Backlinks are links from one site to another. To a search engine, such as Google, links are votes of confidence-a linked page is a good, trustworthy page. Quality backlinks will significantly improve the visibility of a website in search results and enable users to find it. But what does a backlink mean, exactly?
For instance, if Harvard Business Review links back to your site from one of their articles, that is a backlink to your website, as it’s another reputable site pointing traffic and authority back to your own. Tools like Ahrefs can allow you to track and analyze your backlinks for intel on your backlink profile to help you improve your link-building strategy.
More significantly, backlinks drive traffic from search engines. The ability to learn how to check and analyze backlinks will let you pay attention to acquiring meaningful links that actually contribute to SEO.
Why Backlinks Matter for SEO
Backlinks are the very foundation of SEO. Google and other search engines find and rank pages due to such links. Several studies report that the more unique domains linking to a website, the higher this website would rank in the search results.
But most importantly, the more links your website has from authoritative sources, the easier search engines will find new pages, raise credibility, and increase the audience of your site and, as a result, organic traffic.
Traits of a Quality Backlink
Not all backlinks are born equal. A few quality links from authoritative sites can frequently have more impact on your ranking than tens of lousy links. At the time of determining the quality of a backlink, Google algorithm considers five and many other factors: authority, relevance, anchor text, placement, and follow/nofollow. Now let’s take a closer look at each of these.
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Authority
More backlinks come from highly authoritative sites, which in turn means that a page with many links from other high-quality sites will have more authority in the eyes of Google and will often help this linked page rank well. For example, links coming from established websites, such as BBC or CNN, have more authority compared to smaller, less-known sites.
Relevance
Relevance is another factor in the equation. Links from sites that relate closely to your industry or content tell Google that your page is relevant, too. An example would be when a link from one plumbing website to another site about home improvement would carry more weight, other things being equal, than from a site that is unrelated.
Anchor Text
Anchor text refers to the words that make up the clickable hyperlink. Search engines use it to understand the content of the linked page. For example, when more and more sites link to your page, using “SEO guide” as the anchor text, then that may be what search engines think your content is related to.
Placement
Where a link appears on a page can also impact its value. Links embedded within the main content are generally more valuable than those in footers or sidebars. This is because users are more likely to click on links in prominent locations, signaling to search engines that the linked page is valuable.
Follow vs. Nofollow Links
A “nofollow” link is a link that tells the search engines not to pass authority to the linked page. In such a way, it is less influential for SEO. But with recent updates, nofollow links have turned more into a kind of “hint” rather than an absolute instruction. That means even nofollow links coming from high-authority sites will continue to be helpful.
Checking Backlinks
Fortunately, checking backlinks to your site is straightforward when using tools such as Google Search Console and Ahrefs. These tools offer invaluable insights into the links pointing to your website.
For example, Google Search Console provides an overview of your site’s backlink profile. By navigating to the “Links” section in the sidebar, you can quickly determine the total number of unique links to your site and identify your top linking domains and pages. While this is an excellent starting point, tools like Ahrefs provide more detailed insights. In my experience, Ahrefs’ Site Explorer can reveal link authority, anchor text, and even the context or placement of the link on a webpage. This additional information allows me to prioritize high-quality links and identify potentially harmful ones.
For instance, I often analyze my site’s backlink profile in Ahrefs to ensure that anchor texts remain relevant and diverse—a factor that prevents over-optimization and maintains credibility in search engines. Other tools, like SEMrush and Moz, can also provide comprehensive backlink data.
How to Check Competitor Backlinks
Analyzing competitor backlinks is an essential tactic for discovering linking opportunities. In my opinion, this is one of the best ways to uncover what works in your industry.
Tools like Ahrefs’ Site Explorer allow you to examine backlinks to competitor sites and gain insights into their linking strategies. For example, I once used Ahrefs to analyze a competitor who dominated the rankings for a keyword I was targeting. By identifying their top referring domains, I found several high-quality sites willing to link to content similar to mine. Through outreach and offering better resources, I successfully earned backlinks from some of the same sites.
Additionally, by using Google Search operators, such as “keyword” AND “write for us”, you can identify guest blogging opportunities linked to your competitors. Reviewing their link profiles often reveals patterns, such as guest posting on industry-specific blogs or collaborations with influencers, which you can replicate or improve upon.
Types of Effective Backlinks
There are several types of backlinks that help with developing authority and driving traffic. Here are some of the most meaningful backlink types:
- Editorial Backlinks: This happens organically when authoritative sites link back to your content as a reference for other useful information. These kinds of links hold great value in terms of SEO.
- Guest Blogging Backlinks: Links to your websites obtained from guest posting on relevant reputed sites.
- Business Profile Backlinks: Links you get by creating profiles in trusted business directories; these can help establish authority for your site.
- Embedded Asset Links: Backlinks earned when other websites embed assets from your website, including but not limited to calculators, badges, and infographics.
How to Build Backlinks
Building backlinks is an intentional process that requires strategic effort. Below, I outline four key methods that I’ve found highly effective:
- Manual Backlink Building: Listing your website in relevant, high-quality directories is a straightforward way to start. For example, local businesses can benefit from listings in directories like Google Business Profile, Yellow Pages, or niche-specific directories. Avoid spammy directories, as they can harm your site’s credibility.
- Request Backlinks: This involves reaching out to site owners and proposing mutually beneficial collaborations. In my opinion, methods like the broken link-building strategy are especially effective. For instance, I once identified a broken link on a high-authority blog, pitched my resource as a replacement, and successfully gained the backlink.
- Another powerful approach is the skyscraper technique. Create content that is better, more comprehensive, or more engaging than what’s currently ranking. For example, I improved upon a popular “SEO checklist” post by adding fresh insights, actionable steps, and downloadable templates. Outreach to sites linking to the original post resulted in multiple new backlinks.
- Create Link-Worthy Content: High-quality, unique content often attracts backlinks organically. I recommend focusing on comprehensive guides, unique research, or visually appealing content like infographics. For instance, BuzzSumo’s research shows that posts with infographics are shared 3x more often than text-based content, increasing the likelihood of earning backlinks.
- Avoid Bad Backlinks: Poor-quality backlinks, such as those from irrelevant or spammy websites, can harm your SEO efforts. Tools like Google’s Disavow Tool allow you to neutralize harmful backlinks. A good rule of thumb is to always prioritize quality over quantity.
Linking Pitfalls to Avoid
Not all backlinks are useful, just like not all of them are actually valuable. Links from “bad neighborhoods,” those which may be spammy sites, paid link schemes, or private blog networks, may hurt your site’s search engine optimization. Such manipulative linking practices lead to the penalty of sites by Google. Therefore, obtain natural links of quality to avoid such penalties.
How to Effectively Analyze Backlinks
Effectively analyzing backlinks should not be about the number but rather the quality. Below are things to look at:
- Follow Status: Determine which links pass authority-followed links- versus those that don’t-nofollowed.
- Backlink Placement: Links within the main content are generally more valuable.
- Domain Authority and Traffic: Links coming from high-traffic and authoritative sites carry more SEO value.
Using one of many backlink analysis tools, you can filter your backlinks based on attributes to identify all those links which constitute your SEO goals.
Type of Backlinks: Quick Guide
Below is a quick summary of the types of backlinks and their impact on SEO performance:
- Editorial Backlinks: Highly authoritative, naturally earned links from prestigious sources that ensure more SEO and traffic.
- Guest Blogging Backlinks: Links acquired with the help of guest blogging on relevant websites.
- Profile Backlinks: Links from business listing sites that help in local SEO and credibility.
- Public Speaking Links: Links from the websites of event organizers contribute to your authority in your niche.
- Embedded Asset Links: Ongoing backlinks won when other people embed your calculators, badges, and awards on their site.
Poor quality backlinks-spammy forums, paid link schemes, and automated links-increase the likelihood of hurting your SEO.
Conclusion
In other words, backlinks are crucial in a viable SEO strategy that will enable the search engines to gauge relevance, authority, and trust in your site. Quality backlink building through real and proper tactics may do much in giving a boost to improving your site’s rankings and organic traffic. You constantly analyze output with relevant link building that is driven by authority to make sure there is long-term SEO success.