What Are Backlinks? Why Google Uses Them as a Top Ranking Factor Explained Simply
You have likely heard that backlinks are important for SEO. They are, in fact, one of Google’s top three ranking signals — alongside content quality and search intent match. But what exactly is a backlink, why does Google care about them so much, and how do you start earning them?
What Is a Backlink?
A backlink (also called an inbound link or external link) is a link from one website pointing to another. When Website A includes a link to Website B, Website B has earned a backlink from Website A.
Think of backlinks as votes of confidence on the internet. When a reputable website links to yours, it is effectively endorsing your content as worth reading. The more high-quality endorsements your site accumulates, the more Google trusts it.
Why Google Uses Backlinks as a Ranking Signal
Google’s original PageRank algorithm, developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University, was built on a simple insight: a page that many other pages link to is probably more valuable than one that nobody links to. More than 25 years later, this principle still holds.
Research by Ahrefs found a strong correlation between the number of referring domains a page has and its position in Google search results. Pages ranking in positions one to three typically have significantly more backlinks from unique domains than pages in positions eight to ten.
Quality vs Quantity
Not all backlinks are equal. A single link from a high-authority, topically relevant website is worth far more than 100 links from low-quality or unrelated sites. Google evaluates link quality based on the authority of the linking site, its relevance to your topic, whether the link is editorial (naturally placed in content) versus manufactured, and whether it is a dofollow or nofollow link.
Dofollow vs Nofollow Links
A dofollow link passes SEO authority (often called ‘link equity’ or ‘link juice’) from the linking page to the linked page. Most editorial backlinks are dofollow. A nofollow link contains an HTML attribute telling Google not to pass authority. Most backlinks from social media, comment sections, and sponsored content are nofollow.
Both have value. Nofollow links can drive referral traffic and brand visibility even if they do not pass direct ranking authority.
How to Start Earning Your First Backlinks
- Create genuinely useful content that people want to reference and cite.
- Guest post on relevant websites in your niche.
- Respond to journalist queries using HARO (helpareporter.com).
- Fix broken links on other sites and suggest your content as a replacement.
- List your site on relevant, quality directories.
| Pro Tip Before building external backlinks, ensure your internal linking is strong. A well-interlinked site distributes the authority from any backlink you earn across more pages — amplifying the ranking impact of every link you build. |
Conclusion
Backlinks remain one of the most powerful ranking signals in Google’s algorithm. Building them takes time and genuine effort — but the rewards are durable, compounding authority that paid traffic cannot replicate. Start with content quality, then build links consistently and ethically over time.
For the full link building guide, visit seozest.io/link-building-for-beginners-the-complete-guide-2026.
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