Backlinks in SEO are hyperlinks from one referring domain to another. In Google's original algorithm, PageRank, incoming links were like votes. High votes lead to better rankings. Despite hundreds of updates since the first PageRank algorithm launch in 1997, they remain a critical ranking factor.
Links are powerful because they signal search engines your site is trusted and worth ranking higher. They work by passing authority (also called ‘link juice’) from the linking site to yours, which boosts your website’s visibility in organic search results.
Backlinks can be dofollow or nofollow based on the rel attribute. Dofollow links pass page authority, while nofollow links do not. There are also sponsored links for paid content and UGC links for user-generated content like those from comments or forums.
Not all SEO backlinks are equal. Quality matters more than quantity. One high-authority link is equivalent to several low-quality incoming links, like those coming from new or spammy domains with low organic traffic.
You should audit your backlink profile using SEMrush, SERankings, Google Search Console, or any other backlink audit software to know whether your links are helping your organic rankings to improve. Link analysis tools, such as Majestic, Moz, Ahrefs, and others make it easy to check link building metrics like organic traffic of the referring domain, anchor text, and the toxicity score.
In this backlink guide, I will explain the different types of links, how they work, and their importance in your search engine optimization strategy.
Backlinks are links that point to a website from another relevant domain. They are a core ranking factor that signals trust to search engines.
High-quality backlinks from trusted and high-traffic domains boost a website’s organic rankings. Similarly, low-quality links may lead to algorithmic and manual search engine penalties.
For example, we have a backlink from this page of setupad.com. The article links to our ‘how to get high-quality links guide’ naturally using the anchor ‘earning backlinks.’
Backlinks like the one above are natural and hold a high value because editorial links, niche-specific mentions, and links embedded in authoritative content carry high weight. A strong backlink profile shows search engines that a website is reliable, well-connected, and worthy of higher rankings.
Search engines evaluate factors like the linking domain's authority, the linking page's relevance, and the link's placement within the content.
Dofollow and nofollow links define how link authority is handled. Dofollow links directly pass link equity, strengthening the SEO value of the linked page. Nofollow links, while not passing direct ranking benefits, are still valuable for driving referral traffic, increasing brand visibility, and maintaining an organic link profile.
You should master the balance between dofollow and nofollow links and prioritize quality over quantity to build a successful SEO strategy.
A backlink is created using an HTML <a> tag.
An ‘a href’ or ‘href link’ is a snippet of HTML that uses the <a> tag with the href attribute to create a clickable link.
It looks like this:
<a href="https://outreachlabs.com">Outreach Labs</a>
This example links to https://outreachlabs.com and displays "Outreach Labs" as the anchor text.
Here:
For instance, Oflox.com links to Outreach Labs in their ‘Best Guest Post Marketplaces’ article using the above (dofollow) HTML tag:
Backlinks are important in SEO because they improve organic rankings by increasing the reputation score of your domain.
Naturally acquired backlinks from reputable websites contribute to better rankings and greater SEO traffic performance.
However, the correlation between link diversity and quality is critical. A quality-focused approach emphasizes relevance and authority over quantity, ensuring the links benefit ranking positions and build the domain’s reputation.
Backlinks also assist with crawling and indexing by guiding search engines to discover and prioritize high-ranking pages.
Effective link acquisition supports brand exposure and enhances visibility, while a diverse and authoritative backlink profile reinforces a website's credibility in competitive markets.
A website needs backlinks to rank for competitive search terms. However, for less competing industries, it is easier to rank with less or even no backlinks at all.
According to the study on “first-page search engine rankings,” published at Backlinko by Brain Dean in 2024, there is a strong correlation between top-ranking pages and the quantity, diversity, and quality of their incoming links.
Backlinks also assist search engines in crawling and indexing pages effectively, further supporting SEO traffic performance.
Acquiring backlinks organically from reputable and relevant sources is vital to building authority and achieving sustained visibility in Google search results.
Backlinks create connections between web pages, serving as pathways that help search engines discover, crawl, and index content.
When a web page links to another, it sends a signal to search engines, indicating that the linked page has valuable or relevant content. These links are categorized as dofollow, which passes authority to the linked page, or nofollow, which provides context without passing ranking power.
Backlinks also bridge the gap between websites, connecting search engines and users to information across the web. The placement, type, and quality of backlinks influence their effectiveness in enhancing a website's authority and visibility.
Hyperlinks guide search engine bots to discover new pages, helping them prioritize which content to index. They also act as votes of confidence and help search engines evaluate the reputation and authority of a domain. Dofollow links from reputable sites pass ranking power, boosting domain rating and improving a site's position in organic search results.
Inbound links on high-traffic or authoritative websites lead users directly to the linked page, increasing referral traffic and user engagement. They connect audiences with relevant content, contributing to better domain traffic. This applies to both internal links, which enhance navigation within a site, and external links, which guide users to trusted sources.
Backlinks earned naturally through well-written content signal trustworthiness. A balanced backlink profile, consisting of internal, external, dofollow, and nofollow links, protects a domain from Google penalties.
Overall, the best links come from strong web pages and authoritative domains. Legitimate incoming links from reputed websites with high domain ratings and exceptional content quality enhance a site's ranking potential and boost overall SEO performance. Remember, domain rating is a metric that can be manipulated easily. Hence, you should check the popularity of the website, its organic traffic, and content quality before acquiring a backlink.
The primary backlink types in SEO based on rel attribute are dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC.
URL attributes are used to define outbound links within a specific type of content. They tell Google about your relationship with the linked page.
Let’s learn about the types of SEO backlinks based on the rel attribute.
Dofollow links are standard backlinks that pass link equity to the linked page. The HTML structure is of a dofollow link is:
<a href="URL">Anchor Text</a>
By default, all hyperlinks are dofollow. Hence, you do not need to write explicitly in the rel attribute that the link is dofollow.
Dofollow links improve rankings, transfer link authority, and increase domain rating. They are essential for building SEO strength and organic visibility.
You should use the dofollow link attribute in internal links to pass link juice from one page to another. Not having enough dofollow links in your backlink profile reduces ranking potential.
Nofollow links include the rel="nofollow" attribute, which tells search engines not to pass link equity to the linked page. The structure is:
<a href="URL" rel="nofollow">Anchor Text</a>
You should use nofollow links when linking to untrusted, irrelevant, or paid content. These links prevent search engines from treating the link as an endorsement (vote).
Nofollow links are predominantly used to avoid passing SEO authority to low-quality or promotional links.
While nofollow hyperlinks do not pass link juice, they help maintain a natural backlink profile and minimize SEO risks by preventing penalties for unnatural linking.
Failing to use nofollow for paid or untrusted links can lead to penalties, lower rankings, and harming domain authority.
Sponsored links are used for paid or promotional content and have the rel="sponsored" attribute.
The syntax is:
<a href="URL" rel="sponsored">Anchor Text</a>
Sponsored links ensure transparency by identifying paid relationships and also protect against link penalties.
Here is an example of a sponsored blog post promoting Audible, but clearly mentioning that the content is sponsored.
Not tagging paid links as sponsored violates search engine policies, leading to algorithmic or manual action penalties in the long run.
UGC links include the rel="ugc" attribute and are used for links in user-generated content like comments or forum posts. The structure is:
<a href="URL" rel="ugc">Anchor Text</a>
You should use user-generated content attribute to any backlinks included in content created by users to differentiate them from site-owner content.
UGC links help search engines identify that the links are user-generated, reducing the risk of associating spammy or low-quality links with the site.
Adding the UGC attribute on community-sourced links also protects against penalties while maintaining a natural backlink profile and safeguarding the site’s reputation.
Failing to mark user-generated links can result in penalties for hosting spammy or manipulative links. These penalties impact a specific site section where UGC links are used and decrease their rankings in the organic search results.
You can analyze the quality of backlinks by evaluating the referring domain’s strength, organic traffic, and relevance.
Google looks at links when analyzing the quality of a domain. Backlinks are one of the most significant factors in the ranking algorithm. Legitimate links build a site’s authority, while unnatural links break it.
Here are the steps to review backlink quality:
Domain relevance refers to how closely related one website is to another. Ever wonder why some backlinks boost your site while others seem to do nothing? It’s all about domain relevance. Think of it this way: would you trust a movie review from a baking blog? Probably not. The same goes for backlinks.
Links from domains in the same niche are more valuable than backlinks from irrelevant sites. For instance, if you run a fitness blog, a link from a nutrition website makes sense. But a link from a random gaming site? Not so much. Focus on connections that feel natural and relevant.
You can use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to see if the linking site shares your niche or has similar content. SEMrush shows your competitor’s top organic pages so that you can review them to analyze content quality.
Imagine getting a shoutout from a well-known journalist versus a stranger with zero followers. That’s what domain reputation is all about.
Links from trusted domains like Forbes, Techcrunch, WSJ, USAToday, NYPost, and others have tremendous value. But remember, these links should be natural and not paid.
You can see the domain authority score, the total organic search traffic, and the total number of backlinks using a tool like SEMrush. SEO metrics like these will help you access the website's overall reputation.
Ahrefs also lets you check the domain rating score of any website. It also tells you at a quick glance about the number of dofollow and nofollow links a domain has.
You should also check if the site’s most recent pages are indexed on Google (Small SEO Tool’s Google Index Checker lets you do that). A link from a respected news site can do wonders, but one from a shady site with questionable practices? That’s a red flag.
You have probably heard the term ‘link juice’ thrown around. It’s just a catchy way of saying how much value a link passes to your site.
Pages with too many outgoing links are like pizzas sliced too thin—everyone gets less. Tools like the External Link Checker from Sitechecker can show you if a page is overloaded with links.
A quality link comes from a site that’s selective, not spammy. Avoid links buried in massive directories and aim for ones from focused, well-maintained pages.
Step 4: Analyze Anchor Text Relevance
The words people click on (anchor text) matter more than you think. Use natural anchors that make sense in the context.
You can evaluate the current anchors in your link profile using SEMrush. The Backlink Analytics tool lets you review all your backlink anchors.
A proper mix of anchors is what you should aim for. For a natural backlink profile, you should link to your website using a combination of these anchors:
Where a link appears on a page makes a difference. A link in the main content is like a VIP seat; it carries more weight than one stuck in the footer or sidebar.
Check where your link lives using backlink tools or by visiting the page. Contextual links embedded in well-written articles with natural link text are good for a domain. For example, the link to Wallabag in this Techcrunch article is great for SEO because it establishes trust:
On the flip side, links buried in comment sections or footers are of limited value. Search engines filter such links (like the comment links below), and overusing them can also lead to penalties.
A diverse set of referring domains helps your site accumulate more SEO value. It strengthens your overall backlink profile. You can see the number of referring domains to your site using Ahrefs.
Too many links from the same site can look suspicious, as if you are trying to game the ranking system. Go for a mix of reputable and unique referring domains. Think quality over quantity here.
Would you rather get a mention from a blog no one reads or one buzzing with visitors? High organic traffic is a sign the linking site is trusted and engaging.
Tools like Ahrefs can show you traffic stats for any domain.
Look for sites with steady, genuine traffic. Links from ghost towns on the internet won’t help you; they might even hurt.
Backlinks from sites with thin, outdated content are like endorsements from someone who’s out of touch. Instead, look for sites with fresh, well-researched posts.
Regular publishing signals credibility and relevance. You can simply browse the website content to evaluate its publishing frequency and content quality. A link from an active industry blog carries more weight than one from a site that hasn’t posted in years.
Spammy links are like bad PR—they can do serious damage. Watch out for links from directories stuffed with random URLs or sites involved in link schemes. Use Google’s Disavow Tool if you spot links that look fishy. A clean link profile is crucial for staying on search engines’ good side. Aim for natural, authentic links that make sense.
High-authority backlinks come from trusted domains, which have a good reputation in the eyes of search engines. These links are niche-specific, dofollow, natural, and highly relevant.
Quality inbound backlinks pass the maximum link equity and help a website rank higher in organic search results. They come from credible referring domains with strong metrics like high domain authority, organic traffic, and a solid link profile. Also, the anchor text is natural, and the link is placed in the main content.
You can spot high-quality incoming links easily: they are from sites that are indexed, have a good reputation, and maintain a healthy publishing frequency. These contextual links have engaging and high-quality content that’s genuinely helpful to readers.
For example, the article below from the Search Engine Journal is a good example of a quality inbound link pointing to the domain g2.com using a branded anchor.
The benefits of high-quality inbound links are massive. They improve your site’s authority, boost search engine rankings, and bring in targeted organic traffic. They also help build trust with both users and search engines, showing that your site is part of a respected ecosystem. But quality comes at a cost. For example, getting a guest post published on a top-tier site might involve hiring skilled content creators or outreach experts, costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Yet, the payoff in SEO growth and visibility can make it worth every penny.
Toxic or spam backlinks are links from low-quality domains that drag your rankings down and harm your online reputation. Think about it: would you trust a recommendation from someone with a bad reputation? Search engines feel the same way. Toxic backlinks come from sites with poor metrics, like low domain authority, no organic traffic, and questionable link practices like excessive external links, linking to bad neighborhoods like casinos, or unnatural anchor text.
Here is an example of a low-quality link from a web directory that also links to casino sites.
Links such as the above, when acquired in large quantities, can harm your credibility with search engines, lower your rankings, and even trigger penalties.
Google’s ranking algorithms are pretty sharp at spotting these bad links, and if your backlink profile looks spammy, you’re asking for trouble.
To identify toxic backlinks, use a backlink audit tool like SEMrush. It displays the overall toxicity score and the number of new toxic domains identified.
Once you have identified bad links with high toxic scores, reach out to the site owners and politely ask them to remove the links. Be careful with this step, as the link toxicity score is just a metric and can go wrong. It is advisable to review the domain manually and perform other checks, like reviewing organic traffic, before you remove such links.
If site owners don’t respond, you can use Google's Disavow Tool. It tells search engines to ignore those harmful links. Keep an eye on your backlinks regularly to make sure your profile stays clean and healthy.
To check a website’s backlinks, you should first find your current backlink profile and compare it with that of your top competitors. There are different backlink-checking tools that let you identify the quality of the linking domains and the anchors. A healthy and strong backlink profile is what you should aim for.
The easiest way to check the number and quality of links pointing to your domain is by using the Google Search Console.
GSC provides a free way to analyze your website's backlinks. Visit the “Links” section from the main dashboard.
Here, you will find two sections: ‘External Links’ and ‘Internal Links.’
Look at the ‘Top linked pages’ report under ‘External Links’ to find the pages on your site with the highest number of backlinks.
The ‘Top linking sites’ report highlights your referring domains, offering data into the sources of your backlinks. You will also find the ‘Top linking text’ report, which helps evaluate anchor text diversity across your backlink profile.
During your analysis, analyze link relevance and quality to determine which backlinks add value to your website’s SEO.
While GSC gives an overview of the total number of backlinks, it doesn’t provide metrics like the Authority Scores of referring domains or a link toxicity score.
You can check backlinks only for those domains that are added to your Search Console account as a property. Hence, you can’t check your competitor’s backlink profile using GSC.
For a more detailed backlink audit, you should use a complete backlink analytics tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
Enter your domain or a competitor’s, and click ‘Analyze.’
You will see the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and the Authority Scores of referring domains.
To review specific backlinks, go to the “Backlinks” tab. This tab includes information on the link location, anchor text, and whether the links are dofollow or nofollow.
During your analysis, use filters to focus on active links or new link opportunities.
Check the “Indexed Pages” tab to see the pages on your site with the most backlinks. This report sorts pages by the number of referring domains, allowing you to assess which content performs best. By clicking on the backlinks for a specific page, you can explore details like link placement and anchor text diversity.
Finally, the Anchors tab provides a breakdown of the anchor texts used in your backlinks.
SEMrush also helps identify a backlink gap (domains linking to your competitors but not to you), revealing potential targets for link building outreach. You can compare up to four competitors along with your domain to boost your competitor link building strategy.
SEMrush displays referring domains that link exclusively to your competitors, as shown in the default “Best” tab.
Combining GSC with SEMrush gives you a clear picture of your and your competitor's backlink profile, empowering you to build a stronger, more effective link building strategy.
Link building is the art and science of getting other websites to link back to your domain. Earning natural and organic links improves SEO and boosts your marketing ROI. However, acquiring unnatural and spammy links can lead to algorithmic or manual penalization.
Google has some pretty strict rules about link building. It rewards quality links but cracks down on shady practices like link schemes or paid links without proper attributes like Rel="sponsored" or Rel="ugc."
So, how do you build links the right way? It’s not just about collecting as many as you can. It’s about earning links through value. Think about creating helpful content that people naturally want to share or collaborating with others in your industry.
And don’t forget the basics: make your links crawlable, write good anchor text, and even cross-reference your own content strategically. Linking to other quality sites can also show you are part of a relevant, trusted network.
Of course, there are two ways to approach link building: the quick and risky black hat tactics or the sustainable white hat strategies. Black hat methods might promise fast results but can lead to penalties that crush your rankings. White hat, on the other hand, builds solid backlinks that offer long-term SEO rankings and success.
There are several proven link acquisition tactics to build high-quality backlinks in 2025. Here are the top methods to get quality links that search engines like and use in their ranking algorithm:
Blogger outreach is a powerful link building technique. It allows you to contact influential bloggers to request backlinks from their authoritative websites. This method is highly effective when targeting relevant websites in your industry.
To do this properly, identify bloggers with strong domain authority (DA) and domain ratings (DR) and pitch them with content that adds value to their audience. To raise your chances of approval, you should have great content that people would like to link to.
Also, don’t forget to prepare an excellent outreach email like we did for one of our clients. We were able to get a positive response from the CEO and our link request was accepted.
Ensure the link is placed editorially and naturally within the content, as this makes the backlink more valuable. Follow our unique system of link building outreach to build high-quality backlinks.
A common mistake is targeting irrelevant or low-quality blogs, which can hurt your SEO efforts. Proper blogger outreach helps secure dofollow links from trusted, relevant websites, improving your backlink profile and overall SEO performance. You can get in touch with our blogger outreach service to build guest posts and link insertions.
Digital PR creation and publishing is another powerful link building strategy that helps you acquire links from trusted domains.
By performing media outreach and leveraging PR platforms like Connectively, you can build high-quality HARO backlinks. The gradual accumulation of high-value editorial links from high-traffic media sites builds your domain reputation and builds a strong backlink profile.
However, getting backlinks from top media sites by reaching out to journalists is a time-consuming task. So, you should take the help of a professional digital PR service.
Also, you should know when to pitch them and what exactly to include in your message because not all emails are answered. You should only pitch them when they are actively looking for a story. Your suggested news story should match the interest of the journalist to raise your chances of receiving a positive response.
For example, Homebuyer.com created a page for homeowners insurance and transportation costs, and assigned scores to more than 800 cities. The idea was a hit with coverage coming from well-known media publications like Lifehacker, Yahoo, and other local news sites.
Niche edits involve adding links to existing content on relevant, high-authority websites. This method ensures that your backlinks come from content that is already indexed by search engines, making the links highly effective. To do this correctly, work with a reputable link insertion service that specializes in securing niche edits on editorially relevant sites.
The links should be integrated naturally into the existing content, rather than appearing forced or out of place. A key mistake to avoid is securing links from irrelevant or spammy websites, which could negatively affect your rankings. Niche edits help build a clean, authoritative backlink profile by acquiring links from relevant, established sites.
Pitching and writing a guest post is another popular link building tactic. In this link building strategy, you research the highest-quality sites in your industry that are accepting guest contributors. Once you have your list of sites to outreach, prepare a great email outlining why you are the best for them and which topics you care to write for.
Once your application is approved, you submit original and high-quality content on the chosen topic. The content contains a link back to your main site naturally within the content. Remember, the link should not look forced and should be placed naturally. Avoid submitting low-quality or irrelevant articles, as this can damage your reputation and reduce the quality of the backlinks.
After submission, your guest post will be reviewed by the editors, and they will provide a publication date for your content. That’s it! Your article will be published in your chosen domain on the designated date.
Here is an example of a guest post:
When doing guest blogging, you should select a mix of dofollow and nofollow links to keep your backlink profile natural. Also, you should properly mix up your white hat link building efforts and should not rely on just one strategy for link building.
To get the best results, you should partner with a white hat guest posting service that offers link from genuine sites and no PBNs.
You should outsource link acquisition to experts to maintain the highest quality standards for SEO link building. High-quality content creation and manual outreach to reach high-level targets take time, people skills, and knowledge. By outsourcing link building, you obtain a steady flow of natural and high-authority backlinks to grow your organic presence.
Here are the steps to outsource your link building activities:
Clarify your goals by identifying the type of backlinks you need. You can choose between link insertions, blogger outreach, digital PR, and guest blogs. Also, you should have a good idea of link quality factors like domain authority, domain rating, domain traffic, dofollow links, and outbound links. Having a clear strategy ensures you target the right sites to improve your SEO marketing performance.
Choose a reliable managed link building service or a white-label link building provider with an excellent track record. Make sure to view real world case studies and industry-specific customer testimonials to examine their success in securing links from powerful domains. This step is crucial for ensuring you get high-quality links from relevant, not spammy, sites.
Provide your outsourcing partner with detailed criteria for the backlinks, such as the type of content, the DR, DA, and domain trust levels, and any preferences for link placements. Be clear about avoiding bad links that violate Google spam policies and damage your rankings. Keeping your link guidelines upfront helps ensure that you get natural backlinks from relevant sources that support your SEO goals.
Agree on placement fees and a timeline that includes fast turnarounds. Managed link building providers offer different packages based on the number of links, the quality of the sites, and turnaround times. Setting clear expectations around these factors will help you stay within budget and receive timely placements.
As the campaign progresses, monitor the acquired links' relevance and quality. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush can track your backlink profile and check if the acquired links match your desired DA, DR, and domain traffic goals. Be sure to review the placements regularly to ensure they meet your expectations for domain trust and relevance.
After the link building campaign concludes, check whether you have improvements in organic rankings, domain authority, domain rating, page authority, and increase in referral traffic. If necessary, adjust your strategy by refining link targets, outreach methods, or placements based on the feedback and data you collect.
Quality link acquisition is time-consuming, and to build links at scale, you need proven link building techniques and processes. Here are the top-rated link building services that offer Google-friendly backlinks to boost your SEO:
Ready to Start Your Link Building Campaign?
Get in touch with our team of link building superstars. Our white-glove link building service is great for startups, mid-size businesses, and enterprises. We offer high-quality editorial backlinks that help to improve rankings and domain authority. Create your free account to start building links that Google will love
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