Understanding what a backlink is is important for any successful search strategy because they signal authority to both humans and search engines. While search has evolved with the rise of AI, backlinks remain as one of the best verifying signals of your content’s value.This guide covers what a backlink is in SEO, how to assess link quality, identify toxic links, and use competitive backlink data to your advantage.
What Is a Backlink in SEO?
A backlink, simply put, is a link from one website to another. For example, when an external site links to a page on your domain, that counts as a backlink.
Search engines like Google see backlinks as signals of credibility. If reputable websites are pointing to your content, that’s an indication your page is trustworthy and relevant. Google’s original PageRank algorithm was built on this idea that links were votes of confidence.
That said, not all backlinks are equal. A single link from a respected industry publication carries far more weight than 50 links from low-quality directories. Quality, relevance, and context all factor into how much authority any given backlink passes to your site.
Why Backlinks Still Matter for Rankings
Backlinks remain one of Google’s top three ranking signals alongside content quality. Research from Ahrefs shows a strong correlation between the number of referring domains pointing to a page and that page’s organic traffic performance. Most top-ranking pages accumulate between 5% and 14% more followed links per month.
Beyond rankings, backlinks drive direct referral traffic. When someone clicks a link on a site they trust, they arrive at your page with existing intent and credibility transfer. That kind of traffic tends to convert better and bounce less.
For local businesses, you can earn backlinks from local directories, city-focused publications, chamber of commerce sites, and regional blogs. These geographically relevant links reinforce your business’s connection to a specific area, which Google factors into local pack rankings. As you can see, backlinks are part of a holistic SEO strategy.
Dofollow vs. Nofollow: What’s the Actual Difference?
Every backlink carries an attribute that tells search engines what to do with it.
Dofollow links pass PageRank, also called “link equity” or “link juice.” These are the links that directly influence rankings. When a news site or industry blog links to your page without any special attribute, it’s dofollow by default.
Nofollow links include a rel=”nofollow” attribute, which historically told Google to ignore the link for ranking purposes. In 2019, Google updated this stance — nofollow is now treated as a “hint” rather than a hard directive, meaning high-quality nofollow links may still carry some weight.
There are two additional link attributes worth knowing:
- Sponsored (rel=”sponsored”): Used to flag paid placements and affiliate links. These don’t pass PageRank, but they help keep your link profile compliant with Google’s spam policies.
- UGC (rel=”ugc”): Applied to user-generated content like forum posts and comments.
A strong local SEO checklist accounts for all of these. For local businesses, nofollow links from Yelp, Google Business Profile, and industry directories still matter for brand visibility and referral traffic even if they don’t pass direct link equity.
The best link profiles include a natural mix of dofollow and nofollow links. An all-dofollow profile can look like it was manipulated or forced. Balance signals authenticity.
How to Assess Backlink Quality
Not every link is beneficial to have. Some are neutral while others might actually bring more harm than good. Here’s how to evaluate whether a backlink is worth having:
Relevance is the first thing to assess. A backlink from a fitness site pointing to your fitness apparel page is worth significantly more than one from an unrelated tech blog. Google evaluates the topical relationship between the linking page and your page.
Domain authority matters, but with a caveat. Tools like Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR) and Moz’s Domain Authority (DA) estimate a site’s authority based on its own link profile. These metrics help you benchmark quickly, but they can be manipulated. A site with DR 60 and real traffic from real users is far more valuable than one with DR 60 built through low-quality link schemes. You should always check whether the site actually gets organic traffic.
Anchor text is the clickable text used in the link. Descriptive anchor text (like “SEO services for local businesses”) give context to both users and search engines. However, an over-optimized profile full of exact-match anchor text can seem like a red flag to Google.
Link placement matters too. A link embedded naturally within the body of a long-form article passes more authority than one buried in a footer or sidebar.
Traffic and engagement on the linking page signal that real people are interacting with that content which makes the backlink more meaningful in practice.
What Is Backlink Velocity, and Why It Signals Risk
Backlink velocity refers to the rate at which a site gains new backlinks over time. A gradual, consistent increase looks natural to Google’s algorithms. A sudden spike where a site is acquiring hundreds of links in a short window is a red flag.
This matters whether you’re building links intentionally or analyzing competitors. If a competitor suddenly jumps in rankings, checking their backlink velocity can reveal whether they’ve made a significant content investment or if they’re running aggressive (and potentially risky) link acquisition campaigns.
For your own site, you want to focus on sustained link growth tied to content quality, PR efforts, and genuine relationship-building. Fast and artificial link gains may produce short-term ranking bumps, but Google’s spam detection has become sophisticated enough to penalize them.
How to Identify Toxic Backlinks Before They Hurt You
A toxic backlink comes from a low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant source. Common culprits include link farms, private blog networks (PBNs), hacked or scraped sites, and sites with no organic traffic.
Here are the signs a backlink may be toxic and what you want to watch out for:
- The linking domain has no real traffic or indexed content
- The anchor text is over-optimized or completely unrelated
- The page exists only to host links (thin, templated content)
- The site has a large number of outbound links with no editorial standards
- The link appears on a site associated with spammy industries (gambling, adult content, payday loans) when your site has no connection to them
Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Search Console’s manual action reports help surface these. If you find a pattern of low-quality links pointing to your site, especially after a traffic drop, it’s a good idea to do a backlink audit.
When toxic links are confirmed, you have two options. You can either reach out to the linking site and request removal (rarely successful), or submit a disavow file to Google through Search Console. Google recommends the disavow tool only when you have evidence of manipulative links that could trigger or already have triggered a manual penalty.
Link Diversity: Why a One-Dimensional Link Profile Is a Liability
A strong backlink profile draws from multiple types of sources. Diversity signals organic link acquisition. It means that different people, in different contexts, choose to link to your content for different reasons.
Here’s an idea of what link diversity looks like in practice:
- Editorial links from industry blogs and online publications
- Local directory and citation links (especially important for local SEO performance)
- Guest contributions to reputable sites with contextual links
- Resource page mentions from authoritative domains
- PR coverage and brand mentions
- Social and community mentions (even if nofollow, these drive discovery)
Always think about varying your approach. Build content that earns editorial links naturally, and participate in your industry proactively and intentionally.
Competitive Backlink Analysis: How to Close the Gap
One of the most direct ways to identify backlink opportunities is to study what’s already working for your competitors. This is competitive backlink analysis.
Here’s a straightforward process you can follow:
- Identify your top 3–5 organic competitors for your target keywords.
- Pull their backlink profiles using a tool like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz.
- Look for patterns: Which domains link to multiple competitors but not to you? Those are priority targets.
- Assess the content types earning links: Are competitors earning links through original research? Resource guides? Tools? This tells you what to produce.
- Check anchor text distribution: How are competitors’ pages being referenced? What topics and terms dominate?
- Identify their highest-authority referring domains: A link from the same source pointing to your page would carry equal or greater weight.
This process turns competitive research into a concrete link-building roadmap. Rather than guessing where to pursue links, you’re working from evidence.
For local businesses, a local SEO checklist built around competitive backlink data should flag any local directories, city-based news sites, or regional associations that competitors are listed in and you aren’t.
Final Thoughts
Link-building tactics change. The principles behind earning quality links don’t. Remember that the sites that perform best long-term aren’t the ones with the most links. Aim to have a diverse link profile with trusted and relevant links and build your link profile through content and credibility, not shortcuts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Backlinking
What is a backlink in simple terms? A backlink is a link from one website to another. When an external site includes a link to your page, your site receives a backlink.
Do backlinks still matter for SEO in 2025 and 2026? Yes. Backlinks remain one of Google’s top ranking signals. Research consistently shows that pages with more high-quality referring domains rank higher and receive more organic traffic. The emphasis has shifted toward quality and relevance over quantity.
What makes a backlink high quality? High-quality backlinks come from topically relevant, authoritative sites with real organic traffic. They’re placed contextually in content, use descriptive anchor text, and come from a domain that maintains editorial standards.
What’s the difference between a dofollow and nofollow backlink? Dofollow links pass PageRank and directly influence search rankings. Nofollow links include an attribute that signals Google not to count the link as a ranking vote. However, since 2019, Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a directive.
How do I know if I have toxic backlinks? Run a backlink audit using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. Toxic signals include links from irrelevant spammy domains, unnatural anchor text patterns, and sites with no organic traffic or thin content.
How does backlink acquisition connect to local SEO? Local backlinks from city directories, regional publications, local associations, and Google Business Profile reinforce geographic relevance for local pack rankings. A complete local SEO checklist should include strategies for earning these links specifically.
About the Author: Grace Wong
