The Power of Backlinks for SEO

Posted on 7/8/2021 by Ralph Reynolds

Dental SEO graphic from WEO Media in Beaverton, OR

Okay, let's be honest: your website's ranking could always be better. Whether you are working with an agency or doing your own dental SEO, you should be on the lookout for new strategies to achieve a higher slot on Google and other search engines. Although there are a myriad of factors that go into ranking your website, one powerful technique that often gets overlooked is acquiring new backlinks.

Backlink Definition

What is a backlink? No, we're not talking about the second half of a Scottish golf course! A backlink is a very simple thing, yet can be difficult to obtain: it is when someone places a link on their website to your website. If someone else links to you, you've just acquired a new backlink!

A Brief History of Backlinks

A long time ago in a Google far, far away...having more backlinks was the easiest and surest way to climb to the top of page 1 for your relevant keywords. Google's algorithms did not analyze how you gained those backlinks or the quality of them, just the quantity. Of course, this led to many people and organizations gaming the system and well-ranked websites had a large amount of low-quality or outright spam links that they purchased, oftentimes from less than reputable places.

Eventually, Google realized they needed a more robust system to rank websites on their platform to better serve their users. Buying backlinks became so prevalent that they setup rules surrounding how backlinks are obtained that still exist today. Break the rules and your website will get penalized. If you take one thing away from this article, let it be this: never, ever pay for your backlinks!

How to Acquire New Backlinks

Despite their murky history, backlinks remain an important component of any SEO strategy. So how can one collect new backlinks safely and legitimately as part of your dental marketing efforts? Here are some places to ask that you may have already established a good relationship with that might be willing to link to your website:

•	Businesses that you partner with or purchase from.
•	Charities or community organizations that you work with, contribute to, or are a part of.
•	Any local directory that also has a website, such as a local magazine. Realtors will sometimes have a local directory for people who just moved to the area and need a new dentist.
•	If you're a member of your chamber of commerce or any other business group, check to see if your website can be added to their online directory.
•	If you're being interviewed or talking about a topic, consider asking the platform to link to your website in return. Newspapers, local blogs, speaking engagements, etc.
•	Blog posts: offer to write a blog article for a platform if they'll link from the article to your website.

Learn More About Dental SEO

If you've already subscribed to our Premium SEO Services for your dental website, then great news: WEO is already generating backlinks for your website! If you have questions about our dental SEO services, get answers by scheduling a complimentary marketing analysis with one of our Senior Marketing Consultants today.

We Provide Real Results

WEO Media helps dentists across the country acquire new patients, reactivate past patients, and better communicate with existing patients. Our approach is unique in the dental industry. We work with you to understand the specific needs, goals, and budget of your practice and create a proposal that is specific to your unique situation.

+400%

Increase in website traffic.

+500%

Increase in phone calls.

$125

Patient acquisition cost.

20-30

New patients per month from SEO & PPC.

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