Backlink: what it is, types and how to get quality backlinks
The links other websites give you: the types there are, how to see yours and your competitors', and how to earn more without tricks
You write a useful article and, a few weeks later, an industry blog links to it. That link brings you visitors. It also tells Google that someone outside your site recommends your content. That’s a backlink.
What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link from another website that points to yours. It’s also called an inbound link or incoming link. If an online newspaper links to your online store in a news story, your store gains a backlink.
For search engines, every link you receive works as a vote of confidence. The idea comes from PageRank, the algorithm Google started with in 1998: a page that receives links from other relevant pages is probably relevant too.
Today Google uses hundreds of signals, but links are still one of the most important ones for off-page SEO.
What a backlink is not
It’s worth separating it from two concepts it’s often confused with:
- Internal link. One that goes from a page on your website to another page on the same website. It helps organize your content, but it isn’t an external vote. We explain it in internal linking.
- Outbound link. One you place pointing to another website. For you it’s an outbound link and, for that website, a backlink.
Types of backlinks
Not all inbound links are worth the same. Google distinguishes several types based on the link’s rel attribute, as it explains in its guide on how to qualify outbound links:
| Type | Attribute | What it tells Google | Does it pass authority? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dofollow | No attribute | “I recommend this page” | Yes |
| Nofollow | rel="nofollow" | “I don’t want to endorse this link” | Only treated as a hint |
| Sponsored | rel="sponsored" | “This link is advertising or paid” | No |
| UGC | rel="ugc" | “A user added it (comments, forums)” | Only treated as a hint |
“Dofollow” isn’t a real attribute. It’s the usual name for a normal link, with no tag limiting its value.
What makes a backlink high quality?
Ten good links are worth more than a thousand bad ones. These are the signals that carry the most weight:
- Authority of the linking website. A link from a well-known media outlet or from a website with plenty of links of its own passes more value than one from a brand-new blog. Tools like Moz or Semrush sum this up in metrics such as page authority.
- Topical relevance. A link from a website in your industry makes more sense than one from an unrelated website.
- Context. A link inside a paragraph about your topic is worth more than one lost in the footer.
- Link text. The anchor text helps Google understand what your page is about. If all your links use the same exact keyword, it looks forced.
- Real traffic. A link that brings you visitors is the best proof that it’s natural.
How to see a website’s backlinks
To see the links your own website receives, the free tool is Google Search Console. In the “Links” report you’ll see which sites link to you, to which pages and with what text.
To analyze the backlinks of any website, including your competitors’, you need external tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz Link Explorer. They all have paid plans with some free queries. Looking at where your competitors get their links from is a good way to find ideas for your own strategy.
How do you get backlinks?
The safest way is to create something others want to link to. From there, these are the approaches that work best:
- Reference content. Comprehensive guides, studies with your own data, templates or calculators. It’s what others cite when they write about the topic.
- Guest articles. Writing for blogs in your industry with a link to your website, known as guest blogging.
- Media relations. A press release with real news or interesting data can end up earning links from newspapers.
- Broken links. Finding links that no longer work on websites in your industry and offering your content as a replacement.
- Unlinked mentions. If someone talks about your brand without linking to you, write to them and ask them to add the link.
All of this is part of linkbuilding, the strategy for earning links in a planned way.
Links that can hurt you
Buying links that pass authority, exchanging them on a massive scale or flooding forums with links goes against Google’s spam policies. As a result, Google may ignore those links or penalize your website.
The opposite can also happen: someone deliberately sends low-quality links your way to sink you. This is known as negative SEO. In those cases, Google lets you disavow links from Search Console, although it usually ignores them on its own.
A good newsletter also helps you earn links: every time you send content to your list, it reaches people who may share it or cite it on their website.
Frequently asked questions about backlinks
How many backlinks does a website need? There’s no set number. Quality and topical relevance matter more than quantity. Compare your link profile with those of the websites ranking above you on Google.
Can you buy backlinks? You can pay for sponsored links, but they must carry rel="sponsored". Buying links that pass authority breaks Google’s rules.
Are nofollow backlinks any use? Yes. They can bring you visitors and give your brand visibility, and Google may take them into account as a hint.
Key takeaways about backlinks
A backlink is a link from another website to yours, and Google interprets it as a recommendation. What matters isn’t so much how many you have as where they come from, the context they appear in and whether anyone actually uses them.
Create content worth linking to, nurture your relationships within your industry and steer clear of shortcuts.
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