Defining Backlinks & Why They Matter

What is a backlink?

A backlink is a hyperlink from one website to another website; they’re also called “inbound links” or “incoming links.”

Why do they matter?

Ultimately, backlinks matter for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. When multiple websites link to the same web page, it signals to search engines that this content is worth linking to. Backlinks are a way of vouching for a web page or website, which makes it more worthy of showing up on search engine result pages (SERP). If your web page about grooming horses has a lot of inbound links from other relevant sites, it’s more likely to show up in the search results when someone types in “how to groom horses” or “horse grooming.”

How do you earn backlinks?

Not all backlinks are created equal. Backlinks from popular and trustworthy sites will be worth more to search engines than backlinks from sketchy or spammy websites. Earning these backlinks can be as simple as posting quality content and receiving backlinks without any promotion or effort. Or, you can actively share your web pages and push promotions to get more reach from your content in the hopes people who view it will also link to it.

Linking to other web pages.

When you choose to link to a web page, the value your website brings depends on the specific page you link to, the anchor text you use, and whether you choose to follow or nofollow the link.