Every time another website links to one of your pages, it sends two things your way: people who click, and a signal that search engines can read. Those inbound links are called backlinks, and they have been part of how Google understands the web since the day it launched. In 2026, with AI Overviews and AI Mode changing what a results page looks like, links still matter. They help Google discover your pages, understand what they are about and judge how much other sites trust them.
The trouble is that "get more backlinks" is the most abused advice in SEO. Plenty of the links people chase are worthless, and some can get a site penalised. This guide covers what a backlink actually is, how Google uses links, which links are worth having, and practical ways to earn them without breaking Google's rules.
If you are new to the topic, read it top to bottom. If you already know the basics, jump to the comparison table of link types or the step-by-step plan for earning your first quality links.
Key Takeaways
- A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Google uses links to find pages and as one input into its ranking systems, including PageRank.
- Quality beats quantity. A relevant editorial link from a trusted site is worth more than hundreds of directory or comment links.
- Buying links, large-scale link exchanges and automated link building are link spam under Google's spam policies.
- Paid or sponsored links are fine for advertising, but they must carry
rel="sponsored"orrel="nofollow". - The most reliable way to get backlinks is to publish things worth citing, then tell the right people about them.
What is a backlink?
A backlink (also called an inbound link or incoming link) is a hyperlink on someone else's website that points to a page on yours. If a food blog links to your recipe page, that link is a backlink for you and an outbound link for the blog.
Every backlink has a few parts worth knowing:
- Source page – the page where the link lives.
- Target URL – the page on your site it points to.
- Anchor text – the clickable words. Our guide to anchor text in SEO covers this in depth.
- Link attributes – such as
rel="nofollow",rel="sponsored"orrel="ugc", which tell Google how to treat the link.
Links between pages on your own site are internal links, not backlinks. They matter too, and you can learn how to use them well in our guide to internal linking for SEO.
Why backlinks matter for SEO
1. Discovery
Google's crawler moves around the web by following links. Google says so plainly in its starter guide:
“Google primarily finds pages through links from other pages it already crawled.”
— Google Search Central, SEO Starter Guide
A brand-new page with no links pointing to it can still be found through a sitemap, but links make discovery faster and more reliable.
2. Ranking signals
Google's own documentation on its ranking systems confirms that it has systems that understand how pages link to each other, and that PageRank, the link-analysis system Google launched with, "continues to be part of our core ranking systems" (Google ranking systems guide). Google does not publish weights, so nobody outside Google can say exactly how much links count.
Independent studies point the same way. Backlinko's analysis of 11.8 million Google results found that the number one result had an average of 3.8x more backlinks than positions 2–10 (Backlinko). Ahrefs found a "clear correlation" between the number of sites linking to a page and its search traffic, while noting that correlation does not prove causation (Ahrefs).
3. Referral traffic and trust
A link in a well-read article sends real visitors, and some of them become customers. Being cited by respected sites also builds the kind of reputation that supports E-E-A-T and helps your brand show up when people, and AI assistants, look for trustworthy sources. Our guide to getting cited in Google AI Overviews explains how authority feeds into AI search.
Types of backlinks compared
Not all links are created equal. The table below shows the common types and what they are typically worth.
| Link type | Example | Typical SEO value | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial link | A journalist cites your survey in a news story | High | None |
| Resource or reference link | A university guide links to your free calculator | High | None |
| Guest post author link | Your bio on an industry blog links to your site | Low to medium | High if done at scale with keyword anchors |
| Business profile / citation | Chamber of commerce or industry association listing | Low to medium (useful locally) | Low |
| Sponsored link (rel="sponsored") | Paid placement in a newsletter or event page | Little or no ranking value | None if qualified correctly |
| UGC link (rel="ugc") | Forum post or blog comment | Very low | Spam if you post optimised links |
| Paid link without qualification | Buying a "dofollow" link on a blog | Can be ignored or penalised | High – violates spam policies |
Local businesses get a lot of value from citations and community links. If that is you, see our guide to local citations.
What makes a backlink valuable?
When SEOs evaluate a link, they look at a handful of factors. None of them are official Google metrics, but they line up with what Google says it rewards.
| Factor | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | The linking site covers your topic or industry | Relevant links make sense to readers and to Google |
| Authority and trust | A real site with its own audience and links | Links from trusted sites carry more weight |
| Editorial placement | In the main body of content, not a footer or sidebar | Shows a real person chose to cite you |
| Anchor text | Descriptive and natural, not keyword-stuffed | Helps Google understand the target page |
| Link attributes | Followed links pass ranking signals; nofollow/sponsored/ugc are hints | Determines how Google treats the link |
| Traffic | The linking page gets real visitors | Real traffic means real referral clicks |
Links Google treats as spam
Google's spam policies are explicit about this:
“Link spam is the practice of creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings.”
— Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search
The policy lists examples, including:
- Buying or selling links for ranking purposes, including exchanging goods or services for links.
- Excessive link exchanges ("link to me and I'll link to you").
- Using automated programs or services to create links.
- Guest posts, advertorials or press releases with optimised anchor text links.
- Low-quality directory or bookmark links, and keyword-rich links in widgets or site footers.
Google does accept that paid links are a normal part of advertising, as long as they are marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" (Google: qualify outbound links). If you have an old link profile full of risky links, read our guide to toxic backlinks and the disavow tool before you do anything drastic. We also explain the difference between white-hat and black-hat SEO agencies if you are evaluating providers.
How to get backlinks: a step-by-step plan
Here is a simple, safe process for a site that has few or no quality links today.
- Check what you already have. Open the Links report in Google Search Console to see your top linking sites, linked pages and anchor text.
- Study your competitors. See which sites link to the businesses that outrank you. Our guide to competitor backlink analysis walks through the process.
- Create one linkable asset. Original data, a free tool, a template or a definitive guide on a narrow topic gives people a reason to cite you.
- Find the right people. List journalists, bloggers and resource-page owners who already write about that topic.
- Reach out personally. Send a short, specific email that explains why your resource helps their readers.
- Fix lost and broken links. Recover links that point to dead pages on your site with 301 redirects, and use broken link building to replace dead links on other sites.
- Repeat and measure. Track referring domains, referral traffic and rankings for the pages you promoted.
For a wider menu of tactics, see our full guide to link building strategies that work in 2026, and for bigger media wins, our guide to digital PR for SEO.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Chasing numbers. Fifty spammy links rarely help as much as one link from a respected site in your field.
- Buying "dofollow" links. It breaks Google's spam policies and can lead to links being ignored or a manual action.
- Over-optimised anchor text. Hundreds of links that all say "best plumber London" look manufactured.
- Ignoring relevance. A link from an unrelated casino blog does nothing for a dental clinic.
- Linking to weak pages. If the page you promote is thin or outdated, nobody will want to cite it.
- Panic-disavowing. Google says most sites never need the disavow tool. Random low-quality links are usually just ignored.
Related Guides
- Link Building Strategies That Work in 2026
- Broken Link Building: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Digital PR for SEO: How to Earn High-Authority Links
Frequently Asked Questions
Are backlinks still important in 2026?
Yes. Google still uses links to discover pages, and its documentation confirms PageRank remains part of its core ranking systems. Links are one signal among many, so they work best alongside helpful content and a sound technical setup.
How many backlinks do I need to rank?
There is no fixed number. It depends on how competitive the keyword is and how strong the pages already ranking are. Compare the referring domains of the top results to get a realistic target.
Do nofollow links help SEO?
Google treats nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints rather than strict rules, so they usually pass little or no ranking value. They can still send referral traffic and brand exposure, which is worth having.
Is it safe to buy backlinks?
Buying links that pass ranking credit violates Google's spam policies. Paying for advertising is fine if the links are marked rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
How can I see who links to my site?
Use the Links report in Google Search Console for a free sample of your backlinks. Third-party tools such as Semrush, Ahrefs or Bing Webmaster Tools give a wider view.
Conclusion
Backlinks are still one of the clearest ways the web vouches for your content. Focus on earning relevant, editorial links with genuinely useful pages, keep paid placements properly labelled, and measure what each link brings in. If you would rather have experts build a safe, sustainable link profile for you, explore our SEO services or get a free quote today.
References
- Google Search Central – SEO Starter Guide
- Google Search Central – Spam policies for Google web search
- Google Search Central – A guide to Google Search ranking systems
- Google Search Central – Qualify your outbound links
- Backlinko – We Analyzed 11.8 Million Google Search Results
- Ahrefs – 96.55% of Content Gets No Traffic From Google
- Semrush – What are backlinks in SEO & how do I get them?
