SEO GLOSSARY
What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link on another website that points to a page on your site. Search engines use backlinks to discover pages and as votes of confidence, so a few links from relevant, trusted sites can help a page rank where great content alone would stall.
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Updated 23 October 2026
What are backlinks in SEO, and how do they work?
In SEO, a backlink is an inbound link from one domain to another. Google follows links to find new pages and uses the links between pages to judge relevance.
Google's own documentation says it uses links as a signal when determining the relevancy of pages and to find new pages to crawl. That is why backlinks have outlasted almost every other SEO tactic.
Not every link counts equally. Three things decide how much a backlink is worth:
- The linking site's strength: a link from a respected trade publication outweighs dozens from thin directories.
- Relevance: a bakery linked from a food blog makes more sense than one linked from a casino review site.
- The link type: a normal followed link passes ranking strength; links marked rel="nofollow", "sponsored" or "ugc" are generally not followed.
How to check backlinks, with an example
Run your domain through a backlink checker to see every link, the sites they come from, and how many pass ranking strength. Digimetrics Backlinks Explorer does this in 10 to 45 seconds.
The backlink checker returns total backlinks, referring domains, dofollow share, a domain rank from 0 to 1,000 for each linking site, and the link type. Run it on a competitor too: their strongest links are your shortlist of sites to pitch.
In the official tutorial's sample (fictional brand Brightpath), the site had 4,870 backlinks from 312 domains, 81% dofollow. The referring domain count matters more than the raw backlink count, because 50 links from one site are mostly repeats.
Want the full process? Read how to check your backlinks.
How do I get backlinks to my website?
Earn them by creating pages other sites want to cite, then telling the people who would cite them. Buying links breaks Google's spam policies.
- Publish original data, templates or tools in your niche.
- Ask partners, suppliers and associations that already know you to link to you.
- Turn brand mentions without a link into linked mentions.
- Replace broken links on relevant sites with your better resource.
- Pitch the publications that link to your competitors, which you can find with competitor analysis.
Can backlinks hurt your site? Common mistakes
Yes, when they are manipulative. Google's spam policies list buying or selling links, excessive link exchanges and links traded for goods or services as link spam.
The common mistakes are chasing volume over relevance, repeating one exact-match keyword in every link, and ignoring links you have lost. A few strong, relevant links usually beat hundreds of weak ones.
Related terms: anchor text is the clickable wording of a link, and domain authority is the score tools build from your backlink profile.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? Email support@digimetrics.ai and a person will reply.
Is backlinking still important for SEO in 2026?
Yes. Google still describes links as a signal for relevance and a way to discover pages. What has changed is tolerance for manipulation: earned, relevant links work, bought ones are a risk.
What is the difference between a backlink and a referring domain?
A backlink is a single link; a referring domain is a website that links to you at least once. One referring domain can send hundreds of backlinks, so track both.
What are the best backlinks for SEO?
Followed links from relevant, trusted sites, placed in the body of a page with descriptive anchor text. A mention in your trade's leading publication beats any number of directory listings.
How can I check backlinks for free?
New Digimetrics accounts get every tool free for 7 days with no card, which covers a Backlinks Explorer report on your site and two competitors.
See who links to you, and who links to your rivals.
Pull your full backlink profile in under a minute: free for 7 days, no card.