The Backlinks

What Are Backlinks in SEO?

Backlinks, also called inbound links or incoming links, are hyperlinks from other websites that point to your pages.

For Google and other search engines, they act like votes of confidence: if trusted, relevant sites link to you, it’s a strong signal that your content is useful and worth ranking.

Good backlinks can:

• Improve your visibility in the search results
• Increase your organic traffic over time
• Send you qualified referral traffic from other sites
• Strengthen your brand’s authority in your niche

But the opposite is also true: poor-quality backlinks can damage your SEO and reputation.

The Different Types of Backlinks

Dofollow backlinks

Dofollow backlinks are the default type of link.

They allow search engines to follow the link and take it into account in their ranking algorithms. These links pass “link equity” (often called link juice) from the referring site to your own.

When a trusted, relevant site links to you with a dofollow link, it can:

• Boost the authority of your page
• Help you rank on competitive keywords
• Support your overall domain authority

Nofollow backlinks

Nofollow backlinks include a specific attribute (rel="nofollow") that tells search engines not to pass authority.

They usually don’t have a direct impact on rankings, but they still matter because they can:

• Send qualified referral traffic
• Diversify your link profile
• Make your backlink profile look more natural

Many large platforms (social networks, forums, press sites) use nofollow by default on external links.

High-quality backlinks

A high-quality backlink typically comes from a site that has:

• Strong domain authority and a clean history
• Content that is clearly related to your topic or industry
• Real organic traffic and a genuine audience
• A natural context around the link, inside the main content

In short: it’s a link from a real website that people actually read, not from a random, low-quality page created only to host links.

Low-quality or toxic backlinks

On the other side, low-quality backlinks often come from:

• Spammy websites or link farms
• Automated directories with no editorial value
• Irrelevant pages with spun or duplicated content
• Artificial link networks (including risky PBNs)

These links don’t just fail to help your SEO – in large numbers, they can hurt your rankings and even lead to manual or algorithmic penalties.

If you want to go deeper into this topic, you can also read our article on Private Blog Networks (PBNs) and why they are considered a high-risk link building tactic.

How to Evaluate the Quality of a Backlink

When you look at a potential backlink, ask yourself a few key questions:

• Is the site relevant?
• Does the website talk about topics close to your business, your industry, your audience?
• Is the site trusted?
• Does it have real content, a clear brand, and signs of a genuine audience (traffic, social presence, comments)?
• Where is the link placed?
• Links in the main body of an article are usually more valuable than those hidden in footers or sidebars.
• What anchor text is used?
• Natural anchors (brand names, URLs, generic terms) are safer than aggressive exact-match anchors repeated everywhere.
• Would I want this link even if SEO didn’t exist?
• If the answer is “no”, it’s probably not a good backlink.

How to Get Quality Backlinks

1. Create content that deserves links

The most sustainable way to get backlinks is to publish content that people actually want to reference:

• In-depth guides and how-to articles
• Case studies and original data
• Practical checklists, templates and tools
• Comparative content (e.g. “X vs Y” explained objectively)

When your content genuinely helps your audience,:

• Other websites are more likely to link to it
• Journalists, bloggers and creators can use it as a source
• You build topical authority on your key subjects

This kind of content works even better when it’s backed by a solid SEO strategy and keyword research.

2. Guest posting and digital PR

Guest posting and digital PR mean that you contribute content or expertise to other websites in your ecosystem:

• Writing guest articles for relevant blogs and online magazines
• Being interviewed on podcasts or live shows
• Providing quotes and insights for journalists and reports

In exchange, you usually get:

• A contextual backlink to your site
• Visibility to a new audience
• Stronger relationships in your market

The key is to aim for quality over quantity: a handful of great placements on trusted sites is worth far more than dozens of low-value guest posts.

3. Strategic partnerships and resource pages

Some of the best backlinks come from long-term relationships:

• Partnerships with complementary businesses
• Inclusion on “partners” or “recommended tools” pages
• Industry associations and business networks
• Local chambers of commerce and professional organisations

If you regularly collaborate with other companies, ask yourself:

“Where could it make sense for them to mention us and link to our site?”

That kind of backlink is usually very natural and safe.

4. Communities, forums and social platforms

Participating actively in relevant communities is another way to earn backlinks indirectly:

• Answering questions in niche forums or Q&A platforms
• Sharing useful resources in LinkedIn or Facebook groups
• Contributing to Slack or Discord communities in your industry

The goal is not to drop your link everywhere, but to be genuinely helpful and share your content when it truly answers a need.

5. Reclaiming and fixing links

Two simple but powerful tactics:

• Brand mention reclamation
• Monitor when your brand is mentioned without a link. Reach out politely and ask if they can add a link to your site.
• Broken link building
• Use SEO tools to identify broken links on relevant sites and suggest your content as a replacement.

Both strategies help you get backlinks by solving a problem for the other site.

The Risks of Poor-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are not automatically “good” just because they exist. Poor-quality links can:

• Damage your positioning in search results
• Trigger manual or algorithmic penalties from Google
• Associate your brand with spammy or dubious sites

Common risky situations include:

• Buying links on low-quality sites
• Participating in link exchange schemes
• Using automated link building tools at scale
• Relying heavily on artificial networks (like PBNs)

Cleaning up a toxic backlink profile can take months. It’s usually much cheaper – and safer – to avoid creating the problem in the first place.

If you suspect that your backlink profile might be risky, a dedicated marketing audit can help you understand the real situation before things break.

Backlinks, PBNs and Google’s Guidelines

Google’s guidelines are clear: any practice aimed at manipulating rankings through artificial links is considered a link scheme.

That doesn’t mean that all link building is bad – but it does mean that:

• Links should come from real websites
• There should be a logical reason why they point to you
• Your link profile should look natural, diversified and consistent

Tactics like link farms or abusive PBNs may still “work” short term, but they create an unstable foundation. If you want to dig deeper into this, you can read our article:

What Is a PBN in SEO? Risks, Benefits & Safer Alternatives

Summary: Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

Backlinks are one of the strongest levers in SEO, but they only work in your favour if:

• They come from relevant, trustworthy sites
• They are earned through real value and relationships
• Your link profile stays clean and balanced over time

Chasing every possible link is a waste of energy.

Focusing on a smaller number of high-quality backlinks is usually enough to make a real difference in your visibility and leads.

Need Help With Your Backlink Strategy?

If you’re not sure whether your current backlinks are helping or hurting you, you don’t have to guess.

At Seven Gold Agency, we:

• Analyse your existing backlink profile
• Identify strong assets and risky areas
• Map out opportunities for high-quality links
• Design a clean, sustainable link building strategy

You can discover our approach here:

SEO agency – natural referencing

Or start with a dedicated review of your situation:

Marketing Audit – optimise your strategy