What is the foundation of excellent search engine optimization (SEO)? Backlinks! Backlinks are vital as it relates to the factors of ranking for your website. 

This post will seek to advise you of what backlinks are, the types of backlinks, backlink checkers, and how to get backlinks.

Backlinks, otherwise known as inbound links, incoming links, or one-way links, are links on other websites that, when clicked, automatically filters back to your website. In other words, it is a link on another website that sends the viewer directly to your website.


The term inbound link is used to describe backlinks because it stands to signify someone else's website activity being transferred to your website. 


Quality backlinks are a great way to improve your ranking in popular search engines such as Google. 


Your backlinks are your tell-tale sign of just how known your website is amongst our users. 


One-way links really are vetted endorsements for your website. One-way links are most helpful for you when the site the link is being directed from ranks higher than your website or at least at the same level. 


Inbound links coming from a vetted website are a straightforward way for search engines to attract even better value to your website allowing you to level up in page rank.


One-way links are safer than reciprocal links because you can better control the neighborhood your sites become linked to, thus helping you avoid scams. 
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Backlink's ability to provide your website with natural traffic is more desired and is secured better by Google's influence.   

It's essential to establish the difference between good backlinks from bad backlinks. Quality backlinks boost your website while bad backlinks may start out seeming profitable but, in the end, damages the credibility of your website. 


Here is a list of the best backlinks for your page to the not-so-good ones.



The Best Types of Backlinks (Organic Link Building/DoFollow)


Authentic or good-quality backlinks are the ones that generate and naturally link to your website, as expressed earlier from sound or authoritative sources. 
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Editorial Backlinks: these are easily categorized as the best type of backlinks. These links are created by credible sources such as bloggers, journalists, or publishers right back to your page.


These types of backlinks are done without your knowledge because the quality of your website speaks volumes for itself.


This is what they refer to as a pure backlink that Goggle and other notable search engines value. 


Relationship-Based Backlinks: this is the amplified version of editorial backlinks in that an existing personal relationship develops these. 


This relationship could be built from conversing with a content writer, blogger, or publicist. The content writer may have been amazed by your ability to help and provide a source that offered great value, and they saw it fit to generate a backlink to your website. 

Niche Directories: Niche Directories are pretty useful because they can provide great backlink opportunities for your website. It is essential that you scribe a variety of descriptions that visitors would find to be insightful. 



High-quality niche directories include best of the web, hotfrog.com, seek on, yellow pages.com, pick n buy, Medline plus, health fitness nutrition, YELP, and all business now. 


Remembering when seeking to make the best of niche directories, automated directory submissions will not amount to positive views from Google because it begins t embody a spam-like nature and possible penalization.


Guest Blogging: This is a genuine way to generate the best backlinks for your website. It may not be as impactful as it was once, but it still yields benefits. 


However, Google has grown very suspicious of guest blogging because of the tendency to only create backlinks on the premise of a technique to push your website instead of truly providing leads and recommendations of high-quality information that may impart actual value for readers.


Backlinks are not the primary aim of guest blogging but rather the by-product of guest blogging. 

Header-Footer-Sidebar Links: these backlinks come from headers, footers, and sidebars on websites and are not considered to be of great value in the eyes of Google. Thus, where possible should be avoided. 


Guest Posting at Scale: this type of posting requires much invested time and effort, if you want to use this strategy it is better tohire a guest posting expert. 

Since guest posting takes such a lot of effort many freelancers try to cut corners. 
A common type of this is where a post is written and gets published on the website. From there on, the content is edited by what is known as 'spin,' which gives you the opportunity to develop many modified versions and have them also published in the hopes of acquiring backlinks.


Though it may seem profitable for your website, this type of guest post link building should be avoided because it generates a pattern that Google's artificial intelligence can easily recognize.

Paid Links: even if it's done just for a short period in a limited manner, these should never be used because the Google Algorithm can pinpoint paid links quickly and will count you just as much as an offender as the person who sold you the backlink. 


General Directories: because of their spammy and paid link nature, these should be avoided. They are also quickly identified and accessible for Google to track.


Irrelevant Website Backlinks: these backlinks are generated from irrelevant or unrelated websites. 


These used to rank high by Google but were quickly demoted when there was a system update. 


These are now best when avoided, even if they are easy to acquire. These are a target for Google, especially when they are too much. 


Comment Spam: these can easily be created, but they offer no true organic value for your website, and they come with link-based penalties.


This is also a sure way to be reported by website owners who view you as a nuisance.  ​

SEO Backlinks Examples

Good SEO Backlinks appear in many forms. Here is a list of good SEO backlinks:


Hyperlinked text: this is typically used in written content that links back to your website.
The Actual URL Website: displayed in content acting as a link.
Video and Infographic Embedment these are fun to use, and embedding a link in either a video or an infographic is a sure way to become known.




Backlink Checker
Many backlink checkers start with free trials and you receive the requisite functioning. However, some expire in 30 days and require a renewal at a fee. Here is a list of backlink checkers you can consider:


Monitor Backlinks
Moz
SmallSEOTools
SemRush Backlink Anaysis
SeranKing
Ahrefs

​Building quality backlinks calls for research. These are some key pointers to keep in mind when acquiring backlinks. 


Quality over Quantity. It's always more important to pay attention to the formulation of quality backlinks than how many backlinks you can generate. Quality ensures that the backlinks are relevant – backlinks that relate directly to your product or service being offered. 


However, be keen and strategic as you can benefit from backlinks that are also on neighboring borders to your brand. For example, if you sell baby books, you don't have to only receive backlinks from publishing houses, but baby stores are also a good option.

  
Authoritative Sites. Benefit from Editorial Websites, many websites that provide backlinks have no actual source of authority. They know how to cheat the system and generate inorganic keywords to manipulate the system. Google can easily recognize this type of behavior. 
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The following free links attached are credible sites with a DoFollow Backlink Type.


https://myblogu.com
https://www.helpareporter.com
https://www.sourcebottle.com
https://www.business2community.com
https://share.bizsugar.com
https://growthhackers.com
http://pen.io

Backlinks are a vital aspect of growing your website. It is critical that they are properly generated and more in line with Do Follow or Organic Link Building because these types of backlink carry the true weight of positive influence for your website and ensure recognition by Google and other search engines that are utilized on a regular basis.


The use of Backlink checkers will also help to enhance your backlink management and offer quality backlinks that will prove to improve your website.

(Updated Septemember 10th 2021)


A hubspot marketing report found that 59% of brands now have a seperate budget for influencer marketing. 70% of brands planned to set aside a budget for influencer Marketing in 2021.    The sector is estimated at $13.8 billion for 2021.


When influencer marketing is discussed it refers to influencers with hundreds of thousands & even millions of followers. Influencers like PEWDIEPIE (108 MILLION) and ELRUBIUSOMG (39.5 MILLION). 


However, working with influencers of this size is not possible for every business.  What about the small and medium sized business' which cannot put aside £20,000 for a marketing campaign.


This is where micro influencers come in. They have a smaller audience but high levels of trust, loyalty and engagement from their followers.


Many marketing agencies and consultancies now emphasise the importance of engagement metrics versus sheer volume of traffic and fans when assessing the value of an influencer.


In fact, marketing research suggests that pushing promotional efforts through finely selected influencers is one of the most reliable ways to quickly bring brand awareness to a viral level.


More specifically, here are ten influencer marketing stats that shed light on the benefits and recent growth of micro influencer marketing:


1. Higher Customer Quality Reported by More than Half of Early Implementers


According to an influencer marketing study released by the Tomoson platform, roughly 51% of surveyed marketers reported obtaining better customers that engage and convert at a higher rate.


This indicates that influencers have an unmatched ability to facilitate rapid and effective social engineering.



2. Micro Influencers Encourage Purchases and Actions Frequently


Part of the reason smaller, more targeted networks are more efficient marketing channels is because micro-influencers are almost expected to recommend products and ideas to their followers and viewers.


More specifically, roughly 75% of micro-influencers regularly encourage their followers to take action. Such promotional efforts from larger stars seem to be less efficient at producing high engagement levels.


3. About 70% of Brands Engage with Influencers to Promote Content


According to a 2015 report from Schlesinger Associates and Agure, approximately 67% of marketers and brand communicators are using influencer marketing on some level.
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Analysts estimate the figure has risen closer to 75% now. However, many of those brands have yet to discover the power of using micro-influencers.


4. Micro-Influencers Don't Have to Pay to Promote Posts and They're Less Expensive to Work With


More than 50% of micro-influencers have never had to pay to promote their content a single time. Platforms and blogs tend to welcome them with open arms because of the high-quality visibility they provide.  


This makes smaller influencers easier and more affordable to work with, despite the fact that they bring in better leads when results are extrapolated on a larger scale.


5. Micro-Influencers with a Following Base of 1000-4000 Users Have a High Engagement Rate


A following of a few thousand seems to be the sweet spot, with micro-influencers in this range receiving more than 4.5% engagement from their followers and subscribers.


6. YouTube Micro-Influencers Have the Heaviest Influence on Younger Demographics


A study from Google and Ipsos Connect indicates that YouTube stars are becoming even more influential than conventional celebrities, especially with the younger generation.


Approximately 70% of teens said that they can more closely relate to their favourite YouTube channels than their favourite celebrity.
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​(Pictured below, Youtube Star & Comedian Miranda Sings)
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7. Influencer Marketing Searches Tripled in the Past Two Years


During the past year alone, the number of Google searches for the term “influencer marketing” have tripled, going from about 4,000 annual searches in 2015 to more than 21,000 in 2017.


8. Supply and Demand for Micro-Influencers Increasing Exponentially


Perhaps even more interesting than the search volume is the number of agencies and platforms that have sprung up to accommodate the need to link brands with influencers, rising from only about 200 agencies in 2015 to more than 420 in 2017.


9. More than 80% of Consumer are Highly Likely to Consider Recommendations Made by their Favourite Micro-Influencer


Roughly 82% of consumers are very likely to consider and follow through with a suggestion made by a micro-influencer because they view them as being more “genuine” when compared to endorsements made by celebrities and larger influencers.


10. Almost 10% of UK Marketers Will be Spending More Than £100,000
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A survey of 600 marketing and PR firms in the UK revealed that approximately one tenth of respondents will be spending a total of more than £100K on influencer marketing during the next year, and almost 40% will be spending up to £10,000. Such spending habits indicate that these brands have been achieving desirable returns on their investments.
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Influencer Marketing Reaching Mainstream Heights


At this point it would be silly for any online business to ignore the power of influencer marketing and the social leverage that micro-influencers provide.


With the demand tripling and the supply doubling in the span of just two years, it's likely that influencer marketing will have a significant impact on internet economics and will probably become as popular as traditional marketing methods within the next 5 years.

These are the Top Influencer Marketing courses from Udemy.

* The Udemy courses are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission if you do decide to purchase. 
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Becoming a freelance marketer is a great idea if you would like to work remotely, reduce the number of hours you work per week, or have greater flexibility.   If you have decided that freelance marketing is your next career step, I'd like to share some tips with you.

I've been both a full time & part time freelancer over the last 7 years and have used freelancing to work remotely in Lisbon, Milan & Scotland.   It's been very useful as a remote job, it's taught me how to run a small business & the skills I have now mean that I can always use them whenever I need to work remote again.  For example, if I decide to start a family and go on maternity leave. 

If you are considering becoming a freelancer I say go for it! Theres nothing I regret about going freelance all those years ago its a wonderful skill to have.

There is a difference between a freelance marketer and a marketing consultant, if you have decided to become self-employed and want to set up your own marketing business then you'll need to understand the difference and decide which route to take.

In summary, a Freelance Marketer is more hands on.  As a freelance marketer you will carry out most of the work for the client yourself.  Depending on the size of the company you are working with you might still be involved in strategy, but largely, as a freelance marketer, unless you are specifically offering strategy as your service you will be carrying out the marketing activities which deliver the strategy set out by your contact at the company you are working for.   Freelance Marketers also tend to be more specialised on the area they are delivering on.  

So, you might be a freelancer writer, who is writing content for a company blog or the company website.  You might have a role as a freelance social media manager, who is creating content & scheduling it out through Instagram, Facebook or Tik Tok.  Or perhaps, you are a link builder who is pitching guest posts or building relationships with other bloggers in your niche. 

As a Marketing Consultant you will be involved primarily with the strategy & implementation however you will not be executing on many of the activities.  You will be finding freelancers to carry out the activities and then reporting on the results of the activity to your client.   You will more likely be involved with a broad number of activities across different channels which work together to create your Marketing Plan.

A Marketing Consultant operates more like a Manager and a Marketing Freelancer more like a Marketing Executive. 

Usually, Marketing Consultants get paid more than Marketing Freelancers.  This is not always the case because if you specialise as a Marketing Freelancer and deliver exceptional results then you can raise your prices (more on that later).  However, as a general rule of thumb Consultants, since they are managers, will get paid more than freelancers carrying out the actual work. 

This article will focus on how to get work as a Marketing Freelancer NOT a Marketing Consultant.  

I don't have experience as a consultant and have always preferred to stick to freelancing rather than management. 

Without becoming too overwhelmed with this concept & over worrying about getting it exactly right it’s worth having a little think about what your Ikigai might be. 

Ikigai is a Japanese concept which means “reason for being”. 

And it helps us to think about what we can do in the world by balancing some very important elements. 

1. What you love
2. What the world needs
3. What you can be paid for
4. What you are good at 

The more in balance these elements are in your work, the closer you are to finding your Ikigai.  Work that is fulfilling, that you are good at, that pays you what you need for the lifestyle you want & work that is needed in this world.

A good place to start is looking at jobs that are currently required.  Starting on jobs boards immediately solves the question, “what you can be paid for”.  You will start to get a feel for the types of activities that companies need to be carried out as well as the price they are willing to pay for it & how many freelancers are willing to work for that price. Check the jobs boards every evening for 15 minutes or so for a couple of weeks.

Make notes on anything you think meets the other criteria as best as possible.  At the end of the few weeks you should have a list of potential areas you could specialise in.   At this point you can decide if you already have the skills required to pitch for some jobs, or if you need to develop some skills first. 

At this point, it might also be worth speaking to a mentor or a coach who can help you to decide how to move forward.  Finding a particular specialism can be tricky, and many people get so worked up about it that it stops them from actually starting any freelancing jobs. 

Remember that just by thinking about Ikigai and choosing your specialism based off these criteria you will be heading in the right direction & that is all that counts.

Nothing is irreversible, you can always change strategy & decide to focus on something else in the future, give it your best shot & then make sure you take action and start!  

As an example, I chose guest blogging & blogger outreach for my specialism.  I sometimes write blog content as well, but I mostly work in blogger outreach.  This suits me because I have experience in it from previous employement & I enjoy the challenge of working in this area. I like intereacting with bloggers, and I have the technical, creative & sales skills needed to carry out a campaign.

If you have chosen a freelance marketing specialism which you don’t have experience in, you will need to get some skills before you can start freelancing.  Clients will quickly realise if you don’t know what you are doing and you will find your contracts ended & bad reviews on your profile which will make it difficult to get future work.

It’s totally possible to get the skills though.  If you just need a brush up then you might just need to find a suitable online course to work through.  Udemy is a great source to go to, you’ll find lots of Marketing courses there.

You could also apply for a marketing assistant role within the specialise you want to learn at a company first, before becoming a freelancer.  If you have zero experience in Marketing then this might be necessary so that you can acquire the basic skills and learn what you need to within an organisation.  

The final option is to create your own blog and learn through trial and error.  Practice & implement what you have learnt through online courses & videos and see what results you are able to get for yourself, before you start selling those skills to others.

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Usually a freelance marketer is someone who is self employed and that comes with its own set of rules.  I am not going to give advice about taxes or any legal advice here but you will need to do your own research around this & perhaps contact an accountant, a tax advisor and or ask your business mentor.  

It can be quite daunting at first to get your head around all of the new obligations you will have as a business owner. Once you’ve acquired this information however & are through your first and second years it will start to feel more natural and easy.  You will understand the nuances of running your own business.

A business degree is not needed, just some advice from a mentor or a friend who has been down this route before. 

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Freelance websites are where you are going to be finding a lot of your work, at least that is what I have used as a freelancer and I have found it to be the easiest way to build up clients & make a steady income. 

Upwork
Fiverr 
Toptal
PeoplePerHour
Freelancer

My advice is to focus on one of these sites first. I’ve tried all of these platforms apart from Toptal, and have found Upwork attracts the highest paying clients. It is really intuitive to use the platform and I’ve never had an issue finding work through there.  Upwork puts a lot of emphasis on charging what the job is worth not charging really low rates which make it impossible to compete with.  You’ll find lots of freelancers charging really high rates on Upwork with many clients & positive feedback. 

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Udemy is one of the top online course providers and they have fantastic deals on digital marketing courses.  If you need to skill up these are the most popular and reputable courses on the site (updated 08/21)​

If you are considering freelance Marketing as a career, I say go for it! It is a fantastic set of skills to have and gives the flexibility of remote work & choosing your own work schedule.   Many companies are using remote workers on a more regular basis now so freelancing is only set to continue in the future. 

If you've not currently got the skills, then invest in a course first and do some practice.  It is important that you are able to get positive results for your clients.
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