A backlink is a link from another website to your website. Search engines read this kind of link as a recommendation: someone finds your page good enough to refer to. The more relevant and trustworthy sites link to you, the more credible you become in Google’s eyes. Backlinks are therefore one of the strongest signals for your position in the search results.
What is a backlink?
A backlink is created the moment website A places a link to website B. For website B, that’s a backlink: an incoming reference from outside. You have no direct control over it yourself, because someone else decides whether they link to you. That’s exactly what makes backlinks valuable to search engines. A link you can’t force yourself says more than a link you place yourself.
Backlink meaning in plain language
Think of word-of-mouth. If someone you know recommends a good plumber, you value that more than an advertisement. A backlink works the same way. Every time a site refers to you, that’s a kind of recommendation. And just like with word-of-mouth, the source matters: a tip from an expert carries more weight than a tip from a random passer-by. One link from an authoritative, relevant site often does more than dozens of links from obscure pages.
The difference between backlinks, internal links and external links
These three terms are often mixed up, even though they mean different things. The distinction lies in the direction of the link and who places it.
- Backlink (incoming link): a link from another website to your site. Someone else places it.
- Internal link: a link between two pages within your own website. You place this yourself, for example from a blog to a service page.
- External link (outgoing link): a link from your site to another website. You place this yourself too.
In short: an external link from another site to you is a backlink for you. Internal links help search engines understand your site and distribute authority within your own domain. Backlinks bring authority in from outside. You need both, but they don’t do the same job.
Why backlinks matter for SEO
Backlinks have been a core part of how search engines rank pages since Google’s early days. They help determine which page ranks highest for a search query. If you want to understand how backlinks fit into the bigger picture, also read what SEO actually involves. Backlinks are, after all, just one pillar, alongside good content and a technically healthy site.
Backlinks as a recommendation signal
A search engine can’t judge on its own whether your page is worthwhile the way a human would. That’s why it looks at signals. Backlinks are one such signal: if many relevant sites refer to you, the odds are higher that your page is genuinely useful. Every link counts as a vote, but not every vote carries the same weight. A link from a trade publication in your sector says more than a link from an abandoned forum.
The link with E-E-A-T
Google evaluates content partly on E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Backlinks mainly play a role in that third element, authoritativeness. When authoritative sites in your field refer to you, you demonstrably build authority. You’re not the one claiming you’re an expert; others confirm it by linking to you. That external judgment is exactly what makes E-E-A-T weigh more heavily.
What makes a backlink high quality?
Not every backlink is equally valuable. Quality beats quantity. One strong, relevant link can deliver more than a hundred weak ones. Four things determine how valuable a backlink is.
Relevance and context
A link is more valuable when it comes from a relevant context. If you sell bikes, a link from an article about bike maintenance is more logical and stronger than a link from a blog about holiday homes. The surrounding text gives the search engine a clue about what your page is about. Relevance makes the recommendation credible.
Authority and trustworthiness of the referring site
A link from a site that itself enjoys a lot of trust carries more weight. Think of well-known media, industry associations, or respected trade sources. A link from a site that’s barely taken seriously adds little. The trustworthiness of the referring site partly rubs off on you.
Anchor text and natural variation
The anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. It gives context about where the link leads. A descriptive anchor helps, but you don’t want a pattern where every link contains the exact same keyword. That looks manipulated and unnatural. A healthy profile contains variation: your brand name, your URL, descriptive phrases, and sometimes neutral words like “here” or “read more”. Natural links simply come in many forms. That’s exactly the spread you want to mimic.
Placement of the link on the page
Where the link sits matters. A link in the middle of body text, surrounded by relevant words, counts more heavily than a link hidden in a footer or a long list of references. A link that a reader would actually click because it fits naturally is exactly the kind of link that has value.
Dofollow and nofollow: what’s the difference?
A dofollow link passes authority to the page it points to. That’s the default type and, basically, the kind of link you’re looking for. A nofollow link contains an instruction in the code that tells search engines not to count the link as a full recommendation. Many platforms set links to nofollow by default, for example in comments, forums, and on major news sites.
When a nofollow link is still useful
A nofollow link isn’t wasted effort. It still brings visitors to your site and builds visibility and brand awareness. What’s more, a profile with only dofollow links looks unnatural, because in practice every healthy website also picks up nofollow links. A healthy mix of both types is more realistic and safer than chasing dofollow alone.
Which backlinks can be harmful?
Backlinks can help you, but the wrong links can also hurt you. Search engines have gotten good at recognizing manipulation. Links that only exist to force your ranking bring more risk than result in the long run.
Toxic backlinks and link spam
Toxic backlinks come from sites considered spam or untrustworthy: link farms, hacked pages, or networks set up purely to sell links. A small number of odd links happens to everyone and usually isn’t a problem. It becomes concerning when a large part of your profile consists of these kinds of sources. Then you’re giving Google a false picture of how your authority came about.
Why buying links in bulk is risky
Buying links in bulk sounds like a quick fix, but it’s one of the easiest ways to get yourself into trouble. Such packages often come from the same networks Google already recognizes. The pattern, hundreds of links in a short time, from irrelevant sources, with the same anchor text every time, is exactly what a search engine reads as manipulation. Earned links grow gradually and with variation. Purchased bulk links don’t.
You don’t buy a backlink, you earn it.
Giacomo Perticara, founder and SEO strategist at GRP Digital
How do you get good backlinks?
You get good backlinks by giving people a reason to link to you. That takes more time than buying them, but it holds up. Three approaches work best in practice.
Create link-worthy content
The most durable way to get links is to create content that others genuinely want to refer to. Think of thorough research, a handy tool, a clear overview, or original data that isn’t available anywhere else. If your page is the best answer to a question, others will naturally link to it because it strengthens their own story.
Work with guest contributions and partnerships
A guest article on a relevant site gets you a link and positions you as someone who knows the subject. Go for places that fit your content and that real readers visit, not sites that exist purely to host guest posts. Partnerships with suppliers, customers, or industry peers also often lead to natural, earned links.
Use PR, brand mentions, and broken link building
If you’re mentioned in the media without a link, kindly ask if they’d add a reference to the mention. That’s called turning a brand mention into a link. Broken link building works the other way around: you look for broken links on relevant sites and offer your page as a working replacement. Both methods start from something valuable you’re offering, not from a purchase.
How do you assess your backlink profile?
Your backlink profile is the total of all links pointing to your site. Checking it now and then helps you see whether your profile is growing healthily or whether something odd is going on. You don’t need to be an expert to recognize the key signals.
Signs of a healthy profile
- Gradual growth instead of sudden spikes of hundreds of links at once.
- Links from sites that fit your topic content-wise.
- Variation in anchor text, with your brand name and descriptive phrases mixed in.
- A mix of dofollow and nofollow links.
- Links coming in spread across different domains, not always the same source.
Monitoring backlinks in practice
Google Search Console shows for free which sites link to you and which pages get the most links. Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz go deeper and also show the authority of referring domains and suspicious links. Don’t check daily, but keep an eye on it periodically. That way you’ll notice in time if spam links suddenly show up or a valuable link has disappeared.
Common mistakes in link building
Most link building mistakes come from impatience. Anyone wanting quick results often picks exactly the approach that backfires in the long run. Two mistakes come up most often.
Too much focus on numbers
More links isn’t automatically better. If you aim for the highest possible number, you’ll naturally collect weak and irrelevant links. Ten strong links from relevant sites do more than a thousand links from pages nobody visits. Quality is the goal, not the total count.
Wrong anchors and irrelevant links
Using the exact same keyword as anchor text every time is a classic mistake. It looks manipulated and stands out to search engines. The same goes for links from sites that have nothing to do with your topic. That sends the search engine conflicting signals about what your site stands for, and that works against you.
You want to be taken seriously by the search engine; give it mixed signals, and it backs off.
Giacomo Perticara, founder and SEO strategist at GRP Digital
Frequently asked questions about backlinks
What do backlinks do?
Backlinks act as recommendations from other sites and help search engines gauge how trustworthy and relevant your page is. Relevant links from strong sites can improve your position in the search results.
How can I get backlinks?
Create content that others enjoy sharing, write guest contributions on relevant sites, and turn brand mentions into links. Earned links hold up longer than purchased ones.
How many backlinks do I need?
There’s no fixed number, because quality and relevance matter more than the total. Look at what competitors have that rank well for your keywords, and focus on strong, relevant links.
What do dofollow and nofollow mean?
A dofollow link passes authority to your page and counts as a recommendation. A nofollow link doesn’t, but still brings visitors and visibility.
Are nofollow links worthless?
No. They bring traffic and brand awareness, and a natural profile always contains a mix of dofollow and nofollow. Chasing only dofollow links actually looks unnatural.
Can backlinks harm my site?
Yes, if a large share of your links comes from spam sites or purchased networks. A few odd links happen to everyone, but structural manipulation carries risk.
Conclusion: earning backlinks works better than forcing them
Backlinks are one of the strongest signals that help you move up in the search results, but only if they come about honestly. A link is fundamentally a recommendation, and recommendations you force or buy don’t hold up. Focus on content that others genuinely want to refer to, build relevant relationships, and keep your profile healthy and varied. Earning backlinks instead of forcing them builds authority that lasts, even as search engines get stricter.
