Over the years, Google has updated its algorithm countless times. The rules surrounding backlinks have changed in tons of ways, but their importance in SEO hasn’t diminished one bit.
In fact, even in 2024, backlinks are one of the biggest, most important ranking factors for a website.
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at what backlinks are and why are they important, what makes a backlink valuable, and how to get them.
Originally, Respona has been developed as software specifically tailored to make the process of link building easier.
As this whole topic is somewhat shrouded in misconceptions, we’re more than happy to share our knowledge and help you figure out the best ways to acquire high-quality backlinks in 2026.
Let’s get straight into it!
Key Takeaways:
- Backlinks are still one of the strongest ranking factors used by search engines in 2026.
- A quality backlink from authoritative websites can improve rankings, referral traffic, visibility, and overall SEO value.
- Search engines evaluate backlinks based on relevance, anchor text, referring domains, and overall backlink profile quality.
- AI systems now rely heavily on pages already ranking in search engine results, making backlinks important for AI visibility too.
- Modern link building is less about volume and more about earning relevant backlinks from trusted websites with real authority and traffic.
Link building cheat sheet
What Is A Backlink?
A backlink (also known as an “inbound link” or “incoming link”) is a link that’s pointing to your website from another resource, as opposed to an internal link.
There is a strong correlation between the number of high-quality backlinks pointing to a website and its rankings on search result pages. Of course, link quality is as big of a factor as their number.
Backlinks can come from anywhere on the World Wide Web: social media pages, blog posts, directories, and so on.
However, not all of them are equally valuable for SEO. The most important link types when it comes to search engine optimization are relevant, in-content links from one blog post to another.
This leads us to the next section.
Why Are Backlinks Important?
Backlinks are so important because of the way Google’s algorithm works. If you put it very simply, backlinks act as “votes” that other websites have found your content valuable, and worth linking to.
Having a lot of high-quality backlinks pointing to your website typically results in your pages showing up high in search results pages. And, of course, each backlink will passively generate a little bit of referral traffic.
They’re good for both SEO and AI visibility.
That is the simple explanation – but we want to get a little more in-depth.
What Is PageRank?
In order to really understand why backlinks are so important, we have to take it all the way back to the beginning of the century, when PageRank was introduced by Google.
PageRank used to be Google’s official metric of how trustworthy a particular page is. When a page links to another page, a portion of its PageRank would be transferred to the page that’s being linked to.
The amount of PageRank transferred depended on a number of factors:
- Topical relevance
- Number of other links on the linking page
- Rel tags, such as “DoFollow” or “NoFollow“
A page does not lose any PageRank by linking out, but the value of these links is reduced if there are many other external links on the page.
PageRank information used to be publicly available in Google’s own toolbar, which led to it being abused by SEOs. This new obsession with backlinks led many website owners to abandon other tactics, and even focus on links more than quality content.
This forced Google to retire the PageRank toolbar and officially put the original PageRank algorithm to rest.
There doesn’t exist an official Google metric related to authority anymore. However, other companies such as Ahrefs and SEMRush have come up with their own domain authority metrics such as DR and DA which are commonly used by SEOs to measure the effectiveness of their link building efforts.
Also, the fact that PageRank has been officially obscured from public view does not mean that some version of it is not being used on the back-end.
In fact, it was confirmed by one of Google’s employees that they were still using PageRank:
Yes, this is almost a five-year-old tweet, but there is no reason to believe that they have ditched PageRank since then.
Today, PageRank is more commonly referred to as “Link Equity”, or “Link Juice”.
Google has released numerous updates aimed at combatting spammy backlinks, but links from highly-authoritative resources still remain a huge ranking factor.
Especially with AI citations becoming a new source of leads now.
AI Citations
Backlinks used to be mostly about rankings.
Now they influence visibility in AI-generated answers too.
If you look at ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, Gemini, or Perplexity, a huge percentage of the recommendations come from pages already ranking in search engines. Usually listicles, comparison articles, and roundup posts.
So if your brand gets mentioned on those pages, AI systems can start pulling your company into recommendations even if your own website is not ranking at the very top yet.
For example, let’s say you get featured on an article ranking for “best SEO tools.”
That one placement can improve rankings through a quality backlink, send referral traffic directly from the article itself, and also increase the chances of your brand appearing inside AI-generated answers for related searches.
That’s why a lot of SEO campaigns now focus much more heavily on placements inside articles that already perform well organically instead of just building backlinks anywhere possible.
Should You Give Out Backlinks?
Among some website owners, there is a belief that outbound links can hamper your own SEO growth.
It’s partly true – but there are certain nuances to be aware of.
Generally, it’s a good practice to give relevant backlinks other, high-quality resources.
It indicates to Google that you know reputable sources, so your content is likely to be on par as well.
However, it’s advised to apply the Nofollow tag to all (or most) external links to “hold on” to your ranking signals.
In addition, excessive external linking may hamper your website’s own growth – both in terms of traffic and search engine rankings.
One or two external links per post is enough.
What Makes A Good Backlink?
At the beginning of this article, we have mentioned that the best backlinks are relevant, in-content links from one blog post to another.
And while that is undoubtedly true, it is very much worth mentioning the exact factors that come into play when determining the value of any given link.
Linking Domain’s Authority
Arguably, the most important thing about a backlink is where that link is coming from.
A backlink from a DR 87 blog that has published hundreds of high-performing articles is going to be much more valuable than a link from a new site that’s barely earning a hundred monthly visitors.
Obviously, a broken link or links from spammy sites have zero value for your search engine optimization.
The age of the referring domain also affects the link’s value.
Topical Relevance
In order to be valuable, the link needs to make sense. For example, it would not make sense for us to link out to a guide on how to install a graphics card on your computer from this article.
But, an outbound link to an article on what is PageRank would be perfectly acceptable.
Anchor Text
Even the anchor text has an impact on how valuable a link can be.
According to Google’s John Mueller, it doesn’t matter if the anchor text is long or short. It just needs to be clear, and provide context for the user. They need to immediately understand what they will see on the web page once they follow that link.
Having your target keyword in the anchor text of your link is preferable, but be careful not to over-optimize it to the point where it sounds robotic or spammy.
Additionally, branded anchor texts (ones that mention your company’s name) aren’t necessarily more valuable than unbranded ones.
Link Attributes
There are four types of attributes that come into consideration when determining link value.
- Follow (or blank)
- NoFollow
- UGC
- Sponsored
DoFollow backlinks are generally “followed” by search engine crawlers. This means they pass on some of that sweet link juice.
Note: if a link doesn’t have neither the “NoFollow” nor the “Follow” attribute, it is still considered “follow”.
NoFollow links, on the other hand, are not followed by search engine crawlers, so don’t pass on link equity.
UGC and sponsored tags are used for marking user-generated and sponsored content accordingly. UGC and sponsored links may still pass on link equity.
This information is stored in the HTML code of the page, so they don’t affect the user experience at all.
For link building purposes, the most valuable backlinks are, of course, DoFollow links since they pass on ranking signals.
However, a healthy backlink profile contains both DoFollow and NoFollow links. To measure the performance of your link building strategy, you can use Google Search Console for traffic and another SEO services tool, such as Ahrefs to monitor your link profile.
What Are Toxic Backlinks
Now that we know what makes a good link, let’s take a look at what makes a bad backlink.
PBN Link Farms
PBN stands for private blog networks.
Those are groups of websites that share the same owner, and have been created for one purpose: farming links.
PBNs used to be a popular way to build links in the pre-Penguin days, but have largely faded away.
Any links coming from such websites are automatically devalued by the algorithm, so in 2024 and onward, they bear zero SEO value.
To spot a PBN and avoid it, take a look at its content. Usually, it’s in low quantities and of poor quality.
Even if it’s not a PBN, you don’t want links from such a website anyway.
Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal links are mutual backlinks that have been obtained as part of a direct link exchange between two websites.
They are considered to be a “link scheme” by Google and are completely devalued by the algorithm.
To avoid reciprocal links, you can set up 3-way link exchanges (such as offering your link building prospects links from upcoming guest posts instead of your blog), or come up with some other value proposition in your link building pitch.
Unmarked Paid Links
Google is very much against paying for links to try and manipulate search rankings.
However, there are many situations in which paid links are appropriate, such as sponsored collaborations, influencer marketing, product reviews, affiliate links, and so on.
However, all such links must be marked by the “rel=sponsored” tag.
It prevents links from passing any ranking signals and essentially functions as the Nofollow tag.
Automated Links
Let us clarify – using outreach software to speed up your link acquisition process is fine.
What is not fine is using a bot or some other tool to spam blog comments, create forum posts and add your links wherever it can.
It looks unprofessional and is very much a black-hat SEO tactic.
Guest Posts With Excessive Links
Guest posts on their own are very much a viable link building technique.
As long as there is only 1 link back to your own website (usually in the author bio), and a few links to other relevant resources.
However, if your posts have dozens of overly optimized links (with exact match keywords in their anchors), they might be in the grey or even black zone.
Directory Links
Much like PBNs, directory and social bookmarking sites used to be a popular link building technique before the Penguin update.
It is no longer the case, and such links are typically devalued by Google, making any effort to obtain them a waste of time and resources.
How To Check The Backlinks Of Any Site?
To check the backlink profile of your (or your competitor’s) website, you will need the help of a backlink monitoring tool.
There are several available, but the most notable are Ahrefs and SEMRush. Google Analytics has some backlink functionality, but it’s rather rudimentary.
They function similarly – and offer almost the exact same sets of data, such as:
- The number of links pointing to your site and their sources
- The authority of linking domains
- Links’ anchor texts
- New and lost backlinks for tracking purposes
All you have to do is paste your target website into the search bar of either tool:
And click on “Backlinks”. You will then be greeted with an overview of your site’s entire backlink profile.
To learn more about how to run a full-on backlink audit, feel free to refer to our in-depth guide.
How To Get High-Quality Backlinks In 2026?
Getting backlinks manually is exhausting once you start doing it at scale.
You need to find relevant websites, figure out who runs them, send outreach, follow up multiple times, negotiate placements, track responses, and make sure the backlinks you’re getting are actually worth having.
That’s manageable when you’re building a handful of links.
It becomes a full-time operation once you start trying to grow consistently.
At Respona, the process is built around taking that entire workflow off your plate.
You start by placing an order with the pages you want to promote, your target keywords, anchor text preferences, and any guidelines you want the team to follow.
From there, the Campaigns feature helps find articles already ranking in search engines and already getting cited by AI systems for those same topics.
So instead of randomly building backlinks, you’re targeting pages already driving:
- Organic rankings
- Referral traffic
- AI-generated recommendations
Once you approve the opportunities you want to go after, the team handles the outreach, relationship building, negotiations, and placements for you.
You can also track how your visibility changes across AI systems over time directly inside the platform.
Since it’s pay-per-result, it works whether you need a few backlinks for one website or ongoing link building across dozens of pages.
Link building cheat sheet
Over To You
Backlinks are still one of the strongest ranking signals in SEO.
Search engines still rely heavily on backlinks, referring domains, anchor text, and authority signals to decide which pages deserve visibility.
The difference now is that those same signals also influence AI-generated answers.
So good backlinks help you rank in Google and increase the chances of your brand showing up inside ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, Gemini, and other AI systems.
If you want help securing placements on pages already influencing both search rankings and AI recommendations, you can simply place an order and let Respona handle the outreach and placements for you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a backlink?
A backlink is a link pointing to your website from another website. You’ll also hear them called inbound links or incoming links.
Why are backlinks important?
Backlinks help search engines understand trust, authority, and relevance. Generally, pages with strong backlinks have a better chance of ranking well.
What is a quality backlink?
A quality backlink comes from a relevant, trustworthy website with real traffic and strong content.
What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks?
Dofollow backlinks pass ranking signals and link equity. A nofollow backlink tells search engine crawlers not to pass authority through the link.
What are toxic backlinks?
Toxic backlinks are spammy or manipulative links that can hurt your backlink profile and SEO value.
What is broken link building?
Broken link building is a strategy where you find broken links on other websites and suggest your own content as a replacement.
What are referring domains?
Referring domains are the unique websites linking back to your website. One referring domain can send multiple backlinks.
What is a backlink checker?
A backlink checker is an SEO tool used to analyze backlinks, anchor text, referring domains, and backlink profile strength.
Do backlinks help with AI visibility?
Yes. AI systems often pull recommendations from pages already ranking in search engine results, so backlinks can improve both rankings and AI visibility.
What are editorial backlinks?
Editorial backlinks are links naturally placed inside content because the website found your content useful enough to reference.
What are SEO backlinks?
SEO backlinks are links from external websites pointing back to your website that help improve rankings, authority, and visibility in search engine results.
What is the difference between a backlink and an incoming link?
Nothing really. “Incoming link,” “inbound link,” and “backlink” all refer to links pointing to your website from another source.
How do website backlinks affect rankings?
Website backlinks help search engines evaluate trust and authority. Generally, pages with stronger backlinks have a better chance of ranking higher.
What is a backlink strategy?
A backlink strategy is a structured approach to earning relevant backlinks consistently through outreach, content, PR, partnerships, and other off page SEO tactics.
Can backlinks help local SEO?
Yes. Relevant backlinks from reputable websites can improve local SEO visibility, especially for location-based searches and Google Business Profile rankings.
What is the difference between internal and external links?
An internal link points to another page on the same website, while an external link points to a completely different website.
Why is broken link building still effective?
Broken link building still works because website owners generally want to replace broken resources with useful, updated content that improves user experience.
What makes a backlink valuable?
A valuable backlink comes from a relevant, authoritative website with real traffic, strong content, and contextual relevance to your niche.
How important are referring domains compared to backlinks?
Both matter, but referring domains are usually a stronger signal. Ten backlinks from ten different websites are generally more valuable than ten backlinks from one referring domain.
What is a strong backlink profile?
A strong backlink profile contains relevant backlinks from diverse, trustworthy websites instead of spammy or low-quality sources.
What role does keyword research play in link building?
Keyword research helps identify the pages, topics, and search terms worth building backlinks to in the first place.
