⭐ Beginner — No coding experience needed
Backlinks: What They Are and How to Start Building Them
Learn what backlinks are, why they are one of the most important ranking factors in Google, and how to start building them for your site. Step by step for complete beginners.
What you will learn in this guide
- What a backlink is and why Google uses them as a ranking signal
- The difference between a good backlink and a bad one
- What domain authority means and how it is calculated
- How to check how many backlinks your site has
- The safest and most effective ways to start getting backlinks
- What to avoid — link schemes that will get your site penalised
1 What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link from another website pointing to your website. When a blog post on someone else's site links to one of your pages, that is a backlink. Google treats backlinks as votes of confidence — the more credible sites that link to you, the more Google trusts your site.
Think of it this way: If 50 respected people in your industry recommend your work, you are probably good at your job. Backlinks work the same way — they are recommendations from other websites.
2 What makes a backlink valuable?
Not all backlinks are equal. A link from a well-known, trusted website in your industry is worth far more than a link from a low-quality directory no one reads.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Domain authority | Links from high-authority domains pass more ranking power |
| Relevance | A link from a site in your industry is more valuable than an unrelated one |
| Dofollow vs nofollow | Dofollow links pass authority — nofollow links are noted but pass less |
| Anchor text | Descriptive anchor text helps Google understand the context of the link |
| Position on page | Links in the main content are worth more than footer or sidebar links |
3 How to check your backlinks
- 1 Open the Backlink Tools Go to performance-tools.html#backlinks and enter your domain.
- 2 Review your top backlinks The tool shows your top 100 dofollow backlinks ranked by domain authority. Look at which pages on your site attract the most links — these are your strongest pages.
- 3 Check for low quality links If you see links from spammy directories or irrelevant sites, make a note. A large number of low-quality links can hurt rather than help your rankings.
4 How to start getting backlinks
- 1 List your business on reputable directories Google Business Profile, Yell, Yelp, Trustpilot, and industry-specific directories are easy first backlinks that also help local SEO.
- 2 Write genuinely useful content The most reliable way to earn backlinks is to publish content people want to reference — guides, data, tools, or opinions that are genuinely better than what already exists.
- 3 Guest posting on relevant sites Offer to write an article for another site in your industry in exchange for a link back to your site. Focus on quality sites with real audiences, not link farms.
- 4 Reclaim unlinked mentions Search for your brand name online. If you find sites that mention your business without linking to you, contact them and ask them to add a link.
Avoid: Buying links, link exchanges, or paying for inclusion in low-quality directories. These tactics risk a Google penalty that can remove your site from search results entirely.