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Dumb Newbie Question re: Backlinks

by nmh
10 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Ok, I think I "tried" to get this understanding of backlinks once BUT ... still trying to grasp this whole idea. Here it goes so please forgive me :confused:

So, the more backlinks you have the higher your PR will be be? Does that also have an effect on where you will rank on a natural search for your keywords OR is it just for PR purposes? I was trying think HOW this will help bring traffic to your site IF you have a link on a high PR dog site and your site is about furniture or something like that. What does the PR get you or that backlink for that matter? Shouldn't the links be from similar sites or industry sites?

Ok it's out there, yes, embarassed (LOL) but hey, gotta ask!
#backlinks #dumb #newbie #page rank #question
  • Profile picture of the author Tyler Ellison
    Backlinks are like "votes" that your site is relevant and of high quality, since most sites won't link to lousy web pages. The keywords that appear in the anchor text of the links are one of the most important factors in determining for exactly what that web page is relevant for, so yes, more backlinks with your best keywords in them will improve your search engine rankings.

    Page Rank is only important in determining which kinds of links are more valuable than others. Between getting a link from a PR 6 or a PR 1, the link from the PR 6 site naturally carries more weight.
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  • Profile picture of the author Odhinn
    Originally Posted by nmh View Post

    So, the more backlinks you have the higher your PR will be be? Does that also have an effect on where you will rank on a natural search for your keywords OR is it just for PR purposes?
    PR and search engine results used to be very related, but now, it's not necessarily true. PR is still useful as a rough guide to how valuable a link is, but it's not the only thing to worry about.

    I was trying think HOW this will help bring traffic to your site IF you have a link on a high PR dog site and your site is about furniture or something like that. What does the PR get you or that backlink for that matter? Shouldn't the links be from similar sites or industry sites?
    You've hit on the exact reason why PR is not the sole determining factor anymore. Get links from related sites, and you'll do well. As you say, a link from a dog site to a furniture site is basically worthless.

    Remember, Google PageRank is, strictly speaking, an old technology. Even they acknowledge that their rankings are based on both links and related content on pages that have those links. So it's difficult to classify sites with a number given that they could be highly relevant to one category, and not at all relevant to sites in a different category.
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    • Profile picture of the author awaxler
      a link from a dog site to a furniture site is basically worthless.
      Sorry, but I disagree. There are a couple of wso packages that provide lists high quality dofollow backlinks that have helped me get to the first page on google...none of them are related to my niche.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnHuizinga
        Originally Posted by awaxler View Post

        Sorry, but I disagree. There are a couple of wso packages that provide lists high quality dofollow backlinks that have helped me get to the first page on google...none of them are related to my niche.
        I concur.
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    • Profile picture of the author Darth Executor
      Originally Posted by Odhinn View Post

      As you say, a link from a dog site to a furniture site is basically worthless.
      It's not worthless, just less valuable. Unless you know how to make it valuable. hehe...
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  • Profile picture of the author nmh
    Ok so I have a job board site so these packets of backlinks etc. how would it get me traffic? My main key words I am #1 for one phrase and #4 for the other phrase on google and I am still struggling a bit with traffic b/c I can't afford the advertising and other paid traffic sources like my competitors. My site is a PR 5 and Alexa 138,000 but it is not translating into sales. How would backlinks help me do you think? THANKS!
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    • Profile picture of the author nmh
      Originally Posted by nmh View Post

      Ok so I have a job board site so these packets of backlinks etc. how would it get me traffic? My main key words I am #1 for one phrase and #4 for the other phrase on google and I am still struggling a bit with traffic b/c I can't afford the advertising and other paid traffic sources like my competitors. My site is a PR 5 and Alexa 138,000 but it is not translating into sales. How would backlinks help me do you think? THANKS!
      Can anyone help me with this question?
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    If your site is already PR5, it must have a ton of really good links. That's a high PR that most would be very happy to have. And that's a really good Alexa ranking too! How much traffic are you getting right now? Has to be in the thousands monthly, right?

    If so, the problem is monetizing and conversions, not traffic really. I would look at ways to get the existing traffic converting into paid customers. Without knowing more, it's hard to say how in your case, but PR5 and Alexa 138,000 puts you way ahead of the vast majority of your competition. Test some ad campaigns. You're probably sitting on a goldmine. I wish I had a site with those numbers!

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author nmh
    Thanks Zeus66. I think because my only money maker are job postings, it is making it more difficult given the economy. Monster gets a TON of these types of jobs (my niche) and I just need to get my sites name out there so others will see there is a cheaper alternative.
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  • Profile picture of the author SurviveUnemployment
    If you're PR 5 and Alexa top 200,000, you're getting plenty of traffic. You need to work on your sales copy.
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