Backlinks are links from one website to a page on another website. They are also commonly called inbound links or incoming links.
For example, if another website links to your homepage, that link is a backlink to your website.
Backlinks are an important part of SEO because they can help search engines discover pages and can provide signals about the relationships and reputation of websites. However, not every backlink has the same value, and simply having a large number of links does not guarantee higher rankings.
Search engines can use links to discover webpages and understand how pages and websites are connected.
A backlink can also act as a reference from one website to another.
For example, if a respected website links to a useful guide on your website, that link can send relevant visitors to your page while also providing a signal that the linked resource may be useful.
Backlinks are therefore one part of a broader SEO strategy that also includes useful content, search intent, technical SEO, on-page optimisation and user experience.
Imagine you publish a useful guide about website speed.
Another website writes an article about improving website performance and links to your guide because it provides useful additional information.
Your website has now received a backlink from that website.
The link can provide two potential benefits:
The value of a backlink depends on many factors, including the context and relevance of the linking page.
A useful backlink is generally one that makes sense in the context of the linking page and provides value to its audience.
Important characteristics can include:
For example, a link from a relevant industry resource that naturally recommends your useful guide can be much more meaningful than hundreds of unrelated links created purely to manipulate rankings.
The number of backlinks can provide some information about a website's link profile, but quantity alone is not a reliable measure of SEO strength.
One relevant, editorially placed backlink can be more useful than a large number of low-quality or unrelated links.
Instead of asking:
"How many backlinks do I need?"
it is often more useful to ask:
"Are other relevant websites naturally finding this content useful enough to reference?"
A referring domain is a website that contains one or more backlinks pointing to your website.
For example, imagine:
You have eight backlinks in this simplified example, but only three referring domains.
Looking at referring domains can therefore provide a different perspective from simply counting total backlinks.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Backlink | An individual link pointing to your website. |
| Referring domain | A website containing one or more links to your website. |
| Linking page | The specific webpage containing the backlink. |
Understanding these differences can help when analysing your backlink profile.
Anchor text is the clickable text used for a link.
For example:
<a href="https://example.com">SEO tools</a>
In this example, "SEO tools" is the anchor text.
Descriptive anchor text can help visitors understand where a link will take them.
However, repeatedly trying to manipulate anchor text using exact-match keywords can create an unnatural link profile.
Links should generally use natural wording that makes sense in the context of the content.
No.
Backlinks can differ significantly in relevance, context and usefulness.
Consider the difference between:
These links should not be treated as equivalent simply because each one is technically a backlink.
A relevant backlink comes from content that has a meaningful relationship with the topic of your page or website.
For example, a website about digital marketing linking to a useful SEO guide makes more contextual sense than an unrelated website linking to the same page without a clear reason.
Relevance can exist at different levels, including:
The strongest links are often those that make sense naturally to the people reading the linking page.
A natural backlink is a link that someone chooses to include because they believe the destination provides useful information or value to their audience.
For example, you publish a detailed guide about keyword research and another SEO website references your guide as a helpful resource.
You did not need to create the link yourself. The other website chose to reference your content.
This is one of the most sustainable ways to earn links.
Link building is the process of trying to earn or acquire backlinks to your website.
Common approaches can include:
The goal should be to earn meaningful links rather than simply increase a backlink counter.
There is no single method that works for every website.
Start by creating something genuinely worth referencing.
This could be:
Once the resource exists, relevant websites and audiences can discover it.
Looking at competitor backlinks can help you discover websites that already reference similar content.
This can reveal potential opportunities for:
However, the goal should not be to copy every link your competitors have.
Instead, look for relevant opportunities where you can provide something genuinely useful.
A backlink checker can help you investigate the links pointing to your website.
Depending on the tool, you may be able to see information such as:
You can use our Free Backlink Checker to investigate the backlink profile of a website.
Competitor backlink research can provide ideas about where websites in your industry are earning attention and links.
For example, if several competitors are mentioned by the same industry publication, that publication may be worth researching.
However, always evaluate the relevance and quality of the opportunity rather than pursuing a link simply because a competitor has one.
The term "toxic backlink" is often used by SEO tools to describe links that may be considered potentially harmful or suspicious.
However, you should be careful about assuming that every low-quality backlink will damage your website.
Websites naturally accumulate links that they did not create themselves, including irrelevant or low-quality links.
The existence of a suspicious-looking backlink does not automatically mean that your website has been penalised.
If you discover concerning links, investigate the situation carefully rather than immediately trying to remove every link that looks unusual.
Buying links specifically to manipulate search rankings can violate search engine guidelines.
Instead of purchasing links simply to increase ranking signals, focus on earning genuine mentions and references through useful content, relationships and legitimate promotion.
Paid advertising and sponsorship can be legitimate marketing activities, but they should not be confused with purchasing links for the purpose of manipulating organic rankings.
Guest contributions can be useful when they provide genuine value to the audience of the publication.
For example, contributing an original expert article to a relevant industry website can help introduce your expertise to a new audience.
The problem comes when guest posting is used primarily as a system for creating large numbers of keyword-rich links.
Focus on the quality and relevance of the contribution rather than the number of links you can obtain.
Not all directories are the same.
A legitimate industry directory or local business directory can provide useful information and referral traffic.
However, submitting a website to hundreds of low-quality directories solely to create backlinks is unlikely to be a useful long-term strategy.
Choose directories based on their usefulness to people, not simply whether they provide a link.
A backlink comes from another website.
An internal link connects two pages on the same website.
For example:
Both types of links can help people discover useful content, but they serve different purposes within an SEO strategy.
A sustainable approach to link building usually starts with creating things worth referencing.
Consider:
Link building is usually a long-term activity rather than something that produces hundreds of quality links overnight.
Avoid approaches such as:
A smaller number of relevant, useful references can be more meaningful than a large collection of artificial links.
When reviewing a backlink profile, consider:
A backlink is a link from one website to a page on another website. It is also called an inbound link or incoming link.
Backlinks can help search engines discover webpages and can provide signals about how websites and content are connected. They can also send referral traffic to your website.
Links remain an important part of how the web works and can be useful for discovery, referral traffic and SEO. However, backlinks should be considered alongside content quality, relevance, technical SEO and other factors.
There is no universal number. The quality, relevance and context of backlinks are more useful considerations than simply reaching a particular number.
A referring domain is a website that contains one or more backlinks pointing to your website.
Anchor text is the clickable text used for a hyperlink. Descriptive, natural anchor text can help visitors understand where the link leads.
Unnatural or manipulative link practices can create SEO problems. However, websites can naturally receive irrelevant or low-quality links without having created them themselves, so suspicious links should be investigated carefully rather than automatically treated as harmful.
Buying links specifically to manipulate search rankings can violate search engine guidelines. Focus instead on earning useful, relevant references through valuable content and legitimate promotion.
Create useful resources that other websites have a genuine reason to reference, promote them to relevant audiences, build industry relationships and look for legitimate opportunities to contribute useful information.
You can use a backlink analysis tool to investigate links pointing to a website, including referring domains, linking pages and anchor text where the tool provides that information.
Backlinks are closely connected to link building and off-page SEO.
Continue with our Link Building Strategies guide to learn practical ways to earn relevant links.
You can also use our Free Backlink Checker to investigate a website's backlink profile.
Explore the complete SEO Guides & Resources collection for more practical SEO information.
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