“We want to rank number one in Google in six months.” Slow down there. There is an extensive process and strategy that goes into those ranking number one on search engines, especially Google. 

Once our Colorado SEO experts explains the process, the next question involves a critical strategy, “How many backlinks do I need or should be incorporated into my content to rank on the first page in Google?”

While there are conflicting reports online and various Austin SEO Experts and companies that beat around the bush, we are going to dive into what actually matters when it comes to ranking. 

Let’s begin, shall we? 

Disclaimer - We don’t want this to come across like we are pretending to give you a foolproof answer because there are simply too many influencing factors when it comes to ranking we would be lying to pretend we are 100 percent certain. However, with the goal of getting you an intelligent answer, we will back our suggestions by data. 

What Matters In Ranking?

For starters, there is no universal answer that will work for with one-hundred percent certainty for everyone. This because there are always unique situations and varying factors at play that influence how you are ranked. 

What we can do is look at the facts to help you develop a specific strategy for your individual situation. 

Ahrefs did an amazing study on ranking factors correlating to the number of unique domains linking to the page is the most important factor. 

Source Ahrefs

In layman’s terms, the most important thing to get higher ranking is to build a ton of quality links to your targeted pages. 

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks are commonly referred to in the world of SEO. However, Colorado SEO experts understand that this term can be confusing to understand at first. Simply put, backlinks are incoming links to a webpage. 

When any webpage links to another webpage, it is referred to as a backlink. 

In the past, it helped your webpage to rank just to have backlinks. Now, Google has geared its algorithm towards quality over quantity. 

Sure any company can backlink to another website, but is the backlink worth it? Often times, when it comes to Google Core Algorithm Updates, those who have low or bad quality backlinks will see a decrease in backlinks. Why is this? Google is one smart robot. 

Domain Authority

When it comes to domain authority, not all links are created equal. How your page ranks on Google can depend on the amount of backlinks and their quality. 

Google prefers indexing content that is helpful and reliable, which means links should be of high authority. Who would you rather use in backlinking strategies? The brand new website who has literally no following or the industry leader who has grown into a reputable source? It is kind of a no-brainer. 

Links that have no apparent value to Google’s algorithm, is called Penguin. They will not find a place on the first page of Google and will be ranked lower. 

Including helpful and high authority backlinks into your content not only helps boost your ranking, but also proves to your audience that you are a trustworthy site. 

More Than Just Backlinks

When it comes to finding out how many backlinks you may need to incorporate into your content to rank on the first page of Google, you will also need to consider other aspects of your content.

 According to Google, with the latest version of Penguin, they are trying to get more granular in rank calculations and are ignoring links that have little to no value. How relevant is your content to what your potential audience may be searching for? If you are using keywords that pertain to a certain subject, do not veer your directive. Your loading speed, as well as your on page optimization will have an affect on how Google indexes your page. 

Our Colorado SEO experts work on backlink strategies for all client’s and this is a never ending process to help client’s rank in Google’s SERP!  Contact us to start the SEO process today!