Backlink
Also called: backlinks, inbound link, incoming link, external link
Definition
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines use links to discover pages and to judge what they are about and how much others trust them, which makes earned backlinks a core SEO signal.
A backlink is any link on another site pointing to yours. If a newsletter links to your pricing page, that is a backlink for your site. If you link out to someone else, that is a backlink for them.
How it works
Google uses links in two ways. Crawlers follow them to find new pages. And Google's ranking systems use links to understand what pages are about and which ones might be most helpful. Google's ranking systems guide says PageRank, its original link analysis system, has evolved a lot and is still part of its core ranking systems.
Details that matter:
- Crawlable format. Google says it can generally only crawl a link if it is an
<a>element with anhrefattribute. - Anchor text. The visible text of a link tells people and Google what the target page is about. "Ghost peppers" beats "click here".
- Qualified links.
rel="nofollow",rel="sponsored"andrel="ugc"tell Google not to treat a link as an endorsement. Google says paid links should be marked sponsored or nofollow.
Link counts are often reported two ways: total backlinks and referring domains (unique sites linking). The second is usually more meaningful.
Why it matters for marketers
Links still help pages rank, and they send referral traffic of their own. But Google's spam policies define link spam as creating links primarily to manipulate rankings: buying or selling links, excessive link exchanges, low-quality directory links and similar. Links earned because someone found your page useful are the ones worth having.
Good ways to earn them: original data, tools people reference, honest comparison pages, and being quoted as someone with first-hand experience.
How it plays out on Reddit
Links in Reddit posts and comments are user-generated, and Google's own guidance is that sites qualify user-inserted links (forums, Q&A sections) with ugc or nofollow. Do not treat Reddit as a link-building channel. Many subreddits restrict links, mods remove promotional ones, and Reddit's spam policy bans mass-posting repetitive content for exposure. Posting your URL across threads is link spam and gets accounts banned.
Reddit's value for SEO is different: threads rank for buying queries and get cited by AI tools, so being mentioned there puts your name in front of searchers whether or not a link exists. An unlinked brand mention in a ranking thread can be worth more than a link on a page nobody reads. And when a Reddit discussion leads a journalist or blogger to your product, the real backlink often comes from them. See Reddit SEO.
Common mistakes
- Buying links. It violates Google's spam policies and can lead to manual actions.
- Counting links instead of judging them. Ten links from irrelevant sites can be worth less than one from a respected source in your niche.
- Using Reddit for link drops. Removed comments and banned accounts help nobody.
Frequently asked questions
Are backlinks still important for SEO?
Yes. Google says link analysis, including PageRank, is still part of its core ranking systems. Quality and relevance matter more than count.
Do Reddit links help SEO?
Mostly indirectly. They can send traffic and visibility, but treat any ranking credit as a bonus. The bigger benefit is being present in threads that rank and get cited by AI tools.
What is the difference between a backlink and a referring domain?
A backlink is a single link. A referring domain is a unique website linking to you, however many links it sends.