I wish there were a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but unfortunately, there isn’t.
Every keyword, niche, and search result is unique, so there’s no shortcut to knowing how many backlinks you need.
However, don’t worry too much because calculating the number of backlinks is easier than you think.
Which Pages Need Backlinks?
It might come as a surprise, but not all of your pages deserve a backlink. You should only bother building links to pages that help you make money by bringing in leads and sales for your online biz. So, let me show you how to find those pages:
So, the first thing you wanna do is check out the keywords that your website is ranking for on the first three pages of Google.
These are the keywords you have a good chance of ranking higher for. You can use Google Search Console for free to find these keywords.
But if you want better insights, then you should use Semrush free trial or Ahrefs.
These tools will give you more valuable data than Google Search Console.
Next, you need to find out which keywords are most relevant to your business.
So, create a list of target keywords that you want to focus on.
That means you should avoid the high-traffic, high-competition terms and instead focus on those super-targeted 100-500 search volume keywords.
This will bring the most benefit to your business and provide a higher ROI.
Calculate The Backlink Gap Between You And Your Competitors
After creating a shortlist of target keywords, you can determine the “link gap.”
The link gap refers to the number of backlinks that need to be built to rank in the top 3 results on Google for a specific keyword.
By knowing the number of links required, you can estimate:
1. The cost of building those links.
2. The duration it will take to achieve the desired results.
The process is pretty simple:
Check out Ahrefs or Semrush and look for your main keyword. The idea is to find websites with the same domain authority as yours that are ranking in the top 10 search results.
Did you find any website with similar authority? If yes, then you need to check the backlink profiles of the top 3 websites that are ranking for that specific page.
Your goal is to figure out what backlinks are powering those top 3 positions.
Make sure you filter for only “Dofollow” backlinks because “Nofollow” backlinks are not relevant in this context.
For example, when I clicked on the first-ranking website for this keyword, I found only 4 strong links that were worth paying attention to.
Similarly, the number 2 ranking page only had 3 backlinks with any meaningful authority, and the number 3 ranking page only had 1 high-authority backlink.
This way, you can know exactly how many backlinks you need to rank for that particular keyword.
Based on these results, it’s safe to assume that you’ll only need about 4 high-authority backlinks to break into a top 3 position and potentially take over the top spot.
Start Building Your Backlinks
Getting backlinks can be a real hassle for most SEOs out there. Some people don’t mind doing it themselves, while others just outsource the job. It all depends on what works best for your business.
A. Steal Your Competitors’ Best Backlinks
So, my favorite way of building links is through Backlink Analysis. It’s super effective and saves me a lot of time.
The first step is to check out your competition in the search results. Just Google your target keyword and look at the top-ranking websites – those are your main competitors.
Then, use Ahrefs to analyze their backlinks and identify their best ones, which you can replicate.
So, you get to find out how your competitor got those links.
Was it from a blog comment, guest post, forum post, or something else? Once you know, you just do the same thing.
For example, if they got a link from a guest post, you can just reach out to the website and pitch your own guest post. It’s easy-peasy!
The best part? If a website already links to your competitor, it will probably link to you, too. That means more high-quality links with way less effort.
B. Order The Links You Need To Rank
It’s no secret that building links is tough.
Even with a solid strategy in place, it takes time and effort to see real results.
That’s why many business owners turn to link-building services to help them out.
The good news is that you can actually buy the links you need to rank well. It’s a pretty straightforward process. If you’re looking for a great link-building service, I highly recommend GetMeLinks.
Why Do I Need To Build Backlinks?
Link building is super important for SEO these days. If you want to rank high for tough keywords, you gotta get some high-quality links. Here are three big reasons why building backlinks is a must-do:
1. Higher Rankings
Have you ever wondered how Google decides which websites to show on the first page of search results? Well, Google sees links as endorsements or votes.
In other words, the more websites that Google trusts linking to your website, the higher your website will rank in the search results.
So, it’s important to get links from other websites that have high authority.
When you get links from such websites, part of their authority is passed onto your website, which increases the chances of your website ranking higher in the search results.
2. More Traffic
When your website ranks higher, you get more visitors who find you on their own without you having to pay for ads. And the cool part is that these visitors are likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
So, if you rank for the right keywords, you can be sure that you’re getting quality traffic that’s more likely to convert.
3. Increase Your Authority
Authority is like your scorecard for ranking on Google. The higher your score, the better. To boost your score, you gotta get more backlinks.
That’s how you beat your competitors and climb up the search engine ladder.
When your website has a high authority score, it’s harder for others to rank above you. Plus, you can rank for more keywords. Building links is the secret to getting ahead and staying ahead.
Conclusion
Wondering how many backlinks you need? It seems complex but it’s actually straightforward with the right help. At Get Me Links, we make it easy.
No need to guess or stress over strategies. We’ve helped over 1,200 clients nail their backlink game.
Short on time or expertise for competitor backlink analysis? No problem. We offer it for free, plus a free consultation to guide you through the findings and next steps.
Book your free call. Let’s boost your rankings together the right way.