Backlinks have always been the foundation of search engines, ever since Larry Page and Sergey Brin created the PageRank algorithm 28 years ago, as per the history of Google.
The founders of Google were inspired by academic citation analysis and had a hypothesis that pages with the most links to them from other highly relevant web pages must be the most relevant pages associated with the given search.
Since 2003 Google officially announced 63 core updates aimed at improving the quality of search results, and with them, the position of backlinks has changed and evolved. Still, backlinks are never “dead”.
In this in-depth guide, you will learn more about high-quality backlinks, techniques, and best practices for getting the most out of link-building efforts.
What are backlinks?
Backlinks are hyperlinks placed on one website that point to another website’s page.
In terms of SEO, they function as “votes of confidence” from one site to another, signaling to search engines that other websites consider your content valuable and authoritative.
Nowadays, the average bounce rate (the number of people who leave your website after interacting with the page they landed on first) is between 26-70%. Therefore, linking to another website instead of your own (internal link) means the website has something worth your audience’s time and click.
A proper backlink should usually lead to:
- A product page discussed in the original web page
- More information about the term/statistics in the original page
- Downloadable resources mentioned in the original page
- Homepage of the brand mentioned in the original page
When high-quality websites link to your content, search engines interpret this as a sign of credibility, which can improve your website’s ranking in search results.
For example, a respected pet blog links to your article about dog obesity using an HTML like;
<a href=”https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/obesity-in-dogs”>50% of dogs”</a>
Source: Dogster
The value of backlinks varies based on the linking site’s authority, relevance, and the context in which the link appears, which we will elaborate on later in this guide.
Internal link vs. external link vs. backlink
The three most popular types of links are internal, external, and backlinks:
- Backlinks: When an external website points to your website with a hyperlink, you can say“ I got a backlink”. These are incoming links that build your backlink profile and signal to search engines that other websites consider your content relevant and authoritative for their audience.
- External links: When you use a hyperlink that points from your website to a different website domain, you call these links “external” or “outgoing”. External links are typically used to provide additional context, reference sources, or offer readers supplementary information, contributing to the backlink profile of that external website. External links serve to boost content credibility when linking to authoritative sources.
- Internal links: Marketers use internal links to connect one page to another page within the same website domain: a link from your blog post to your product page. Internal links help users navigate your website, and distribute page authority among relevant pages.
Why are backlinks important in SEO?
In Google’s ecosystem, backlinks function as a form of “recommendations”, serving as “objective” signals of a website’s credibility.
To get higher rankings and increase organic traffic, marketers and website owners spend a lot of time working on their website’s content, UX, and design. Backlinks “work” behind the scenes, and play a part in increasing website authority, traffic, and rankings.
Google’s PageRank algorithm, crafted by Larry Page and Sergey Brin and patented in 2001, introduced this new concept of treating web links like academic citations.
Source: U.S. Patent US7058628B1
Their fundamental pillar is: not all links are equal. A recommendation from a respected source carries far more weight than a link from a questionable website, prompting a new method of how search engines understand and rank digital content.
The link-based methodology opened the door for SEO metrics like Moz’s Domain Authority. Moz recognized that link quality could be mathematically quantified, and invented Domain Authority, so digital marketers and website owners can understand and predict search performance through a link profile analysis.
Just as PageRank used links as a ranking signal, Moz developed a machine learning-based metric that could analyze multiple linking factors to estimate a website’s potential search performance.
Their crawler, Dotbot, was explicitly designed to mimic search engine crawling techniques, examining link quantity and the nuanced quality of those connections.
Additionally, within Google’s contemporary E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines, backlinks aren’t just ranking signals but comprehensive quality indicators.
“E- E- A-T is a template for how we rate an individual site. We do it to every single query and every single result. It’s pervasive throughout every single thing we do.” Hyung-Jin Kim, VP of Search, Google, SMX Next 2022
Backlinks serve as external validation of a website’s credibility, with search algorithms evaluating not just the quantity of links, but their contextual relevance, the linking domain’s reputation, and the thematic alignment between the linked and linking content.
Therefore, backlinks play a major part in “A (authoritativeness)”, since citations, backlinks, and mentions from relevant authority sites position the website as an expert and trusted source.
Here are three examples of how backlinks affect SEO:
a) Higher rankings
The ranking boost from backlinks demonstrates how Google uses external validation.
A link from a reputable website suggests to search algorithms that the content is valuable, trustworthy, and worth recommending.
Consequently, Google sees the website’s content as a better answer to the search intent when compared to other results, and displays it among the top results.
This is particularly impactful when links come from domains with high authority in your specific niche, as they carry more algorithmic weight. Here is the SERP for the keyword “easy tacos recipe”, showing higher rankings for websites with more backlinks:
The Upperranks case study proves that backlinks have a huge effect on rankings. Their team launched a brand new website and focused only on content for a year.
By the end of the year their website ranked for zero keywords, so they started building links.
The following year they built 103 links from relevant websites (DR 30-50+), and as a result, the website ranked for 9,631 keywords:
- 2,245 keywords ranking on page one
- 1,199 keywords ranking in the top five results
Source: The Upperranks case study
b) Increased organic & referral traffic
Organic traffic generation happens through two primary mechanisms: direct referral traffic and improved search engine visibility.
A high-quality backlink from a relevant website immediately exposes your content to that site’s existing audience, potentially sending targeted visitors directly to your pages.
After launching a high-scale outreach campaign for their motorsport store client, SaffronEdge’s case study reveals that new users from referral traffic increased by 180.91% while new users from organic traffic increased by 30.38%.
Simultaneously, while backlinks help you tap into new audiences they signal to search engines that your content is valuable, which can dramatically improve your search rankings, and thus open the door for more traffic.
Chris Tzitzis built 53 backlinks for a client’s site in the business/government niche, in 4 months. The website was small (15 pages max), had high-quality content,26 referring domains, and DR 1.7.
Chris worked on different backlink types, from guest posts to social signals and direct links.
After 4 months, the client’s website saw a traffic increase of about 2,000% (160 to 3,337).
Source: The Sirlinksalot case study
d) Faster crawling and indexing
When a website links to another site, it creates a direct pathway for search engine bots to follow, like a roadmap to new pages and content bots might not have found otherwise. Google “prioritizes” and crawls websites that it’s familiar with, more often.
Let’s say a popular vet blog links to a new pet shop’s product page.
When Google’s crawler (Googlebot) visits the well-known vet blog, it will automatically discover and follow the link to the pet shop’s website.
Without this backlink, the crawler might take significantly longer to find and index the pet shop’s page, especially if the site has limited internal linking or is new to the web.
This is called “link discovery.”
Each backlink acts like a signpost, telling search engines not just about the existence of a new page, but also providing context about its potential relevance and importance.
Consequently, link discovery prompts the indexing process, helping new or updated content appear in search results faster.
Attributes of high-quality backlinks
Not all backlinks are equal in the eyes of Google, as the quality of a backlink far outweighs its quantity.
A single backlink from a high-authority, topically relevant website is more valuable than dozens of links from low-quality, unrelated sites, as Google representatives have stated:
“We try to understand what is relevant for a website, and how much should we weigh these individual links, as the total number of links doesn’t matter at all. Because you could go off and create millions of links across millions of websites if you wanted to, and we could just ignore them all.
While one really good link from one website out there, that is, for us, a really important sign that we should treat this website as something that is relevant because it has that one link. I don’t know, maybe from like a big news site’s home page, for example.” John Mueller on Google Search Central.
But what exactly are the attributes of high-quality links?
Website authority and topical relevancy
When checking a website for a backlink opportunity, you need to make sure it has good website authority and topical relevancy.
An authoritative, popular, and trustworthy website typically checks these boxes:
Has an online presence (usually 3-5+ years)
Posts consistent, high-quality content
Has a large, engaged audience
Does regular content updates
Is cited by other reputable sources
Shows clear expertise in a specific domain
Has a professional design and a good user experience
Is transparent about authorship and credentials
Does Google care about website authority and topical relevancy? Here is what their representative said, when asked if they used DA (domain authority):
“I don’t know if I’d call it authority like that, but we do have some metrics that are more on a site level, some metrics that are more on a page level, and some of those site-wide level metrics might kind of map into similar things” John Muller for SearchLove.
John insinuated that they don’t use DA per se (a metric by Moz) but have their own system that is based on several similar metrics.
Since we can’t crack Google’s exact system, these popular SEO metrics for website authority and topical relevancy can guide us in the right direction:
- Domain Authority (DA), by Moz, offers a comprehensive prediction of a website’s ranking potential on a scale from 1 to 100, based on the total link profile.
- Page Authority (PA) goes down to the individual page level, assessing the specific ranking potential of a single webpage on a scale from 1 to 100, based on the page-level link metrics (total number of backlinks to the page, link diversity, etc).
- Citation Flow (CF) and Trust Flow (TF), developed by Majestic, work together to provide a full view of a website’s link profile. Citation Flow measures the sheer quantity of links, while Trust Flow evaluates their quality. The score ranges from 1 to 100, and they are based on factors such as proximity to trusted websites, editorial link placements, total number of backlinks, etc.
- The Website Popularity Rank (WPR) by Tranco, measures roughly the popularity of one domain when compared to other relevant websites, and the score is based on page views, unique visitors, etc.
An important thing to notice is that very often these metrics will show entirely different scores for the same website:
Source: Xamsor case study
That is why it is important to know and measure all of them, and not strictly rely on one.
Is it worth your time?
A really good example of the importance of domain authority is a website in the healthcare IT niche, which had a low DA and low visibility. Digital Third Coast needed to raise the Client’s DA to improve their organic visibility with strategies such as website migration and link building from top-tier media sites.
After implementing these strategies, the client’s website had a 76% increase in DA in a matter of months, consequently, their average keyword ranking improved by 96%.
A backlink from the client site is worth so much more now than it did before these updates.
Source: Digital Third Coast case study
You can easily track all the metrics mentioned above and the whole backlink profile with Mangools SiteProfiler:
Insert a website link, and you will see DA/PA & CF/TF, and WRP of the website right away: number of referring domains pointing to it, no. of backlinks, backlink profile, etc.
Scroll down to the “backlink profile) and see the number of referring domains pointing to it, no. of active/lost backlinks, dofollow links, anchors, and so much more.
Quality and relevancy of the page
After evaluating the website authority, next in line is the page you want to place your link.
When Google evaluates a backlink, it looks deeply at the specific page linking to your content, not just the overall website domain.
A high-quality backlink comes from a page that is topically relevant to your content, meaning it shares similar subject matter, speaks to a comparable audience, and operates within the same or adjacent industry vertical/niche.
For example, a fitness blog receiving a link from a nutrition website or a professional sports training site carries significantly more weight than a link from an unrelated, generic website.
The true value of a backlink lies in its contextual relevance and the linking page’s own authority. Google’s algorithms analyze the specific page’s keyword rankings, its backlink profile, and the semantic proximity to your content.
This means that a link from a page already ranking well for relevant keywords, with its own strong network of quality backlinks, provides much more SEO value.
How exactly does Google measure backlink quality and relevancy?
Using the Google Surfer patent , it understands web link interactions that go far beyond traditional link counting.
This patent simulates how a real user might navigate through web content, considering the contextual relationships between pages rather than treating links as simple, isolated connections.
It evaluates links based on their topical proximity and thematic alignment, essentially understanding the semantic web beyond mere hyperlink connections.
Topic-Sensitive PageRank builds upon this concept, by not treating all links equally, as links from topically relevant pages carry significantly more weight.
In TSPR, heavily connected pages bearing little to no topical relevance with the given search query will be given a low score for a certain topic, while pages with few incoming links, but from related sites, will be given a much higher score.
For example, let’s compare the original PageRank formula vs. TSPR for a site about pet care. The page may transfer a strong PageRank to another page about traveling, whether related to pet care or not.
On the other hand, the application of TSPR to the same page would not transfer as much PageRank to the traveling page, as it would to a page about an airline’s pet policy.
To measure a page’s quality and relevancy, use our KWFinder (search by domain) to check the ranking performance of the URL:
Additionaly, evaluate the backlink profile of the page via SiteProfiler.
Anchor text of the backlink
The anchor text your link will be associated with is as important as the link itself.
Google’s perception of anchor texts plays a major part in understanding the contextual significance of link descriptions, tracing way back to their original anchor text patent developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Overall, the anchor text should provide a semantic “label” or description of the linked content, so search engines get a concise textual signal about the destination page’s relevance and topic.
In the original patent, Google recognized that anchor texts are essentially human-written descriptions that provide meaningful context about a page’s content.
Unlike algorithmic page descriptions, anchor texts are created by actual users who manually link between pages, representing a form of organic categorization.
This made anchor texts an incredibly valuable signal for understanding page relevance, as they represent real-world, user-generated metadata about web content.
While exact-match anchor texts were once highly valued, the current approach prevents manipulation by looking for natural variation, contextual relevance, and diverse anchor text profiles.
Since the Penguin algorithm overly aggressive exact-match anchor texts trigger spam filters and are considered “black-hat link-building” techniques.
Google now assesses anchor texts holistically, considering factors like:
- Semantic relevance to linked content
- Natural language variations
- Context of the surrounding text
- Overall link neighborhood characteristics
The goal is to understand the genuine, meaningful connection between the linking and linked pages, preventing artificial link optimization while rewarding genuine, contextually appropriate connections.
Check the anchor text profiles of a webpage with SiteProfiler:
Dofollow backlink
Make sure that all your links have the “dofllow” attribute, otherwise, you won’t get much value from them.
Backlinks are most valuable when they are “dofollow” links, which pass link equity (ranking power) from the source page to the destination page. A “nofollow” link, conversely, includes an HTML attribute that instructs search engines not to follow the link or transfer ranking credit.
Websites might use nofollow links in several scenarios to protect their own link profile and maintain editorial integrity:
- User-generated content platforms (like blog comments or forum posts) where links could be added by anyone
- Paid or sponsored content where ethical guidelines require marking commercial links
- Linking to potentially unreliable or unverified sources
- Preventing potential manipulation of search rankings
Wikipedia uses nofollow links for all external references to prevent contributors from artificially boosting website rankings through their platform.
Check the dofollow/nofollow links ratio of any page easily with SiteProfiler:
Types of backlink attributes
Apart from the nofollow attribute, there are two more you should be aware of: UGC (user generated content) and sponsored.
In 2005, Google introduced the “nofollow” attribute as an initial solution to combat comment spam and manipulative link-building practices
As link ecosystems became more complex, Google refined its approach.
In 2019, they introduced two additional attributes to provide more granular context: “UGC” and “sponsored” attributes.
The UGC attribute specifically marks links created by users in comments, forum posts, and other non-editorial content.
The “sponsored” attribute identifies links created as part of advertisements, sponsorships, or paid placements.
With these attributes, website owners and search engines can differentiate between editorially endorsed links and those created through commercial or user-generated interactions.
The practical impact on SEO was significant. Instead of completely nullifying the link value like the original nofollow attribute, these new attributes allow search engines to:
- Understand link context more precisely
- Prevent link spam
- Maintain transparency in link ecosystems
- Provide more nuanced ranking signals
For example, a product review with a sponsored link now has a clear attribute indicating its commercial nature, whereas a genuine user comment can be distinguished through the UGC attribute.
This approach has moved link evaluation beyond the binary “follow/nofollow” decisions to a more contextual understanding of link relationships.
Domain uniqueness
Search engines like Google place considerable value on the diversity of linking domains, viewing them as a measure of a website’s credibility and authority.
A backlink from a new domain introduces fresh link equity and signals to search algorithms that multiple independent sources find the content valuable.
Consequently, the number of domains linking to a page correlated with rankings.
According to Internet Marketing Ninja’s case study: 96.3% of the sites ranked in the top 10 have over 1,000 unique domain backlinks, proving that domain uniqueness plays an important role.
Position of the backlink
Search engines evaluate the context and placement of backlinks to assess their relevance and authenticity.
The older Google patent mentioned that content surrounding the link might be analyzed to understand the context of the link:
Source: Google patent
A backlink positioned naturally within a comprehensive article or paragraph that discusses related topics signals to search engines that the link is editorially placed and genuinely valuable.
Conversely, links in footers, sidebars, or unrelated content sections are typically viewed as less meaningful and may be given minimal SEO significance.
For example, let’s use a technology blog writing about cybersecurity trends. A backlink to a network security software company would be considered high-value when:
- Positioned mid-paragraph within a detailed discussion about cybersecurity trends
- Surrounded by technical content explaining network protection strategies
- Contextually integrated as a natural reference to a relevant solution
In contrast, the same backlink placed in a website’s random sidebar or the section about “what is cybersecurity” would be considered less important, since it lacks contextual relevance and appears more like a generic advertisement than a meaningful recommendation.
Relevancy and usefulness of the backlink
Google’s algorithms have become better at evaluating link naturalness and purpose. They can detect whether a link is genuinely helpful or artificially inserted. This means the link should:
- Naturally flow within the content
- Provide additional context or valuable information
- Be placed in a section where it logically makes sense
- Offer genuine supplementary insight to the reader
The destination URL’s relevance is equally important.
Google assesses not just the linking page, but the specific URL being linked to, ensuring it matches the contextual discussion.
A link should point to a page that directly relates to the surrounding content, providing clear, additional value to the reader.
For example, in a technical article about machine learning, a link to a specific research paper or detailed technical explanation would be considered high-quality, whereas a generic or unrelated link to a food blog would be perceived as manipulative.
Attributes of toxic backlinks
Toxic backlinks are links intentionally created to manipulate search rankings rather than provide genuine value to users. These are deliberate attempts to game Google’s ranking system by artificially inflating a website’s perceived authority and relevance.
A toxic link “here and there” will be ignored by Google.
However, Google has spam policies and algorithms that detect and penalize extensive manipulative link-building practices and other black-hat techniques such as domain abuse, hacked content, or cloaking.
As for toxic backlinks, if Google notices them, it can:
- Trigger manual actions against your website
- Cause significant ranking demotions
- Potentially remove your site from search results entirely
Toxic backlink types:
- Paid links: Exchanging money, goods, or services for links designed to manipulate search rankings
- Hidden links: Embedding links in ways not visible to users (tiny characters, white text on white background)
- Comment spam: Inserting links in forum comments or blog posts purely for ranking manipulation
- Automated link creation: Using programs or services to generate links artificially
- Private blog network (PBN) links: Creating multiple websites specifically to generate backlinks
- Spammy websites: Websites only used as “link farms” that don’t have any value for readers
- Generic/spammy/misleading anchor texts: Misrepresenting what users will find when clicking a link
How to check and analyze backlinks?
To see whether the website and page have good backlink quality make sure to check the website’s DA, PA, CF, TF WPR, anchor texts, referring domains, traffic & ranking keywords.
All of these metrics are important since “modern” link farms can have a considerable amount of traffic, and a good DA, while the keywords they rank for and anchor texts they use are irrelevant and spammy.
Numbers can be artificially boosted, so it is important to judge the quality of the website based on factors that reveal the nature and quality of the links.
With the following tools, you can easily see the backlink profile of any website:
Google Search Console
With Google Search Console (GSC) you can check the backlink data for websites you have access to, therefore it can’t reveal information about other websites.
For your websites, you can check the top linked pages, top linking sites, and anchor texts in the “Links” section in the left menu.
For top linking pages you will find the total number of backlinks to your pages, and you can analyze whether those backlinks are to important pages such as a product page, homepage, or a data report.
In the top linking sites section, you can see which websites link to you, which is important for tracking whether important niche sites or toxic sites link to you.
Finally, in the top linking text section you can take a glimpse at all the anchor texts websites use when linking to you, and notice if they are repetitive, spammy, over-optimized, etc.
Mangools SiteProfiler
With SiteProfiler by Mangools you can check the most important metrics for site authority:
You can also view the full backlink profile of any website during a period of time, which is great for evaluating quality.
Finally, you can get a detailed view of all the anchor texts used on a particular website, alongside type, RD, total, and share percentage.
Mangools LinkMiner
With LinkMiner by Mangools, you can find more information about all the backlinks on any website. You just insert the website link, and you can check metrics such as CT, TF, referring IPS, domains, and active backlinks in the right corner.
For more information on each individual backlink, just scroll down:
Below each source URL, you can see the basic characteristics, such as:
- DoFollow/NoFollow
- Deleted backlink tag
- Image tag
- Language of the referring site
Above you can see the anchor texts, and :
- EL – Number of external links from page
- FB – Number of Facebook shares
- AR – Alexa Rank
- HREF – Backlink HREF path pointing to website
- Anchor – Anchor text of the backlink (visible only on higher resolutions)
- LS – The Link Strength (our metric for evaluating the power of backlinks based on CT, TF, attributes, and other metrics.
You can filter results based on any metric, and download the whole report:
Examples of good and bad backlinks
Let’s analyze three backlinks based on high-quality and toxic attributes mentioned above, to see how they perform:
Backlink example #1 – Good
The first example is a backlink Airfocus got from TechCrunch via a guest post. Airfocus is a product management software, while TechCrunch is a startup and technology news blog.
Source: TechCrunch guest post
We can already conclude that they are in the same niche, which makes this website relevant, and you can easily spot backlinks in their articles because they are prominent and clickable.
The backlink is placed at the beginning of the article, it is contextually relevant, links to Airfocus’s homepage and the article doesn’t have any other backlinks in that section.
Let’s see the metrics for TechCrunch.
- TechCrunch has great metrics in terms of DA, PA, CF, TF, and WPR, making it an authority in the tech niche ✅
- TechCrunch has a steady flow of backlinks over time ✅
- TechCrunch uses natural long-tail anchor texts with a mix of types. ✅
- The website has traffic and ranks for relevant keywords ✅
- All the backlinks have a dofollow tag, and a good LS ✅
After our research, we can conclude that TechCrunch provides a powerful backlink for Airfocus.
Backlink example #2 – Meh
The second backlink example is from The World Travel Guy website which links to “Go-Jek” a transportation app in an article titled “Indonesian travel guide”.
Source: The world travel guy
The travel website is a relevant niche for a transportation app, the backlink is prominently placed in the middle of the content, in the section titled “Budget”.
A potential sign of a weak backlink would be the backlink to another company right before the “Go-Jek” link.
Let’s see the metrics for the travel website:
- The DA, PA, CF, TF, and WPR are “good enough” considering it is a relatively new website:
- The travel blog has a solid number of backlinks:
4. A potential red flag is that the website has a mix of dofollow and nofollow attributes, and our LS is below 30.
Based on our research it is a “meh link” meaning that it may not bring you as much value as linking to a website with better scores.
Backlink example #3 – Bad
A third backlink example is a link from Mitmunk’s article to Lacemade’s product page. Mitmunk is a general news outlet, while Lacemade is a clothing brand.
Source: Mitmunk
Even though Mitmunk covers all kinds of topics and news, this particular article is about fashion, and while domain relevancy may be questionable, page relevancy and context are good.
The backlink is placed in the middle of the content, it’s relatively prominent, and there aren’t surrounding backlinks.
Let’s see the metrics for Mitmunk:
- Mitmunks’s DA, PA, CF, TF, and WPR are good, which may signal that it is an authoritative website
- However, the number of lost backlinks almost reached the number of active backlinks, which is a red flag. ❌
- Another major red flag is that even though the website has traffic, it ranks for irrelevant and spammy keywords ❌
- Finally, the anchor texts are generic, and the LS score is zero for many links ❌
How to build backlinks: 18 link-building strategies
A backlink strategy is a method of acquiring backlinks from other websites, and it can be based on actively pursuing backlinks or letting them spontaneously occur.
For example, marketers can actively pitch and negotiate every single link, like guest blogging and broken link replacements. These strategies demand persistent outreach and relationship building.
In contrast, other approaches focus on creating powerful linkable assets upfront, such as comprehensive research reports, a free tool, or guides, which then generate backlinks naturally over time.
Not every strategy works for every website, so before picking a strategy, it is best to figure out which websites could give you high-quality backlinks (based on research and tools) in your niche and tailor the strategy accordingly.
For example, some websites don’t accept guest posts but accept expert quotes for their articles, or a website has an expired link in their article that could be replaced and a section rewritten.
Here is a list of top strategies to build backlinks:
1. Create a linkable, high-quality content
The first strategy is considered “passive” because you create content and let websites naturally link to you. However, for other websites to link to your content, it needs to be valuable for them and their audiences.
Therefore, you need to create not just any content, but high-quality content.
High-quality content is based on original thoughts, research, statistics, and expert opinion. It doesn’t vaguely repeat the same phrases and numbers that can be found on multiple sites but backs up every claim with a source or original research.
High-quality content is written by an expert, and is SEO optimized, so people can find it when searching for relevant keywords.
Does it work? Wyzowl has 182.5k active backlinks for their article on “video marketing statistics”.
Project.co’s case study shows how their high-quality articles helped them acquire backlinks for Wyzowl from respected sources such as Forbes, and Entrepreneur, and boosted their traffic by over 1,000% since 2015
How to create a high-quality content piece:
- Survey your customers to find pain points and inspiration for relevant content
- Let experts weave in their personal experiences, data, and original research into the content piece
- Add parts that are valuable for a larger audience, for example, a statistic that can be easily linked to
- Use clear examples and original images
2. Utilize broken link-building
Broken link-building is a backlink technique where you find non-fictional links on websites and suggest your own replacements.
Website owners will likely consider your replacement if it is in the same niche and provides value for their audience, because it helps them maintain link integrity, improves user experience, and keeps crawlers happy.
For example, you read an article where there is a link with an anchor text “content marketing statistics” pointing to a 404 error page, if you have fresh statistics you can reach out to the website owner and offer them a valid replacement.
To easily find broken links on any website, you can use the Mangool’s SEO Extension, with the filter “broken”.
You should check broken backlinks not only on other websites but also on yours as well since broken links negatively affect your SEO efforts. If you find a broken link, make sure to fix, replace, or delete it.
For other websites, this strategy works best when you have genuinely useful content that closely matches the context of the original broken link.
Here is a simple example of how to reach out for broken link replacements:
Email subject: Broken link on (Website name)& replacement suggestion
Hi (website owner’s name),
I noticed a broken link on your (specific page/article) pointing to (original URL).
I have a relevant resource at (your URL) that could be an excellent replacement. The content covers (brief description & key points), matches the original link’s context.
Would you be interested in updating the link?
Best regards, (your name)
3. Try guest blogging
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to shoot your chance at promoting your website on another’s page.
Even though it takes some initial effort when it comes to writing the piece, according to LinkHunter’s case study, they managed to secure eight backlinks in just an hour of guest post outreach and research work.
The primary goal is to reach a new audience, establish authority, and gain high-quality backlinks to your own website. It works by taking advantage of the host website’s existing audience and search engine credibility to expand your own online visibility and reputation.
For a guest post to be effective, it must meet high-quality standards. The content needs to be original, well-researched, and genuinely valuable to the target website’s audience.
This means creating in-depth, authoritative content that ranks well for relevant keywords and provides actionable insights.
The post should align with the host website’s content style and audience expectations, demonstrating expertise while offering unique perspectives or solving specific problems in that particular niche.
Before reaching out, thoroughly research the target website, understand their content guidelines, and find topics that match their audience’s interests.
You can do that with Keyword Finder, just enter the seed keyword for your niche, and it will list additional relevant keywords.
Once you pick a keyword that you think is great for your guest post, use “search by domain” to see if the website already ranks for it.
As for your pitch, it should be personalized, concise, and highlight the unique value your proposed article will bring.
Demonstrate that you’ve studied their existing content and can provide something truly beneficial.
Here is an email template to get you started:
Subject: A guest post proposal for (Website name)
Hi (Editor’s name),
I’ve been following (Website name) and noticed you haven’t covered a [specific topic], so far, even though it has great volume and is covered by your competitors.
I have unique insights/data/experience on (proposed article topic] that I believe would resonate with your audience. I’ve come up with the following article structure (list the structure briefly)
My background includes (brief credibility indicator), and I’ve written for (mention other reputable sites if applicable)
Would you be interested in reviewing this proposal?
Best regards, (your name)
4. Create link-worthy visual assets
Link-worthy visual assets generate natural backlinks because they solve an ongoing digital content challenge: making complex information instantly understandable.
When a visual asset transforms complicated data or trends into a clear, attractive format that easily catches the reader’s attention, it becomes a valuable resource that other content creators reference and use for their own articles.
To become a link-worthy asset, an infographic, or picture needs to have a professional design, easily digestible original data, and a clear source.
Luca Tagliaffero interviewed experts and made an original chart that got 100 backlinks from 102 IP addresses.
Source: Link building case study
It is very common for website owners to use your images and not link to the original source. However, with Google Lens, you can upload your image or paste the link to it and find all the websites that are using it:
Source: Google Lens
If a website hasn’t linked to you as the original source, you can reach out to them and request a backlink.
5. Claim unlinked mentions
When other websites mention your brand, product, or content without linking, you have an opportunity to turn passive references into valuable SEO and referral traffic assets.
Why is this important? Each mention is essentially free publicity that can be upgraded to provide direct traffic and link equity.
Without a backlink these mentions matter little to you, while with a backlink you get link juice, boost your domain authority, improve search rankings, and drive additional organic traffic.
The process involves:
- Monitoring brand mentions using tools like Google Alerts
- Identifying websites that reference you without linking
- Reaching out politely to the site owner or content creator
- Requesting a simple hyperlink addition
- Providing context on why linking would benefit their content
Source: Google Alerts
6. Submit backlink requests
Editorial backlinks are strategic link placements obtained through legitimate content contributions or corrections on high-authority websites.
These backlinks are earned by providing genuine value through accurate information, expert insights, or helpful resource additions.
How it works:
- Websites like Wikipedia, industry-specific wikis, and authoritative online encyclopedias allow community editing
- Contributors can add citations, references, or relevant links that add to the existing content
- The key is providing authentic, verifiable information that genuinely improves the resource
The most popular directory is Wikipedia, but there are other more niche directories, such as“ IQ.wiki”, a blockchain and crypto encyclopedia.
Source: IQ.wiki
How to submit your thoughts and get a backlink:
- Identify a page in your industry with incomplete information
- Research comprehensive, factual information from credible sources
- Add a well-documented, neutral paragraph with proper citations
- Include a relevant link to your website
7. Create local citations
Local citations are online mentions of your business’s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) on local business directories, review sites, and online listings.
These mentions and backlinks to your website improve visibility in local search results and Google Maps.
The most popular local citation directories are:
- Google Business Profile
- Yelp
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- LinkedIn Business Directory
Practical examples include a restaurant listing on Yelp with complete business details, a dental clinic profile on healthgrades.com, or a plumbing service listed on HomeAdvisor.
Source Mondview Hospital
8. Submit testimonials and reviews
When you provide a genuine, detailed testimonial to a product, service, or software company, many businesses will:
- Link back to your website as attribution
- Feature your name/company as the testimonial source
- Create a dedicated testimonial or “customer stories” page
A testimonial or review is authentic social proof for the receiving company and offers you a contextual and relevant backlink: a win-win situation.
9. Steal backlinks from outdated websites
Stealing backlinks from outdated means finding websites in your niche that aren’t working, were sold/acquired, or have outdated information while having a good backlink profile.
You can inherit their backlinks by providing your product or content as a “working” alternative.
The process involves meticulously researching websites in your industry that haven’t been updated in years or don’t exist anymore, analyzing their current link profile, and creating content that addresses the same topic or simply a replacement for the product/company.
For example, PC Mag did a review of Skiff (an email service provider) in 2023.
Later Skiff was acquired by Notion, so if you are in the email service provider niche this would be a great opportunity to reach out to PC Mag and ask them to replace this outdated review with a review of your tool.
Source: PC Mag
10. Use link roundups
Link roundups are curated collections of the best, most interesting, or most valuable content within a specific niche or industry, typically published on a regular basis (weekly, monthly).
They serve as a valuable resource for readers by highlighting top-performing content and providing a convenient way to discover quality articles, blog posts, or resources.
How link roundups work:
- Content creators aggregate high-quality content from various sources
- They select and briefly describe the most noteworthy pieces
- Each featured piece includes a link to the original source
- Roundups are usually themed around a specific industry or topic
- They provide value to readers by saving time on content discovery
An example of a link roundup in the SaaS space is Women in Tech’s weekly updates:
Source: Women in Tech
11. Obtain backlinks from resource pages
Resource pages are curated web pages that compile valuable links, tools, guides, and information on a specific topic or industry.
They serve as comprehensive reference points for readers seeking authoritative and helpful resources within a particular niche.
By enlisting your resources on this page, you can get a valuable backlink in your niche.
The best way to find them is to Google “useful resources” + niche and check where your content piece best fits the context.
Source: Top Dog Tips
12. Write press releases and create link-magnets
Publishing content that creates buzz and gets people to link to it (e.g. case studies, newsworthy information, press releases, original research, funny stuff, statements, etc.), is a spontaneous but highly effective way to acquire backlinks.
Clutch published its press release on “Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies for 2024” alongside an infographic, and got 15 high-quality backlinks.
Source: Clutch press release
13. Add valuable content to an existing external page
This backlink strategy involves finding authoritative websites with existing content in your niche and proposing a high-value content addition that genuinely improves their article’s comprehensiveness, depth, or value.
Here’s a practical example:
Let’s say you find a popular digital marketing blog post titled “SEO Strategies for Small Businesses” that lacks a comprehensive section on local SEO.
If you sell geolocation software, you could create a detailed section on local SEO tactics specifically for small businesses, including original research based on your client’s successes and actionable checklists businesses can follow to achieve similar results.
When you approach the website owner, you can pitch your section as a way to improve their existing content.
The value proposition is clear: by adding your in-depth local SEO section, the website can improve the article’s authority, provide more value to readers, and beat competitors when in that SERP.
To find the perfect topic to “enhance”, do a quick keyword research with Keyword Finder, and see who the top ranking competitors are:
Analyze if the top competitors have covered a section that the article on the 4th-6th place didn’t, and see if you could write an original section for that website.
If the answer is “yes”, then make sure to analyze the secondary keywords proposed by Mangools and use them to optimize your section.
Here’s a sample outreach email:
Subject: A proposal to add “local SEO” tips for your article
Hi (website owner’s name),
I recently read your article “SEO Strategies for Small Businesses” and found it incredibly informative. I noticed the article doesn’t have a “local SEO” section, which the top 3 competitors have.
As a geolocation expert, I developed a unique local SEO section based on data and my customer’s success stories that could add significant value to your existing piece.
My resource includes: (a short description of what the section will cover)
Would you be interested in incorporating this section into your article?
I believe it would provide your readers with even more actionable insights.
Best regards, (your name)
14. Build and nurture relationships with other websites
Relationship-based backlink acquisition is about creating genuine connections with website owners and content managers.
The goal is to get on their radar and encourage them to think of you when they need an expert opinion on a topic, which would naturally lead to a backlink opportunity.
This slow but steady approach starts by finding the top people in your industry and engaging with them by commenting on their social media posts, sharing their articles, tagging them on posts, and discussing with them online and offline.
15. Create free online tools
A free tool will naturally acquire backlinks from people who don’t have an affiliate or paid partnerships with tools. A link to a free tool is a great way for a writer to provide a solution to the reader without feeling that they “tricked them into buying something.”
Successful free tools typically have three core characteristics: they solve a specific problem, are easy to use, and provide immediate, tangible value.
The more niche and specialized the tool, the more likely it is to attract targeted, high-quality backlinks from relevant websites in your industry.
Mangool’s free KW Finder has over 500 backlinks:
16. Utilize backlinks from media platforms
You can use media platforms to build backlinks if you contribute to a relevant discussion and your backlink doesn’t look spammy or out of place.
On forums like Reddit, Quora, and industry-specific platforms, focus on answering questions comprehensively. Write detailed, insightful responses that either add another layer or perspective or solve a specific problem.
Include links only when they directly and meaningfully supplement your explanation. For example, if discussing SEO techniques, you might link to a specific guide that elaborates on a point you’re making.
In blog comment sections or LinkedIn posts, move beyond generic “Great post!” remarks. Write substantial comments that add new perspectives, ask follow up questions, or provide additional insights related to the article.
Show you’ve carefully read the content and have expertise to contribute, while subtly posting a backlink.
17. Go on podcasts or interviews
Besides contributing to blog posts, you can acquire backlinks through podcasts or interviews. Podcasts/interviews give you more space and time to elaborate on a topic and share your expertise.
Make sure to find the top podcasts/interviewers in your niche and pitch a topic their audience will like. Here is an example of marketers getting backlinks through interviews for a content marketing agency:
Source: Quoleady
18. Check and replicate competitors’ backlinks
If competitors are outranking you for a certain keyword, maybe the “secret sauce” is in their backlink profile?
Analyze your competitors’ backlink profiles with LinkMiner to easily find out where their link juice is coming from.
If you notice some backlinks with a good LS, think of ways in which you can acquire a backlink from the same website, such as:
- Writing a quest post for the website
- Contributing to an older blog post
- Replacing an outdated backlink
- Co-working on a research study
5 tips to keep in mind when building backlinks
Here are five tips to follow when building backlinks to your website:
1. Don’t overoptimize anchor texts
Using repetitive anchor text in backlinks is a red flag in the eyes of Google, since it can be a signal of artificially created links rather than genuine, organic backlinks.
Google Search Central’s spam policies list overoptimized, repetitive anchor texts as a bad practice for link building:
Source: Google Search Central’s spam policies
Google’s representative Gary Ilyes even said that overoptimization of website elements can hurt SEO performance.
Source: “X”
In theory, you shouldn’t have any influence over which anchor texts other websites use when providing a backlink, so all anchor texts will look and feel organic and original.
They should flow naturally within the content, offering genuine information and value according to Google’s best practices.
The anchor texts in your backlink profile should look like a mix of exact match keywords, branded terms, generic phrases, and descriptive text, and each anchor should relate contextually to the linked content and make sense to readers.
A “natural” backlink profile should have a balanced distribution, approximately 30-40% branded anchors, 20-30% keyword variations, and the rest are generic or URL-based links.
2. Monitor your backlink profile
Regularly monitoring your backlink profile helps you keep track of all the changes in link velocity, referring domains, anchor texts, follow vs. nofollow links, etc.
It is important to keep track of these changes not only to evaluate the success of your backlink strategies but also to prevent toxic and spammy links from hurting your website.
With LinkMiner you can easily track all important metrics, numbers, and anchor texts in one dashboard.
Eventually, you can see which websites and types of backlinks have the biggest effect on your rankings and traffic, while making sure your anchor texts and referring domains are diverse.
3. Spread link juice with internal links
Don’t forget the relationship of external and internal links.
When your site receives external links, internal links help distribute that earned link equity (or “link juice”) strategically across different pages of your website.
Think of backlink value like water flowing through a network of pipes.
Without proper internal linking, the link value gets concentrated on a single page instead of being spread effectively.
On the other hand, with a well-planned internal link network, you can direct the SEO strength from high-authority backlinks to important pages that might need ranking boosts.
Internal links help search engines understand your website’s hierarchy and content relationships. They guide crawlers to discover and index your most important pages more efficiently.
4. Link to useful websites too
Linking to other relevant websites is useful for both the user experience and SEO. Readers looking for more information, specific studies, statistics, or tools will benefit from your link to a relevant source.
On the other hand, Google doesn’t want isolated dead-end websites, but rather connected sources of information that complement each other and are grouped into contextually relevant bundles.
By connecting your website to other relevant ones, you are signaling to Google what the overall content theme of your website is, and building relationships with figures in your vertical.
When linking to other websites, don’t forget to:
- Link to primary research sources that back up your claims
- Reference industry-leading websites with documented expertise
- Choose sources with established domain authority (DA 50+)
- Select recent publications
- Use anchor texts that precisely describe the linked content’s value
- Ensure links provide genuine additional depth or perspective
5. Get rid of spammy backlinks (if needed)
Google understands that websites naturally accumulate some low-quality links over time, and make a difference between genuine link profiles and intentionally manipulative link schemes.
“If you’re seeing individual links that pop up and you say, “oh this looks like a spammer dropped the link” or whatever, I would completely ignore those. […] because these spammy links happen to every website and Google’s system has seen them so many times over the years that we’re very good at just ignoring them. “ John Muller
So if you have numerous toxic backlinks, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are hurting your performance.
However, when a website has a massive number of toxic, unnatural, or manipulative backlinks that appear to be part of a deliberate attempt to game search rankings, Google may take more severe action.
This can result in a manual action penalty, which is a direct notification in Google Search Console indicating that the site’s link profile violates Google’s webmaster guidelines.
The Google Disavow Tool is an advanced feature in Google Search Console that allows website owners to tell Google to ignore specific backlinks that they believe are harmful to their site’s search ranking.
Critically, this tool should only be used in two specific situations: when you’ve received an official manual action for unnatural links, or if you’ve personally created numerous manipulative backlinks in the past.
Website owners should first attempt to manually remove bad links and only use the tool as a last resort.
The process involves creating a text file listing the specific URLs or entire domains you want Google to ignore, and then uploading this file through Google Search Console.
However, improper disavowing can harm your site’s rankings by removing potentially valuable link signals, so it’s crucial to be extremely selective and precise when using this tool.
Frequently asked questions
How many backlinks do I need to rank well?
John Muller says“ We try to understand what is relevant for a website, how much should we weigh these individual links, and the total number of links doesn’t matter at all”, therefore there isn’t a definite number of links needed to rank for any SERP and keyword. The number of backlinks will depend on the SERP, competitors, target keywords, website metrics, etc., but quality will always beat quantity.
Can you achieve high rankings in Google without backlinks?
Yes, there are SERPs where the top results have zero or few backlinks. However, high-quality backlinks can only strengthen and increase your position since they are a “stamp” of authority and relevancy.
Are backlinks becoming less important?
Backlinks aren’t becoming less important, but have changed and evolved over time. In the past any backlink would count as a “vote of confidence”, and nowadays only links with high-quality attributes are considered relevant by Google, while others aren’t important at all.
Should I always use Google’s disavow tool to remove bad backlinks?
No, Google’s disavow tool is helpful when you’ve received a penalty or warning, and using it as a “preventive” method can actually hurt your website rankings.
How long does it take for a backlink to take effect?
It can take approximately from 7 days to 2 months for a backlink to take effect. The factors impacting the time it takes for the backlink to work are link velocity, indexing time, crawling time, domain/page authority, topic relevance, position, etc.
Should I pay for backlinks?
Paying for backlinks is against Google policies and those links are considered spammy and harmful. Most paid backlinks have low-quality attributes such as spammy anchor texts, contextually irrelevant websites, etc, while your focus should always be acquiring links with high-quality attributes.
Do nofollow backlinks hurt the SEO performance of my website?
Even though nofollow links will give you less direct SEO juice than dofollow links, they can generate just as much traffic, therefore they aren’t bad for your SEO. Having nofollow links from relevant websites can still lead their visitors to your website, even though they are “formally not associated with you”.
