In search engine optimisation (SEO), backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors, which makes them central to any SEO strategy. Here is what backlinks are and how to earn them for your site.
What are backlinks?
Backlinks are links from other websites to pages on your site. They sit in anchor text on other websites and send traffic to your site when users click on them.
Why do backlinks matter?
Backlinks play a big part in helping your website perform better in search results.
They build your site's authority
First, backlinks help build trust and authority for your website, the part of the work that happens off the site rather than on it. When another website links to one of your pages, it acts as a "vote" of confidence that marks your page as a reliable source of information.
When these "votes" come from trustworthy and authoritative websites, they help increase your website's authority. They signal to Google that your website can be trusted, which leads Google to rank it higher. If a trusted site links to yours, it tells Google that your site is probably trustworthy too.
They bring traffic
Backlinks also send relevant traffic to your website. When websites link to your content, they place the links on pages about similar topics. For example, if a site links to your list of pest control tips, it will most likely put that link on a page that also covers pest control.
That means the traffic from those pages is already interested in what you offer.
Overall, earning SEO backlinks is a good way to build your website's trust and authority in your industry. It sends Google a positive signal that your site is a reliable source of information, which helps your rankings in search results.
They improve rankings
PageRank is one of Google's most important ranking factors and the reason sites with a stronger backlink profile rank higher in search results (and find it easier to rank for competitive keywords).
A deep, trustworthy backlink profile lets your site rank higher in search results. Better rankings bring more traffic and support your business goals, such as lead generation or sales from organic search.
What makes a good backlink?
When you start working on link building, you need to know how to recognise a good backlink.
Here are five key components of a good SEO backlink:
1. The link comes from a trustworthy website
A core part of backlink SEO is that the link comes from a trustworthy website.
Keep this in mind: not every backlink is a good backlink.
Low-quality backlinks are known as toxic backlinks. They come from websites with low domain authority scores and may be spam sites. Websites with low domain trust scores are not considered reliable.
That lack of trust can rub off on your website. If only low-quality, untrustworthy websites link to you, Google may conclude that your site could be untrustworthy as well.
That is why you want backlinks from trustworthy websites. They raise your site's credibility and, with it, your rankings. Check the quality of your backlinks with a backlink checker tool.
2. The link is related to your page or website
A good backlink is related to the page it points to or to your website. Backlinks should be related to your business, which helps build trust in your business within that industry.
If you ran a food business, you would want backlinks from companies in the food industry. A backlink from a well-known food brand would add value and trust to your website.
A backlink from a construction company would not carry the same value, even if its website had high authority.
Your backlinks need to be relevant to your pages, your business and your industry to help your rankings.
3. The link uses the keyword as anchor text
Another key element of SEO backlinks is the anchor text. Anchor text is the word or phrase carrying the hyperlink on a web page that points to your business. It gives a preview of what is on the page.
With backlinks, you want the anchor text to be relevant to your page. For example, a newsletter that links to a downloadable guide with the anchor text "ecommerce guide 2025" tells readers exactly what they will find when they click: a page where they can download the guide.
That anchor text gives an accurate preview of the page. Appropriate anchor text helps Google recognise what your page is about and rank it accordingly.
4. The link comes from a new website
One of the biggest myths about link building is that getting more links from the same authoritative website is the best way to improve SEO.
In practice, backlinks from new websites carry more value than repeat backlinks from the same website. The first backlink you get from a website is worth the most: later backlinks from that same site are not worth as much.
A diverse backlink profile helps build trust and authority. It shows Google that several authoritative sources vouch for your website, which has more impact than one site linking to you many times.
Do not be misled, though: quality still matters more than quantity. A diverse backlink profile helps, but quality counts most. Make sure that the first backlink from each new site comes from an authoritative one.
5. The link is follow
When you get a backlink from a website, check that it is a "follow" link. Follow links are the ones that pass trust and authority to your website.
If a backlink is a "nofollow" link, the linking site's authority is not passed to your site. In other words, the website is telling Google not to count the backlink as a vote of confidence in you. Competitors may use this tactic when they want to mention you without passing on authority.
A good backlink is a follow link, and it helps pass trust and authority to your website.
How to earn backlinks
If you are ready to start building backlinks, here are some tips. This is how you can earn more authoritative backlinks for your website:
1. Create high-quality, informative content
The best way to earn SEO backlinks is to create high-quality content: content that is informative and useful to whoever reads it.
When your content contains quality information, it attracts interested visitors. If someone from an authoritative website visits your page and likes what they find, they will link to your site naturally.
Informative, useful content is the foundation for earning backlinks for your business.
2. Look for broken links on other websites
One way to earn backlinks is to find broken links on authoritative websites. Broken links hurt SEO because they stop both people and bots in their tracks. Many website owners do not even know they have broken links on their site.
You can take the opportunity to point out the broken link, then suggest your relevant article as a replacement.
This technique can help you win extra backlinks for your website.
3. Try guest posting
Another good option for building backlinks is guest posting: writing content to be published on another company's website.
When you write a guest post, make sure it goes on a website that fits your niche. You can then use the opportunity to link to your website and bring in traffic relevant to your industry.
4. Use link building tools
There are plenty of tools that help you analyse your backlinks and your competitors', so you can earn better-qualified links. Among the best link building tools are Ahrefs and Semrush.
Use them to focus and simplify your link building work.
5. Create unique content with proprietary data
The internet is saturated with content, including AI-generated content. Whether your content gets discovered (and linked to) depends on the quality and originality of your page. That is why content built on proprietary data works well.
For example, you can create content with proprietary data by:
- Running a survey
- Analysing internal data
- Benchmarking competitors' performance.
This kind of content takes time to produce, but AI can speed up the process. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and others offer data analysis for exactly this. Upload your data (for instance as a CSV file) and let the AI process it.
Improve your SEO with quality backlinks
Backlinks are a core SEO ranking factor because they strengthen your website's authority and bring relevant traffic. High-quality backlinks tell search engines that your site is trustworthy and deserves to rank higher.
Ready to improve your backlink strategy? Our SEO services can help you create quality content, find broken link opportunities and run effective guest posting campaigns. Get in touch to find out how we can improve your backlink profile and support your SEO work.
