What is a Backlink?

A backlink (also called an inbound link or incoming link) is a hyperlink from one website to another. When website A links to website B, website B has received a backlink from website A. Search engines like Google view backlinks as votes of confidence - each quality backlink signals that your content is valuable and trustworthy enough for other websites to reference.

Backlinks are one of Google's most important ranking factors. They act as third-party endorsements of your content. When reputable websites link to yours, it signals to search engines that your content is authoritative and trustworthy. Websites with more high-quality backlinks typically rank higher in search results. However, the quality of links matters far more than the quantity - one link from a respected industry website can be worth more than hundreds of low-quality links.

A good backlink comes from a relevant, authoritative website in your industry or niche. Key factors include: the linking site's domain authority and trustworthiness, relevance to your topic or industry, the link being placed within the main content (not footers or sidebars), natural anchor text, and the linking page itself having quality backlinks. Links from .gov, .edu, major news sites, and respected industry publications are particularly valuable.

Dofollow links pass SEO value (often called 'link juice') from the linking site to your site, helping improve your search rankings. Nofollow links include a rel='nofollow' attribute that tells search engines not to pass ranking value. While nofollow links do not directly boost rankings, they can still drive referral traffic and brand awareness. Google has also introduced rel='sponsored' for paid links and rel='ugc' for user-generated content like comments.

Ethical link building strategies include: creating valuable content that others naturally want to reference, guest posting on relevant industry websites, building relationships with journalists and bloggers for digital PR, getting listed in reputable business directories, creating shareable resources like tools or original research, engaging with your local business community, and asking satisfied customers or partners for links. Never buy links or participate in link schemes as these violate Google's guidelines.

There is no magic number - it depends entirely on your competition and industry. A local plumber in a small town might rank well with a handful of quality local links, while a national e-commerce site might need thousands. Focus on quality over quantity. Analyse your top-ranking competitors to understand the backlink landscape in your market. Consistent, gradual link building over time is more effective and safer than trying to acquire many links quickly.

Yes, toxic or spammy backlinks can harm your rankings. Google's algorithms can penalise sites with unnatural link profiles, including paid links, links from link farms or private blog networks (PBNs), excessive exact-match anchor text, and links from irrelevant or low-quality sites. If you have been hit by a penalty or notice suspicious links pointing to your site, you can use Google's Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore those links.

You can check your backlinks using several tools: Google Search Console (free - shows a sample of links Google has found), Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, or Majestic (paid tools with comprehensive backlink databases). These tools show which sites link to you, the anchor text used, whether links are dofollow or nofollow, and help identify potentially harmful links. Regular backlink audits help you understand your link profile and spot issues early.