Often we tell clients that one important factor in attracting visitors to their sites is to get links back to their site up around the web. But what really makes a good link? Surely spam links aren’t going to provide much help? This guide should help give you a quick overview of what constitutes a good link.

Why do links even matter? Google was the first search engine to effectively use links in its ranking algorithms. The thought is this: each link to your site is like a vote for it, a recommendation that the other website found your content useful. The more of these links going in to your site, the more authoritative your site is - at least in the eyes of modern search engines.  But not all links are created equal, Google and other search engines give weight and merit in accordance with many factors, and below lists some major ones.

The rank of the site linking to you
If you get a link from your friend’s blog, it will probably help you out a little bit. If, however, the BBC links to your website, then search engines will factor this in and your site will become much more prominent. The ‘rank’ or authority of the site linking to you is a big factor in how much benefit you receive.

Text in the link
Another key factor is the variety and descriptiveness of the link text. Linking to a website with click here won’t be a big help to anyone. Instead, if you use clear, subject specific links, it will help tremendously. Wording like ‘view an interesting article on stock photography resources‘ will associate your site with the linked phrase and help you rank better in search engines for those terms.

Deep links are good links
Direct links to individual pages within your site instead of just links to your homepage will help you as well. This indicates that links to your website are not engineered or spammy, but more closely resemble good natural occurence. If you have good content in your site, people will link to it directly and not just to your homepage.

These three tips should help get you going. Building links is a tricky business, but one that is vital for most websites.