Losing Sidebar Backlinks to gain more High Quality Backlinks

8 replies
  • SEO
  • |
Hi!

I've read that backlinks from sidebars are not worth it for SEO, and they can also harm my domain.

I have an e-commerce site that is already large (we have more than 300+ sessions per month) and we have almost 2000 backlinks.

Unfortunately, most of the backlinks are from sidebars, but now I've started to remove these links and find opportunities to link within content (such as product reviews and guest posts).

Will I lose some keyword ranking by losing some backlinks, but in the meantime gaining fewer but higher quality backlinks?

Thanks!
#backlinks #gain #high #losing #quality #sidebar
  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    I wouldn't remove those links unless they are on dodgy websites. I'd just concentrate on getting new textual links to better balance out your link profile.
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    • Profile picture of the author IceFlok
      Thanks, Dave.

      All the links are on good blogs: high DA and PA with daily activity and with a Spam Score less than 5.

      I do not know if I should keep this strategy because the links from sidebar have a lower cost than the posts with a link.
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  • Profile picture of the author JennyPitula
    Sidebar links are site-wide links not good at all, its like making widget or getting sponsorship of website. You just have only 5 to 10 percent of links that added in sidebar. (Its better to add nofollow attribute to these links).

    Link from in text of article or blog or guest posting is more important then side link. Its better to rank your site to get link from article in text, then getting link from site bar.
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    • Profile picture of the author IceFlok
      Thanks, Jenny.

      That's what I am doing now: looking for Guest Posts opportunities to improve the quality of my links.
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  • Profile picture of the author davidricherd
    It doesn't matter either you take backlinks from posts OR sidebar. I think Sidebar & Footer links are really works if you talking about to increase your site ranking & traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author paulgl
    Are you people on planet Earth?

    There's nothing wrong with a sidebar backlink.

    No law says that sidebar backlinks need to be sitewide.....

    I sell them all the time.

    A top link on a sidebar can be golden.

    It bears repeating: Are you people on planet Earth?

    Paul
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    If you were disappointed in your results today, lower your standards tomorrow.

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    • Profile picture of the author IceFlok
      Paul, thanks for explaining your point.

      I've read a lot saying "do not use Links in sidebars or in any other place unless in content".
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOtraveler
    There`s nothing wrong with the sidebar links indeed, at least it depends. But you`d better not remove the backlinks in case they cause you no harm (unless you`d like to see if the removal will). As said above, you should only remove the links in case they are toxic, and simply focus now on building the good ones within the content.
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