Do affiliate links count as backlinks? The answer to this question is a little more complicated than you might think. In general, most people would say that no, affiliate links do not count as backlinks. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. In this blog post, we will explore the different ways that affiliate links can help improve your website’s SEO. We will also discuss why affiliate links may or may not be counted as backlinks by Google and other search engines and how you can get the best backlinks for your website!
What are Affiliate Links?
An affiliate link is a special type of URL that contains a unique code that tracks clicks and sales. Affiliate links are used by online marketers and bloggers to promote products and services. When a user clicks on an affiliate link and makes a purchase, the affiliate earns a commission.
Affiliate links are often used in blog posts and social media posts. For example, if you are promoting a new book on your blog, you might include an affiliate link to the book’s Amazon page. If someone clicks on your link and buys the book, you would earn a commission.
Do Affiliate Links Count as Backlinks?
In general, most affiliate links will not be seen as backlinks by search engines like Google. This is because affiliate links are usually nofollow links. A nofollow link is a link that does not pass any link juice or PageRank to the destination URL.
Nofollow links were introduced by Google in 2005 as a way to stop comment spam. Before nofollow links, spammers would leave hundreds of comments on blogs with links to their own websites. These links would help the spammers’ websites rank higher in search results.
Can Affiliate Links Count as Backlinks?
There are some exceptions to the rule that affiliate links do not count as backlinks. If an affiliate link is dofollow, it will pass link juice and PageRank to the destination URL. Dofollow affiliate links are rare, but they do exist.
Another exception is if the affiliate link is part of a sponsored post or advertisement. Sponsored posts are paid articles that promote a product or service. In most cases, these articles will contain dofollow links.
If you want your affiliate links to be counted as backlinks, you need to make sure they are dofollow links or part of a sponsored post. Otherwise, most search engines will not count them as backlinks.
Why Do Affiliate Links Matter for SEO?
Even though affiliate links do not usually count as backlinks, they can still be beneficial for your website’s SEO (search engine optimization). Below, you can find 3 reasons why affiliate links can help improve your website’s SEO.
Reason #1: They Bring in Traffic
The most important reason why affiliate links matter for SEO is that they can bring in a lot of traffic. When you include an affiliate link in your blog post or social media post, you are giving people the opportunity to click on your link and learn more about the product or service you’re promoting.
If your affiliate link is dofollow, it will also pass link juice to your website. This can help improve your website’s SEO by increasing its PageRank.
Reason #2: They Help Build Relationships
Another reason why affiliate links are important for SEO is that they help build relationships with other websites. When affiliate links are created between two sites, it shows that the two sites are willing to work together. This can help improve your website’s relationship with other websites, which is important for SEO.
Reason #3: They Can Help You Earn Money
The last reason why affiliate links are important for SEO is that they can help you earn money. If you include affiliate links in your blog posts or social media posts, you will be able to earn a commission when people click on your links and make a purchase. Therefore, whether you are earning a commission off oven sales, insurance leads, or anything else, affiliate links can help you make money.
Get Backlinks That Count
Although you may be disappointed to hear that affiliate links do not usually count as backlinks, links that search engines do count are just one click away!
If you are looking for high-quality guest post backlinks, contact our team at Writly. We can help you get the dofollow backlinks that you need to improve your website’s SEO!