What Are Backlinks?
Backlinks are links on other websites that point to your website. In the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), they’re like votes of credibility from other sites. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your website is likely to rank in search results.
If you know only little about SEO, you may wonder, “What is a backlink?” SEO backlinks are a link from another website to your website. High-quality backlinks can increase your ranking on search engines and improve visibility in search, translating to more traffic coming to your website.
Backlinking is just one aspect of SEO. Since backlinking takes place off your website, it’s called off-page SEO rather than on-page SEO, which refers to the content on your site. High-quality backlinks are like endorsements; they’re a recommendation from another website to view your content to learn more about a specific topic.
Why are backlinks important?
Now that you understand what a backlink is, you may wonder why they’re important. SEO backlinks enable website growth in many different ways. If you want to rank on the first page of SERPs, you’ll need to stand out from your competitors. Unfortunately, most small businesses do some form of SEO. However, for small businesses, SEO is typically limited to on-page efforts involving targeted keywords in website content to rank higher in SERPs and earn more web traffic.
Backlinks in SEO improve your rankings because they view the quality and quantity of the links as authoritativeness and votes of confidence from other websites. Therefore, the more backlinks your website has, the higher it can rank for search terms. While this isn’t always the case, it can increase your page rankings for relevant search terms. But of course, there are many other factors to consider, like on-page SEO and page speed.
Backlink building also makes it easier to find your website online, improving your visibility. Search engines find content to crawl by viewing pages they’ve already crawled, revisiting the most popular pages. When you begin backlinking, search engines may discover your content easier.
Additionally, backlinking may provide you with more website visitors through referral traffic. Individuals who read a popular website may click on your backlinks, bringing them to a relevant page to find more information about a particular topic.
Backlinks can also boost your domain authority. While domain authority isn’t a Google ranking factor, many SEO tools use this metric to help identify ways to improve your strategy by comparing you to the competition. Ultimately, the higher your domain authority, the more likely you will earn top spots on SERPs. Therefore, even though domain authority isn’t a ranking factor, using it to measure your improvement can help you determine if your efforts are improving your rankings.
Backlinks also increase brand awareness online. Companies should never stop investing in brand awareness campaigns because they must always attract new customers by highlighting new products and services. By earning backlinks from authoritative websites that get thousands of monthly visitors, you can increase your brand awareness by reaching the other website’s visitors.
Backlinking is fairly easy, but it takes time and strategy. However, you do not need to be an SEO expert to build backlinks for your website.
Types of backlinks
Understanding the various types of backlinks is crucial for building a strong link profile. Here are some of the key types:
Dofollow backlinks
Dofollow backlinks pass link equity from one site to another, helping improve search rankings. These links signal to search engines that the linked content is valuable and relevant. Most standard links are dofollow unless specified otherwise.
Nofollow backlinks
Nofollow backlinks include a tag that tells search engines not to pass ranking value. While they don’t directly impact rankings, they can still drive referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and lead to other valuable link-building opportunities.
You can view dofollow and nofollow backlinks in Moz Link Explorer. Navigate to Inbound Links and enter the page URL
When authoritative sites link to a page, it signals to Google that the content is valuable and worth referencing, thereby improving its position on search engine results pages.
For example, we can see that HubSpot is the leading authority for Inbound Marketing through metrics like the quality of links pointing to the page which influences their Page Authority.
Improve your rankings
Google ranks pages based on hundreds of factors, and backlinks remain one of the strongest signals. Pages with more high-quality backlinks tend to rank higher because search engines interpret them as endorsements. However, not all backlinks are equal—links from trusted, relevant sources carry more weight than random or low-quality links.
For example, if you turn on your MozBar and check the keyword “pram for triplets”, you’ll notice that the top pages ranking for this keyword have a ton of backlinks, which influences their ability to rank for such a competitive keyword.
Earn referral traffic
Backlinks drive direct traffic. When a high-authority site links to your content, its audience can click through and visit your site, generating relevant traffic that could lead to conversions. Unlike paid ads, referral traffic from backlinks is sustained over time, providing long-term value.
For example, when I search for “research on walking”, Harvard Health is one of the top sites ranking for the keyword.
Further analysis via Moz Link Explorer reveals that the page is earning referral traffic from popular sites like Healthline, CNET, and the New York Times.
Build Domain Authority
Backlinks from various referring domains play a key role in determining a website’s Domain Authority, a metric that estimates how well a site is likely to rank in search results. High-DA websites tend to have a strong backlink profile, with links from reputable sources signaling trust and credibility.
Moz’s Meghan Pahinui explains how to improve your Domain Authority in this video below.
Improve search engine crawling and indexing
Search engines like Google use automated crawlers to discover and index content by following links from one page to another. A page must be found before it can appear in search results, and the simplest way that happens is through backlinks.
Also, Google has also stated that links from prominent websites are one of the factors they use to determine content quality.
Links create pathways across the web, allowing search engines to continuously discover new content.
Improve competitive intelligence
Because backlinks influence rankings, analyzing competitors’ link profiles can reveal valuable opportunities. Sites that link to industry competitors are more likely to be relevant sources for your own content.
The goal is to earn links from high-quality, topically relevant links rather than unrelated or low-value sources that represent link spam.
For example, if you wanted to rank for the keyword “how to code,” you would analyze the SERPs to see who’s ranking for that keyword. From the search results, you can see that Code Academy is ranking for the keywords. To analyze who’s linking to them, install the free MozBar, reload the page, and click Links.
Using MozBar to view link metrics on search results
It will take you to Moz Link Explorer and show link metrics for that specific page.
For example, Code Academy is attracting backlinks from authoritative websites like CNBC and GitHub, passing authority to their page.
If you were competing for a similar keyword, you’d need to create a strategy to attract backlinks from similar websites with high authority.
Find link building opportunities at scale
with Moz Link Explorer
Types of backlinks
Understanding the various types of backlinks is crucial for building a strong link profile. Here are some of the key types:
Dofollow backlinks
Dofollow backlinks pass link equity from one site to another, helping improve search rankings. These links signal to search engines that the linked content is valuable and relevant. Most standard links are dofollow unless specified otherwise.
Nofollow backlinks
Nofollow backlinks include a tag that tells search engines not to pass ranking value. While they don’t directly impact rankings, they can still drive referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and lead to other valuable link-building opportunities.
You can view dofollow and nofollow backlinks in Moz Link Explorer. Navigate to Inbound Links and enter the page URL
FAQ ABOUT BACKLINKS =
Is it illegal to buy backlinks?
Buying backlinks violates Google’s guidelines and can result in penalties, including ranking drops or manual actions. Focus on earning links naturally.
How do you get backlinks?
You can earn backlinks by publishing link-worthy content, contributing guest posts, getting listed in directories, engaging in PR, and forming partnerships.
How many backlinks do I need to rank?
There is no set number. The quality, relevance, and authority of backlinks matter more than quantity. A few high-quality links outweigh many low-quality ones.
What’s the difference between nofollow and dofollow links?
Dofollow links pass ranking value to the linked page, while nofollow links include a tag that tells search engines not to pass ranking authority.
How do I remove bad backlinks?
Use Moz’s Link Explorer to find toxic links, request removal from site owners, or disavow harmful links in Google Search Console.
