Inbound Links - Is it the quality or the quantity?

[clickagent75]

I've read the Link Building 101 sticky (and referenced resources). But generating inbound links is still a hazy process for me. Is it the quality of inbound links that matter most? Or is it the quantity (with quality being a second criteria)?

I did some link analysis on competing websites and have found a competitor with over 1500 inbound links. A good portion of it was b/c of recipricol linking relationships to some sites with a PR of 3 and below.

If I linked to say 5-10 sites with a PR of 4 and above, will it be higher in criteria than say the 1500 watered-down links that my competitors have?

[japoax]

Quality of backlinks is really a key, However I don't think that 5-10 PR4 links will be better than 1500 PR 3 links.

This may give you an idea on how many higher quality links you might need - http://www.kenkai.com/google-pagerank-table.htm

That is not proven but it may give you an idea.

Goodluck!

[Justilien]

Clickagent75, link building is still a hazy process for most. At one point in time gaining a large number of links would work great. This was a hole in the algothrim. It is not a technique I recommend for branded domains if you are focused on long-term results.

What has always worked is gaining high-quality links. By high-quality links I am not speaking of PageRank (PR). I only use that as a litmus test to be honest. What I look at is the “quality” of backlinks to the site I am getting the link from (purchased, begged or bartered).

Here are some factors I consider:

- Authority sites linking to it
- Age of site
- Number of DMOZ and Yahoo Directory listings
- Rankings of site/page
- Will the link look like an editorial link
- Will it send traffic (clicks, clicks, clicks)

Hope this helps!