Grumpy SEO Guy Podcast Summary

Title: The Difference Between Good Backlinks and Bad Backlinks - A Review
Host: Grumpy SEO Guy (Sam)
Episode Number: 114
Release Date: June 25, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 114 of the Grumpy SEO Guy podcast, Sam revisits the critical topic of backlinks, a cornerstone of effective SEO strategies. Building upon previous discussions from Episodes 37 and 39, Sam aims to clarify the often-confused distinctions between good and bad backlinks, providing listeners with actionable insights to enhance their website's authority and search engine rankings.

Why Backlinks Matter in SEO

Sam begins by emphasizing the foundational elements required for a website to rank effectively:

1. No Penalties: Ensuring the website remains penalty-free is paramount, as penalties can nullify all other SEO efforts. "Doesn't matter how good your SEO is, if you have a penalty, you don't rank. Like, period." (05:51)

2. Content: Contrary to popular belief, the quality of content alone does not guarantee higher rankings. Instead, content serves two main purposes:

   • Presence: A website requires content to avoid appearing as a blank slate.
   • Relevancy: Content helps establish the website's topic and relevancy in search queries.

   "SEO does not work that way. It does not work that way." (06:33)

3. Relevancy: This defines the website’s topical focus, ensuring it appears in relevant search results.

4. Authority: Authority reflects the website's trustworthiness and power in the eyes of search engines, primarily garnered through backlinks.

   "Authority is how much power does your website have? How much trustworthiness does your website have of all of the websites that are online, why should yours appear in the results?" (08:05)

Sam underscores that backlinks are the sole contributors to a website's authority, making them a critical component of SEO.

Good Backlinks vs. Bad Backlinks

Good Backlinks are categorized into two types:

• Citations: Mentions of your business that include Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP).

• Contextual Backlinks: Links embedded within the body of content, appearing naturally in sentences.

  "Good backlinks are one of two kinds of backlinks. They are either citations ... Or they are contextual." (17:38)

Bad Backlinks include:

• Blog Comments: Often spammy due to their automated and low-effort nature.

• Forum Profile Backlinks: Links placed in forum profiles, typically generated through automation.

• Footer Links: Links in the website’s footer appearing on every page, creating unnatural link patterns.

• Blogroll Links: Links in the sidebar’s blogroll section, leading to repetitive and irrelevant linking.

  "Bad backlinks are blog comment backlinks, forum profile backlinks, footer backlinks, and blog roll links." (20:51)

Sam elaborates on why these backlinks are detrimental, primarily due to their spammy nature and lack of contextual relevance, which can harm a website’s authority and potentially lead to penalties.

Evaluating Website Quality for Backlink Acquisition

When seeking backlinks, it's essential to assess the quality of the linking website by considering the following factors:

1. Unique IP Addresses: Prefer backlinks from websites hosted on unique IP addresses to avoid clustering, which can appear unnatural.

   "Good websites have backlinks from different IP addresses." (22:05)

2. Linking Domains: Ensure the website does not link to irrelevant or harmful sectors such as gambling, pharmacy, or adult websites.

   "If they link to gambling, pharmacy, or adult websites, you do not want a backlink from it." (23:42)

3. Geographical and Linguistic Relevance: Backlinks should predominantly come from countries and in languages that align with the website's target audience.

   "They have mostly links from countries that make sense ... and they have mostly backlinks in languages that make sense." (24:47)

4. Quality Content: Avoid websites that utilize spun or AI-generated content, as these are often low in quality and can negatively impact your site's authority.

   "If it looks like it's all AI content, probably don't get a backlink from them." (31:21)

5. Backlink Profile of Linking Sites: Investigate the backlink profiles of potential linking websites to ensure they themselves are not engaging in spammy linking practices.

   "Check who is linking to them and see what the language is." (26:20)

Best Practices for Backlink Acquisition

Sam advises adopting a strategic approach to acquiring backlinks:

• Focus on Relevance and Quality: Prioritize backlinks that are contextually relevant and come from reputable sources.

• Avoid Automation: Steer clear of automated link-building tools that generate low-quality backlinks.

• Assess the Linking Website: Thoroughly evaluate the potential linking website’s authority, content quality, and backlink profile before acquisition.

• Maintain Diversity: Ensure a diverse array of backlinks from various unique IP addresses to create a natural link profile.

  "Good backlinks will help you. Bad backlinks will not help you." (31:30)

Conclusion

In this comprehensive review, Sam reiterates the paramount importance of distinguishing between good and bad backlinks in SEO strategy. By focusing on quality, relevancy, and the authority of linking websites, marketers can enhance their website’s standing in search engine results without risking penalties. Sam encourages listeners to engage with the podcast through comments and emails for further discussions and to stay tuned for upcoming episodes that delve deeper into related SEO topics.

Notable Quotes:

• "SEO is not a checklist. In fact, you should go listen to one of my favorite releases that we've done called 'SEO is a Competition, not a Checklist.'" (13:25)

• "Everything has to make sense. You know, when we talk about PBNs and private blog networks and if you're building it correctly or not, and how should you create the content and how should you build the links ... does it make sense? It has to be logical." (28:20)

• "Good SEO is hard. And this is why it's expensive." (21:33)

Key Takeaways

• Authority through Backlinks: Backlinks remain the sole means of building authority for a website, crucial for improving search engine rankings.
• Quality Over Quantity: A few high-quality, contextual backlinks are far more valuable than numerous low-quality links.
• Vigilant Evaluation: Regularly assess the quality and relevance of backlink sources to maintain a healthy link profile and avoid penalties.
• Strategic Link Building: Adopt ethical and strategic link-building practices to ensure long-term SEO success.

For more insights and detailed discussions, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the Grumpy SEO Guy podcast and engage with the community through comments and email.