Due to a fair deal of secrecy, ambiguity, and frequent Google updates, interpreting SEO factors has become more of an art than a science. Few things have remained unchanged in the past 20 or so years, and new factors are added annually. If you would like to take a glance at a handful of them you can check them out here. The current number of ranking factors for Google is at least 200, and probably more. Backlink ranking is specific amongst those factors for a few reasons.

The History of Backlinks
The first one is that it is the oldest one. Googles first ranking system relied almost entirely on backlinks. In its first iteration, it functioned on a simple, yet effective premise. The more backlinks to your page exist, the more the search engine should prefer it. This was a straightforward approach found also, for example, in academia. Your research paper is valued on its merit, too, but the main qualifier is the number of citations by other authors.

The Changes
The algorithm, however, began encountering problems soon enough. A simple, straightforward algorithm is easy to trick. Does it count the backlinks? Well, create a dozen spam sites with a thousand backlinks, easy. Recognizing this, Google changed its evaluation system.

What this means for your businesses and seo today is that quantity is much less valuable. Itâs not completely irrelevant, to be sure, but it counts for less. Instead, the value of backlinks has branched off into several new criteria. Letâs go through them.

1. Authority
Authority is one of those fantastic Google criteria that tell you little to nothing. Whether you call it Page Authority (PA) or Domain Authority (DA) it remains fairly ambiguous. What we do know for certain is that backlinks from pages or domains with high authority count more towards ranking.

The exact metrics on how to qualify for the title of authority are unclear. Most SEO professionals, however, agree on a common-sense approach. The more quality content a page, website or domain produces, the more that content is reliable and well-sourced, the more authority they have.

So, backlinks originating on reputable webpages will count more towards your website ranking.

2. Number of Referring Domains
The number of domains takes second place in terms of importance. A diverse set of domains linking back to your content results in higher ranking. This seems to be a leftover from the original ranking algorithm. That is, counting backlinks as vouchers or votes.

Previously this system worked on the level of pages or individual backlinks, now it is just on the level of domains. The logic behind it is sound. If another domain links to your content, they see it as credible. Therefore it makes sense to rank your content higher.

3. Number of Backlinks

The raw number of backlinks is now considerably less important. The reasoning is clear here. Creating a large number of backlinks from spam-sites or the like is easy. Therefore, it is no longer considered as important as before.

4. Number of Referring IPs
This factor is the most interesting one. It will likely become more important as time goes on. In short, it looks at the specific IP addresses of the domains that link back to you. There could be a lot of more intricate factors to it. For example, the algorithm could look into geographic diversity as well a ranking internationally popular sites higher.

Conclusion
Backlinking remains one of the most important factors in SEO. Although it has undergone considerable changes from its conception, some fundamental rules still apply. The innovations that have been introduced are made specifically to combat unscrupulous practices. The first step to getting your content to the first page of Google results is still high-quality content.

Every business website, large or small, needs secure web hosting. Lack of security could lead to a lot more serious consequences and can actually be bad for the business.

Issues such as breach of data privacy and income and identity theft are just a few of the things that you have to be wary of. This is why it’s very important to learn about different aspects of security to guide you in finding a secure webhosting service.

Potential threats to your website

There are actually several types of people who pose threats to your website. They mainly intend to get some profit or gain from breaching your sites security.

Most are actually after the data or information on your website that can be sold or used for their own gain. They may also be after your own profit if your website directly makes monetary transaction with your clients. Aside from these, there are also those who simply wish to do harm. They just want to toy with you using their hacking skills.

Security issues to consider

Its a good thing that nowadays, a lot of website owners and developers are well aware of the potential security threats on the web. In turn, web hosts have also been very keen in providing the best security services to their clients. However, as a website manager, you should also be keen in picking the best web hosting security solution for you.

Tips for finding a secure webhosting service:

Basically, your webhosting service should be able to take care of its servers in order to provide a secure environment. But more than that, they should also be able to provide you with tools that can make your website more secure, namely:

1. SFTP – a Secure File Transfer Protocol is one important tool to consider. It works more or less the same as the basic file transfer protocol that you’re familiar with, but with added security features. An added security feature in SFTP is a protection that makes sure that files uploaded cannot be intercepted or modified without a trace.

2. Backups – it’s also important for a web hosting service to have a tool that does regular backup. Backing up files may not really be directly related to protecting your website from threats, but it will definitely save you in case something goes wrong. If ever there is a security breach or some problem with your site, having a backup will really come in handy.

3. Server maintenance – one of the most important features of a secure webhosting service is server maintenance. One indication of good server maintenance is whether the web host has published a security protocol. This should be a good indicator.

As a business owner, its important that you capitalize on all potential marketing channels for your company. This means that aside from traditional marketing methods, you should also consider investing in modern marketing avenues, one of which is by having a functional website online.

Now there are different elements that you have to pay attention to if you want to have a company site. Theres the design factor, function, and of course, after-care or maintenance. Once you have a site thats up and running, you need to make sure that it always remains functional for the ease of usage of your visitors.

This is why its very important that you understand the basics of web hosting. Having this knowledge will help you out when you’re choosing a hosting package for your website. There are certain technologies that are needed for you to be able to post your website online. Web hosts provide you with these technologies.

You have four different hosting types to choose from, and here is an introduction as to what they are and what you can expect from them:

1. Dedicated Hosting

This type of hosting means that you gain access to your very own server. This is ideal for large companies that may have more requirements for the sites under their control. The bandwidth is larger to accommodate multimedia of all sorts, and you can even choose your server specs.

2. Reseller Hosting

Choose this if you want to become a web host yourself. You can sell hosting services to others with this system. Its also ideal for businesses that delve into multiple e-commerce pages in one go. It will provide you with multiple SSL certificates as well.

3. VPS Hosting

This is an option best suited for those who want to upgrade from a shared account. Aside from increased flexibility when it comes to managing new software and configurations, this type of service also accommodates emailing and media streaming. You can consider this a semi-dedicated type of hosting as your sites will have their private space within shared servers, allowing for expanded functionality.

4. Shared Web Hosting

What you have here is the simplest hosting package available. Its ideal for people who may be looking for basic services and are comfortable with using shared servers. Usually, companies can host more than one site with this option and receive 24/7 support from their service provider. The catch is that hosts can host sites owned by different people using one server, limiting your access to hosting resources.

Always remember to choose a hosting package that does not only fit your budget, but can accommodate the activities that you require on your page, for your users sake. Spend time understanding what each one entails and speak with professionals for an even better insight as to how each option varies.

As a business owner, developing your own custom website provides you with complete control over your company’s online image. Although there are many free website templates and site building programs online, your best bet is usually to hire a web developer and build your site from scratch instead. Working with an affordable web developer rather than using a free site builder provides a number of benefits.

For one thing, when you work with a web developer, your design possibilities are practically unlimited. Instead of being limited to a small number of templates for your website, you can choose any design that you want. This can allow you to create a site that perfectly reflects your business’ core identity.

Web developers also can provide customized coding solutions. This can allow you to make your site interactive so that you can capture as many leads as possible and so that your visitors have an excellent experience during their visit. The same can’t be said for free website templates. In most cases, these templates are relatively basic and are not interactive.

Another benefit of working with an affordable web developer is that they often will provide a link from their website to your site. From a search engine optimization standpoint, this can be beneficial. This is particularly true if your site is brand new. Incoming links from well-established sites can help get your content indexed more quickly by the search engines. Additionally, it can also help your site appear higher in the search results.

All in all, working with a web developer makes sense from a business standpoint. Although free website templates can be tempting, they generally can’t be customized and don’t offer much in the way of visitor engagement. In most cases, you will be far better off hiring a designer to build a customized site for your business.

Salterra is a Affordable Web Developer and Search Engine Optimization company based in Scottsdale/Phoenix AZ, our team has metropolitan experience with a small town personality. This adaptability and sophistication gives us the range to interact professionally with all sizes of companies and corporations. No matter the size of your business, we value your decision to integrate us as a part of your support network. Salterra specializes in everything from graphic design, affordable web designs, Internet marketing and on-line services, our team will not only provide you with a user-friendly and striking website design, but we will also ensure that the site reinforces your brand, increases traffic, and increases customer loyalty.