What are permanent backlinks? The truth behind the term

At its core, a backlink is simply a link from one website to another. It’s like a vote of confidence in the digital realm, suggesting that the linked content offers value. But here’s the catch – the term “permanent” is a bit of a misnomer.

In an ideal world, a permanent backlink would be a link that stays put forever, unaffected by the sands of digital time. But in reality, no backlink can truly claim to be eternal. They exist at the mercy of the website that hosts them. If that site goes offline, rebrands or the webmaster decides to remove or update the link, then it’s gone.

So, in essence, they are only as “permanent” as their lifespan on the host website.

To better understand this concept, let’s glance at the different types of backlinks you might come across:

Natural or Editorial Backlinks

These are the gold standard. They’re given without any action from the page owner. For example, a fellow marketer might find one of our blog posts informative and link back to it on their site. These are also referred to as white hat links (EG. safe).

Manual Outreach Backlinks

These are earned by reaching out to other websites or blogs in your industry and suggesting they link to your content. It’s a mutual relationship; both parties benefit. Also known as Guest Blogs.

Self-Created Backlinks

These are created by individuals adding a backlink in directories, forum signatures, blog comments, etc. They have their place, but over-reliance or misuse can raise red flags with search engines & within search results on Google search.

Regardless of the type, backlinks are crucial for several reasons:

Domain Authority

They can help establish your website as an authority in its niche. The more high-quality sites that link to yours, the better your site appears in the eyes of search engines.

Website Traffic

Obvious I know, but direct clicks from backlinks can bring users straight to your site, increasing your traffic.

Broken Link Building

This is a really good way of building links, as you can identify websites that are either already linking to your website from a piece of content, but the link is broken, maybe the URL or landing page has changed, but also if they mention your brand, you can approach them and ask for this to include a link to your specific landing page. You can use tools like SEMRUSH to identify broken backlinks and also track brand mentions.

Diversity

A mixture of different types of high-quality backlinks can boost your website’s trustworthiness and diversify your link profile, which can be beneficial for SEO.

Social Media Links

These are normally “No follow” links back to your website from your posted social media content, this content can be managed by third-party agencies, like ours.

While the term “permanent links” might be a bit misleading, backlinks themselves are undeniably crucial in the marketing services landscape. However, it’s essential to remember that quality trumps quantity.

In the ever-evolving world of SEO, it’s all about creating genuine connections and offering real value, you can learn more about our services, such as Local SEO, National SEO, Enterprise SEO and International SEO.

Till next time, Jon (SEO expert) from Ality Advertising Agency.