Inbound links have always been a very important when it comes to
Search Engine Optimization. Ascertaining the worth of these links
can also be very essential. This is particularly the case when any
kind of investment is being made in deriving these links.

Here’s how to identify valuable inbound links:

• The Webpage Source Should be Indexed By Google
  Before settling for a link from any webpage, verify if such web page is indexed by Google. It is easy to tell that a page not indexed by Google would not be recognized when it links to your page; so it is as good as not having any link.
• The Relevance of the Link to Your Business Model
  How relevant is the link to your business theme. As an instance, if you offer debt relief services, it will make sense to link to web pages that contain information about debt management services.
• Page Rank – PR
  Although not the ultimate, Google Page Rank 5 is definitely prioritized than a PR 1. And of course, a PR 7 or something higher offers something real juicy. The bottom line is this; it is better to have a mix of links from various page ranks to make it appear really natural.
• Detecting Paid Links
  Any link that is identified directly as paid link should be avoided. To spot such web pages, look out for terms such as ‘advertisements’, ‘sponsored’, ‘partners’ etc. Major search engines such as Google dislike paid links and would easily identify them with the words specified;
  when this happens, such links will attract no value.If you must link to a ‘paid’ web page, employ techniques such as the use of image instead of text. Then, avoid anything that may indicate the status of the site in the image’s alt attribute. This is very essential if you really want such link to count, otherwise Google will ignore the link outright.
• Inbound Links
  Does the page link to other web pages? And what is the nature of the sites that link back to it? Better still, what is the anchor text of those sites indicating?
• Outbound Links
  Ensure that the page is linking to less than or exactly ten other sites including your own. More outbound links depreciates the link value passed to each webpage.
• Link Placement
  Google in particular, and other search engines have put so much effort in the recent past years in making attempts to spot none ‘editorial’ link in terms of context. To this end, it is sensible to stay away from links placed in blog rolls, footers, and similar link placements that indicate ‘non editorial’. Links placed within the content is to be considered. Good link placement can attract great worth, as well as pass link juice.
• Avoid ‘NoFollow’ Link
  Do not look at links that feature ‘nofollow’ attribute since they have minute offer when it comes to passing link popularity or juice to your webpage.
  However, you can sometimes consider them because they can offer a natural look to your link building, to the search engines, and also bring you traffic – e.g. is Twitter.
• How Long has the Domain Been Around
  Domains that have existed for a substantial period of time tend to attract search engines. The reason is that such domain must have garnered some good links itself during these periods it has existed.
• Site’s Alexa Rank
  This can serve as a clue to the extent of popularity of a website.