Nayan Dhumal
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Backlinks help people discover your blog and help search engines find and judge your pages. This guide explains what counts as a good backlink, what Google treats as link spam and safe ways for a new blog to earn its first links.
If someone writes a post and links to your guide as a helpful resource, you have earned a backlink. It is like a recommendation from another site.
Backlinks have a reputation for being complicated, partly because so many people try to shortcut them. The safe approach is slower but simple: make pages worth linking to, and tell the right people about them.
Key takeaways
- A backlink is a link from another site to your site.
- Links help Google discover pages and understand how sites relate.
- A relevant link from a real site is worth more than many random links.
- Google defines link spam as links created “primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings.”
- Do not buy links for rankings or join large link exchanges.
- Paid or sponsored links are fine when marked with rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.
What a backlink is
There are three kinds of links on the web from your blog’s point of view:
| Link type | Example |
|---|---|
| Internal link | Your SEO guide links to your keyword research guide |
| Outbound link | Your post links to Google’s documentation |
| Backlink | Another blog links to your SEO guide |
Internal links you add yourself. Backlinks depend on other people choosing to link to you.
Why backlinks matter
- Discovery: Google finds many new pages by following links. A new site with no links from anywhere may take a long time to be found.
- Referral visitors: people click the link and arrive on your blog.
- Reputation: a link from a relevant, trusted site in your niche is a signal that your page is useful.
What makes a good backlink
- Relevant: the linking site covers a related topic.
- Real: the site has real content and real readers.
- In context: the link appears inside useful content, not in a list of hundreds of links.
- Earned: someone chose to link because your page helped.
- Descriptive anchor text: the linked words describe your page.
One link from a relevant blog is usually worth more than dozens from unrelated sites.
What Google counts as link spam
Google’s spam policies define link spam as “the practice of creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings.” Its examples include:
- “Buying or selling links for ranking purposes”
- Exchanging money or goods for links
- “Excessive link exchanges (“Link to me and I’ll link to you”)”
- Partner pages created only to cross-link
Avoid shortcuts
Packages that promise hundreds of backlinks for a small fee are exactly the kind of links Google’s policies describe as spam. They can do more harm than good.
Google also says that buying links for advertising or sponsorship is not a violation, as long as those links are marked with rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”. That is why affiliate and sponsored links on your own blog should carry the sponsored attribute. My guide on how to add affiliate links to a blog shows how.
Safe ways to get your first backlinks
- Link from your own profiles. Add your blog to your social media bios and any other sites you own.
- Write linkable posts. Clear guides, checklists, comparisons and original data are the posts people reference.
- Answer questions. Helpful answers in communities and forums sometimes lead to links and visits, where the rules allow links.
- Reach out when relevant. If a blogger links to an outdated resource on your topic, politely suggest your updated guide.
- Collaborate. Interviews, guest contributions on relevant sites and roundups with other bloggers in your niche.
- Create free tools or templates. Useful free resources attract links naturally.
Pro tip
Before reaching out to anyone, make the page genuinely better than what they currently link to. A short, friendly email that explains why your page helps their readers works far better than a generic request.
How to see your backlinks
Google Search Console has a Links report that shows sites linking to you and your most-linked pages. It is free and comes from Google’s own data. My Search Console guide explains how to set up the tool.
Paid SEO tools also show backlink data, but for a new blog, Search Console is enough.
How many backlinks does a new blog need?
There is no magic number. Many pages rank for specific, low-competition searches with few or no backlinks, because they answer the question well. Focus first on helpful content and internal linking, then earn links over time.
For choosing topics where a new blog can compete, see my guide to keyword research.
Common backlink mistakes
- Buying link packages: against Google’s policies when done for rankings.
- Spamming comments: dropping links in blog comments rarely helps and annoys site owners.
- Chasing quantity: many irrelevant links are worth less than a few relevant ones.
- Ignoring your own content: outreach works much better when your page is genuinely good.
Frequently asked questions
What is a backlink in simple words?
It is a link from another website to yours, like a recommendation from that site.
Are backlinks still important?
They help Google discover pages and understand how sites relate, and they bring referral visitors. Helpful content matters just as much.
Is it okay to buy backlinks?
Not for rankings. Google lists buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. Paid placements are fine when marked sponsored or nofollow.
How can I check my backlinks for free?
Use the Links report in Google Search Console.
Do social media links count as backlinks?
They are links from other sites, and they can bring visitors and help discovery. Links from relevant blogs and websites in your niche are usually more valuable for search.