What are SEO Backlinks? Tips for Earning Quality Links

If you’re trying to improve your website’s visibility on search engines like Google, you’ve probably come across the term “SEO backlinks.” But what are they, and why do they matter so much in digital marketing?

In this guide, we’ll break it all down in simple terms—what are SEO backlinks, why they’re important, and how can you get high-quality ones to improve your site’s authority and ranking. Whether you’re running a small blog or working with a premier SEO company in Abu Dhabi, backlinks are key to getting your content seen and trusted.

Let’s start with the basics.

Backlinks are links from one website to another. When another website links to your website, that’s a backlink for you. Think of it as a vote of confidence. If a website links to your blog post, product, or homepage, it’s telling readers and search engines that your content is helpful or valuable.

Here’s an example: If a food blog writes about the best pizza places in your city and links to your restaurant’s website, you just got a backlink!

So now that you understand what backlinks are, you may wonder, what are SEO backlinks specifically?

SEO backlinks are backlinks that help improve your search engine rankings. They are often used as a signal by Google and other search engines to decide how trustworthy and useful your content is. The more quality backlinks your website has, the more likely it is to rank higher in search results.

To make it simple:
More (quality) backlinks = More chances of showing up on page one of Google.

That’s why backlinks are such a big deal in SEO.

There are several reasons why backlinks matter for SEO. Let’s go through a few:

When trusted websites link to you, it signals to search engines that your content is worth recommending. It’s like getting a thumbs-up from the web.

External links from reputable sources play a key role in enhancing credibility and authority for your website, showing search engines that your content can be trusted.

Search engines use links to find and index new content. A backlink from another website can help your pages get discovered faster.

Search engines consider backlinks as one of the top ranking factors. Websites with strong backlinks usually outrank those with few or no backlinks.

So in short, backlinks play a huge role in enhancing credibility and authority for your website.

Not all backlinks are created equal. In fact, some can actually harm your SEO if they come from shady or spammy websites.

• Come from trusted, relevant websites 
• Use natural, meaningful anchor text 
• Are placed within content (not in footers or sidebars) 
• Get real traffic and engagement 

These types of backlinks can boost your rankings and help build long-term authority.

• Come from spammy, unrelated websites 
• Look like they were paid for or forced 
• Use irrelevant or exact-match anchor text 
• Don’t offer any value to readers 

These can actually hurt your rankings and may even get your site penalised by Google. So it’s better to have fewer good backlinks than hundreds of bad ones.

Building backlinks doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Here are some practical tips to help you get started:

Good content naturally attracts backlinks. Write helpful blog posts, guides, or tools that people want to share or refer to.

Example: If you run a fitness site, a guide like “10 Simple Home Workouts Without Equipment” is more likely to get backlinks than a short article about push-ups.

Write articles for other websites in your niche. Most blogs allow you to include a link back to your site in your bio or within the content. Just make sure the websites are relevant and reputable.

Send friendly emails to bloggers or journalists who’ve written about similar topics. Suggest your content if it adds value to their readers.

Tip: Don’t spam people. Personalise your message and explain why your link would be useful to their article.

Find broken links on relevant websites and suggest your content as a replacement. You’re helping them fix an issue while earning a backlink. Win-win!

If you run a business, add your website to trusted local directories like Google My Business, Yelp, or industry-specific platforms. These links count too.

Many businesses link back to people who leave testimonials. If you’ve used a service or product, write a genuine review. You might get a backlink on their homepage!

Wondering how to check your backlinks or those of your competitors? There are several free backlink checkers you can try:

Enter a URL and see the top 100 backlinks pointing to that site.

Offers backlink reports, domain scores, and link history.

A more advanced tool, but even the free trial gives great insights.

Free with limited daily searches. Great for tracking link-building progress.

These tools help you understand which backlinks are helping your site and which ones might need cleaning up.

To wrap it up, what are SEO backlinks? They’re links from other websites that point to your own—and they’re crucial for building your site’s visibility and trust on search engines.

But remember, it’s not just about the number of backlinks. Quality matters more than quantity. By creating helpful content, reaching out the right way, and using tools to track your progress, you can start building a strong backlink profile that supports your SEO goals.

Whether you’re doing it yourself or working with a premier SEO Company Abu Dhabi, backlinks should always be part of your SEO strategy.

Happy link building!