What is Backlinking? How to Earn Links That Boost SEO Rankings

Backlinking, or link building, is the process of getting other relevant, authoritative websites to link to your site. This helps boost your credibility, visibility, and rankings in search engines — but only when done the right way.

High-quality backlinks are one of the cornerstones of a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Not only can they help you rank at the top of the search engine results page (SERP), but backlinks can also defend your rankings against Google algorithm updates.

However, building a robust backlink portfolio takes time. In this guide, we’ll explain what backlinking is, how to earn high-authority links, and common mistakes to avoid along the way — with expert tips from HawkSEM Associate Director of SEO Charlotte Soto.

With the right backlinking strategy, it’s possible to obtain significant links from trustworthy websites and rise through the ranks as a result. (Image: Unsplash)

What is backlinking?

Backlinking is the practice of earning links to your website from other authoritative sites.

This process strengthens your SEO because the more authoritative backlinks you have, the more trustworthy and valuable your site appears to search engines

However, not all backlinks are created equal. Links from low-quality or spammy websites can negatively impact your rankings.

Pro tip: Highly effective backlinks can be tough to earn. However, with the right backlinking strategy, you can score impressive links from trustworthy websites, which will help you rise through the ranks.

Why backlinks are important

Backlinks are important because they tell search engines and users that your website is credible.

“Backlinks are one of the strongest signals of trust in SEO,” says Soto. “When another reputable site links to yours, it’s essentially saying, ‘We vouch for this content.’ Those votes of confidence help search engines understand your credibility and authority within your niche.”

But the value of backlinks goes beyond rankings.

“Quality placements help strengthen your brand’s digital footprint by improving entity mapping — the way search engines connect your brand, products, and expertise across the web,” Soto explains.

“They also drive referral traffic from audiences who are already interested in what you do, which can lead to higher engagement and conversions over time.”

Types of backlinks: Dofollow vs. Nofollow

There are two primary types of backlinks: dofollow and nofollow.

Dofollow backlinks are standard links that share SEO authority (also called “link juice”) from the linking site to your site. These links are significant ranking factors that signal trustworthiness. Dofollow backlinks include links from:

• Guest posts
• Editorial (when another website mentions your content with a link)
• Resource pages

Dofollow links show up in the HTML code as a standard hyperlink.

Nofollow backlinks can still drive traffic, but they don’t impact SEO as they include an HTML attribute telling search engines not to pass authority to your site.

Nofollow backlinks include links from:

• Social media
• User-generated content (UGC)
• Comments on certain forums

Both backlinks are valuable, and a strong SEO strategy should incorporate both types of follow links.

How to get high-quality backlinks

While creating a link-building strategy can be intimidating, it can pay off in a big way once you put your plan into action.

1. Focus on high-quality content
2. Find “link roundup” opportunities
3. Guest post on reputable sites
4. Build relationships with other websites
5. Use broken link building
6. Use pitching tools

1. Focus on high-quality content

Top-notch content is the foundation of SEO and also a great way to build backlinks. By coming up with valuable, accurate, and unique content for your website, you encourage other relevant websites to link to it.

Content that attracts links often includes:

• Data-driven studies
• Visual content (infographics, how-to videos)
• Long-form guides
• Trend pieces
• Market research studies

High-quality articles, blogs, and other content pieces designed for your audience can generate links as well. As long as the content brings value, it has backlinking potential.

Not all backlinks are created equal. Quality wins over quantity. (Image: Unsplash)

2. Find “link roundup” opportunities

Link roundups are lists that bloggers compile to give their readers links to the best content related to a certain subject.

To up your chances of appearing in one of these roundups:

• Create high-quality content
• Find a website in your niche that creates roundups
• Source exclusive industry data, research, or other findings
• Pitch your inclusion to the blogger

3. Guest post on reputable sites

Guest posting, or guest blogging, involves creating content for another website and is a powerful way to share your expertise, reach a new audience, and increase your number of backlinks.

To find opportunities, target websites or blogs relevant to your niche. Use Google searches with phrases like:

• “Write for us” + [your industry]
• “Contribute to” + [your industry]
• “Submit article” + [your industry]
• “Guest post” + [your industry]

You can also explore your competitors’ backlink profiles; if a site links to them, they may be open to linking to you as well.

Once approved, include a relevant link back to your website within the content or author bio.

Pro tip: Tools that measure domain authority (DA) can help you identify the websites that will provide the most SEO value and visibility.

4. Build relationships with other websites

Network and engage with bloggers, journalists, and industry influencers. Provide useful resources and suggest collaborations that benefit both parties.

These relationships can lead to valuable backlinks down the road; relationship-building is a long-term strategy but can result in higher-quality links than a one-time outreach opportunity.

5. Use broken link building

Broken link building is the strategy of identifying broken links on other websites and suggesting your content as a replacement.

You can create new, high-quality content or identify an existing piece that fits. Reach out to the site owner to suggest the swap.

6. Use pitching tools

Pitching tools help sources and publishers connect. Businesses can find publications and blogs in need of expert quotes — with valuable backlinks from relevant sites in return.

Some pitching tools include:

• Help A Reporter Out (HARO)
• Help a B2B Reporter
• Featured
• Sourcebottle
• Qwoted

How to remove harmful backlinks

While you may think you have plenty of backlinks, some of them could be hurting your reputation instead of improving it. That’s why it’s wise to take the time to run a backlink analysis of your website.

1. Identify harmful backlinks

Conduct a backlink analysis using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz for a full picture of all the sites linking to you.

Here’s what to look for to identify poor links:

• Low-authority sites or link networks
• Irrelevant to your niche
• Hidden or from link farms
• Paid links that aren’t tagged properly

2. Attempt manual removal

Once you find harmful backlinks, you can contact the website’s webmaster and ask them to remove the link. Keep track of your requests and follow up if you don’t hear back.

3. Disavow links

If the webmaster doesn’t respond, or removal isn’t possible, you can disavow the link using Google’s Disavow Tool:

• Create a plain text file listing the URLs or domains you want Google to ignore.
• Upload it to Google Search Console to ensure those links do not harm your rankings.

Pro tip: Don’t disavow links too aggressively. Removing high-quality backlinks can hurt your SEO.

4. Monitor your backlink profile

Keep tabs on your backlink portfolio. Not-so-good links don’t generate the desired results, and their presence can create a false appearance of a good strategy.

Tools to monitor backlinks include:

• Google Search Console
• Ahrefs
  SEMrush
• Moz Link Explorer

Backlinking mistakes to avoid

Just like all backlinks aren’t created equal, neither are backlink-generating tactics.

Consider keeping these practices out of your backlinking strategy:

1. Prioritizing quantity over quality: “The biggest mistake I see is chasing volume instead of value,” says Soto.

“Many brands run a competitor backlink analysis and assume the goal is to close the quantity gap, but not all links are created equal.” 

2. Relying on paid or spammy links: Never try to buy or sell a link. Authority websites don’t sell links, though some websites may charge you for guest posting.

3. Ignoring nofollow links: Paid or user-generated links should always use proper attributes (rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”) to be compliant.

4. Lacking link diversity: Getting all your links from one type of source looks suspicious. Aim for a healthy mix of backlinks.

5. Neglecting to monitor your backlink profile: Don’t forget to keep an eye on your existing backlinks. If you suddenly earn dozens of links, for example, it could look suspicious.

6. Linking with irrelevant sites: “Consider the site’s relevance, traffic quality, and overall content integrity,” Soto explains. “Does the site’s audience align with yours? Is the content genuinely helpful, or is it filled with intrusive ads and low-quality links? Even details like the site’s editorial standards matter.” 

7. Using black hat SEO: “Black hat” tactics are unethical practices, such as creating numerous profiles specifically to add links to forum signatures or blog comments.

“A strong backlink strategy should feel intentional and brand-aligned — not just transactional,” Soto says. “The best links are those that both users and search engines recognize as authentic endorsements of your expertise.”

FAQs

Hyperlinks vs. backlinks

Hyperlinks are any clickable link that takes users to another webpage. This can be on the same website (internal or inbound links) or different websites (external links).

Backlinks are a specific type of hyperlink that directs people to a new website. While both types of links are helpful for SEO, relevant backlinks can help you rank higher in the organic search engine rankings.

Internal links vs. backlinks

Internal links are links that direct users to another page of the same website. The anchor text often includes a target keyword, which helps search engines understand your site structure and can boost rankings.

Strategically placed internal links also improve user experience by guiding visitors to related content, keeping them engaged and driving more organic traffic across your site.

Further reading: How Does Internal Linking Help SEO? (How-To + 12 Best Practices)

The takeaway

The best backlinks come from high-authority websites relevant to your brand.

If managing content marketing, outreach, and an entire off-page SEO strategy, consider partnering with a digital marketing agency.

At HawkSEM, SEO experts earn authoritative links that boost Google rankings for our clients. Reach out anytime.

This article has been updated and was originally published in April 2021.