Links

What Is a Backlink?

A backlink (or inbound link) is a hyperlink on someone else's website that points to a page on yours. It is the basic unit of off-site SEO and of every link building campaign.

Why it matters

Links are how search engines discover pages and one of the ways they judge which pages are worth surfacing. They also do a job that has nothing to do with search: a link on a page real people read sends real people to your site.

Example

A recipe blog publishes a post that cites your kitchen-equipment guide and links to it. That single hyperlink is one backlink to your guide, from one referring domain.

Common misconception

That backlink count is the score. One link from a site with a genuine audience in your subject area is worth more than hundreds from unrelated pages, and counting links rather than referring domains badly overstates a profile — fifty links from one site are still one site vouching for you.

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