In the intricate dance between the quantity and quality of backlinks, we've gathered insights from top industry professionals, including SEO Specialists and Founders, to guide your strategy. From prioritizing high-quality niche backlinks to ensuring high-quality, niche-relevant backlinks are key, explore the diverse perspectives of twenty-one experts on balancing this crucial aspect of SEO.
21 nodes / Roy Michael Yungco / Connor Gillivan / Maurizio Petrone / Ben Poulton / Patrick Beltran / Matias Rodsevich / Bhavik Sarkhedi / Tim Woda / Darcy Cudmore / Adam White / Jason Hennessey / Vaibhav Kakkar / Joe Davies / James Parsons / Trevor Stolber / Nick Rudnyk / Kate Kandefer / Ben Hilton / Sonja Marinkovic / Daniel Bunn / Esther ButteryRoy Michael YungcoSEO Specialist / Fidelitas
When balancing backlink quantity and quality, I always prioritize quality. Focusing on low-quality backlinks is often a waste of time because they don't provide a great impact on SEO value. Getting a few high-quality do-follow backlinks relevant to my niche is challenging but worthwhile, as these strong links help build my site's authority and trustworthiness.
I achieve this by targeting reputable websites in my industry for link-building efforts. Building genuine relationships with these sites ensures the backlinks are not only relevant but also beneficial. Regularly monitoring my link profile helps maintain this balance effectively, making sure my efforts are always aligned with achieving the best SEO outcomes.
Connor GillivanEntrepreneur, Owner & CMO / TrioSEO
I value quality over quantity for all backlinks. I'd rather have 10 backlinks from DR 50+ websites relevant to my industry than 100 backlinks from websites with a DR of less than 30 that aren't relevant to my business. The goal of backlinks is to show Google that other leaders in your space 'vote' for you. When Google sees that, it associates you with them and gives your content a better chance of ranking in the top 10. Always go for quality over quantity in backlink building.
Maurizio PetroneFounder & CEO / PressHERO
In my 15 years of SEO experience, I've always valued quality over quantity when it comes to backlinks. High-quality backlinks from reputable, relevant sources immensely contribute to a website's SEO ranking and credibility. For example, while working with a small B2B client, I focused on acquiring fewer, but authoritative, backlinks. As a result, their website became a trusted resource in their field, significantly improving their organic search traffic.
Nevertheless, quantity too has its place. During the expansion of my previous venture, Win Big, generating a high volume of backlinks allowed us to cast a wider net, enhancing our visibility online. However, it’s crucial that quantity doesn't compromise quality. A website with a plethora of low-quality backlinks is likely to be penalized by search engines, negating all SEO efforts. Therefore, the essence of a potent backlink strategy lies in striking an optimum balance between the two, creating a harmonious blend of quantity and quality backlinks.
Ben PoultonFounder / Intellar SEO Consultancy
When balancing the quantity versus quality of backlinks, I found that focusing on quality makes the difference.
Target fewer but high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant sites. For example, partner with industry experts or popular blogs in your niche for guest posts or collaborative content. This significantly enhances your SEO, driving genuine traffic and improving your credibility.
The idea behind quality is not just purely DA-focused either. Many see the value of links by the DA and the number of them. I try to aim for links from websites that are relevant to my industry and are also links likely to be seen by users! You want a link with a heartbeat, meaning people might actually click on it.
Quality links like that are harder to come by, but just one of those can be worth far more than a dozen other low-quality links.
Patrick BeltranMarketing Director / Ardoz Digital
For us, balancing the quantity versus the quality of backlinks involves a holistic approach. Although, we still favor quality over quantity. We focus on creating valuable content, establishing ourselves as authorities in our niche, and building genuine relationships within our industry. It's important to remember that backlinks are just one component of the SEO puzzle. By implementing a holistic SEO strategy that includes these diverse tactics, we aim to create a sustainable path to higher search engine rankings and increased online visibility.
From my experience, having hundreds of backlinks doesn't necessarily improve your SERP position. In fact, hundreds of low-quality links can actually lower your ranking on SERPs and damage your overall SEO strategy. While a decent number of backlinks can be beneficial for your website and its rankings, the quality of these links matters significantly. Backlinks will only have a positive impact if they're of high quality. Of course, backlinks of moderate quality can also be valuable, provided they link to relevant and worthwhile content.
Many users question whether high quantity or high-quality backlinks will benefit their site more, but it isn't quite as straightforward as that. While high-quality backlinks will likely boost your site higher on SERPs, a high quantity of backlinks could actually reduce your rankings, depending on their quality.
Matias RodsevichFounder & CEO / PRLab
Our backlink strategy centers on obtaining high-quality links from authoritative sites. While quantity is still important, we believe a few high-quality backlinks can have a greater impact than numerous low-quality ones. We specifically target backlinks to our homepage, leveraging its central role in our site structure. Through strategic internal linking, we distribute this authority across other key pages, enhancing our overall SEO performance. This method ensures our link profile is robust, improving our site's visibility and search rankings.
Balancing quantity and quality of backlinks is crucial. I prioritize quality by focusing on high-authority, relevant sites that align with our niche. A single backlink from a respected site can significantly boost our SEO more than numerous low-quality links. However, quantity still matters. I aim for a steady flow of diverse backlinks from reputable sources, ensuring a natural link profile. Essentially, it's about finding the sweet spot where quality leads, supported by a consistent volume of credible links.
Tim WodaFounder / White Peak
Balancing the quantity and quality of backlinks is essential in our strategy to enhance online visibility and credibility. While acquiring a high quantity of backlinks can potentially boost our website's ranking, we prioritize quality over sheer volume. Quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites carry more weight in improving our site's authority in search engine algorithms. We focus on building relationships with reputable sites within our industry niche, ensuring that each backlink contributes meaningfully to our online reputation and SEO efforts.
At the same time, we remain cautious of pursuing backlinks solely for quantity, as this approach can lead to links from low-quality or irrelevant sources, which may harm our site's reputation and search engine rankings. Instead, our strategy emphasizes acquiring backlinks from trustworthy sources that align with our brand values and audience interests. Maintaining this balance between quantity and quality allows us to strengthen our online presence effectively and sustainably over time.
Darcy CudmoreFounder / RepuLinks
In my experience focusing on SEO and backlink-building, I'm all about quality over quantity. It's important to choose backlink opportunities that not only fit your strategy but also resonate with your brand's voice. I make it a point to connect with top-tier sites in our industry because building real, lasting relationships there can really make a difference. Don't respond to everything and find as many opportunities as possible - only go after quality opportunities that make sense.
Our content was built to draw backlinks naturally, something that keeps us far from the low-quality links that could drag our SEO down. Maintaining this high standard is not just about boosting our positions on search engines—it's about building trust and credibility that lasts with our audience. This thoughtful technique will ensure we're seen as a trustworthy factor in our field.
Adam WhiteFounder / Serpple
For the most part, we mostly care about building backlinks from relevant websites. That is by far the most important characteristic of any backlink we build. But we do look at how many backlinks our competitors have built to competing pages, and if we have significantly fewer than them, we will definitely try to narrow the gap, all the while trying to maintain relevance with each link.
We tap into the power of influencer marketing to balance our backlink strategy. By partnering with industry influencers who have authoritative websites, we can secure high-quality backlinks through guest posts, mentions, and collaborative content. Influencers bring their audience and credibility, which adds significant value to our backlink profile. Moreover, these relationships often lead to multiple backlinks over time as the influencer continues to mention or collaborate with us. This strategy ensures a steady stream of quality links and also boosts our visibility and reach within the industry.
We implemented a content-curation strategy during a product-launch campaign. By aggregating and sharing third-party articles, case studies, and whitepapers that highlighted the benefits and applications of our new product category, we educated our audience and built anticipation. This curated content complemented our original content, providing a comprehensive view of the product's potential impact. The result was a well-informed customer base that was more receptive to our marketing messages, leading to higher interest and a successful product launch.
Joe DaviesCEO / FATJOE
In my strategy, quality trumps quantity every time. Think of backlinks like your network—connections from respected, high-authority sites are far more valuable than numerous lesser links. I prioritize securing backlinks that not only improve search rankings but also bring in relevant traffic. It's similar to curating an art gallery; every piece added should enrich the overall collection, not just fill a space on the wall. This careful selection ensures lasting SEO impact and aligns with long-term growth objectives.
Balancing the quantity and quality of backlinks in our strategy involves a strategic approach focused on long-term results. Instead of pursuing a high volume of backlinks, we prioritize securing links from authoritative and relevant websites. This ensures that each backlink carries significant weight in boosting our website's credibility and authority in search engine rankings. Quality backlinks drive organic traffic and contribute to our overall SEO efforts by signaling to search engines that our content is valuable and trustworthy.
Simultaneously, we diversify our backlink sources to minimize reliance on any single type or platform. This approach includes cultivating relationships with industry influencers, participating in guest blogging opportunities, and engaging in collaborative projects that naturally generate high-quality backlinks. Analyzing data metrics such as domain authority, referral traffic, and anchor text diversity helps us refine our strategy continually. This ensures our backlink profile remains robust and contributes effectively to our goals of increasing traffic, sales, and revenue over time.
Trevor StolberCo-Founder, CTO / VibeLogic
Contrarian answer... I don't! If you are doing digital PR and sharing something of value, you will naturally acquire links. With that will naturally come some good links, but likely a lot of 'lower-quality' links. Google will decide and will discount anything that does not seem valid or natural.
Prioritize Relevance: I go after backlinks from websites related to my niche. They're more valuable and attract relevant traffic.
Check Domain Authority: I use tools like Moz or Ahrefs to target high-authority sites for backlinks, as they have a bigger impact on rankings.
Create Quality Content: Good content naturally attracts better backlinks. Consistently producing valuable content is key.
Diversify Links: I aim for a mix of high-quality and moderate-quality links to keep my link profile natural.
Avoid Black Hat Techniques: I steer clear of buying links or using link farms to avoid penalties from search engines.
Build Relationships: Networking with industry influencers can lead to natural backlink opportunities. Relationships often yield better quality links.
Conduct Regular Audits: I regularly check my backlinks to remove any low-quality or spammy ones using tools like Google Search Console.
Guest Posting: Writing guest posts for reputable sites helps earn quality backlinks. I make sure these posts provide real value.
Kate KandeferCEO / SEOwind
I tend to follow a pretty simple formula when targeting backlinks: aim for sites with a DR between 25 and 65. The reason for this is that I find this to be a good balance between the difficulty in getting a backlink in the first place versus the value of the backlink after I've gotten it. Sites below 25 are naturally easier to work with, but the overall value isn't typically going to give you quite the same benefit as higher DR sites. Sites over 65, on the other hand, tend to be a crapshoot when requesting a backlink exchange or other cooperation simply because they know they don't need to actively search out backlinks at this point in their lifecycle.
Ben HiltonFounder & Managing Director / Switch Jam Digital
In our agency, we put most of our focus on building high-quality backlinks. We operate on the basis that if you manage to acquire high DR (Domain Rating) links, your content will rank better, attracting a high volume of lower-quality organic backlinks. For example, if you've ever acquired a backlink from Wikipedia.com or Forbes.com, your domain will become a magnet for dozens of other low-DR links. The only exception to this approach is building page-specific links. It's much easier to acquire DR 20-50 links for commercial pages. So, this is often a better use of resources and time.
Sonja MarinkovicSEO Consultant / Digital Search Hero
While both link quality and quantity matter, I prioritize quality. For someone focused solely on quantity, they might resort to low-quality backlinks through PBN schemes or link insertion on freelance sites. These links are unreliable and can be deleted at any time.
However, for those who want to scale link building with a quantity focus, online directories and local citations can be a decent option, if relevant to your business. I would always prioritize niche-specific directories with real traffic and users over those solely designed for link building.
Building high-quality backlinks requires significant effort, time, and consistency. The goal is to connect with authoritative websites and obtain niche-relevant backlinks, often from websites with high Domain Authority (DA). This often involves manual outreach, sharing your insights, and connecting with their PR teams. Providing value is key, such as offering exclusive stories or valuable content.
Daniel BunnManaging Director / Innovate
We balance the quantity versus quality of backlinks by prioritizing high-quality links from reputable, relevant sites over a large number of low-quality links. Our strategy involves identifying industry-leading websites and blogs for potential backlinks.
For instance, we focus on earning backlinks through guest posts, collaborations, and creating valuable content that naturally attracts links. We use tools like Moz and Ahrefs to assess the domain authority and relevance of potential linking sites.
A specific example is when we published an in-depth case study that was shared by a leading industry blog. This single high-quality backlink significantly boosted our site's authority and organic traffic, proving that quality trumps quantity. By maintaining this focus, we ensure our backlinks positively impact our SEO efforts and drive meaningful traffic.
Esther ButteryDirector / CLIQ Marketing Content
When it comes to backlinks, I've learned that quality always trumps quantity. While having a lot of backlinks might seem impressive, it's the high-quality ones that have a stronger impact. That means using high-quality backlinks that come from niche-relevant sources, have geographic relevance, and get organic traffic. This makes the link a lot more trustworthy in Google's eyes.
For example, if I were working with a client in the health industry, I would get backlinks from reputable health blogs, medical journals, or well-known health websites. These sources align with our niche and also give the client's site credibility.
To keep the balance, I don't chase after every possible backlink opportunity (volume). Instead, I choose carefully and focus on the ones that offer real value. That means doing my research, but it can also mean building genuine relationships with other website owners in the industry! The idea is to create long-term connections that will result in mutual benefits.
