Understanding Backlinking for SEO: The DOs and the DON’Ts

When I talk with prospects and clients, our conversations usually include standard SEO topics such as keyword phrases, content strategy, competitor analysis, social media marketing, analytics, and the one topic that ‘links’ all these together – backlinking.

That is, incorporating keywords into backlinks, writing press release content with backlinks, out-backlinking the competition, using social media as a backlinking source, and of course, measuring backlinks with analytics. Learn more about backlinking for SEO in our blog below.

What are Backlinks in SEO?

Backlinks (also called inbound links or incoming links) are a link created when one website links to another. Think of them as "votes from other websites" — each one tells search engines like Google that your content is valuable.

Why is Backlinking so Important to Your Organic Search Strategy?

Google’s algorithm places a heavy weighting on the number of websites that are referencing (or linking back to) your website. These are backlinks or inbound links. Google’s logic is pretty simple: if other sites are referencing your site, then it must be a relevant and trusted site with relevant content. The top-ranking page on Google has 3.8x more backlinks than pages in positions 2-10.

But it isn’t so simple. The backlinks to your site must be:

• high-quality, relevant links are freely given based on editorial judgment;

as opposed to:

• low quality, spammy, irrelevant links, links from untrustworthy sources, or traded links.

93.8% of link builders prioritize link quality over quantity.

What Types of Backlinks are Valuable?

Not all backlinks are equal. There are various types of backlinks, and understanding which matter most can dramatically shape your SEO strategy.

Here’s a breakdown of the most valuable types of backlinks for SEO:

1. Editorial Backlinks

These are the gold standard.

• What they are: Naturally placed links within high-quality content from authoritative sites.
• Example: A tech blog referencing your company in an article about the best AI solutions.
• Why it matters: They’re earned, not paid or requested, so search engines value them more.

✅ Best Practice: Earn them by publishing original research, insightful blogs, or expert commentary.

2. Backlinks from High Authority Domains

Backlinks from authoritative websites with high domain authority (DA) or domain rating (DR) are incredibly valuable.

• Examples: News outlets, government websites, universities, or major industry-specific sites.
• Why it matters: These sites are trusted by search engines, so their links carry more SEO weight.

✅ Best Practice: Focus on digital PR, thought leadership content, and guest contributions.

3. Backlinks from Relevant Industry Sites

These come from websites in your industry or niche. Relevance is just as important as authority.

• What they are: Links from websites in the same or closely related niche as yours.
• Why it matters: Search engines look for topic relevance to ensure the backlink makes contextual sense.

✅ Best Practice: Partner with niche blogs, directories, and industry associations.

4. Dofollow Backlinks

These pass SEO value or “link juice”.

• What they are: Regular backlinks that allow search engines to follow the link and attribute value.
• Why it matters: They directly influence your rankings.

🚫 Avoid: Having only nofollow links (which don’t pass authority), though a healthy mix is normal.

5. Guest Post Backlinks

These are earned by writing content for other reputable sites.

• Why it matters: You get to showcase your expertise and earn a relevant backlink.

✅ Best Practice: Contribute value-rich, non-promotional articles to trusted blogs in your industry.

6. Backlinks with Optimized Anchor Text

Anchor text = the clickable text in a hyperlink.

• Why it matters: Descriptive and relevant anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked page is about.

✅ Best Practice: Use varied anchor text naturally — a mix of brand names, keywords, and generic text (e.g., "click here").

What to Avoid:

• Spammy links from irrelevant or low-quality sites
• Over-optimized anchor text (too keyword-heavy)
• Paid links that violate Google’s guidelines

Backlink Best Practices?

The best practices for backlinks focus on earning high-quality, relevant links from trusted websites, using natural anchor text, avoiding spammy or toxic sources, and consistently monitoring your link profile to support long-term SEO performance.

1. Focus on Quality Over Quantity

• Why it matters: A few links from reputable, relevant sources are far more valuable than hundreds from spammy sites.
• Example: A link from Forbes or a respected industry blog is worth more than 20 low-tier directory links.

2. Earn Links Organically with High-Value Content

• How to do it:
  • Create original research or data
  • Write detailed how-to guides or thought leadership posts
  • Produce shareable infographics or videos
• Why it matters: Great content naturally attracts links over time.

3. Build Relationships with Niche Sites

• Collaborate with companies in your industry for content swaps, expert interviews, and guest posts. 
• Offer guest posts, collaborate on content, or provide expert quotes.

4. Diversify Your Link Profile

• Use a variety of sources, such as:
  • Blog mentions
  • News articles
  • Business directories (relevant ones!)
  • Social media (even if nofollow, they help with visibility)
• Why it matters: A diverse backlink profile appears more natural and reduces the risk of penalties.

5. Optimize Anchor Text – But Keep It Natural

• Use a mix of:
  • Branded anchor text (e.g., “WSI Digital Marketing”)
  • Partial match keywords (e.g., “SEO strategies for local businesses”)
  • Generic (e.g., “click here”)
• Avoid over-optimization — too many exact-match anchors can trigger Google’s spam filters.

6. Disavow Harmful or Spammy Backlinks

• Regularly audit your backlink profile.
• Use Google’s Disavow Tool to neutralize toxic links pointing to your site.
• Why it matters: Bad links can hurt your site’s credibility and rankings.

Insight: We use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to monitor and manage clients' backlink health.

7. Leverage Local and Niche Directories (for Local SEO)

• Submit your business to reputable, industry-specific or local directories (like Yelp, BBB, or Chamber of Commerce sites).
• Keep NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent across listings.

8. Track & Measure Backlink Impact

• Use tools like:
  • Google Search Console
  • Ahrefs
  • Moz
  • SEMrush
• Monitor: new backlinks, domain authority, and impact on search rankings.

Data-driven action = better results.

What Makes a Good Backlink?

A good backlink is one that comes from a trustworthy, high-authority site, is contextually relevant, uses natural anchor text, and contributes to your website’s credibility and ability to rank—let’s explore what that really means below.

1. Comes from a High-Authority Website

• Sites with strong Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) are seen as more trustworthy.
• Examples: Industry leaders, major news sites, educational (.edu) or government (.gov) domains.
• Why it matters: Google sees a link from these sites as a "vote of confidence" in your content.

2. Is Topically Relevant

• The backlink should come from a site related to your niche or industry.
• Example: If you sell eco-friendly products, a link from a sustainability blog is more valuable than a link from a random fashion blog.

3. Has Natural & Varied Anchor Text

• Anchor text is the clickable text of the link (e.g., "best digital marketing agency").
• Best practice: Mix it up — use branded, keyword-rich (lightly), and natural phrases.
• Avoid: Keyword-stuffed or identical anchor text in bulk.

4. Is a Dofollow Link

• A dofollow link passes SEO equity or "link juice."
• A nofollow link tells search engines not to pass authority — these still have value, but not for rankings.
• Tip: If you want a mix, prioritize dofollow links for ranking power.

5. Comes from Unique Domains

• Too many links from the same website reduce the overall benefit. Aim for variety.
• Google values diversity — 100 links from 100 different domains are better than 100 from one site.

6. Drives Real Referral Traffic

• A good backlink sends actual visitors to your website, not just bots or SEO value.
• This shows Google that the link is useful and engaging to users.

7. Is Placed Naturally in Quality Content

• The link should be embedded naturally in a relevant article or post, not in the footer, comments, or a spammy page.
• Ideally, it's surrounded by related, valuable content.

Bonus: What to Watch Out For (Low-Quality Backlinks)

Avoid links that are:

• From irrelevant or spammy websites
• From link farms or PBNs (Private Blog Networks)
• Paid or manipulative (against Google’s guidelines)
• With over-optimized anchor text (e.g., exact match keywords repeated too often)

Backlink 101: Structure and Definitions

Here are some basics that will be helpful:

1) What is a Backlink?

On this web page – there’s a backlink to my website.

2) What is Anchor Text?

The anchor text for the backlink is “gShift Labs” (the text that you actually click on.)

3) What is the Domain Value?

Google places a value on a backlink source. So the source “financialpost.com” would have a higher value than, say “thebarrieexaminer.com”.

Now that we know this, we can talk about the dos and don’ts. Here are some things to think about:

Backlinking for SEO: The Do’s and Don'ts

The Do’s

1. Be consistent. Google wants to know that you are committed to your backlink strategy, and Google’s algorithm can detect if you’re not committed. For example, if you have 59 backlinks today and overnight you have 15,000 (because you bought backlinks from a backlink farm), you will likely be penalized, which will negatively impact your ranking.

Google wants to see that you are adding a consistent number of backlinks to your web presence over the course of a normal time period. For example, 5 to 10 backlinks per week, every week, or 50 backlinks per week.

2. Optimize your anchor tags. An anchor tag with the text “Click Here” or “Read More” is pretty useless to your SEO efforts. Instead, try to optimize your anchor text with keyword-rich content that matters to you. For example, if one of your top keyword phrases is “orange party dresses,” then you’ll want to create anchor text based on this phrase and have it link through to a web page that is also optimized for that phrase.

Note: It might not always be possible to control the anchor text for your backlink.

3. Unique domains. Google wants to see that you have a strong variety of domains in your backlink inventory. If all your backlinks are coming from one source, it is a signal that your website probably isn’t all that relevant.

4. But, how do I add backlinks? If you feel dumb asking the question, you’re not alone. How should you go about building backlinks? It is really about producing content. You can produce content by:

a. Issuing regular press releases through a syndication service such as PRWeb.com or MarketWire.com.
b. Blogging on trusted third-party websites with links back to your website (when appropriate).
c. Getting your website added to relevant industry portals and directories.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t buy links unless you really really understand the company that is selling the links to you, the quality of the links, and the risks associated with the potential outcome of buying those links. Talk to an expert or get a second opinion before committing to such tactics.

2. Don’t trust any SEO Professional or Agency that promises a #1 organic ranking. A #1 organic ranking is completely impossible to guarantee because there are so many external variables beyond the control of the SEO Professional. Variables such as Google’s always-changing algorithm and competitors’ websites, just to name a couple.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask your SEO Professional what their backlinking strategy is for your web presence. Or better yet, tell them you want a backlinking strategy outlined before it is implemented.

Disadvantages of Backlinks for Marketing

While backlinks can drive long-term SEO value, they’re not without risks. Poor-quality links or aggressive link-building tactics can harm your rankings, lead to penalties, and damage your site’s credibility. It’s a strategy that requires careful planning, ongoing effort, and regular audits to avoid negative outcomes.

Risk of Google Penalties

If your backlink profile looks manipulative or spammy, Google can penalise your site with a manual action or algorithmic penalty (such as from Google’s Penguin update).

Common triggers:

• Buying backlinks or participating in link schemes
• Using private blog networks (PBNs)
• Excessive use of exact-match anchor text
• Getting links from irrelevant or low-quality sites

Time-Consuming and Resource-Intensive

Building high-quality backlinks takes:

• Great content
• Outreach and relationship-building
• Follow-up and tracking

This can be costly and labor-intensive, especially for small teams or businesses trying to do it in-house.

Lack of Control Over External Websites

Once you earn a backlink, you cannot control how the external site manages it.

What can go wrong:

• They remove the link
• They change the URL (leading to broken links)
• Their site gets penalized or deindexed (which affects your link quality)
• They add a “nofollow” or redirect it

Not All Backlinks Help — Some Can Hurt

Low-quality or spammy backlinks can damage your domain authority and send red flags to search engines.

Even if you didn’t create those links (e.g., negative SEO from competitors), you’ll still need to take action.

Solution:
Use Google’s Disavow Tool to neutralize harmful links — but it must be done carefully.

ROI Can Be Hard to Track

Backlinks are a long-game SEO strategy. Unlike PPC, where you see direct clicks and conversions, backlinks:

• Don’t always have visible, immediate ROI
• Take time to influence rankings and traffic
• Works best in combination with on-page SEO, technical SEO, and content strategy

Anchor Text Over-Optimization

Trying too hard to rank for a specific keyword by stuffing anchor text can backfire.

Risks:

• Triggers spam signals
• Creates an unnatural link profile
• Hurts your site’s trustworthiness

How to Evaluate Backlinks

When evaluating backlinks, start by checking the authority of the linking domain. Tools like Moz’s DA or Ahrefs’ DR can help. Higher scores typically mean more value, but relevance matters too — a niche blog with lower authority can be more beneficial than a high-DA site that’s unrelated to your industry.

Relevance is key. A backlink from a site in your niche (e.g., a sustainability blog for an eco-brand) carries more weight than one from an unrelated source, even if that source is authoritative.

Check the referring domain's traffic. Sites with solid organic traffic are more trusted by Google and can also bring referral visitors. Use SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to gauge traffic levels.

Pay attention to dofollow and nofollow backlinks. Dofollow links pass SEO value, so aim for more of these. Nofollow links are still useful for visibility, but don’t directly boost rankings.

Evaluate the anchor text — the clickable part of the link. A natural mix of branded, generic, and keyword-based anchors is ideal. Avoid repeating exact-match keywords, which can look spammy.

Also, consider link placement. Links placed naturally within the content body are more valuable than those in sidebars, footers, or comments.

Lastly, check the spam score or toxicity of the linking site. Too many spammy links can hurt your search engine optimization. Use tools to audit your backlink profile regularly and disavow harmful links when needed.

Now I’d like to share one really sad SEO backlinking story with you.

The Sad SEO Backlinking Story

J.C. Penney hired an SEO firm to optimize its website for organic search. To make a really long, sad story short, Google ultimately penalized J.C. Penney’s rankings after it was determined that the SEO firm hired, implemented backlinking tactics that Google considers “black hat” or unethical. The initial outcome of these unethical backlinking tactics was a #1 rank for a variety of keyword phrases that matter to J.C. Penney.

How did the SEO firm accomplish this? They paid to have thousands of backlinks placed on hundreds of sites scattered around the Web, all of which lead directly to JCPenny.com. (New York Times, Dirty Little Secrets of Search, February 12, 2011.). In a nutshell, “paid-for backlinks”. The worst part is that the client, J.C. Penney, was unaware of the unethical practices the SEO firm had employed to achieve the high organic rankings. Bad SEO firm.

Once it was brought to Google’s attention that the J.C. Penney website was attempting to game Google’s search algorithm, Google began manual actions against JCPenney.com, essentially decreasing their organic rank.

“At 7 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, J. C. Penney was still the No. 1 result for “Samsonite carry on luggage.” Two hours later, it was at No. 71. At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Penney was No. 1 in searches for “living room furniture.” By 9 p.m., it had sunk to No. 68.” (New York Times, Dirty Little Secrets of Search, February 12, 2011).

Moral of the Sad SEO Backlinking Story: Keep your SEO ‘white hat’ or you will be penalized by Google, and this will negatively affect your business. A strong, effective backlinking strategy is a marathon, not a sprint.

Build Backlinks with WSI and Improve Your Ranking Today

Whether you’re looking to attract backlinks through valuable content, explore guest blogging opportunities, or identify and remove toxic backlinks that might be hurting your ability to rank in search, our team can guide you through it. From strategic link-building campaigns to in-depth backlink analysis, we customize every approach to your industry and goals.

If you’re not sure how to get backlinks, how to encourage another website to add a link to your content, or how to use keyword-rich anchor text effectively, WSI consultants are here to help. We also offer support in recovering from bad backlinks, leveraging techniques like broken link building, and earning the best backlinks that contribute to long-term SEO success.

Backlinks remain a critical ranking factor, and with so many types of backlinks influencing your authority and credibility, expert guidance can make the difference between growing steadily or falling behind. Let WSI World help you earn backlinks that actually matter, not just in quantity, but in quality and relevance.

Speak to an expert today to learn more about backlinking for SEO and turn your strategy into a competitive advantage.