HubShout | Online Marketing Solutions

Why should I care about backlinks?

There have been many onsite SEO web graders running around the Internet. We have tried many of them, and especially the most popular ones. There is nothing wrong with these web graders. They do the job they were built to do - which is to give you some help with your onsite SEO. Many people still struggle to get their websites positioned so that the search engines will categorize them optimially. Yes, we're talking about rankings. And your rankings in the major search engines is certainly influenced by your onsite SEO. But this is only 30% of the story - according to SEOMoz.org.

So what is the other 70% that drives your search engine rankings? Links. That's the simple answer - and we all know it. We have studied search engine optimization for many years now and have hudreds of thousands of data points and know that links are what drive your rankings. If so, why are there not more link-oriented web graders? We think that the best webgrader will be one that helps you benchmark your link counts with your competitors. You want to know how many backlinks you have vs your compeition. The people you are trying to beat in the rankings may have more or less - and this is critical competitive intelligence. You also want to know what rankings your competitors have - and how valuable they might be. So in our mind, a great web grader will help you compare your backlink profile and keyword rankings against others in your industry. This is not to take away from the onsite seo web graders - they are fine. We just feel that you also need an off-site seo web grader or you will be missing a big part of the picture. Also check out the Website grader FAQ list we've put together based on reseller feedback and our webinars.