There is a lot of debate regarding backlinks vs external links. Which one matters more? What’s the difference? We all tried to rank our websites high in the search engine results pages (SERPs) using various methods.
Some of these methods include backlinks and external links. But what exactly are backlinks and external links, and which is more important when improving your website’s ranking? This blog post will discuss backlinks and how they differ from external links. We will also explore which is more important for your website and offer tips on getting backlinks and external links.
So, let’s get started! by defining them,
What Are Backlinks?
Backlinks, also known as inbound or incoming links, are links from other websites back to your website. These backlinks act as a vote of confidence for search engines, showing that your website is credible and has valuable content.
Types Of Backlinks
There are several types of backlinks, including:
- Editorial backlinks: These are gained through earning mentions or being referenced by reputable sources within your industry.
- Guest blogging backlinks: Gaining backlinks through publishing content on another website in your industry, with a link back to your website.
- Broken link backlinks: Gaining backlinks by finding broken links on other websites within your industry and offering a working link to replace it with a backlink to your website as thanks.
- Image backlinks: Gaining backlinks by having others use an image from your website, with proper attribution and a link back to the source.
- Resource page backlinks: Gaining backlinks through being listed as a valuable resource on another reputable website within your industry.
Well, there are several backlink-building techniques. But those mentioned above are only a few. Now, let’s discuss External Links.
What Are External Links?
External links, also known as outbound or outgoing links, are links on your website that lead to other websites. These links show search engines that you are citing reputable sources and add value to your content by providing additional information for your readers.
Types Of External Links Include
- Affiliate links: links to products or services that you recommend and may receive a commission for if someone purchases through your link
- sponsored links: links to a website or product that has paid you in exchange for promoting them
- relevant resources: links to websites that may provide valuable information or additional resources for your readers
- citations: links back to sources used within your content
Now that you have understood what backlinks and external links are? Now let’s dive more into them.
Backlinks vs. External links
Well, Answering this question is not easy. Backlinks and external links play a significant role in SEO and should be a part of your overall link-building strategy.
Top Reasons To Differentiate Backlink vs External Links
Here are the top reasons to answer this question:
- Backlinks show search engines that your website is credible and has valuable content, while external links demonstrate that you cite reputable sources and provide additional information for readers.
- Backlinks can directly impact search engine rankings, while external links may not directly impact rankings but can improve overall website authority.
- They are typically harder to acquire, requiring other websites to link to your website, while external links can easily be added.
- They have the potential to drive more referral traffic to your website, while external links provide value for readers and can keep them on your site longer.
- It Offers more opportunities to optimize anchor text (the clickable text in a link), while external links may not have optimized anchor text.
- They come from high-authority websites within your industry and can significantly benefit your search rankings, while external links from low-authority websites may not have as much impact.
- Backlinks should come naturally through valuable content and promotion, while external links can be intentionally added to your website.
- It may take longer to acquire and see results while adding external links to your website can offer immediate value.
- They are often more valuable in terms of SEO than external links.
- The best approach is to focus on backlinks and external link-building for a well-rounded strategy.
Does External Link Passes Authority?
This is a difficult question, as there is no definitive answer. Some experts believe that external links do not pass authority or “link juice” to your website, while others believe they can help boost your search engine rankings and overall website authority. It depends on the backlink quality, source, and other ranking factors.
Ultimately, the best approach is to focus on backlinks and other link-building strategies to improve your SEO and build your website’s authority over time.
Ways To Earn Quality backlinks and External Links.
There are many ways to earn backlinks and external links for your website. Some of the most effective approaches include:
- Creating quality content
- Guest posting on relevant blogs and websites
- Ensuring your website is listed in directories and industry resources
- Engaging with other bloggers and influencers in your industry
- Optimizing your backlink profile through tools like Ahrefs or Moz
- Building backlinks organically over time as you publish content and build your website’s authority
At the end of the day, backlinks and external links are both essential for SEO.
Which Matters The Most For Google: Backlinks Or External links
Well, Google considers both backlinks and external links as part of its ranking algorithm. So, it’s essential to focus on acquiring backlinks and external links from high-authority websites within your industry.
However, backlinks tend to be weighted more heavily and can directly impact search engine rankings. Therefore, backlinks are generally considered to be more important than external links.
FAQs
Q- How Do I Get Backlinks?
There are a few ways to earn backlinks, such as creating valuable content that others will want to reference and share, guest blogging, broken link building, image backlinking, and getting listed as a resource on other websites.
Q-How Do I Add External Links To My Website?
You can add external links by simply including the full URL within your content and making it clickable, or you can use HTML to create a hyperlink. But you can control whether the link should be dofollow or nofollow by adjusting the HTML code.
Q- Which One Hurts The Most, the Backlink Or The External Link?
In most cases, backlinks significantly impact search engine rankings, but in some rare instances, having too many low-quality backlinks can hurt your website. But, As external links are not directly tied to search rankings, they would not have as much of an impact on your website’s ranking.
Overall, backlinks and external links play an essential role in a solid link-building strategy. Focus on creating valuable content, promoting it to earn backlinks, and intentionally adding reputable external links to offer value for readers and improve credibility.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have a better understanding of backlinks vs. external links, it’s essential to focus on building both for a well-rounded link-building strategy. Don’t forget to monitor your backlink profile regularly and remove any low-quality backlinks that could harm your website’s search rankings.
If you have any questions regarding backlinks vs. external links, then feel free to leave your questions in the comment section. We will be happy to answer you.
Thanks for reading 🙂
