In the internet world, when one website likes content from another and mentions it, they often link to the content as well; this is a backlink. Search engines see this as the linking website recommending (and even vouching for) the content they link to.
A high authority backlink is simply when a website that is considered authoritative and trustworthy by the various search engines links to your website.
In this article, first, I will explain why websites link to other websites. This is helpful in understanding how to get websites to link to your site. And then, I will talk about what makes a website authoritative and trustworthy in the eyes of search engines and how relevance plays into authoritativeness.
You might also be interested in reading my two related articles, “How Do I Acquire High Authority Backlinks?” and “What Matters More, Backlink Quality or Quantity?” as well as in watching my related video above.
Why Websites Link To Other Websites
The main reason a website would link to another website is that they either feel the way the second website explained the information was helpful and made it more understandable or because they feel that the second website has some knowledge, authority, or expertise.
So, the best way I have found to attract backlinks on a national or global website, such as a blog, is to produce the highest quality, most well-researched, and best-written articles possible. The more readers consider my articles as well-written, comprehensive resources, the more backlinks I get.
For local business websites, attracting backlinks naturally this way can be difficult since the content is targeting a potential customer base in a local community. However, I have seen some local businesses accomplish this through well-written industry-related posts on their blog page. So, I know from first-hand experience that it is possible.
What Makes A Website Authoritative And Trustworthy
Google’s PageRank, and now Moz.com’s Domain Authority, are measurements of authoritativeness based on how many trustworthy, authoritative, and relevant websites link to your website. So, the more these types of sites link to your website, the more the search engines view you as authoritative, expert, and trustworthy.
This is meant by backlinks “passing authority” to your website. The more Domain Authority your website has, the more your links pass on to the websites you link to.
I have also found that it seems to strengthen the authority of my content when I link to resources that are considered expert in their field, especially if their sites have high Domain Authority. That is why you saw me just link to Moz.com above, for example.
Finally, as I discussed in the above section, the more my website is well-written and teaches or imparts value to the readers, the more it attracts backlinks and, therefore, Domain Authority.
How Relevance Plays Into Authoritativeness
A highly relevant website or article will pass more authority to your website when it links to you than a less relevant article with higher Domain Authority. In local SEO, if the article is highly relevant to your city or industry, it will pass more authority to your business website than a link from an unrelated (or less related) article.
For a national or global blog-type website, links from websites highly related to your topic will pass more authority to you than links from websites with higher Domain Authority but less relevant to your topic.
So, when looking for possible backlinks to your website, keep this in mind. You will get more benefits to your website by focusing on highly relevant backlinks more than any other kind.
Final Thoughts
High authority backlinks, as defined in this article, are probably the most powerful things you can acquire to push you ahead of your competitors in the search engines. Remember to focus on quality (relevancy and Domain Authority) over quantity.
Thank you for reading this article all the way to the end. If you feel you have learned something or benefitted from this article in any way, please share this article on your social media sites. Also, emailing this article to business owners you know who might benefit from this content is also helpful!