{"id":104614,"date":"2024-02-21T12:51:58","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T12:51:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/?p=104614"},"modified":"2025-09-07T13:26:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T13:26:24","slug":"backlinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/","title":{"rendered":"Backlinks: The Complete Guide (Plus 7 Ways to Earn the Right Ones)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since the early days of Google, backlinks have always been a significant ranking factor.<\/p>\n<p>Search engines consider links as votes of confidence from one website to another, expressing that the page is worth noticing.<\/p>\n<p>But before you send thousands of spammy link requests on LinkedIn (or worse yet, buy them on Fiverr), you must have a good understanding of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">What backlinks are and how they improve your SEO<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">How to create an actionable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/seo-strategy\/\">SEO strategy<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">How to build high-quality links<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Which backlinks should you go after<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Which backlinks should you avoid like the plague<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2026 and that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ll be covering in this post. Let\u2019s start with the basics.<\/p>\n<h2>What are backlinks?<\/h2>\n<p>Backlinks in SEO are hyperlinks from a third-party site pointing to a page on your website.<\/p>\n<p>There are two types of backlinks:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Inbound links<\/b>: The links coming through to your website<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Outbound links<\/b>: The links referring to another website from your website<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>These links play a crucial role in your SEO, and high-quality SEO backlinks will enhance your website&#8217;s credibility and visibility on search engine results pages.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186889 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Link-pointing-to-Mashable.png\" alt=\"Backlink pointing to Mashable\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Link-pointing-to-Mashable.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Link-pointing-to-Mashable-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Link-pointing-to-Mashable-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Link-pointing-to-Mashable-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Link-pointing-to-Mashable-512x268.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><i>Here, we have an example of a backlink from an Entrepreneur blog to Mashable.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Here is a short video guide we prepared for you, with our own Gerald Murphy explaining backlink basics<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4_vDIkmMPew?si=ugIRbpV_WrcoibQs\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Why are backlinks important?<\/h2>\n<p>Google and other search engines consider links from trustworthy sites to yours as recommendations. The more backlinks you have, the more search engines will view your site as trustworthy and relevant. The more trustworthy and relevant your site is, the more likely it will rank in search results to answer user queries.<\/p>\n<p>On top of higher rankings, backlinks can also bring your site high-quality direct traffic. If the content that visitors come from is topically relevant to yours, they are likely to engage with your content.<\/p>\n<h2>Follow vs. nofollow backlinks: What\u2019s the difference?<\/h2>\n<p>Not all links are created equal in the SEO world -some pass link equity, while others don&#8217;t. In other words, we\u2019ve got:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Follow or dofollow links<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Nofollow links<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>No-follow<\/b> <b>links<\/b> do not pass link equity and do not directly affect your rankings. If you are linking to a page that you don\u2019t want to recommend, you can avoid recommending it by adding a \u2018nofollow\u2019 directive.<\/p>\n<p>Say you\u2019re writing a blog post about a controversial topic and want to reference a source that presents a different perspective or opinion. <i>However,<\/i> you want to make it clear you are not endorsing or promoting that particular viewpoint. This is where a nofollow link steps in.<\/p>\n<p>To signal to search engines that a link is <b>nofollow<\/b>, simply add the<b> rel=nofollow<\/b> attribute to your HTML code. Something like:<\/p>\n<p><i>&lt;a href=&#8221;https:\/\/www.example.com&#8221; <\/i><b><i>rel=&#8221;nofollow&#8221;<\/i><\/b><i>&gt;Visit Example&lt;\/a&gt;<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Dofollow links<\/b> do pass link equity to your site and are considered a ranking factor. You don\u2019t need to specify a link as dofollow, and any link without an attribute will be considered a dofollow link.<\/p>\n<p>Both link types have their place. While dofollow links will improve your authority, nofollow links make your content more discoverable. A healthy backlink profile generally includes a mix of both.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you recognize a quality backlink?<\/h2>\n<p>If you want to see your content rising through the ranks, you should focus on <b>quality over quantity <\/b>when it comes to your backlinks.<\/p>\n<p>In truth, no one (aside from Google\u2019s masterminds) knows the value Google assigns to links, but we do know that several factors contribute to link quality, including:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Topical relevance<\/h3>\n<p>Links earned from a page that is topically relevant to your page will pass a lot more link equity than an unrelated page.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a prime example: If a marketing agency in London writes an article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/marketing-strategy\/buyer-persona\/\">buyer personas<\/a> and then links to a fast-food restaurant in Singapore, it\u2019s painfully obvious that the link is irrelevant and will pass on very little (if any) link equity.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Trust and authority<\/h3>\n<p>Links that come from authoritative pages carry more weight than links from weaker pages. You can see if a page is authoritative with the <b>Similarweb Backlinks report<\/b> by looking at the <b>Page Trust Score (PTS)<\/b>. The PTS is based on the page\u2019s link profile.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186890 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-showing-Page-Trust-Score.png\" alt=\"Similarweb Backlink Analysis showing Page Trust Score\" width=\"1192\" height=\"690\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-showing-Page-Trust-Score.png 1192w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-showing-Page-Trust-Score-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-showing-Page-Trust-Score-1024x593.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-showing-Page-Trust-Score-768x445.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-showing-Page-Trust-Score-512x296.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1192px) 100vw, 1192px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>3. Anchor text includes target keywords<\/h3>\n<p>Anchor text refers to the clickable text of a link (which is usually blue and underlined). When Google crawls a web page and finds a link, it uses the anchor text to determine if the destination URL is relevant to the linking page.<\/p>\n<p><b>Anchor text is one of the strongest link signals for ranking websites<\/b>, and if a link points to a page and contains the right keywords or phrases, there\u2019s a high chance that the page will rank for those words.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s common to find \u2018<i>Click here<\/i>\u2019 as link anchor text, but if you have any influence, you should try to have contextually relevant anchor texts where possible, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>Read on to find out more about [keyword]<\/i><\/li>\n<li><em>You can download the full [keyword] report<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Head over to our complete guide on [keyword]<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can see the anchor text of any link with the <b>Similarweb Backlinks report<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186892 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text.png\" alt=\"Similarweb showing backlink anchor text\" width=\"1217\" height=\"794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text.png 1217w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text-300x196.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text-1024x668.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text-768x501.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text-512x334.png 512w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-showing-backlink-anchor-text-808x526.png 808w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1217px) 100vw, 1217px\" \/><\/p>\n    <div class=\"post-banner post-banner--base\">\n        <div class=\"post-banner__wrapper\">\n            <div class=\"post-banner__text\">\n                                    <p class=\"post-banner__title\">Build a winning backlink strategy<\/p>\n                                    <p class=\"post-banner__subtitle\">Spy on your competitors with granular backlink analysis.<\/p>\n                                <div class=\"post-banner__button-wrapper\">\n                                            <a class=\"swui-button swui-button--solid swui-button--primary post-banner__button js-post-banner\"\n                           href=\"https:\/\/account.similarweb.com\"\n                           data-disable-dynamic-tracking\n                        >Start a Similarweb trial<\/a>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<h2>How to check backlinks<\/h2>\n<p>Auditing your SEO backlinks is a crucial part of your SEO, and by auditing them, you might find some SEO opportunities that you didn\u2019t know existed.<\/p>\n<p>There are two ways to audit your links:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Google Search Console Links report<\/h3>\n<p>Google Search Console is a favorite in the SEO community and presents a large amount of data for free. SEOs love Search Console because it gives you a peek into how Google views your site without having to track specific keywords.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-186893\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Google-Search-Console-Link-report.png\" alt=\"Google Search Console Link report\" width=\"863\" height=\"791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Google-Search-Console-Link-report.png 863w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Google-Search-Console-Link-report-300x275.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Google-Search-Console-Link-report-768x704.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Google-Search-Console-Link-report-512x469.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Search Console Links report is made up of four pages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">External links<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/internal-links\/\">Internal links<\/a><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Top linking sites<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Top linking text<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you click the More button on External links, you\u2019ll be redirected to the Top Linked Pages report. This report shows you the pages that get the most links on your site. You can see the number of links each page has earned as well as the sites that link to those pages.<\/p>\n<p>Use this data in two ways.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, try to understand what types of content get the most links. You might notice that specific content types get the most links, for instance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Data posts<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Free tools<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Complete guides<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By understanding the types of content that get the most links, you can double down on that content type and create more link bait.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, you can see the very sites that link to your content. You\u2019ll find that if you create great content, some sites will link out to your site multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>Sites that link to you multiple times are low-hanging fruit. Use this data to figure out what types of content they generally link out to and reach out to them. If you do this in the right way, you are likely to build a relationship with them, which could lead to opportunities down the road.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll cover how to create a data-driven backlink strategy shortly.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Similarweb Backlink Analysis<\/h3>\n<p>The second way to audit your links is to use a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/search\/backlink-analysis\/\"><b>Similarweb Backlink Analysis<\/b><\/a>, which provides you with quick and actionable backlink data for <b>any<\/b> site.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take the URL theecohub.com\/ as an example. Straight away, you can see some top-level metrics, like <b>Referring Domains<\/b> and <b>Backlinks<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186894 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Referring-Domains-and-Backlinks-in-the-Similarweb-Backlinks-report.png\" alt=\"Referring Domains and Backlinks in the Similarweb Backlinks report\" width=\"1508\" height=\"559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Referring-Domains-and-Backlinks-in-the-Similarweb-Backlinks-report.png 1508w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Referring-Domains-and-Backlinks-in-the-Similarweb-Backlinks-report-300x111.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Referring-Domains-and-Backlinks-in-the-Similarweb-Backlinks-report-1024x380.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Referring-Domains-and-Backlinks-in-the-Similarweb-Backlinks-report-768x285.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Referring-Domains-and-Backlinks-in-the-Similarweb-Backlinks-report-512x190.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1508px) 100vw, 1508px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you dig further, you\u2019ll find <b>New vs. Lost backlinks<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186896 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-New-vs-Lost.png\" alt=\"Similarweb Backlinks report showing New vs Lost\" width=\"1423\" height=\"654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-New-vs-Lost.png 1423w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-New-vs-Lost-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-New-vs-Lost-1024x471.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-New-vs-Lost-768x353.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-New-vs-Lost-512x235.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1423px) 100vw, 1423px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>New backlinks show you if your link outreach is working. Lost backlinks, on the other hand, are important to keep an eye on, as there are a number of reasons you might lose a link. For instance, the site might have updated a page. This is often unintentional, and if you act quickly and reach out to the site owner, you might save the link.<\/p>\n<p>You can also see top-level metrics like <b>Top Countries<\/b> and <b>TLD Distribution<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186897 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Top-Countries-and-TLD-Distribution.png\" alt=\"Top Countries and TLD Distribution\" width=\"1526\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Top-Countries-and-TLD-Distribution.png 1526w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Top-Countries-and-TLD-Distribution-300x80.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Top-Countries-and-TLD-Distribution-1024x272.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Top-Countries-and-TLD-Distribution-768x204.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Top-Countries-and-TLD-Distribution-512x136.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1526px) 100vw, 1526px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Compare these metrics to those of your competitors to see where your potential links come from. This will help you prioritize your link building efforts.<\/p>\n<h4>Referring Domains report<\/h4>\n<p>Looking at the <b>Referring Domains<\/b> report, you\u2019ll see all the domains that are linking to a site. What\u2019s more, it will give you a <b>Domain Trust Score (DTS).<\/b> This score represents the strength of a domain\u2019s backlink profile. The higher the score, the better.<\/p>\n<p>You can also see how many times each domain links out to your site and whether the links are follow or no-follow.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186898 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-referring-domains.png\" alt=\"Similarweb Backlinks report showing referring domains\" width=\"1522\" height=\"793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-referring-domains.png 1522w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-referring-domains-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-referring-domains-1024x534.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-referring-domains-768x400.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-showing-referring-domains-512x267.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1522px) 100vw, 1522px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is super actionable data when it comes to creating a link-building strategy.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if you\u2019re analyzing your own site, you want to look for the sites that link out to your site multiple times. This indicates that they find your content to be link-worthy, making them a great prospect and someone you should consider building a relationship with from a link-building perspective.<\/p>\n<p>You should also build a relationship with sites that link out multiple times to your direct competitors. While they might not link out to you\u00a0 (yet), they will probably be open to linking to content like yours.<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t forget, it\u2019s quality over quantity. Prioritize domains that have a high DTS and use dofollow links.<\/p>\n<h4>Backlinks report<\/h4>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the Backlinks report; here you can look at the actual links pointing to your site, and even analyze links to a specific page using the <b>Target URL filter<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you are looking at a competitor\u2019s site, filter the data to show <b>lost<\/b> links, and assess them. If those links are recently lost, this could be your opportunity. Perhaps the page that they were originally linking to is out of date. This is where you can swoop in and earn a link by presenting up-to-date content.<\/p>\n<p>When you do this, you should prioritize high-quality content by looking at the Page Trust Score (PTS) and considering the anchor text to see the nature of the links. <i>Hint<\/i>: Your best links use keyword-rich anchor text.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186899 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report.png\" alt=\"Similarweb Backlinks report\" width=\"1518\" height=\"785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report.png 1518w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-1024x530.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-768x397.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlinks-report-512x265.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1518px) 100vw, 1518px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s use the example of The Eco Hub, again. Here, we\u2019ve filtered the results to show links for the URL theecohub.com\/what-is-compostable\/. You\u2019ll notice that the majority of the link anchor text is for the word <i>\u2018compostable\u2019<\/i> or variations of it.<\/p>\n<p>Now that you know how to see your and your competitor\u2019s backlink data, are you ready to turn that into a killer link-building strategy?<\/p>\n    <div class=\"post-banner post-banner--base\">\n        <div class=\"post-banner__wrapper\">\n            <div class=\"post-banner__text\">\n                                    <p class=\"post-banner__title\">Build a winning backlink strategy<\/p>\n                                    <p class=\"post-banner__subtitle\">Find your best link building prospects with backlink analysis tools.<\/p>\n                                <div class=\"post-banner__button-wrapper\">\n                                            <a class=\"swui-button swui-button--solid swui-button--primary post-banner__button js-post-banner\"\n                           href=\"https:\/\/account.similarweb.com\"\n                           data-disable-dynamic-tracking\n                        >Start a free Similarweb trial<\/a>\n                                    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<h2>How to get backlinks in 7 steps<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever managed content, you\u2019ll be familiar with the endless cringe-worthy LinkedIn link swap requests. These untargeted cold requests have practically zero chance of landing a link.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186975 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cringy-LinkedIn-link-building-messages.png\" alt=\"Cringy LinkedIn link building messages\" width=\"1091\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cringy-LinkedIn-link-building-messages.png 1091w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cringy-LinkedIn-link-building-messages-300x117.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cringy-LinkedIn-link-building-messages-1024x399.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cringy-LinkedIn-link-building-messages-768x299.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cringy-LinkedIn-link-building-messages-512x199.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1091px) 100vw, 1091px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Instead of getting yourself muted by everyone who follows you on LinkedIn, <b>be strategic<\/b>. That\u2019s the key to getting someone to link to your content.<\/p>\n<p>There are 7 steps to creating a winning link-building strategy:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Understand what links to go after<\/h3>\n<p>When building a link-building strategy, you first need to understand what links to go after. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlink-gap-analysis\/\"><b>Backlink gap analysis<\/b><\/a> is a great way to help you do that. It\u2019s a competitive strategy that will quickly help you to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Understand what types of links work in your niche<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Prioritize your link-building efforts<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Stay ahead of your competitors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can do this two ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Analyze your direct competitors\u2019 domain:<\/b> When you analyze your top competitors\u2019 domains, you might notice some domains that link out to all of them. Make it your goal to earn links from these domains over time. Think of these as entry-level links.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Analyze pages to rank on specific keywords:<\/b> If you want to rank your content on a target keyword, take the top-ranking pages and analyze their backlinks. Again, you might find domains that link out to all of them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With a solid backlink gap analysis in hand, you will have a list of backlinks you need to build. Your next step is to make sure you have content worth linking to.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Build quality targeted content<\/h3>\n<p>No matter how good your prospect list is, your link-building efforts won\u2019t be successful without the right content.<\/p>\n<p>What we mean by \u201cright\u201d content will differ from industry to industry. For instance, in a SAAS company, free tools tend to perform well. So, how do you figure out the types of content you should create?<\/p>\n<p>Backlink data, of course.<\/p>\n<p><b>Similarweb Links report<\/b> will inform you of the type of content your link prospects\u00a0generally link out to. Is it data? Free tools? Ultimate guides?<\/p>\n<p>Start by analyzing both your own and your top competitors\u2019 backlinks. Use the target URL filter to see all the links a page has earned:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186901 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis.png\" alt=\"Similarweb Backlink Analysis\" width=\"1518\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis.png 1518w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-1024x414.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-768x311.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Similarweb-Backlink-Analysis-512x207.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1518px) 100vw, 1518px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At this stage, you are looking for the pages that get the most links.<\/p>\n<p>Take your time over this step. The better you do this, the more likely you are to create a high-value piece of link bait. And if your content is high-value enough, you could potentially earn links without much effort.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Broken link building<\/h3>\n<p>Once your targeted content strategy is well on its way, it\u2019s time to look at your broken link opportunities in your industry.<\/p>\n<p>If you find relevant broken links and you have up-to-date content that could replace the broken link, reach out to the site owner and let them know.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use the nifty <a href=\"https:\/\/chrome.google.com\/webstore\/detail\/check-my-links\/ojkcdipcgfaekbeaelaapakgnjflfglf\/support?hl=pt-BR\">Chrome extension called Check My Links<\/a> to find broken links on any site. Just install it and browse around on sites in your niche.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186902 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension.png\" alt=\"Check My Links Chrome extension\" width=\"1580\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension.png 1580w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension-300x107.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension-1024x364.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension-768x273.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension-1536x546.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Check-My-Links-Chrome-extension-512x182.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1580px) 100vw, 1580px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you know a site that has migrated to a new domain, this could be a big-hitter. Reach out to the sites that were initially linking to the old domain, letting them know you have up-to-date replacement content. You\u2019ll be surprised at how many link opportunities you might find.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Paid link building<\/h3>\n<p>Disclaimer alert:\u00a0 We do not recommend buying links, as this is against Google\u2019s guidelines. If you do pay for backlinks, you must include the<i> rel=&#8221;sponsored&#8221;<\/i> attribute.<\/p>\n<p>That said, if you don\u2019t have the expertise to build links in-house, you can hire a link-building agency, but just make sure that the agency uses white hat link-building tactics.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Guest posting<\/h3>\n<p>Although Google considers guest post links as <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies#link-spam\">promotional links<\/a> and should be nofollowed, many SEOs still use guest posting for SEO purposes. However, guest posting could still be highly valuable to your business even if the links are nofollow.<\/p>\n<p>Guest posts will help you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Reach a large targeted audience<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Bring targeted traffic to your site<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Establish your expertise<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Build relationships<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>6. Find sites looking for sources<\/h3>\n<p>Another way to earn links is to find sites that are actively looking for resources.<\/p>\n<p>You can find them in places like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.helpareporter.com\/\">HARO<\/a>. HARO connects journalists with content creators. These journalists are actively looking to add content to their own stories from subject matter experts. If they choose your content, they are highly likely to link back to your site.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-186903 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Queries-on-HARO.png\" alt=\"Queries on HARO\" width=\"1284\" height=\"719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Queries-on-HARO.png 1284w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Queries-on-HARO-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Queries-on-HARO-1024x573.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Queries-on-HARO-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Queries-on-HARO-512x287.png 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1284px) 100vw, 1284px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>7. Link outreach<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve created a solid list of prospects and you have content that they are likely to link out to, your next step is to reach out to the site owners. When doing link outreach, the difficulty you face is that when a link request comes out of the blue, it will almost always fall flat.<\/p>\n<p>So, how do you increase your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/marketing-strategy\/email-outreach-strategy\/\">link outreach<\/a> response rates?<\/p>\n<p>The key is to think of link outreach as relationship building. This means personalizing your outreach emails and demonstrating a clear understanding of the recipient&#8217;s content. What\u2019s more, when you reach out, try to find a way to <b>offer them something in return<\/b>, a feature in your upcoming newsletter, for example.<\/p>\n<p><b>Pro tip: <\/b>Try to create a genuine relationship with your prospect on social media before reaching out. Be genuine and take your time over it. This will greatly increase your chance of earning a link from them.<\/p>\n<h2>Backlinks: The art of relationship building<\/h2>\n<p>You can\u2019t (or shouldn\u2019t) ask someone to marry you on the first date.<\/p>\n<p>Building relationships takes time, and your outreach and link building efforts should be no different.<\/p>\n<p>Similarweb Backlinks Analysis provides you with the data you need to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Find the right prospects<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Improve the quality of your outreach<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Create link-worthy content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And you know what that means? Improved response rates and more quality backlinks to help build the authority of your website\u2026 and get you ranking higher in search results.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"post-banner post-banner--base\">\n        <div class=\"post-banner__wrapper\">\n            <div class=\"post-banner__text\">\n                                    <p class=\"post-banner__title\">Download your copy of the indestructible SEO strategy guide<\/p>\n                                    <p class=\"post-banner__subtitle\">All the elements you need to build a successful SEO strategy<\/p>\n                                <div class=\"post-banner__button-wrapper\">\n                    <div\n    data-contact-us=\"split\"\ndata-corp-form-type=\"split-download\"\ndata-contact-us-should-get-chilipiper=\"false\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-subtitle3_tell_us_more=\" \"\ndata-contact-us-boolean-always-show-phone=\"false\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-title=\"Download the indestructible SEO strategy guide\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-subtitle1=\"All the elements you need to build a successful SEO strategy\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-submit_button=\"Download\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-success_title=\"Thanks for downloading the guide\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-success_subtitle=\"Sit back, relax, and enjoy!\"\ndata-contact-us-i18n-success_sub_subtitle=\"Ready to dive deeper?\"\ndata-contact-us-file-url=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SEO-GUIDE-2024_evergreen_color.pdf\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-file-url=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SEO-GUIDE-2024_evergreen_color.pdf\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-asset-type=\"Report\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-campaign-name=\"Site Audit Checklist\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-campaign-region=\"ALL\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-campaign-solution=\"All\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-sfcmpid=\"70167000000c3FQAAY\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-member-status=\"Downloaded\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-sub-subject=\" \"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-subject=\"no cu\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-message=\"I want to download the file\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-cta-description=\"All the elements you need to build a successful SEO strategy\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-cta-url=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/SEO-GUIDE-2024_evergreen_color.pdf\"\ndata-contact-us-hidden-button-caption=\"Get the guide now\"\n>\n            <button\n                class=\"swui-button swui-button--solid swui-button--primary post-banner__button js-post-banner\" data-analytics-category=\"Form\"\ndata-analytics-label=\"Backlinks: The Complete Guide (Plus 7 Ways to Earn the Right Ones)\"\n>\n            Get the guide now        <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<h2>FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><b>What are backlinks and how do they work?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Backlinks are links from one page of a website to another. When several websites link to the same webpage, search engines view the backlink as high quality and will boost its ranking on a SERP (search engine results page).<\/p>\n<p><b>How do I get backlinks?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There are several methods to get backlinks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Look at your top referral sources<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Check outbound links and sent outreach emails<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Use Google Search Console reports to find new opportunities<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Check what your competitors are doing<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Find broken links and pitch your content as a replacement<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Create high-quality content that sites want to link to<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Write testimonials in exchange for links<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Guest blogging<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Why are backlinks important?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Backlinks are important because they tell search engines that your content is valuable. Including backlinks will increase your website\u2019s visibility on search engines as well as your organic traffic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the early days of Google, backlinks have always been a significant ranking factor. Search engines consider links as votes of confidence from one website to another, expressing that the page is worth noticing. But before you send thousands of spammy link requests on LinkedIn (or worse yet, buy them on Fiverr), you must have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":267,"featured_media":186979,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2803,6345],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","category-seo"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Are Backlinks and How to Get Them | Similarweb<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Backlinks have always been at the heart of ranking in Google since the early days of SEO. Discover what backlinks are and how to build the right ones.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Limor Barenholtz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Limor Barenholtz\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f5af6d4b51d6efd23587c423306e7130\"},\"headline\":\"Backlinks: The Complete Guide (Plus 7 Ways to Earn the Right Ones)\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-21T12:51:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-07T13:26:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/\"},\"wordCount\":3116,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Backlinks_-The-complete-guide.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Marketing\",\"SEO\"],\"inLanguage\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/\",\"name\":\"What Are Backlinks and How to Get Them | Similarweb\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/backlinks\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Backlinks_-The-complete-guide.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-21T12:51:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-07T13:26:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Backlinks have always been at the heart of ranking in Google since the early days of SEO. 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