

That is Google’s algorithm doesn’t just use backlinks in isolation to work out where a business should rank in the SERP’s.

It uses over 200 various ranking factors, backlinks, sure they are important, the right ones are really valuable.

However, the rest of the ranking factors must also be improved.

 

How much should we pay for link building?

Here at Ryan C Walsh, we offer fixed-priced monthly packages. As part of this work, we can help to improve your backlinks.

How can Ryan C Walsh help?

 

We are one of the best most experienced SEO companies in Wales, for a quote why not call us?