Backlink

A backlink is a link on another website that points to your website. For search engines, such a link has long worked as a kind of recommendation: if another site takes the trouble to refer to you, your content is probably useful or reliable. Backlinks were a core idea behind Google's original PageRank algorithm, and Google still regards links as one of the signals for assessing pages.

But not every link is worth the same. One mention on a relevant, respected website generally says more than dozens of links from unknown sites with no connection to your sector.

The good news for an SME is that you don't need thousands of links. A limited number of relevant mentions from your own region or field can already make a noticeable difference.

What makes a backlink valuable?

• Relevance: the linking site covers a topic that ties in with your business or region.
• Trustworthiness: the source itself has a good reputation and real visitors.
• Context: the link sits within substantive text, with natural anchor text, and not tucked away in a footer with a hundred other links.
• Followability: links with a nofollow attribute are treated by Google as a hint and may pass on less of a signal. They can still bring traffic and brand awareness.

A real-world example

A brewery in the Yorkshire Dales launches a new ale. A regional newspaper writes about it and links to the online shop. A beer blog reviews the ale and links to the product page. The local tourist board includes the brewery in a cycling route. Those are three relevant, natural backlinks that bring in both visitors and trust. A package of "500 backlinks" from an unknown seller wouldn't have that effect and could even cause harm.

How do you earn good backlinks?

Sustainable link building is about making or doing something others are happy to refer to. A few achievable ideas for an SME:

1. Publish useful guides, price overviews or checklists that genuinely help your sector.
2. Work with suppliers, partners and customers who have a references page.
3. Get listed with your trade association, the local business association or your council.
4. Share news with regional media: an opening, an award, a striking project.
5. Track down mentions of your business without a link and politely ask for a link to be added.

Backlinks and AI search engines

For AI applications such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, it is not only the link itself that counts, but also what is written around it. An article that explains why your business is good at a particular service helps an AI system connect you with that topic. Mentions like these are sometimes picked up even without a link. Backlinks are therefore part of a broader off-page SEO approach that strengthens your authority.

Want to know where your competitors get their links from and which opportunities you are missing? With competitor insights you compare your link profile with that of other players in your market and see which websites could be interesting for you.