What Are The Most Powerful Links?

There has always been a lot of debate about exactly how important backlinks are to ranking, organic traffic and organic lead generation as a business model. 

The debate, however, has never been about whether, but rather, to what extent backlinks are a key Google ranking factor. The consensus is pretty unanimously yes. 

They are especially important if you are in a competitive niche, going after competitive keywords and, therefore, highly competitive organic traffic. But backlinks can be rated on a scale. Some are far more powerful and valuable than others. 

In the below guide we’re going to explain what the most powerful links are, how to find and analyze them and how to incorporate them into your backlink profile. 

Defining Powerful Backlinks

No two backlinks are ever the same. Not only that, but the most powerful links for your website or business are going to be different than those for other businesses and industries. 

To know what’s truly powerful and what’s not, let’s take a look at what makes a link better or worse than others. 

Dofollow vs. Nofollow: Understanding the distinction

When it comes to backlinks, knowing the difference between dofollow and nofollow links is key. 

Dofollow links help boost a website's search engine ranking, while links with a nofollow attribute don't have a direct impact on SEO but can still drive traffic. In a nutshell, dofollow links tell Google and other search engines that a website is respected enough by other sites on the web to pass on trust and authority signals to it. Nofollow links tell search engines that a website doens’t want to pass these things on.

You can tell a nofollow from a dofollow link by going into a page’s source code, or by using a Chrome extension like nofollow that will put a red border around nofollow links on a page. Like so:

By understanding this contrast, you can prioritize acquiring dofollow links from platforms that offer them, maximizing your SEO efforts. 

Exploring the impact of Domain Rank (DR) and Page Rank (PR)

Domain Rank (DR) and Page Rank (PR) (or Domain Authority and Page Authority) are crucial factors in assessing the strength of backlinks.

DR measures the overall authority of a website, while PR evaluates the authority of a specific page. 

SEO analytics tools like Ahrefs have free website authority checkers you can use to get a quick overview of a potential link’s DR: 

I’d like to stress a couple of things here. Domain Rating/Domain Authority are proprietary metrics based on the number of backlinks a given domain has. There is debate over exactly how much the number of links a domain has factors into ranking (there are also studies).

What is undeniable, however, is that links are very important. 

Evaluating the role of website traffic, trustworthiness, and toxicity

Website traffic, trustworthiness, and toxicity also play vital roles in determining the quality or power of backlinks. 

High-traffic websites often indicate popularity and relevance, making their backlinks more valuable. 

Ahrefs has another free traffic checker (similar to their website authority checker). 

When it comes to trustworthiness (a key component of the incredibly important EEAT formula that modern ranking is based on), backlinks from trustworthy sites, such as established brands or reputable institutions, carry more weight and credibility. 

Conversely, links from toxic or spammy websites can harm your site's reputation and SEO performance. 

By evaluating these factors, you can focus on acquiring backlinks from reputable and relevant sources, enhancing your website's authority and visibility.

Analyzing the importance of link positioning

Link positioning refers to where a backlink is located within a webpage. Backlinks placed prominently in the main content area are generally more valuable than those buried in footers or sidebars. 

If you’ve never explored the concept of first link priority, I’d suggest taking a look at this excellent article from Search Engine Journal on what it is and how it impacts backlink analysis. The article concludes that it is not a ranking factor, I know for a fact there are people out there who don’t fully agree (I am one of them). 

This is a semi-related concept, but where first link priority does matter is when it comes to internal linking in your own articles. Ideally, you want the first link in one of your blog articles to be an internal link (not a link to an external site). SEJ has observed this practice below, as you can see. 

Another important thing to keep in mind is that contextual links integrated naturally within relevant content tend to carry more weight in terms of SEO impact. 

Understanding the significance of link positioning helps in identifying opportunities to acquire strategically placed backlinks, maximizing their effectiveness in improving search engine rankings and driving organic traffic.

Types of Powerful Backlinks

Now that you know how to evaluate the “power” of backlinks and what makes a link powerful, let’s take a look at the types of powerful backlinks out there. There are essentially two types of links you can acquire: 

• Homepage links
• Deep page links

Powerful homepage links

High-authority backlinks to your homepage are indeed among the most potent types of links you can acquire. 

These links carry significant weight in search engine algorithms, signalling to search engines that your website is a trusted and authoritative source in its niche or industry. 

Here’s a DR89 link I built to our homepage using HARO link building–one of the most effective ways to build branded homepage links. 

When reputable websites link to your homepage, they essentially vouch for the quality and relevance of your content, boosting your website's credibility and authority.

As a result, your homepage is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), driving organic traffic and increasing visibility to your target audience.

Powerful deep page links

Deep page links are those to "deeper" pages on your site--usually your blog. There are a lot more ways to build deep page links than there are home page links. I'm a big fan of niche edits and guest posting because they provide you with the most control over your anchor text optimization and link placement.

Niche edits involve strategically placing links within existing content on relevant websites in your niche. This method allows you to have more control over anchor text optimization and link placement, as you can choose specific anchor texts and ensure they seamlessly integrate with the surrounding content.

Guest posting involves creating high-quality content for other websites in your niche and including links back to relevant pages on your site. 

There are also other methods like broken link building–that have you find instances where sites are linking to pages that no longer exist and then reaching out and suggesting your own page as a replacement–and creating link bait (i.e., content designed to attract powerful links over time). 

By leveraging these methods, you can not only build authoritative backlinks to your deep pages but also increase their visibility and relevance in search engine rankings.

Debunking myths: Can quality backlinks be purchased?

You could write an entire book about the nuances of buying backlinks. In fact, there are few things in SEO that are sure to incite as much controversy and polizarization as whether or not you can or should purchase links. 

Notice the term “quality” in the above heading? That’s no accident. I’ve included that in there for a reason. 

And that is to help drive home the idea that high quality links can rarely be purchased. There are a lot of sites out there that will readily sell anyone with a pulse, but these are not the quality sites you want to be associated with. What’s more, Google doens’t like purchased links. Buying links falls firmly under “link spam” for them. 

In fact, add enough low quality, purchased links to your backlink profile, and you could end up with a manual action penalty that could seriously harm your site, SEO and business. 

A caveat

There are times when you will be, in essence, paying for a backlink, even from high quality websites. 

Administration and placement fees are typically the language used during the transaction, but it’s a fact of life that if you’re manually building backlinks, “to pay or not to pay” will be a question you ask yourself regularly, even when it comes to reputable, trustworthy sites. 

Building Powerful Backlinks

We’ve already gone over some of the best strategies for building powerful backlinks, now let’s take a look what goes into building high quality links. I want you to focus on the “quality” part of the equation here. 

There are plenty of opportunities out there to build mediocre or low-quality links. If you want to build the kinds of links that are actually going to move the needle on your SEO and ranking, however, there are a couple of key things you need to do. 

Crafting compelling content to earn editorial backlinks

Editorial links are those that are given out freely by writers, site owners and web masters while building content. They are the most powerful kind of link on the web because they are, in Google’s view, the best indicators of quality and trustworthiness. 

If I, for instance, while writing an article about link building, come across a resource from, say, Search Engine Journal, that helps me illustrate my point better, and I include a link to that resource in my article, that’s an editorial link. 

If you recall, that’s exactly what I did many paragraphs ago when talking about the concept of first link priority. I reference a helpful SEJ article. Let’s have a look at how many link that article has acquired: 

53 backlinks, 87 percent of which are dofollow. You can bet the farm that those are almost all editorial. This is a big publication, so, of course, they’ve got solid content distribution in place as well, but most of the sites referencing this resource are doing so completely of their own volition. 

Implementing effective link building campaigns

Effective link building campaigns are premised on three things: 

1. Having good content in place already that people will want to link to.
2. A good prospecting strategy. 
3. A good cold outreach strategy.

Prospecting

Prospecting for powerful backlinks means that you are only going after relevant links from high quality sites. 

When it comes to building backlinks, a few powerful, relevant links is much better than a backlink profile full of dozens or hundreds of irrelevant links from high DR/DA sites with no thematic or niche relevance. 

That’s why, when prospecting, keep it in your niche. Use search operators that filter the search results so that you’re not targeting sites that have nothing to do with yours. 

If you were a personal finance site, for example, you’d want to use a search operator like “personal” finance to find guest posting opportunities (which can be found by including operators like “write for us” or “become a contributor”). 

Outreach

Outreach is the other important piece of the puzzle. How you reach out to site owners and web masters for a backlink opportunity plays a huge role in whether you build those powerful backlinks or not. 

The key concept I want to emphasize here is “value proposition.” If you can make it clear what a website stands to gain from hosting your link and/or content, you are already doing better than 99 percen of the link builders out there. 

I can’t tell you how often I get automated emails from link builders who are putting zero effort into contacting the right people with compelling value propositions. This is an email I got recently from a pest control company: 

Why would someone in my niche be interested in that, is what I would like to ask this person.

Maximizing the Impact of Backlinks

Before I wrap up, I’d like to touch on a few key points that I think are absolutely vital to building and acquiring powerful backlinks. 

All of them are related to content structure and effort. 

Harnessing the Power of Infographics 

Infographics and ultimate guides are two powerful content formats that can significantly enhance your backlink profile and establish your website as an authoritative resource in your niche. 

Infographics are visually appealing representations of data, information, or processes. They are highly shareable and have the potential to go viral on social media platforms. Done well and with good initial traction, they can build links for years to come. 

Have a look at this one from Search Engine Journal on social media adoption published back in 2011.

It’s got 414 links to date (82% of which are dofollow). 

By creating informative and visually striking infographics related to your niche, you can attract backlinks from websites looking to supplement their content with engaging visuals.

Utilizing ultimate guides to build powerful backlinks

Ultimate guides are comprehensive resources that cover a specific topic in-depth. They provide step-by-step instructions, tips, and valuable insights that address the needs of your target audience. Anyone who wants to do something likely wants to read something that claims to be the “best” or “ultimate” guide to something. 

Take a look at this resource from Explore. 

Anyone interested in hiking the Appalachina Trail is going to have their interest piqued by the “ultimate” guide to doing it. 

Now check out how many backlinks that article has acquired. 

By creating ultimate guides that serve as go-to resources in your niche, you can attract backlinks from websites seeking to provide authoritative content to their audience.

Exploring Unique Content Formats to Enhance Linkability

The online landscape is unbelievably competitive (more or less so, depending on your niche). Nearly all of the pages on the web get no traffic. 

A good way to increase the odds of being seen and attracting/building links is to utilize different content formats that offer something different from the typical blog posts and articles. Here are some innovative content formats to consider:

1. Podcasts: Podcasts have surged in popularity in recent years and offer a unique opportunity to engage with your audience in a conversational format. By hosting interviews, discussions, or solo episodes on topics relevant to your niche, you can attract backlinks from websites looking to feature interesting audio content.

2. Webinars and Online Workshops: Hosting webinars and online workshops allows you to share valuable knowledge and insights with your audience in real-time. These interactive events can generate buzz and attract backlinks from websites seeking to share valuable resources with their audience.

3. Interactive Tools and Calculators: Creating interactive tools and calculators related to your niche can provide practical value to your audience and encourage backlinks from websites looking to supplement their content with useful resources.

4. User-Generated Content Campaigns: Encouraging user-generated content, such as contests, challenges, or community projects, can foster engagement and generate backlinks from participants eager to share their contributions with their own networks.

Incorporating a range of content formats into your content strategy is ultimately what will help you add a diversity of powerful backlinks to your backlink profile. 

Wrapping up

It is universally recognized that backlinks have a major impact a website's authority and search engine visibility. 

Anyone can buy low quality links, but understanding factors like link attributes, domain authority, and website trustworthiness is crucial in acquiring powerful backlinks. Prioritizing editorial links, implementing effective link building campaigns, and exploring diverse content formats are key strategies for maximizing their impact. 

By focusing on quality over quantity and creating valuable content, websites can strengthen their authority, improve search rankings, and drive organic traffic effectively.