Backlink (inbound link)
A backlink is a link placed on another website and pointing to yours. Search engines see it as a recommendation: the more serious and close to your topic the websites citing you are, the more credibility your website gains. For an association, links from the municipality, the federation and partners are the most useful.
Why engines value them
A link from a recognised website is a recommendation nobody can easily fabricate. That is why engines weigh it, and why bought links are detected and penalised.
The links accessible to an association
- The "associations" page of your municipality
- The directory of your sector federation or umbrella organisation
- The websites of your partners, funders and sponsors
- Sector directories (Guide Social, thematic networks)
- The local press, when it talks about you
- The websites of the associations of the same Kern4Good cohort, which cite each other
What not to do
Buying links, exchanging links in bulk, or listing the website in directories unrelated to your activity. A useful link comes from a website your publics visit.
How many backlinks do we need?
There is no number. Ten links from serious websites close to your topic are worth more than a hundred links from generic directories.
Do links from social networks count?
They bring visits, but engines give them little weight as a recommendation. They remain useful to make a page known.