Hyperlinks from external websites pointing to your site — a key SEO ranking signal.
Backlinks (also called inbound links or external links) are hyperlinks on other websites that point to your website. Search engines treat backlinks as "votes of confidence" — a site with many high-quality backlinks is generally considered more authoritative. Not all backlinks are equal: a link from a high-authority, relevant website is worth far more than one from a low-quality or unrelated site.
Backlinks remain one of Google's top three ranking factors. Building a strong backlink profile through digital PR, guest posting, and link-worthy content is essential for competitive SEO in 2026.
A food blog earns a backlink from the New York Times food section — this single link carries significant authority and improves the blog's rankings across multiple keywords.
A dofollow backlink passes "link equity" (SEO value) to the target page. A nofollow link has a rel="nofollow" attribute telling search engines not to pass value.
Common methods include creating link-worthy content, digital PR, guest posting, broken link building, and building relationships with other site owners.