Backlink
A backlink is a link from one website to another. Search engines treat links from relevant, trusted sites as signals that a page is useful and credible, which can help it rank.
Quality over quantity
One link from a respected publication in your industry is worth far more than hundreds from low-quality directories. Google's spam policies prohibit link schemes, including buying or selling links that pass ranking credit and large-scale link exchanges (Google Search spam policies).
How good links are earned
- Original research and data that others cite
- Genuinely useful guides and tools
- Partnerships, associations and local organisations
- Expert commentary for journalists
- Case studies with named clients and partners
Links and AI answers
AI answer engines also lean on trusted, frequently cited sources. Research presented at KDD 2024 found that content with citations and statistics was more visible in generative engine answers (Aggarwal et al., GEO, KDD 2024), which rewards the same kind of useful, citable content that earns links. See SEO.