Also called “incoming links”, “backlinks” are links on another blog that go right back to your own blog or blog posts.  For instance, if a blogger decides to put up a link to your blog on his blog or website, that link that directs people to your site is what a backlink is.  These little bits of HTML code are actually a driving force in the success of many blogs, and if you’ve decided to make money blogging, you’ll have to try getting as many backlinks as you can.

This might all seem like an easy matter, but the truth is that backlinks pack a bigger punch than you would expect them to, especially when it comes to increasing your search engine ranking.  The more backlinks your blogger has, the higher its rank on search results will be.  Likewise, your blog will rank higher than another blog in search results for the same keyword if your site has more backlinks coursing to it.

You also have to know that backlinks are better if they contain a keyword that’s already targeted by your blog.  You also have to know about “anchor text”, which is basically a backlink that contains your targeted keywords.  These kinds of backlinks have a stronger pull on Google, so aim to get more of these, as well.  Here are some of the ways by which you can start getting backlinks and blogging more profitably:

1.  Comment on other blogs:
One of the first things your site wants to achieve is visibility, and there’s no way you’re going to do that if your blog keeps to its little corner in the web.  Go out there and establish online connections with other bloggers, especially those who are in the same niche as you are.  Posting comments on their sites is an excellent way of getting attention from the online community, but only if your comments are relevant, intelligent, and well-written.  Leave your blog address with each comment, and voila! you get an instant backlink. To ensure your keyword is in that link, you can also add that keyword as your name in the place of your actual name, since your name will be linked back to your blog’s URL.

2.  Hop onto forum boards:
Are you part of any forum board that deals with the primary topic of your blog?  You can get an instant backlink there by editing your signature to include a link (with the right keyword) to your blog.  Once you’ve done this, aim to become an active participant in the forum.  Make intelligent contributions to discussions to show your expertise in the subject.  By creating a good reputation on forum boards, your backlinks stand a bigger chance of fetching you a larger load of traffic.

3.  Link baiting:
Take advantage of hot news about your niche and put up an entire blog post dedicated to that issue.  Link baiting essentially means that you’re dangling out a blog post that’s bound to reel in a lot of backlinks, mostly because your post talks about something that people are very interested in.  Although backlinks aren’t guaranteed, you jack up your chances at getting linked at if your post is unique or offers a new perspective on the issue.  Remember to put up your keywords as the post’s title!  That way, webmasters can easily copy that and put it up as an anchor text when they link to your post.

Although getting backlinks is a major priority for professional bloggers, you shouldn’t let that take precedence over writing good and reliable content for your readers to enjoy.  No amount of backlinks can support a poorly kept blog, so try to get as many legitimate backlinks as you can without neglecting your content.