For websites that want to grow fast, buying backlinks could seem like the easiest and fastest way to go however it’s not cheap and it could end up harming your site instead of improving it. It is a slight misconception that the more backlinks you have, the higher your page rank will be as well as your site’s relevance on the web and in search results.  While there is much truth to that, not all backlinks have equal value. Sites that sell backlinks usually allow you to buy and sell backlinks which means they are in the business of making money, not necessarily having your website’s best interests at heart. Beware of these sites especially if the price seems too good to be true. The backlinks they might be selling you could come from web pages that have a low page rank. These kinds of backlinks could actually backfire and negatively affect your own website’s page rank.

Because Google eventually finds the artificial backlinks, many SEO experts do not recommend buying and selling links to avoid a website getting flagged or penalized. Google prefers natural links and will give more credibility to your site allowing it to rank higher in the search engines.  If you do decide to buy backlinks, choose purchasing permanent backlinks instead of paying a monthly fee for a website to keep your link active. Also, try to make sure that the site (webpage) that includes one of your backlinks is at least a Google PageRank of 4, preferably higher.

To build backlinks in a more consistent and natural way, consider writing content, article syndication, commenting on blog posts, and signing up in online directories. Before you begin your quest for backlinks, realize that it’s a tedious effort but being organized and consistent will pay off. Organize a link building plan by listing methods you want to use and what your goals are. Then work your plan … religiously.  You can click here for more information on how to build backlinks and how to properly track them.

There are a few main ways to check your backlinks.

1. Yahoo – If you go to this site (http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/) and simply enter any URL you can find out how many backlinks you have and exactly where those backlinks are coming from.  This site also allows you to export all the backlinks to a CSV file for analysis and evaluation.
2. SEO tool called SEO Quake – (http://www.seoquake.com). It’s a really cool Firefox plug in (frequently updated) that allows you not only to check your Yahoo and Google Backlinks, but also your Google PageRank, Alexa Rank, and other metrics that are significant for SEO.
3. If you go to SearchBliss (http://www.searchbliss.com/seo-tools/google-backlinks.asp) it lets you know your backward links according to Google.
4. LinkVelocity Tool is a really cool new SEO tool that allows you to not only track your backlinks, but also that of your competitors.  It also gives you the rate at which you and your competitor’s links are increasing, so that you know at what rate you need to increase your backlinks to catch up and eventually surpass your competition.  You can create a graph to see your growth rate, your competition’s growth rate.  You can add multiple competitors and continually measure your progress against them over time.

Check your backlinks weekly.  You should see steady progress; in absolute terms and in relative terms versus competition.  Make sure to check them regularly so that you can accurately track your rate of growth or decline.  If you need help obtaining backlinks you can check out this article, or if you want a more personal and in depth strategy you can always contact us for a no obligation consultation.