Over the years, the term ‘link popularity’ has transformed its meaning from a simple metric to a relevant factor for SEO performance. 

That is, it is no longer a fancy name for the total number of links used in a page. Rather, it is a metric that counts the number of quality links. 

Now, it is no news that Google and other search engines prioritize quality backlinks to determine the relevance, authority, and domain popularity. 

So, it has evolved its core meaning with some modern tweaks. And, as a seasoned digital marketer, I have always focused on link popularity over anything. 

So, for my fellow marketers and brands, I have brought a complete guide on what a popularity link is and how to use it to improve SEO by focusing on— 

  • Reasons behind its relevance in SEO, 
  • Backlink quality vs quantity, 
  • Steps to measure and improve the link popularity, and more. 

Stay tuned! 

What Is Popularity Link

To explain simply, the popularity link is a key metric in the SEO landscape that helps in measuring the number of backlinks that point to the brand website. 

That is, it is similar to the confidence votes. So, the more quality backlinks that directly refer to the brand website, the more credibility and authority the brand has in the niche. 

Moreover, this popularity link signals search engines that the site is valuable and relevant in the niche. So, it ranks at the top of the SERPs. Driving more audience engagement. 

Even though the popularity link appears not important for SEO, that is not the case. It is a key element for SEO optimization and improved rankings. 

That is, it gives confidence to the brand sites, sends credibility signals to the search engines, and helps the website improve its rankings. So, it immensely impacts the SEO performance

In addition to this, the quality backlinks can help search engines to discover the brand pages from the links. So, it can help in faster indexing of the webpages. 

Also, high quality of backlinks from popular websites help bring a direct and targeted audience from other websites. So, the brand site can gain visitors and improve its exposure. 

Backlinks Quality vs Quantity Which Matters More

In SEO, quality always matters more than quantity. Similarly, for inbound links or popularity links, quality trumps quantity. 

Now, there are many reasons behind this. So, some of these reasons include— 

  • Building Authority — Quality inbound links help sites to build authority in the domain by signalling search engines about the credibility and reliability of the site. 
  • Improved Rankings — Strong links from diverse authoritative sites can signal to the search engines that the brand site is relevant and authoritatively sourced. 
  • Relevant Traffic — Quality backlinks can bring a direct and targeted audience to the brand page, improving engagement and organic traffic. 
  • Avoiding Penalties — A high quantity of low-quality backlinks can adversely impact the SEO rankings of the brand page by appearing spammy. 

Given the relevance of link popularity in SEO, measuring it is vital. So, here are some common methods and tools to use for measuring the link popularity effectively— 

  • Using SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz to get detailed reports and insights on the backlinks. 
  • Checking the uniqueness and quality of the sites that directly link to the brand website to measure their niche quality. 
  • Tracking and monitoring the link growth of the quality inbound links to the brand page. 
  • Analysing the competitor pages to find link-building opportunities and improve the overall SEO performance. 
How To Improve SEO With Popularity Link

Now, here is the main part of this entire discussion — the methods and ways to improve SEO with popularity link. So, here are some of the ways— 

1. Understanding User Intent 

Firstly, brands need to create content by understanding the search intent of the users. That is, the more they address the user intent, the more they will build authority with the content pages. 

2. Consistent Content Publishing 

Moreover, consistently publishing relevant content on the site can improve the indexing and discoverability.  

That is, the more diverse content the brand covers, the more chances to get noticed both by the audience and the search engines. So, brands need to focus on content production. 

3. Creating Data-based Content 

Given that the internet relies on data, creating data-based content makes the pages valuable and improves their linkability.  

So, other domains from the niche can link to these data-infomed pages for gathering unique insights. Helping brands to improve their link quality and niche authority. 

4. Including Unique Resources 

Similarly, when the brands include unique resources in their content, they become relevant and informative in the niche. 

That is, this opens the door to improving the inbound links to the pages. So, the valuable and unique resources can help in building authority in the specific niche. 

5. Submitting Site To Quality Blog Directories 

Finally, creating high-quality content pages and adding them to the blog directories can further improve the inbound backlinks. 

That is, adding the pages to a credible blog directory can massively enhance the link popularity of the pages in the niche field. So, helping sites to rank better with high credibility. 

Given that popularity links allow brands to improve their credibility, doing it right is crucial. So, here are some common practices that brands need to avoid— 

  • Buying links from low-quality domains and bot sites can impact the credibility and lead to penalties. 
  • Adding the pages to spammy directories or link farming online regions can make the pages appear spammy and impact the SEO rankings. 
  • Using the anchor-text over the optimal number can lead to over-optimized linking in the pages. 
  • Keeping toxic or low-quality links can impact the credibility of the pages. 
  • Ignoring the backlink audits of the inbound links can affect the authority of the site and SEO performance. 

So, link building can immensely help with establishing authority. That is, creating quality content, monitoring the backlinks, and understanding the search intent can improve the SEO rankings and backlinks. 

So, take this chance to gain popularity in your niche field with informative and quality content. Ensuring high-quality inbound linking for better ranking on SERPs. 

FAQs 

Here, I have curated some of the common questions around link popularity and its impact on SEO performance. 

1. What Factors Determine Link Quality? 

Even though there are a lot of factors influencing the link quality of the backlinks, a few vital factors include— 
• Relevance — Backlinks should have a contextual or topical relevance with the content and the niche of the site. 
• Authority — Links from high authority and high domain rating sites offer more credibility and help in building trust with the audience. 
• Content Quality — The content of the link used in the page should be informative, well-written, and valuable in the niche. 
• Anchor Text — Using descriptive, relevant, and keyword-specific anchor texts to backlinks can help provide context and signal to search engines. 
• Placement — Placing the links within the content naturally and organically can add more value to the overall content. 
• Link Type — The Do-follow links come with more credibility and quality compared to the No-follow links. 

2. Do Social Media Links Count Toward Link Popularity? 

Generally, social media links are not considered in link popularity, which affects the SEO rankings. This is because social media links are mostly marked as “no-follow”. 
So, they do not offer the credibility like those traditional backlinks from official sites. Making them not a worthy element in directly impacting the SEO authority. 

3. How Can I Check My Website’s Link Popularity? 

Certain tools and SEO metrics can help in evaluating the link popularity for websites. That is, brands and users can use Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush to conduct backlink analysis. 
Moreover, they can use the Google Search Console to find top linking sites and evaluate the performance of the backlinks on the SEO of the websites. 

4. Can Too Many Backlinks From One Domain Be Harmful? 

Yes, absolutely. Given that too many links from the same site are often perceived as spam, it is better to avoid taking too many from the same domain. 
Moreover, low-quality backlinks from the same domain can immensely affect the rankings on search engines. So, using a single authoritative site is not recommended. 

5. How Long Does It Take To Improve Link Popularity? 

Unlike the common belief, improving link popularity is a long-term process. That is, it is bound to show results around 3 to 6 months. 
So, if brands need sustainable growth, significant measures, and high-quality popularity of the backlinks, they need to wait at least 6 to 12 months to see the improvement. 

Chandrima Banerjee

Chandrima is a seasoned digital marketing professional who works with multiple brands and agencies to create compelling web content for boosting digital presence. With 3 years of experience in SEO, content marketing, and ROI-driven content, she brings effective strategies to life. Outside blogging, you can find her scrolling Instagram, obsessing over Google's algorithm changes, and keeping up with current content trends.

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