What Are Back Links and How Do I Get Them?

Copyright (c) 2008 Matt Helphrey

Back links may sound like a foreign term to those just starting a home based business. If you are not familiar with back links, I highly recommend you learn what they are all about and make them a daily priority. Let me explain what exactly back links are, how you can get them, and why they are so important.

A back link is a one way link or url that is on someone else's website or blog. They call it a back link because it is pointing back to a different website. If I were to leave a comment on someone else's blog, I would leave my website url on that blog so people can find my website. That url that I left behind would be considered and counted as one back link.

Now that you know what a back link is, let me explain why they are so important to your home based business.

We are all familiar with the major search engines on the internet, i.e. Google, MSN, Yahoo, and the like. Those search engines rank websites for keywords (search terms) based on the authority of the websites. The websites with the most back links are considered more authoritative and will ultimately rank higher in the search engines for their selected keywords.

This ensures that the people who work hardest at getting the back links will get ranked higher and receive the most traffic. That's why it is so important to start getting those back links adding up so your home based business can receive the high quality free traffic the search engines bring.

There are many ways to get back links, and you should do everything within your power to use all methods as much as you can. Here's a few ideas to get you going.

You can write articles and submit them to article directories. The directories allow you to leave a back link in the article resource box. Not only will you get traffic and build rapport with the articles, but it's also a great way to build back links.

Find blogs with likewise themes and leave comments on their blogs. With your comment you can leave a back link. The more you do this, the more the back links add up.

Search for website directories and submit your website to be posted on their directories. There are tens of thousands of online directories you can submit to, many of which are free. Some of them will ask you to give a reciprocal link, but one way links are the best way to go.

Join a forum and set up your signature in the forum. The signature is a place where you can put your back link and you will get one back link for every post you make.

So now you have all the information you need about what back links are, how they are important, and how you can get them. Use all these methods and come up with your own. Just start getting your back links out there and in mass numbers. It's a very tedious process to do but will ensure the long term success of your home based business.

Set a daily quota to hit and work to hit that number every day. Getting back links every day will really set your business up to succeed and should be considered an absolute priority.