When a local Austin news site writes about local businesses handling a winter freeze and links to Coastline Plumbing’s pipe-thawing guide, that’s a backlink for Coastline. Also called inbound links or incoming links, backlinks are links on other people’s websites that point to yours.
Google was built on the idea that links work like citations. A page that many trusted pages link to is probably useful. The algorithm has grown far more complex since, but links remain a major signal.
What makes a backlink valuable
Not all links are equal. A single link from a respected, relevant site can matter more than hundreds from low-quality ones. Value depends on:
- Relevance. A link from a home improvement site or a local news outlet means more to a plumber than one from a fashion blog.
- Authority of the linking page and site. Established sites that others link to pass more value.
- Placement. A link inside the main content, where an editor chose to cite you, beats one buried in a footer or sitewide blogroll.
- Link attributes. A normal link passes link equity. Links marked
nofollow,sponsoredorugcare treated as hints and usually pass less (see nofollow link). - Anchor text. The clickable words describe what your page is about.
- Uniqueness. The first link from a new site is worth more than the tenth from the same site. That’s why SEOs track referring domains, not just link counts.
Why it matters for a real business
Brightside Dental and a competitor have similar websites, similar reviews and similar content. The competitor ranks higher for “family dentist austin”. The difference: links from the local school district’s health resources page, a children’s charity they sponsor, two local news stories and a dental association directory. Those links tell Google the practice is a known, trusted part of the community.
How to earn backlinks
- Create something worth citing: local data, original research, a genuinely useful guide or tool
- Get listed in reputable local and industry directories
- Sponsor or take part in community events that list supporters
- Build relationships with local journalists, suppliers and partners
- Find mentions of your business that don’t link yet, and ask politely
Common mistakes
- Buying links that pass ranking value. That breaks Google’s spam policies.
- Chasing quantity from irrelevant or spammy sites.
- Over-optimized anchor text across many links.
- Ignoring lost links when a valuable page that linked to you is removed or changed.
How to check
Search Console’s Links report shows a sample of sites linking to you. RankThat’s Backlinks feature shows your backlink profile, new and lost links, link building prospects and broken links worth reclaiming.