Which pages should your backlinks point to?

When people get a guest post or a link swap, they almost always link to their homepage.

It feels right. It's your main page, and it's the easiest URL to remember.

But for most sites, the homepage isn't where a link makes the most difference. Here's how to find the pages where it does.

The idea: help the pages that are almost there

Google already ranks your pages for searches. Some are on page 1. Some are buried on page 8. And some are sitting just off page 1, at positions 11 to 20.

That last group is where I'd point links.

A page at position 14 has already shown Google it's relevant. It's not being ignored. It just needs a bit more trust to move up. And moving from page 2 to page 1 is the jump that matters, because very few people ever click through to page 2.

Compare that to the other groups:

• Already in the top 3. It's doing well. More links might help a little, but there's not much room left.
• Positions 4 to 10. On page 1 but low. Worth links too, especially if the search gets a lot of impressions.
• Past position 20. A page that far down usually needs better content before links make a difference.

How to find these pages in Search Console

Google Search Console is free, and it shows how your pages do in Google search.

1. Open Search Console and pick your site.
2. Click Performance (it may say Search results).
3. Turn on Average position at the top, next to clicks and impressions.
4. Switch to the Pages tab below the chart.
5. Sort by impressions, and look for pages with an average position between 11 and 20.

A page with lots of impressions and a position of 13 is a great target. Lots of people are searching for it. They just aren't scrolling far enough to see you.

Ignore pages with only a handful of impressions. Google hasn't shown them enough to judge, and the position number jumps around.

What about the homepage?

Your homepage still deserves links. It's the natural place for a brand mention, an author bio, or a "website by" credit, and those links help your whole site.

But when you get to choose, like in a guest post you're writing, link to the page that matches the topic and is close to page 1. It's more useful to the reader too. Someone reading about Spanish road trips would rather land on your road trip guide than your homepage.

Match the link to the page

A few habits that help:

• Pick a page that fits the article. The link should make sense where it sits.
• Use natural anchor text. The page's topic in plain words, not an exact keyword every time.
• Spread links over a few pages. Five links to five almost-there pages beats five links to one.
• Give it time. Links take weeks to months to show their effect. More in How long do backlinks take to work?

Let DR Buddy pick them for you

Reading a Search Console export is the part most people get stuck on. So DR Buddy does it for you.

With Link targets (Pro), you upload the export from Search Console, the zip file from Export > Download CSV, and we sort your pages for you. You get the three pages most worth pointing links at, with how many extra visits a month each could get if it moved up. Everything else is folded away so you're not looking at 100 pages at once.

The estimate is just a guide, not a promise. Rankings depend on lots of things. But it tells you where to start.