What is Backlinks?
Backlinks are links on other websites that point to a page on your website. Search engines treat them as votes of trust and use them to find and rank pages.
When a respected site links to you, it tells search engines that your page is worth visiting. Not every link counts the same. A link from a relevant, trusted publication carries far more weight than dozens of links from low quality directories or unrelated blogs.
Backlinks are also called inbound links or incoming links. Each one has anchor text, the clickable words, and may carry attributes such as nofollow or sponsored that tell Google how to treat it.
What makes a backlink high quality
Not all links are equal. One link from a trusted, relevant site can be worth more than hundreds from random directories. These are the factors SEOs check most.
| Factor | What good looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | The linking site covers your industry or topic | Signals that experts in your field vouch for you |
| Authority | The site earns real traffic and links itself | Trusted sites pass more value |
| Placement | Inside the main content, not a footer or sidebar | Editorial links are weighted more |
| Anchor text | Natural, descriptive, not exact match every time | Over optimised anchors look manipulated |
| Link attribute | Followed, or nofollow from a strong brand | Followed links pass the most signal; mentions still help trust |
| Traffic | The page gets real visitors | Links people click are a sign of genuine value |
Types of backlinks
Search engines treat links differently based on how they were earned and the attributes on them.
Editorial links
Links a writer adds because your page is useful, such as a news site citing your data. These are the most valuable.
Nofollow, sponsored and UGC links
Attributes that tell Google not to pass ranking credit, or that the link is paid (sponsored) or user generated (UGC). Google treats them as hints.
Citations and directory links
Listings on business directories. Useful for local SEO and trust, but weak for authority on their own.
Guest post and partner links
Links from content you write for other sites or from partners. Fine when relevant and editorial, risky when done at scale for links alone.
How to check your backlinks
- 1Open the Links report in Google Search Console to see top linking sites, linked pages and anchor text.
- 2Use a backlink tool such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz to see new and lost links over time.
- 3Compare your referring domains with the top three competitors for your main keywords.
- 4List pages with no links that should have them, such as key service pages.
- 5Flag patterns that look risky, like many links from one network or the same exact match anchor repeated.
- 6Reclaim lost links by fixing broken pages or asking sites to update old URLs.
Ways to earn backlinks without breaking Google's rules
Google's spam policies prohibit buying or exchanging links to manipulate rankings. Safe link building focuses on making content and stories that people want to reference.
Original data and research
Surveys, studies and benchmarks give journalists and bloggers something to cite.
Digital PR
Pitch timely, newsworthy angles to relevant publications for coverage that includes links.
Resource and tool pages
Free calculators, templates and guides attract links from people who recommend them.
Unlinked brand mentions
Find articles that mention your brand without a link and ask the writer to add one.
Why Backlinks matters for SEO
Links remain one of the strongest ranking signals Google uses. In competitive markets, two pages with similar content are usually separated by the quality and relevance of the links pointing to them.
Good backlinks also send referral traffic and build brand awareness. A mention in a local news site or industry journal can bring customers directly, not just rankings.
How Backlinks works
Search engines judge each link on several qualities at once.
Relevance
A link from a site about your industry or location carries more weight than one from an unrelated site.
Authority and trust
Links from established, well linked sites count for more. Links from spammy or penalised sites can be ignored or even cause harm.
Placement and anchor text
Links inside the main content, with natural descriptive anchor text, are stronger than links hidden in footers or sidebars.
A Brisbane roofing company publishes a guide to storm damage claims. The local newspaper quotes it in a storm season article and links to it, and two insurance blogs follow. Within a few months the guide ranks on page one for several storm related searches, and the service pages linked from it climb too.
Backlinks checklist
- ✓Create pages worth linking to, such as data, guides and tools
- ✓Earn links from sites relevant to your industry or area
- ✓Use natural, varied anchor text
- ✓Check new links regularly in Search Console or a link tool
- ✓Fix broken pages that already have links pointing to them
- ✓Never buy links from link farms or private blog networks
Common Backlinks mistakes
Chasing quantity over quality
Hundreds of weak links rarely help and can trigger spam filters.
Over optimised anchor text
Using the same exact keyword in every anchor looks unnatural to Google.
Buying cheap link packages
Paid link schemes break Google's rules and can lead to penalties.
Ignoring lost links
Links disappear over time. Not tracking them hides why rankings slip.
Related SEO terms
Backlinks FAQs
What is a good backlink?
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A good backlink comes from a relevant, trusted site, sits within the main content and uses natural anchor text.
Are nofollow links useless?
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No. Google treats nofollow as a hint, and these links can still send traffic and build awareness.
How do I check my backlinks?
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Use the Links report in Google Search Console, or tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz.
How many backlinks do I need?
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There is no fixed number. You need enough quality links to compete with the pages already ranking for your target keywords.
Can bad backlinks hurt my site?
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Google usually ignores spammy links, but large paid link schemes can lead to manual actions. A link audit helps spot risks.
How long do backlinks take to work?
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Most links show their effect over weeks to a few months, once Google recrawls the linking pages.