Backlinks

Why it matters

Links are how the web votes. Google's systems started with that idea and still use links to discover pages and to understand which are worth trusting. A page that credible, relevant sites point to tends to be seen as more reliable than one nobody mentions. That is why backlinks sit under the authority part of SEO and feed E-E-A-T.

Quality beats quantity. One link from a respected local publication, a trade body or a well-known partner is worth more than a pile from irrelevant sites. Links that people click also bring real visitors, which is value of its own.

How to earn them

• Publish something worth citing: original data from your own work, a clear guide, a calculator, a template.
• Be useful to the press and bloggers in your field: comment on a trend, share a fact, offer an expert view.
• Use your real relationships: suppliers, partners, associations, events you sponsor and universities you work with.
• List in directories that matter to your sector and area, not every directory.
• Reclaim mentions: when someone names you without linking, ask politely.
• Support local prominence for your Google Business Profile.

Common mistakes

• Buying links or joining link exchanges. Google's spam policies treat paid links and large-scale link schemes as violations that can cost you rankings.
• Mass comment or forum posting with your link.
• Chasing authority scores from third-party tools. They are estimates, not what Google uses.
• Unnatural anchor text repeating the same keyword.
• Forgetting to look. Check your link profile occasionally for spam, and disavow only when you have a real problem.