To someone that might not be particularly knowledgeable in the way site rankings work, backlinks may not seem like a very big deal. Of course, for anyone who has successfully run a site or tried to implement successful SE content into their site, it is apparent that backlinks pay a huge part in the overall success of your site.

Here’s how backlinks work: If another website quotes content from your site or refers its readers to your site via a link, that’s known as backlinking or, as some people call them, referrers.

Of course, getting free exposure in such a way is great. But do you know why, exactly?

Essentially, it shows that others have found your site and are enjoying it. More than that, they are enjoying it enough to link to your content from their own site. That means that people are staking their reputations on your content. Also, by being linked by a few other sites, your readership has the potential to grow substantially. Over time, if enough reputable sites link back to your site, your site is then seen as a reputable and popular site as well.

Of course, the opposite is true. If your site doesn’t seem to be getting any backlinks, it may mean that you are not generating significant traffic or that the content on your page could use some improvement.

Backlinks also play a huge part in how you website is ranked online. The more you are linked, the more exposure and activity your site is seen to have. Therefore, when people search for terms relevant to your business or specialty, your site will show up further up in Google rankings, making it easier for your target audience to find.

While backlinks aren’t the only thing that will improve your rank, it is certainly one of the most important factors. You can use social media to promote you content, making sure it is seen by potential back linkers. But the most important thing to is to keep a clean site that is packed with interesting content.

If you can do that, you’re already one step ahead of most sites that are eagerly hunting down backlink sources.