{"id":164434,"date":"2023-08-15T00:03:14","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T05:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=164434"},"modified":"2025-01-30T08:35:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T13:35:41","slug":"what-are-backlinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/what-are-backlinks\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Backlinks in SEO? Everything You Need to&nbsp;Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">\n\n\n\n<p>A backlink is a link created when one website links to another. Backlinks are important for both helping people discover your website and improving your ranking on search engines like Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<div data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">Think of backlinks as trust signals or votes of confidence from other websites. When a reputable website links to your content, it\u2019s like receiving a recommendation that tells search engines, \u201cThis website is worth checking out.\u201d The more high-quality backlinks your website has, the more likely it is to rank higher in search results.<\/div>\n<div data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">\n<div data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\" data-en-clipboard=\"true\">For example, imagine you run an online bookstore. If a popular blog about reading links to one of your pages, that link becomes a backlink for your site. It not only brings more readers to your store but also tells search engines that your website is credible and valuable.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1096\" class=\"wp-image-179509\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-are-backlinks.png\" alt=\"What are backlinks\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-are-backlinks.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-are-backlinks-620x425.png 620w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-are-backlinks-768x526.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-are-backlinks-1536x1052.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Learn how to check and analyze backlinks, which backlinks will be worth your time, and where to get&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why are backlinks important\" data-section=\"why-are-backlinks-important\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_s14h02eqekk9\"><\/a>Why are backlinks important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Acquiring backlinks (link building) is the cornerstone of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\">search engine optimization (SEO)<\/a>. More backlinks from unique domains can improve your search ranking. And we confirmed this in a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-traffic-study\/\">study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1678\" height=\"1658\" class=\"wp-image-179511\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-with-more-referring-domains-get-more-traffic.png\" alt=\"Pages with more referring domains get more traffic. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-with-more-referring-domains-get-more-traffic.png 1678w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-with-more-referring-domains-get-more-traffic-430x425.png 430w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-with-more-referring-domains-get-more-traffic-768x759.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-with-more-referring-domains-get-more-traffic-1536x1518.png 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-with-more-referring-domains-get-more-traffic-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1678px) 100vw, 1678px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We also <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/impact-of-links\/\">ran an experiment<\/a>. It tested if removing backlinks to a few pages would affect their traffic. Traffic fell after we disavowed the backlinks (told Google to ignore them). Traffic then rose after we removed the disavow file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1890\" class=\"wp-image-179512\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/impact-of-disavowing-links-.png\" alt=\"Impact of disavowing links. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/impact-of-disavowing-links-.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/impact-of-disavowing-links--405x425.png 405w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/impact-of-disavowing-links--768x806.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/impact-of-disavowing-links--1463x1536.png 1463w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There is another reason why backlinks are so important. Backlinks boost the discoverability of the pages on your site. This means search engines may find your content faster if you get more quality backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hub-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beginner's guide to link building\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/backlinks.png\"><div class=\"hl-title\">New to link building? Check out&nbsp;our<\/div><div class=\"hl-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-building\/\" target=\"_blank\">Beginner\u2019s guide to link building<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What makes a good backlink?\" data-section=\"what-makes-a-good-backlink\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_jc6vnddra6wf\"><\/a>What makes a good backlink?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A few high-quality, relevant backlinks will likely boost your rankings more than many low-quality ones. If all links had the same weight, Google would struggle to rank pages, and their algorithms could be easily manipulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zCV6tEt3w0k&amp;t=1629s\">SEO Office Hours<\/a>, Google\u2019s John Mueller said the number of links doesn\u2019t matter at all. It\u2019s all about their quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>There could be one really good link from one website out there that is, for us, a really important sign that we should treat this website as something that is relevant because it has that one link. I don\u2019t know, maybe from like a big news site\u2019s home page, for example. So the total number essentially is completely irrelevant.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to know which backlinks could impact your rankings more. Here are some of the main attributes that will help you identify the best-quality links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Authority<\/strong>: backlinks from popular websites are more valuable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: backlinks from closely related websites could be more valuable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anchor Text<\/strong>: the words that people click on to get to your website matter to Google.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Placement<\/strong>: backlinks in important parts of a website are more valuable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Destination<\/strong>: ideally, get backlinks to the page you want to optimize.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Follow vs. nofollow<\/strong>: some backlinks have a tag that tells Google not to pass on any of their influence to the linked page.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1620\" height=\"1435\" class=\"wp-image-179513\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-makes-a-good-backlink-.png\" alt=\"What makes a good backlink.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-makes-a-good-backlink-.png 1620w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-makes-a-good-backlink--480x425.png 480w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-makes-a-good-backlink--768x680.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/what-makes-a-good-backlink--1536x1361.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1620px) 100vw, 1620px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s look at these in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_k5uh8bhzp82q\"><\/a>Authority<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pages with more quality backlinks have more authority in Google. It shows that people find those pages valuable and trustworthy. For instance: BBC, CNN, and NY Times are authoritative sites in that sense. A piece of that authority is passed on to the sites they link&nbsp;to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why, backlinks from strong web pages are better than weak ones. They simply have more authority to be passed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1724\" class=\"wp-image-179514\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-that-have-backlinks-cast-a-stronger-vote.jpg\" alt=\"Pages that have backlinks cast a stronger vote \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-that-have-backlinks-cast-a-stronger-vote.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-that-have-backlinks-cast-a-stronger-vote-394x425.jpg 394w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-that-have-backlinks-cast-a-stronger-vote-768x828.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/pages-that-have-backlinks-cast-a-stronger-vote-1426x1536.jpg 1426w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We studied page-level authority a few times. We found a clear link to organic search traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1658\" height=\"1597\" class=\"wp-image-179515\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/url-rating-vs-search-traffic-.png\" alt=\"URL rating vs. search traffic.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/url-rating-vs-search-traffic-.png 1658w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/url-rating-vs-search-traffic--441x425.png 441w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/url-rating-vs-search-traffic--768x740.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/url-rating-vs-search-traffic--1536x1479.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1658px) 100vw, 1658px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/72658-what-is-ahrefs-url-rating\">URL Rating (UR)<\/a> is Ahrefs\u2019 page-level authority metric. It\u2019s scored on a scale from 0 to&nbsp;100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, backlinks from high-authority websites don\u2019t always transfer more authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more links there are on the page that link to you, the less authority will be transferred. The <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/pl\/seo\/glossary\/pagerank\">PageRank algorithm<\/a> shares it between all those pages. It\u2019s a program that ranks web pages in search results. It does this by assessing the number and quality of links to each&nbsp;page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To illustrate Page Rank (PR), consider two pages, A and B. A links to two pages, and B links to four. The PR flow would look like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1422\" class=\"wp-image-179516\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-pagerank-works-a-simplified-view-.jpg\" alt=\"How PageRank works (a simplified view). \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-pagerank-works-a-simplified-view-.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-pagerank-works-a-simplified-view--538x425.jpg 538w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-pagerank-works-a-simplified-view--768x607.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-pagerank-works-a-simplified-view--1536x1213.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can gauge a backlink\u2019s authority by using the UR metric in the Backlinks report in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>. The higher the UR, the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1014\" height=\"646\" class=\"wp-image-179517\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ur-metric-in-ahrefs-backlinks-report.png\" alt=\"UR metric in Ahrefs' Backlinks report\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ur-metric-in-ahrefs-backlinks-report.png 1014w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ur-metric-in-ahrefs-backlinks-report-667x425.png 667w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ur-metric-in-ahrefs-backlinks-report-260x166.png 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/ur-metric-in-ahrefs-backlinks-report-768x489.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1014px) 100vw, 1014px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Page authority vs. domain authority<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t confuse page-level authority (UR in Ahrefs) with domain authority (DR in Ahrefs). DR measures a site\u2019s backlink profile strength against all others in its index. It is expressed in on a logarithmic scale of 0 - 100 (i.e., it\u2019s harder to go from 69 - 70 than 1 -&nbsp;10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since you Google ranks pages and not websites, it\u2019s more important to focus on boosting the pages that you want to rank rather than achieving a higher authority score for the&nbsp;site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can see the difference between those two types of authority in their correlation with organic traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1118\" class=\"wp-image-179518\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/correlation-between-link-factors-and-organic-traff.png\" alt=\"Correlation between link factors and organic traffic. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/correlation-between-link-factors-and-organic-traff.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/correlation-between-link-factors-and-organic-traff-608x425.png 608w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/correlation-between-link-factors-and-organic-traff-768x537.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/correlation-between-link-factors-and-organic-traff-1536x1073.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So, is domain authority something you should ignore, then? Definitely not. A higher DR means a stronger link profile. You can then compete for keywords with more authoritative pages. Find out more about domain authority, aka domain rating, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/domain-rating\/\">in this guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_azjydpqoq19k\"><\/a>Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google is said to consider a website\u2019s main topic when evaluating backlinks. They used to state this in <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20210614085349\/https:\/\/www.google.com\/intl\/en_uk\/search\/howsearchworks\/algorithms\/\">How Search Works<\/a> back in 2021 (bolding mine):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If other prominent <strong>websites on the subject<\/strong> link to the page, that\u2019s a good sign that the information is of high quality.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, a few more documents mention evaluating the topical relevance of backlinks. These are <a href=\"https:\/\/patents.google.com\/patent\/US8117209B1\/en#:~:text=when%20a%20topical%20cluster%20associated%20with%20the%20source,the%20topical%20cluster%20associated%20with%20the%20target%20document\">Google\u2019s Reasonable Surfer patent<\/a> and research on <a href=\"http:\/\/www-cs-students.stanford.edu\/~taherh\/papers\/topic-sensitive-pagerank.pdf\">topic-sensitive PageRank<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, Google supposedly reduced the effect of irrelevant backlinks in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/google-algorithm-history\/penguin-update\/\">Penguin update<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, with all else equal, backlinks from related sites may matter more. For example, a plumber has backlinks from two pages: one about cats and one about installing boilers. Chances are the latter link is most valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_t1ytrrprpbgh\"><\/a>Anchor text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Anchor text refers to the clickable words that form a backlink. Here\u2019s what an anchor text looks&nbsp;like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1282\" height=\"164\" class=\"wp-image-179561\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image.png\" alt=\"Example of anchor text.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image.png 1282w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-680x87.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/image-768x98.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google says that anchor text influences rankings in <a href=\"http:\/\/infolab.stanford.edu\/~backrub\/google.html#pr\">its original patent<\/a> (bolding mine):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Google uses several techniques to improve search quality. These include page rank, <strong>anchor text<\/strong>, and proximity information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If this sounds too mysterious, here\u2019s a video. Google\u2019s Matt Cutts explains how anchor text helps find relevant pages for \u201cKaty Perry\u201d searches on Google.<\/p>\n\n<p>\n<\/p><div data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-kycyyogusqs\" style=\"max-width:900px;\" class=\"arve\">\n\t<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n\t\t<div style=\"aspect-ratio:500\/281\" class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<iframe allow=\"accelerometer 'none';autoplay 'none';bluetooth 'none';browsing-topics 'none';camera 'none';clipboard-read 'none';clipboard-write;display-capture 'none';encrypted-media 'none';gamepad 'none';geolocation 'none';gyroscope 'none';hid 'none';identity-credentials-get 'none';idle-detection 'none';keyboard-map 'none';local-fonts;magnetometer 'none';microphone 'none';midi 'none';otp-credentials 'none';payment 'none';picture-in-picture;publickey-credentials-create 'none';publickey-credentials-get 'none';screen-wake-lock 'none';serial 'none';summarizer 'none';sync-xhr;usb 'none';web-share;window-management 'none';xr-spatial-tracking 'none';\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" credentialless data-arve=\"arve-youtube-kycyyogusqs\" data-lenis-prevent data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/KyCYyoGusqs?start=324&amp;feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" loading=\"lazy\" name referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/KyCYyoGusqs?start=324&amp;feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" title width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n<p>You can see the anchor text of any backlink using a backlink analysis tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image9-3.png\" alt><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also filter for certain words in the anchor text to get more specific results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image6-2.png\" alt><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_ibmjr2y7bju5\"><\/a>Placement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some links on web pages likely pass more authority than others. This is because people are more likely to click links that are prominently placed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1552\" class=\"wp-image-179519\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/prominently-placed-links-may-transfer-more-authori.jpg\" alt=\"Prominently placed links may transfer more authority. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/prominently-placed-links-may-transfer-more-authori.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/prominently-placed-links-may-transfer-more-authori-438x425.jpg 438w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/prominently-placed-links-may-transfer-more-authori-768x745.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/prominently-placed-links-may-transfer-more-authori-1536x1490.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bill Slawski talks about this in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seobythesea.com\/2016\/04\/googles-reasonable-surfer-patent-updated\/\">his analysis<\/a> of Google\u2019s updated \u201creasonable surfer\u201d patent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>If a link is in the main content area of a page, uses a font and color that might make it stand out, and uses text that may make it something likely that someone might click upon it, then it could pass along a fair amount of PageRank. On the other hand, if it combines features that make it less likely to be clicked upon, such as being in the footer of a page, in the same color text as the rest of the text on that page, and the same font type, and uses anchor text that doesn\u2019t interest people, it may not pass along a lot of PageRank.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider this when pursuing links. If a website links to you with many other sites in the sidebar or footer, focus on other opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To find backlinks in content, use the \u201cBacklink type\u201d filter in the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> report of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>. It filters out less prominent links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1134\" height=\"350\" class=\"wp-image-179520\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-by-backlink-type-in-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Filtering by backlink type in Ahrefs\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-by-backlink-type-in-ahrefs.png 1134w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-by-backlink-type-in-ahrefs-680x210.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-by-backlink-type-in-ahrefs-768x237.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1134px) 100vw, 1134px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_spld7y5bgu7t\"><\/a>Follow vs. nofollow links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A nofollow is a link attribute that hints to Google not to pass authority (as of <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2019\/09\/evolving-nofollow-new-ways-to-identify\">2019<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"398\" class=\"wp-image-179521\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nofollow-backlink-structure-.png\" alt=\"Nofollow backlink structure.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nofollow-backlink-structure-.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nofollow-backlink-structure--680x150.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nofollow-backlink-structure--768x170.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/nofollow-backlink-structure--1536x340.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, a followed link lacks the \u201csponsored\u201d and \u201cUGC\u201d attributes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nofollow backlinks usually don\u2019t affect rankings. So, prioritize getting followed links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, \u201cnofollow\u201d is now a hint. So, it may be good to pursue a nofollow link from a relevant, high-authority page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find these types of backlinks using filters in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer\u2019s<\/a> Backlinks report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"502\" class=\"wp-image-179522\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-backlinks-by-rel-attributes-in-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Filtering backlinks by rel attributes in Ahrefs\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-backlinks-by-rel-attributes-in-ahrefs.png 600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filtering-backlinks-by-rel-attributes-in-ahrefs-508x425.png 508w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/nofollow-links\/\">Nofollow vs. Follow Links: Everything You Need to&nbsp;Know<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_62nbpf8ikbhg\"><\/a>Destination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google ranks pages, not websites. So, it\u2019s best to get links to the page you want to&nbsp;rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, getting links to some types of pages is harder. For example, it\u2019s often hard to get links to commercial pages. People prefer to link to informative content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To fix this, use internal links. They will pass authority from high-link pages to your important but \u201cboring\u201d pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1808\" class=\"wp-image-179523\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/internal-links-transfer-authority-between-pages-.jpg\" alt=\"Internal links transfer authority between pages. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/internal-links-transfer-authority-between-pages-.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/internal-links-transfer-authority-between-pages--376x425.jpg 376w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/internal-links-transfer-authority-between-pages--768x868.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/internal-links-transfer-authority-between-pages--1359x1536.jpg 1359w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo\/\">Internal Links for SEO: An Actionable Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/orchard-seo-strategy\/\">A Simple SEO Strategy for 2019 (The \u2018Middleman\u2019 Method)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to check backlinks\" data-section=\"how-to-check-backlinks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_dy3qwonb13rn\"><\/a>How to check backlinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to check backlinks to your site quickly, you can do it for free right&nbsp;here:<\/p>\n<p>\n\n<\/p>\n        <div class=\"tool-widget-outer\">\n            <div class=\"tool-widget\">\n                <div class=\"body\">\n                    <div class=\"title\">Backlink Checker<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t                        <div class=\"heading\">Get a glimpse into the power of our premium tool<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t                    <div class=\"icon  icon-backlink-checker\"><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <form action=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/backlink-checker\" method=\"GET\">\n                    <div class=\"form\">\n                        <input type=\"text\" class=\"input\" name=\"input\" placeholder=\"Enter domain or URL\" required>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t        <select name=\"mode\" class=\"domains-choice\" required>\n            <option value=\"exact\">Exact URL<\/option>\n            <option value disabled>Path<\/option>\n            <option value disabled>Domain<\/option>\n            <option value=\"subdomains\" selected>Subdomains<\/option>\n        <\/select>\n\t\t                        <button type=\"submit\" class=\"button\">Check backlinks<\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/form>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\n<p>Below you\u2019ll find other tools that will allow you do learn even more about your and your competitors\u2019 backlinks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_93jqj465tn3j\"><\/a>Checking backlinks to your website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The basic tool for checking your website backlinks is the free <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console?hl=pl\">Google Search Console<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once signed in, click <strong>Links<\/strong> on the sidebar. The number below <strong>External links<\/strong> shows the total unique backlinks to the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1824\" height=\"1406\" class=\"wp-image-179524\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-check-backlinks-in-google-search-console.png\" alt=\"How to check backlinks in Google Search Console\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-check-backlinks-in-google-search-console.png 1824w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-check-backlinks-in-google-search-console-551x425.png 551w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-check-backlinks-in-google-search-console-768x592.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-check-backlinks-in-google-search-console-1536x1184.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1824px) 100vw, 1824px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Search Console shows limited data in the app (top 1,000 links). It won\u2019t show some useful SEO metrics for analyzing your backlinks. To get more data for free, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you set up a project, click on <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> in the dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1518\" height=\"450\" class=\"wp-image-179525\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-summary-in-ahrefs-dashboard.png\" alt=\"Backlinks summary in Ahrefs' dashboard\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-summary-in-ahrefs-dashboard.png 1518w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-summary-in-ahrefs-dashboard-680x202.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-summary-in-ahrefs-dashboard-768x228.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1518px) 100vw, 1518px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will take you to the Backlinks report. This report will show all your backlinks and relevant backlink data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"645\" class=\"wp-image-179526\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/see-your-backlinks-in-ahrefs-site-explorer.png\" alt=\"See your backlinks in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/see-your-backlinks-in-ahrefs-site-explorer.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/see-your-backlinks-in-ahrefs-site-explorer-680x219.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/see-your-backlinks-in-ahrefs-site-explorer-768x248.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/see-your-backlinks-in-ahrefs-site-explorer-1536x496.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_6hpck1von5z7\"><\/a>How to check backlinks to your competitors (and any other&nbsp;site)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To see all backlinks, including to your competitors, use a paid tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can check backlinks to the entire website, a directory on that website, or a single page. Just enter the address and choose the correct mode. Ahrefs will usually pick the right mode automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1674\" height=\"902\" class=\"wp-image-179527\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/checking-backlinks-with-site-explorer-choosing-m.png\" alt=\"Checking backlinks with site explorer - choosing modes.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/checking-backlinks-with-site-explorer-choosing-m.png 1674w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/checking-backlinks-with-site-explorer-choosing-m-680x366.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/checking-backlinks-with-site-explorer-choosing-m-768x414.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/checking-backlinks-with-site-explorer-choosing-m-1536x828.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1674px) 100vw, 1674px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To see all backlinks to Apple.com, a site I don\u2019t own, I could paste the domain in the address bar, hit Search, and go to the Backlinks report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1130\" class=\"wp-image-179528\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/a-backlinks-report-in-ahrefs-site-explorer-.png\" alt=\"A backlinks report in Ahrefs Site Explorer.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/a-backlinks-report-in-ahrefs-site-explorer-.png 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/a-backlinks-report-in-ahrefs-site-explorer--680x375.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/a-backlinks-report-in-ahrefs-site-explorer--768x424.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/a-backlinks-report-in-ahrefs-site-explorer--1536x848.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to analyze backlinks\" data-section=\"how-to-analyze-backlinks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_6au6phiwux7n\"><\/a>How to analyze backlinks (with example)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO tools like Ahrefs allow you to examine backlinks by giving you access to useful data points. You can use that info to track your link building. Or, find backlinks to pursue. Here are some of the backlink data you should look&nbsp;at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Follow status<\/strong>: use it to find links that pass authority. Or, find ones that usually don\u2019t (nofollow or sponsored tags).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type of backlink<\/strong>: use to find links in the main content of the&nbsp;page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Domain rating<\/strong>: an indicator of a linking website\u2019s authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Domain traffic<\/strong>: high-traffic sites typically have more authority with search engines. Moreover, you may get some of that traffic if people click on the link to your&nbsp;site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Words or phrases related to backlinks: <\/strong>they will help you if you search for specific words in the link\u2019s anchor text or its surrounding text.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, you can filter through this data to find the kind of backlink you\u2019re looking for:&nbsp;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1462\" height=\"294\" class=\"wp-image-179529\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filters-in-backlinks-report-.png\" alt=\"Filters in backlinks report. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filters-in-backlinks-report-.png 1462w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filters-in-backlinks-report--680x137.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/filters-in-backlinks-report--768x154.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1462px) 100vw, 1462px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s look at an example. Here\u2019s how you can find and analyze your competitors\u2019 best&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, you can let the tool find your organic competitors. These are sites that compete with you for the same keywords. This will uncover a comprehensive list of competitors, some of which you might not have been aware of previously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2124\" height=\"1308\" class=\"wp-image-179530\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/organic-competitors-report.jpeg\" alt=\"Organic competitors report\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/organic-competitors-report.jpeg 2124w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/organic-competitors-report-680x419.jpeg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/organic-competitors-report-768x473.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/organic-competitors-report-1536x946.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/organic-competitors-report-2048x1261.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2124px) 100vw, 2124px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, click on the caret next to your competitor\u2019s domain to view all of their backlinks in the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1324\" height=\"990\" class=\"wp-image-179531\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-find-the-backlinks-report-.png\" alt=\"How to find the backlinks report. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-find-the-backlinks-report-.png 1324w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-find-the-backlinks-report--568x425.png 568w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/how-to-find-the-backlinks-report--768x574.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1324px) 100vw, 1324px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, turn on the <strong>Best links<\/strong> filter to show only links that likely have the biggest impact on your competitor\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1848\" height=\"1012\" class=\"wp-image-179532\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-links-filter-.jpeg\" alt=\"Best links filter. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-links-filter-.jpeg 1848w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-links-filter--680x372.jpeg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-links-filter--768x421.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-links-filter--1536x841.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1848px) 100vw, 1848px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, a competitor earned a link from Microsoft via a page with original research. The page has 2016 data. If we published newer research on our site, we might win that link and others pointing to our competitor\u2019s research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1930\" height=\"644\" class=\"wp-image-179533\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-competitive-link-analysis-.png\" alt=\"Example of competitive link analysis.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-competitive-link-analysis-.png 1930w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-competitive-link-analysis--680x227.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-competitive-link-analysis--768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-competitive-link-analysis--1536x513.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1930px) 100vw, 1930px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few other ways you can analyze backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To discover the type of content that attracts the most links to your competitors, simply use the <strong>Best by links<\/strong> report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1876\" height=\"1284\" class=\"wp-image-179534\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-by-links-report-.jpg\" alt=\"Best by links report.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-by-links-report-.jpg 1876w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-by-links-report--621x425.jpg 621w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-by-links-report--768x526.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/best-by-links-report--1536x1051.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1876px) 100vw, 1876px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another useful type of backlink analysis is the link intersect. This analysis checks backlinks to multiple domains at once. It shows shared backlinks, which is great for finding listicles to link from. It also shows domains that link to your competitors but not to you. Links from unlinked domains are likely to have a bigger impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To enter the report, select a few competitors from the <strong>Organic competitors<\/strong> report and click <strong>Open in Link intersect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1042\" height=\"780\" class=\"wp-image-179535\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/selecting-multiple-competitors.png\" alt=\"Selecting multiple competitors\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/selecting-multiple-competitors.png 1042w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/selecting-multiple-competitors-568x425.png 568w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/selecting-multiple-competitors-768x575.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1042px) 100vw, 1042px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This will open the<strong> Competitive Analysis<\/strong> tool and show the gap in backlinks between you and your competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"815\" class=\"wp-image-179536\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lin-intersect-report-in-competitive-analysis-tool-.png\" alt=\"Lin intersect report in Competitive Analysis tool. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lin-intersect-report-in-competitive-analysis-tool-.png 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lin-intersect-report-in-competitive-analysis-tool--680x271.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lin-intersect-report-in-competitive-analysis-tool--768x306.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lin-intersect-report-in-competitive-analysis-tool--1536x611.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From there, you can click on the number of links to your competitors to see which pages earned the backlinks. This will show you what kind you need to get those missing links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"842\" class=\"wp-image-179537\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/exploring-backlinks-from-referring-domains-.jpg\" alt=\"Exploring backlinks from referring domains. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/exploring-backlinks-from-referring-domains-.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/exploring-backlinks-from-referring-domains--680x280.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/exploring-backlinks-from-referring-domains--768x316.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/exploring-backlinks-from-referring-domains--1536x632.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find more tips about competitive backlink analysis in these two guides:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/competitor-backlink-analysis\/\">How to Perform a Competitor Link Analysis in 3&nbsp;Steps<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/find-competitors-backlinks\/\">How to Find Your Competitors\u2019 Backlinks (And Get Them for Yourself)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to get backlinks\" data-section=\"how-to-get-backlinks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_rjkisk9mq6nx\"><\/a>How to get backlinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, there are four ways to build backlinks to your&nbsp;site:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"821\" class=\"wp-image-179538\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/four-ways-to-build-backlinks.png\" alt=\"Four ways to build backlinks\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/four-ways-to-build-backlinks.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/four-ways-to-build-backlinks-680x349.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/four-ways-to-build-backlinks-768x394.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/four-ways-to-build-backlinks-1536x788.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_kx5kzrjotewv\"><\/a>Adding backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some websites allow you to add a link either by manually submitting it or requesting to submit it. It\u2019s easy to get a link this way, but it\u2019s not always worth it. They can be low in value in the eyes of Google or even <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/link-spam\">deemed spammy<\/a> if you overdo it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most common (and legit) tactics here is to add your website to relevant local directories. These directories can help you rank for queries with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/local-keyword-research\/\">local intent<\/a> and get your business discovered directly through them,&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you could do a link intersect analysis to find directories that rank to your competitors but not to you. Here\u2019s how the process would look like in Ahrefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <strong>Ahrefs\u2019 Competitive Analysis<\/strong> tool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select the \u201creferring domains\u201d mode.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter your site in the \u201cNot linking to target\u201d field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter the sites of a few competing businesses in the \u201cBut linking to these competitors\u201d fields.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hit \u201cShow link opportunities\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"960\" class=\"wp-image-179539\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/competitive-analysis-tool-.png\" alt=\"Competitive analysis tool.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/competitive-analysis-tool-.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/competitive-analysis-tool--680x408.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/competitive-analysis-tool--768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/competitive-analysis-tool--1536x922.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The final step is to browse the results for relevant directories and add your site to&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1077\" class=\"wp-image-179540\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/link-intersect-in-competitive-analysis-tool-.png\" alt=\"Link intersect in Competitive Analysis tool. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/link-intersect-in-competitive-analysis-tool-.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/link-intersect-in-competitive-analysis-tool--631x425.png 631w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/link-intersect-in-competitive-analysis-tool--768x517.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/link-intersect-in-competitive-analysis-tool--1536x1034.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/local-citations\/\">How to Build Local Citations (Complete Guide)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_tu5hnbr1msy0\"><\/a>Asking for backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is when you reach out to other site owners, editors, or webmasters and ask them to link to your page. For this to work, you need to have a clear and compelling reason for them to link to&nbsp;you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where link building tactics come in. Here are a few tried and tested ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/guest-blogging\/\">Guest blogging<\/a>. Offer to write a blog post for another website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/broken-link-building\/\">Broken link building<\/a>. Find relevant dead links on other sites, then reach out and suggest your working link as the replacement. (You can use <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/broken-link-checker\">our broken link checker<\/a>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/skyscraper-technique\/\">The skyscraper technique<\/a>. Find relevant content with lots of links, make something better, then ask those linking to the original to link to you instead. Often used to pursue competitors\u2019 backlinks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/unlinked-mentions\/\">Unlinked mentions<\/a>. Find unlinked mentions of your brand, then ask the author to make the mention clickable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s the process of finding guest blogging prospects in a nutshell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter a related topic and change the dropdown to <strong>In title<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for English results.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for results with 500+&nbsp;words.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the <strong>Websites<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1416\" height=\"1164\" class=\"wp-image-179541\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/finding-guest-blogging-prospects-with-content-expl.png\" alt=\"Finding guest blogging prospects with Content Explorer. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/finding-guest-blogging-prospects-with-content-expl.png 1416w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/finding-guest-blogging-prospects-with-content-expl-517x425.png 517w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/finding-guest-blogging-prospects-with-content-expl-768x631.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1416px) 100vw, 1416px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This shows you the websites getting the most search traffic to content about your target topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From here, look at the <strong>Authors tab<\/strong> and find sites with multiple authors, as this suggests that they may accept guest&nbsp;posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final step is outreach \u2014 a message to the person in charge with a pitch of your article idea, typically sent via email or LinkedIn. The message can look something like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1844\" class=\"wp-image-179542\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-email-outreach-.jpg\" alt=\"Example of email outreach.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-email-outreach-.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-email-outreach--415x425.jpg 415w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-email-outreach--768x787.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-email-outreach--1499x1536.jpg 1499w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have only a few link prospects, invest some time to make a fully personalized message. If you have a large contact list, use a scalable method. Use a template with a few personal touches (the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-outreach\/#scoped-shotgun-hybrid-approach\">scoped shotgun approach<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n<p>\n<\/p><div data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-c5ddo63khhi\" style=\"max-width:900px;\" class=\"arve\">\n\t<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n\t\t<div style=\"aspect-ratio:500\/281\" class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<iframe allow=\"accelerometer 'none';autoplay 'none';bluetooth 'none';browsing-topics 'none';camera 'none';clipboard-read 'none';clipboard-write;display-capture 'none';encrypted-media 'none';gamepad 'none';geolocation 'none';gyroscope 'none';hid 'none';identity-credentials-get 'none';idle-detection 'none';keyboard-map 'none';local-fonts;magnetometer 'none';microphone 'none';midi 'none';otp-credentials 'none';payment 'none';picture-in-picture;publickey-credentials-create 'none';publickey-credentials-get 'none';screen-wake-lock 'none';serial 'none';summarizer 'none';sync-xhr;usb 'none';web-share;window-management 'none';xr-spatial-tracking 'none';\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" credentialless data-arve=\"arve-youtube-c5ddo63khhi\" data-lenis-prevent data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/C5ddo63kHHI?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" loading=\"lazy\" name referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/C5ddo63kHHI?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" title width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-building-strategies\/\">9 EASY Link Building Strategies (That ANYONE Can&nbsp;Use)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_cfwfw62gawc3\"><\/a>Buying backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every now and then, you\u2019ll come across an offer to buy links \u2014 don\u2019t take&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying backlinks is extremely risky. You can get your site penalized because Google is strongly against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not to be confused with paid link building services. Good link building agencies use legit, white-hat tactics that have nothing to do with spam or buying links for that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/\">Should You Buy Backlinks in 2023? It Depends<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/hire-link-building-agency\/\">How to Hire a Link Building Agency: A Step-by-Step Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_5jf7ljeq42dc\"><\/a>Earning backlinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Backlinks are earned organically when people find your content. They link to your page because they believe it has value for their audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can increase your chances of earning backlinks by creating genuinely valuable content that people want to link to. \u201cLink bait\u201d is content made to attract backlinks. It\u2019s so useful that bloggers and journalists want to link to&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Links are more likely if you use: calculators, guides, and opinionated takes. Also, use emotional stories, appealing visuals, news articles, and engaging narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But honestly, there is no one type of effective link bait \u2014 it all depends on your creativity. On the one side of the spectrum, you have meticulous data studies with high educational value like our study of pages that get no traffic from Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1410\" height=\"1432\" class=\"wp-image-179543\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-original-study-as-link-bait-.png\" alt=\"Example of original study as link bait. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-original-study-as-link-bait-.png 1410w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-original-study-as-link-bait--418x425.png 418w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-original-study-as-link-bait--768x780.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This study earned 5.7k backlinks from 2.9k unique referring domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"501\" class=\"wp-image-179544\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-and-ref-domains-data-via-ahrefs-.png\" alt=\"Backlinks and ref. domains data via Ahrefs. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-and-ref-domains-data-via-ahrefs-.png 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-and-ref-domains-data-via-ahrefs--680x213.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-and-ref-domains-data-via-ahrefs--768x240.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlinks-and-ref-domains-data-via-ahrefs--1536x481.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, you have link bait created mostly for entertainment. Take a site like Bored Panda or Upworthy and run it through Ahrefs to see what topics earn hundreds of&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1448\" height=\"484\" class=\"wp-image-179545\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-entertaining-content-earning-lots-of-ba.png\" alt=\"Example of entertaining content earning lots of backlinks. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-entertaining-content-earning-lots-of-ba.png 1448w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-entertaining-content-earning-lots-of-ba-680x227.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-entertaining-content-earning-lots-of-ba-768x257.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1448px) 100vw, 1448px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years, I\u2019ve seen various forms of successful link bait content, and they were at least one of those things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Practical<\/strong>: provided immediate utility, like tools, guides, and templates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Opinionated<\/strong>: had a strong, unique viewpoint or a fresh take on a common issue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Emotional<\/strong>: used stories, humor, or controversy to spark feelings. This aimed to connect on a human level and encourage sharing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Visual<\/strong>: used eye-catching infographics or videos.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Newsworthy<\/strong>: leveraged current events or trending topics by adding value to ongoing conversations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Storied<\/strong>: utilized storytelling to make abstract or dry topics more relatable and engaging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/linkable-assets\/\">6 Linkable Asset Types (And EXACTLY How to Earn Links With&nbsp;Them)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-bait\/\">What Is Link Bait? 7 Successful Examples<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What to avoid with backlinks\" data-section=\"what-to-avoid-with-backlinks\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_cb2pyhe391pr\"><\/a>What to avoid with backlinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Just as you will come across high-quality backlinks, you will definitely see some links that are best avoided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At best, links like that won\u2019t have any impact on your rankings. At worst, they may make your <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies\">pages rank lower on Google or even not appear at all<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1768\" height=\"210\" class=\"wp-image-179546\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/google-advising-that-sites-violating-its-policies.png\" alt=\"Google advising that sites violating its policies will rank lower or not appear at all in results\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/google-advising-that-sites-violating-its-policies.png 1768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/google-advising-that-sites-violating-its-policies-680x81.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/google-advising-that-sites-violating-its-policies-768x91.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/google-advising-that-sites-violating-its-policies-1536x182.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1768px) 100vw, 1768px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some types of links you should definitely avoid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>PBNs<\/strong>: multiple sites linking together in order to manipulate search engines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paid links<\/strong>: exchanging money, goods, or services in return for&nbsp;links.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Link exchanges<\/strong>: linking to a site in exchange for that site also linking to&nbsp;yours.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Automated links<\/strong>: use of automated software or services to generate large volumes of links to a&nbsp;site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Forum and comment spam links<\/strong>: adding spam links in forums.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You should also avoid <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/over-optimization\/#exact-match-anchor-text\">link building overoptimization<\/a>. This is when your link profile (all backlinks to your site) has too many links with anchor text that matches your target keyword. Google might see this as a link manipulation attempt. A \u201cnatural\u201d link profile has a mix of anchor texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if 90% of the backlinks to this article had the anchor \u201cwhat are backlinks,\u201d it would likely raise a red flag for Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/bad-links\/\">8 Types of Bad Links to&nbsp;Avoid<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Types of backlinks\" data-section=\"backlink-types\"><a id=\"post-179508-_12zyd051rnqy\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of backlinks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s wrap this up with a quick cheat sheet of backlink types and their impact on SEO. Keep in mind, this is a generalization. Use it as a rule of thumb for spotting good and bad backlinks. But, always check each one against the six traits of a good backlink discussed earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Editorial backlinks<\/strong>: achieved by being cited as an authoritative source within content. High-authority sites\u2019 links boost SEO and can drive referral traffic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guest blogging backlinks<\/strong>: come from writing on sites you don\u2019t own. They benefit both parties with quality backlinks and content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Relationship-based backlinks<\/strong>: come from nurturing ties with writers or site owners who\u2019ve linked to you before. They\u2019re built over time and can be highly rewarding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Backlinks in business profiles<\/strong>: Creating profiles on reputable business listing sites can establish your site as a credible entity in your&nbsp;field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Backlinks from public speaking<\/strong>: Speaking at events can earn backlinks from the websites of the event organizers. This shows your expertise and authority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Embedded asset links<\/strong>: these include tools, widgets, awards, and badges embedded on other sites, linking back to yours. It\u2019s a creative way to gain continuous backlinks with minimal effort.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Link schemes (avoid)<\/strong>: any unnatural links designed to manipulate search rankings can lead to penalties. This includes buying links, excessive link exchanges, and using private blog networks (PBNs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Automated links (avoid)<\/strong>: they\u2019re generated by software and often part of black hat SEO. They can harm your site\u2019s credibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low-quality or irrelevant directory links (avoid)<\/strong>: search engines view mass business profile creation on low-quality directories as spammy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low-quality forum backlinks (avoid)<\/strong>: spamming forums for backlinks is ineffective. It can also harm your&nbsp;SEO.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/types-of-backlinks\/\">Get These 6 Types of Backlinks (+ 4 Types to&nbsp;Avoid)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"FAQs\" data-section=\"faqs\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_7fmsevcv9rj9\"><\/a><strong>FAQs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Frequently asked questions about backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_j2xzeahxh6z1\"><\/a>How many backlinks do you need to&nbsp;rank?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no set number of backlinks needed for ranking. There is no \u201csweet spot\u201d for backlinks, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The number of backlinks needed to rank can vary. It depends on the competition and the quality of the backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use tools like Ahrefs\u2019 keyword difficulty to gauge the backlinks needed to rank in the top&nbsp;10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, to rank in the top 10 for \u201ctea,\u201d you need about 756 unique backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"694\" height=\"884\" class=\"wp-image-179547\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-keyword-with-high-keyword-difficulty-.png\" alt=\"Example of a keyword with high keyword difficulty. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-keyword-with-high-keyword-difficulty-.png 694w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-keyword-with-high-keyword-difficulty--334x425.png 334w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 694px) 100vw, 694px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But you wouldn\u2019t need many to rank for \u201cbest non caffeinated tea\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"692\" height=\"848\" class=\"wp-image-179548\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-keyword-with-low-keyword-difficulty-.png\" alt=\"Example of a keyword with low keyword difficulty. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-keyword-with-low-keyword-difficulty-.png 692w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-keyword-with-low-keyword-difficulty--347x425.png 347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 692px) 100vw, 692px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that in SEO, the quality of backlinks matters more than their quantity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_tg6rf2k987wx\"><\/a>Can you rank without backlinks?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, it is possible to rank without backlinks, especially for low-competition keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, our data shows a page with no backlinks. It ranks for 84 keywords in the top 3 (749 total) and gets an estimated 2.5K organic visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1872\" height=\"528\" class=\"wp-image-179549\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-page-with-no-backlinks-with-organic-t.png\" alt=\"Example of a page with no backlinks with organic traffic. \" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-page-with-no-backlinks-with-organic-t.png 1872w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-page-with-no-backlinks-with-organic-t-680x192.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-page-with-no-backlinks-with-organic-t-768x217.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/example-of-a-page-with-no-backlinks-with-organic-t-1536x433.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1872px) 100vw, 1872px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But, it is possible to rank without backlinks. However, high-quality backlinks can boost your rankings. They can help you keep a top position despite the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_2o2mdjqirh7u\"><\/a>What are toxic backlinks? Do you need to disavow them?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Toxic backlinks are an SEO term, not used by Google. They are links that can harm your site\u2019s search performance or lead to a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/manual-action\">manual action<\/a>. Toxic backlinks are typically some form of link spam, such as exchanging links for&nbsp;money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disavowing links means listing the backlinks you want to be ignored and submitting it to Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/2648487?hl=en\">Google advises disavowing links<\/a> if your site has a manual action, or if you suspect one might occur. For example, if a link-building agency you hired made spammy backlinks, disavowing them can help you avoid penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/toxic-backlinks\/#will-manipulative-links-hurt-your-rankings?\">found<\/a> that a single low-quality link probably won\u2019t pose a threat to your site. Only a large number of spammy links can alert Google\u2019s webspam team or lower your site\u2019s rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn more about toxic backlinks, read <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/toxic-backlinks\/\">our guide<\/a>. We also tested disavowing toxic backlinks in an experiment. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/toxic-backlink-disavowal\/\">read the results here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_b6rgxa2v9yy6\"><\/a>Should you worry about \u201clow-quality\u201d backlinks?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect some of your backlinks are part of a link exchange, you <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/2648487?hl=en\">can disavow them<\/a>. Other than that, low-authority or irrelevant sites link to you. It\u2019s normal on the web. You don\u2019t need to do anything about&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_pjowj5vq41a\"><\/a>Are backlinks becoming less important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>We confirmed that links have a high impact on rankings in two studies. One study showed that <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-traffic-study\/\">pages that don\u2019t get traffic from Google<\/a>, typically don\u2019t have any backlinks. In another study we demonstrated how <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/impact-of-links\/\">removing and adding backlinks affects organic traffic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And we were not the only ones confirming that links still matter.<\/p>\n\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/GaelBreton\/status\/1709130830738591884<\/p>\n\n<p>But in April 2024, Google\u2019s Gary Illyes said during a conference that links matter less than before:<\/p>\n\n<p><\/p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I shouldn\u2019t have said that\u2026 I definitely shouldn\u2019t have said&nbsp;that<\/p>\u2014 Gary \u9be8\u7406\uff0f\uacbd\ub9ac Illyes (so official, trust me) (@methode) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/methode\/status\/1781357974578995315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 19,&nbsp;2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n<p>So we checked again in a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/links-matter-less-but-still-matter\/\">study<\/a> by Patrick Stox, which became one of the reasons I\u2019m updating the article. Here are the key takeaways:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"9:1-9:158\"><strong>Links still correlate with rankings, although the correlation is generally weak<\/strong>. This supports Google\u2019s statement to some degree.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"10:1-10:164\"><strong>Links correlate more strongly with higher search volume queries<\/strong>, likely because these are more competitive and links act as a differentiator.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"11:1-11:185\"><strong>External links (backlinks) correlate much more strongly with rankings than internal links<\/strong>. This suggests Google weights external links more heavily.<\/li>\n<li data-sourcepos=\"13:1-13:285\"><strong>Comparing with a 2019 study, link correlation has decreased for low-volume, non-branded queries<\/strong>, aligning with Google\u2019s statement and SEO perception. However, the author anticipates a potential resurgence of link importance due to the rise of AI content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-179508-_meyjocl3py9y\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Backlinks are crucial for ranking on Google, especially for competitive queries. But the easier it is to get a link, typically the less valuable it&nbsp;is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to get started with link building? Read our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-building\/\">beginner-friendly guide<\/a> or watch our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=B5jmQig8FJU&amp;list=PLvJ_dXFSpd2tjUTuAHpHidz5e2hAedP_m\">link building tutorials on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Let me know on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mateusz-makosiewicz-38154b67\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Think of backlinks as trust signals or votes of confidence from other websites. When a reputable website links to your content, it\u2019s like receiving a recommendation that tells search engines, \u201cThis website is worth checking out.\u201d The more high-quality backlinks<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"coauthors":[412],"class_list":["post-164434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-link-building","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Are Backlinks in SEO? 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