Editorial Note: I may earn a commission when you visit links that appear on my website.

---

When I wrote my award‑winning modern digital marketing playbook, I included a dedicated chapter on backlinking. The reason is simple: No matter how much authority you or your company might think you have, without others on the Internet linking to your website, search engines simply will never consider you as being worthy to rank higher than your competition.

Backlinks are one of the most talked‑about concepts in SEO, yet they’re also one of the most misunderstood. If you’ve ever wondered why your competitors seem to rank higher on Google despite having similar content, the answer often lies in their backlink profile.

Simply put, backlinks are links from other websites to yours, and they serve as powerful signals of credibility, trust, and authority. In this article, I’ll explain what backlinks in SEO are, why they matter, the types of backlinks you need to know, and how you can start building them strategically—even if you’re running marketing on your own as a small business owner or entrepreneur.

---

What Are Backlinks in SEO?

At its simplest, a backlink is just a link from one website to another—but in SEO, it carries far more weight. Think of backlinks as online votes of confidence that tell search engines your content is credible and worth ranking.

A backlink is any link from a website directing audiences back to yours. You may also provide backlinks to other sites within your own content.

Although “backlink” is the preferred term, inbound links, incoming links, and external links can all be used to describe a link that directs an audience back to your site. The term “backlink” is preferred to erase ambiguity and illustrate the need to direct back to your site.

Backlinks function as a vote of confidence for your content, because they suggest to search engines that your content is worthy of linking to. The vote of confidence comes from another company or site thinking highly enough of your work to encourage their audience to read it.

---

Why Are Backlinks Important for SEO?

Backlinks are one of Google’s most important ranking factors. The right links can improve your visibility, authority, and even brand awareness in ways that content alone can’t achieve.

Search engines rely heavily on backlinks to determine worth. Backlinks function as a top‑3 Google ranking factor, nestled just after content and RankBrain. A backlink suggests to search engines that high‑quality content can be found at the linked page.

Backlinks signal authority and suggest the presence of expertise. When trying to encourage search engines to rank your content, remember E‑E‑A‑T:

• Experience – Demonstrate experience within your niche.

• Expertise – Show knowledge and understanding of a given topic.

• Authoritativeness – Prove authority to help search engines direct audiences to your content.

• Trustworthiness – Build trust so search engines are more likely to recommend your content.

The benefits of backlinks extend far beyond rankings. They encourage referral traffic from other sites, expose you to new audiences, allow for faster indexing and crawling, and increase brand visibility while promoting stronger domain authority.

---

The Different Types of Backlinks You Should Know

Not all backlinks carry the same weight. Understanding the different types—from dofollow and editorial links to directories and sponsored posts—will help you focus on the ones that move the needle.

• Dofollow vs. Nofollow – Dofollow links suggest domain authority and trust. Nofollow links do not pass authority but can still drive traffic.

• Editorial Backlinks – Earned naturally by providing valuable content that others choose to link to.

• Guest Post Backlinks – When used strategically, they can help promote E‑E‑A‑T principles.

• Directory/Business Profile Backlinks – Useful for local SEO, coming from businesses or brands in a similar niche or location.

• UGC and Sponsored Links – User‑generated content links are typically “nofollow.” Sponsored links are paid but can still drive traffic without passing authority.

• Broken Backlinks – Links that once pointed to your site but no longer work. Fix them by contacting the site owner or redirecting to the correct page.

• Specialty Backlinks – Often include free tools, webinars, badges, or acknowledgments that provide value to users.

---

What Makes a Backlink High Quality?

The value of a backlink depends on more than just having it. Authority, relevance, placement, and anchor text all play a role in determining whether a link strengthens—or weakens—your SEO.

• Authority – Links from high‑quality, authoritative domains carry more weight.

• Relevance – Links from sites in your industry or niche are more valuable than unrelated ones.

• Placement – Links embedded within the main content perform better than those in footers or sidebars.

• Anchor Text – Natural, descriptive anchor text (rather than over‑optimized exact‑match text) contributes positively.

• Diversity – A backlink profile that includes links from a variety of domains performs better than one dominated by a single source.

---

Backlinks to Avoid: Protecting Your Site from Harm

Good backlinks can boost rankings; bad ones can drag your site down. Recognize and avoid toxic links:

• Paid link schemes or bulk purchases.

• Low‑quality directories and link farms.

• Spammy blog comments or forum links.

• Irrelevant site backlinks that don’t fit your niche.

• Toxic backlinks from spammy or low‑authority sites.

Use tools like Google Search Console to identify and disavow harmful links. Removing or fixing these links helps prevent demotion in SERPs.

---

How to Build High‑Quality Backlinks (Without Spam)

The best backlinks are earned, not bought. Focus on valuable content, strategic outreach, and authentic relationships.

Content‑Driven Strategies

• Create original research, case studies, and thought‑leadership pieces.

• Publish guides, tutorials, and evergreen resources.

• Produce infographics and visual content that others may embed and credit.

Relationship‑Driven Strategies

• Guest blog on authoritative sites.

• Conduct PR outreach (e.g., HARO, journalist requests, expert quotes).

• Form partnerships, collaborations, and community contributions within your niche.

Technical/SEO‑Driven Strategies

• Fix broken links on your own site and on external sites that once pointed to you.

• Perform link reclamation: turn unlinked brand mentions into backlinks by contacting the linking site and providing the correct URL.

---

Practical Tools to Check and Monitor Backlinks

• Google Search Console – Free, beginner‑friendly backlink overview.

• Moz Link Explorer – Allows up to 10 free backlink queries per month.

• Ahrefs, Semrush, Ubersuggest – Full‑service platforms for backlink monitoring and overall SEO management.

When reviewing your backlink profile, focus on the authority of the linking site, its spam score, and the anchor text used.

---

When Should Small Businesses Focus on Backlinks?

Backlinks shouldn’t be the first SEO priority for a small business. First, build a solid content foundation and ensure on‑page SEO is in place. Once you have high‑quality, link‑worthy content, backlinks will come more naturally.

Suggested approach for small businesses:

1. Optimize website structure and on‑page SEO.

2. Create valuable, evergreen content.

3. Promote that content to earn natural backlinks.

Remember, backlinks are part of broader branding and relationship‑marketing efforts—not just an SEO hack.

---

How Backlinks Fit Into Your Larger Marketing Strategy

Backlinks are about trust, credibility, and building relationships with your audience and peers. A thoughtful backlink strategy should work hand‑in‑hand with content marketing, social media, and PR efforts. By creating content that genuinely helps people, you naturally attract high‑quality links that reinforce your brand’s authority.