A backlink is a link from one website to another. In simple terms, when another website links to yours, it creates a backlink. These are also known as inbound links because they bring visitors to your site from other parts of the web. Backlinks are valuable for a few reasons:

  • SEO Boost: Backlinks are seen by search engines like Google as a vote of confidence. If reputable websites are linking to yours, search engines assume your content is valuable and relevant, which can help boost your rankings in search results.
  • Increased Traffic: Backlinks direct visitors from other websites to yours, increasing the number of people who discover your business.

However, not all backlinks are created equal. A backlink from a relevant and reputable source is much more valuable than one from an unrelated or low-quality website.

Why Relevance Matters

Backlinks must be relevant to your business and industry because search engines consider where the link comes from to determine its value. For example, if you own a local bakery, a backlink from a food blog or a local business directory would be more valuable than a link from an unrelated website about electronics or travel.

Relevant backlinks help search engines understand what your website is about and improve your ranking for relevant search terms.

Who Could Small Business Owners Approach for Backlinks?

As a small business owner, there are several approaches you can take to build relevant backlinks:

Local Businesses and Partners

Reach out to local businesses, suppliers, or partners in your area. Ask if they would be willing to link to your website from theirs, and you can offer to do the same in return. For example, if you run a plumbing business, you could collaborate with a local hardware store or real estate agents.

Industry Blogs and Websites

Look for blogs or websites in your industry that accept guest posts or are open to collaborating. By contributing articles or insights, you can often include a link back to your website. For example, a beauty salon might write a guest blog for a skincare website.

Local or Niche Directories

Submit your business to local or industry-specific directories like Yelp, TripAdvisor, or industry associations. These directories often link back to your website and are highly relevant to your business type.

Existing Customers

If you have loyal customers who run blogs or websites, they may be willing to link to your site, especially if they've had a positive experience with your services or products.

Chambers of Commerce or Networking Groups

Join your local Chamber of Commerce or small business networking groups. They often feature member businesses on their websites, providing a backlink and some extra local exposure.

Focusing on quality and relevance will ensure that your backlinks contribute positively to both your website's traffic and your search engine rankings.

 

More Advice from the Gurus at DotGO

 

Learn how to add this great feature and more...

 

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We believe there is a place for good-old-fashioned customer service on the Internet.  It's in our DNA.  Our different approach has made a big impression on our customers and a huge difference to their businesses. 

 

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I had such a good experience with DotGO. They were very responsive and moved quickly with everything. My designer, Luke, understood the brief we gave and deserves this 5 star review.

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Faith was absolutely brilliant from start to finish. From the very first call, she made the whole website process feel clear and manageable. She took the time to understand my business, offered great advice along the way, and translated my vision into a site I’m genuinely proud of. Nothing was ever too much trouble — Faith was always helpful, responsive, and incredibly patient. Her attention to detail and ability to explain everything in plain English made a big difference. I’d highly recommend Faith and the team at DotGO to anyone looking for a professional, stress-free website build. Great experience.

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If you're lucky enough to have Luke designing your website you'll have a thoughtful, patient and fast web design experience. Probably the most stress free encounter I've had with sub-contracting a service out. Would recommend to anyone considering getting their website done. A very reasonable price for a great service, really happy with the result.

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Great communication and understanding of the brief for the project. Everyone was very helpful and my questions were answered promptly such a great experience I’ve had

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I would like to thank and give Luke Tammadge, my website designer the highest praise possible with a resounding 10 out of 10 for building me such a beautiful and functional website for my property development company, Honey Oak Developments. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with him. He completely understood my brief and worked hard to execute and deliver my website which I know we are both very proud of. Always extremely responsive, if any changes needed to be made, he did so in a timely and careful way. I thoroughly DotGo as a go to for website design because it’s also their great service as well as their excellent websites that makes them stand out. I must also thank Rich, Remy and Martin for their great service and help as well. A great company and I can’t recommend them enough.

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Working with DotGo from start to finish has been amazing. Their communication and regular updates are brilliant and they really take the time to learn what your vision for your website is. Faith was incredible throughout the process, as was the whole team, and created a website that was exactly what we were after and better!

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Jane's Healthcare trustpilot review

Amazing Company and staff really support you step by step through the process in my case developing a website for my new business venture. I will not hesitate in contacting DotGO for future business development. I am so incredibly grateful to this company my website looks amazing. Amazing service.

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I am so pleased I chose Dotgo to build my website. The experience was smooth and very easy from start to finish. Jen picked up from my vague ideas exactly what I wanted and the results were fantastic, better than I could have imagined. Communication was excellent and at no time did I feel I was waiting for responses or replies to my emails or calls. I would highly recommend them.

Kim SootheSoul