Backlinks: Why They Matter and How to Get Them

All online searches for pediatric dentists are local searches, meaning that patients searching for a pediatric dental office are hoping to find one near their location so that they can utilize it. That search intent makes it hugely important that pediatric dentists show up well on local search results. While Google has a number of search ranking factors, one of the best ways to increase your authority and gain ground in local search results is by building a steady, reputable catalog of backlinks. So, how can you do that? How can you discern the difference between a “good” and “bad” backlink? We’ve got the story below.

What are Backlinks?

Backlinks are links placed on another website that link to a page on your own site. Backlinks are usually embedded in the body of a story, and are sometimes mentioned by the author as a source of inspiration or research resource for the content on their page. Backlinks usually appear as bright hyperlink text that can quickly take readers to another site for more information.

An example: You’ve written a blog post about the benefits of flossing, and a patient reads it and likes it enough to use it as a source for their own blog. They link to your flossing post as a source of their evidence, and VOILA! you’ve just earned a backlink.

Backlinks direct others to your website.

Backlinks Help Your Google Rank

A steady supply of backlinks will help your Google search rankings by increasing your authority – a key ranking signal for Google. Essentially, backlinks from reputable sources that are relevant to pediatric dentistry (like the AAPD) tells Google that you are an information source within your professional community. Thus, the more reputable sites that are linking back to your website, the more authority you gain with Google; the higher your authority, the better your local search results.

Careful! Not All Backlinks are Created Equally

Ok, so you understand how backlinks can help improve your local search results, and now you’re ready to start gathering them. Hold on to your search for one more minute while we discuss backlink relevance. In the recent past, online marketers would flood the internet with hoards of backlinks, hoping to increase their clients’ Google search rankings. And for a while, this “black hat” strategy worked. But Google’s algorithm became more sophisticated and began to put a stronger emphasis on relevant links, rather than basing authority and rankings simply on the volume of backlinks leading searchers back to their website. In fact, Google began punishing websites that employed this strategy by diminishing their search rankings.
So, the bottom line is this: try to get backlinks from trusted, authoritative sources, and not from irrelevant sources.

Also, Don’t Pay for Links…You’ll be Punished

The aforementioned black hat backlink strategy is often employed by online marketers promising to get your website more backlinks and increase your search rankings. Guaranteed links should be an instant red flag if you’re considering employing a 3^rd party marketing company. While these companies may be able to get you more backlinks quickly, the quality of those links, as well as their origin can actually hurt your search engine rankings.

How to Build More Backlinks

So, we’ve established that backlinks can increase your authority and help your local search rankings. How then can you cultivate more backlinks? What are the best practices for gathering more, and at what rate should you seek to add backlinks? Here are some strategies that you can use to encourage more sites to link to your website.

Produce Quality Content

The best, most cost effective way to gain more links is by producing quality content that provides readers with value. By doing so, you gather more readers and increase your reach. This improves your odds of people linking to your website. The best place on your website for creating new, relevant content is on a blog. Read about how a blog can take your dental practice to the next level.

Consider Guest Blogging

A good backlink strategy is the byproduct of building a good community. One way to grow your community is by guest blogging – or writing about a subject relevant to pediatric dentistry and posting it on someone else’s blog. Guest blogging can be a tough nut to crack, but it begins by identifying sites that would be willing to publish a story about pediatric dentistry. Once you’ve found a few places that publish articles about pediatric dentistry, start contacting the site to inquire about guest blogging opportunities. When done well, a guest blog can help send more traffic to your site, and spread more awareness of your dental practice.

Show Off Your Humor

Funny articles and posts are some of the most shared content on the internet. Humor creates unity and triggers a positive emotional response that people are compelled to share. This is why you should create posts and content that reveals the lighter side of your dental practice. Try to think of funny images to share, or get your practice team involved to create a truly one-of-a-kind funny post. Try to avoid politics or controversial subjects so that you don’t distress attract the wrong sort of attention. For more about creating shareable content, read our blog post here.

Build Relationships with Local Media

If you have any big announcements, or big pieces of news regarding your dental practice, then write a short email to local news outlets to get large coverage for your dental practice. You only need to write about a paragraph outlining the news about your office, and explain why you think it is newsworthy. Connecting with local media outlets can generate a lot of backlinks, and give your dental practice some great traffic.

Backlinking Takes Time

There’s no perfect metric of success for building a cache of backlinks. But one thing is sure: gathering reputable backlinks takes time. Don’t get discouraged if at first you are creating content that isn’t linked, you have to just keep producing valuable content and deploying it where it will get the most eyes. Just attracting 1 – 2 backlinks per month is an attainable goal that can yield tremendous benefits.

Do You Have Professional Reputation Management?

Smile Savvy understands the hurdles that pediatric dentists face when marketing their dental practice, which is why we provide comprehensive reputation management. We provide our clients with strategies that increase their online visibility, and enhance their reputations. Contact us for a full, comprehensive evaluation of your online presence and work towards getting to the top of local search pages.