Digital Word of Mouth: A Comprehensive Guide on Backlinks
Before we nerd out, let’s start with the basics: what exactly is a backlink?
A backlink is simply a hyperlink on another site that links to yours. Think of it as a digital nod of approval. A backlink is a site’s way of saying, “I trust this content, and you should, too.” It’s the opposite of an external link, which is a link from your site to someone else’s. Whether it’s a “backlink” or an “external link” depends on your perspective—whether it’s on your site or another. In short, one marketer’s external link is another marketer’s backlink.
A marketing link guide:
- Internal links: A link on your website that directs to another page on your website
- External links: A link on your website that directs to another website
- Backlinks: A link on another website that directs to your site
Take One Step Backlink: a History
Back in the late 1990s, when dial-up Internet was the standard and Google was the new kid on the block, backlinks were a critical factor in search engine optimization (SEO). Google’s original PageRank® algorithm was built on the idea that if other sites were linking to you, your content must be valuable to users. The more backlinks you received, the higher you’d climb in search results. It was like a high school popularity contest, except with code instead of cliques.
Of course, marketers being marketers, things got messy. By the early 2000s, the web was rife with “link farms,” or shady directories with “link for link” deals. For a while, it worked; sites with little substance could skyrocket in search engine rankings simply by gaming the system. When Google caught on, it took proactive measures.
In 2005, the search giant developed a nofollow protocol that allows sites to link to another without an endorsement. It’s essentially like looking up “best restaurant near me” to recommend to a friend; you can still make a suggestion without knowing whether it’s a good one. Then in 2012, Google developed Penguin, an algorithm that cracked down hard on manipulative link schemes, pushing the focus back to quality over quantity.
Today, backlinks are critical to SEO, but they’ve matured. It’s less about how many links and more about how good the links are—in other words, the “authority” of the site that’s linking to you. A thoughtful mention from an industry-leading publication or a trusted blog carries far more weight than 100 low-value directory links.
Rethink Your Backlink Power
You might’ve heard whispers that Google doesn’t value backlinks like it once did. And technically, that’s true! Since backlinks inherently involve two parties—your site and the site that’s linking to yours—they’re notoriously hard to police, even with Google Search Essentials rules (formerly called Webmaster Guidelines) in place. Everyone’s favorite search engine now weighs things like on-site user experience, content intent and semantic relevance higher than the referral source when it comes to site health and authority.
Why Backlinks Are Still Important
But even though backlink importance has been deemphasized over the years, it’s still one of the top factors (among a list of 200 determinants) in assigning search engine rankings. We’d say that’s still pretty important.
In fact, Search Engine Land recently confirmed that pages from a greater number of unique domains tend to outshine others in Google’s rankings. To put it plainly, higher numbers of backlinks from authoritative sites still translate to higher visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Long-form content earns 77% more backlinks than short-form content, and businesses with blogs get 97% more backlinks overall. Those statistics don’t lie; while backlinks may not be the primary factor in search results placement, they remain a foundational factor.
What Factors Affect a Backlink’s Usefulness
There’s a lot more to a backlink than you may think. Not all backlinks are made equal; some will grant you search visibility while others won’t, and some will give you greater visibility than others. Without sending you too deep into the backlink rabbit hole, here are five of the top factors that determine a backlink’s value:
1. The follow or nofollow tag 🏷️
As we mentioned above, a “follow” backlink to your site will provide SEO value, whereas a nofollow link does not. (That doesn’t mean the traffic you get from it isn’t meaningful, of course!)
2. The referrer’s domain authority 🏛
A link from a trusted, high-authority site is like being endorsed by a celebrity in your field; it carries far more weight than dozens of shoutouts from D-list sites.
3. The relevance to the topic 🧾
Links from sites in your niche or industry signal to search engines that your content truly belongs in the conversation. We like to call this “aboutness.”
4. The descriptiveness of the anchor ⚓
The anchor—or the words users can actually click—matter. Descriptive anchors like “best organic snacks” give Google context, while generic ones like “click here” don’t do much.
5. The likelihood of getting clicked 🖱
A backlink buried in a footer or on a landing page with five visits per month won’t move the needle, but one “above the fold” of a high-traffic article is sure to get Google’s attention.
Where Backlinks Fit in the Bigger Picture
Just like cereals were pitched to us in the 2000s as part of a complete breakfast, backlinks are part of a complete marketing strategy. Think of them as digital breadcrumbs showing where your brand’s relationships are blossoming. When partners, collaborators or even happy customers link back to you, it’s a telltale sign that your network is expanding. Those links don’t just drive traffic; they act as receipts that your brand partnerships are real and active.
They’re also a quiet powerhouse in affiliate marketing and thought leadership. Every backlink tied to a referral program empowers marketers to track performance and ROI. Plus, anchor text—or the written content that’s hyperlinked—reveals how others perceive your brand. Are people linking to your website with phrases like “Honey Nut Cheerios” or with non-branded phrases like “best cereal for high cholesterol?” That wording signals the authority you’re building in your space.
In short, backlinks do more than provide SEO; they serve as proof that you’re shaping conversations and driving growth across multiple marketing channels.
Ask Nicely and Make Good Content to Get Backlinks
Whether you see the value of backlinks in your overall marketing strategy or you don’t, you have to agree on one thing: backlinks are hard to get. Whereas internal and external links are owned, backlinks are earned. No one will link to your site without an established relationship or a strong pitch with mutual brand benefits.
Gaining backlinks from reputable sources with high authority scores is a long game. Unless you go viral on TikTok or get a press hit in The New York Times, you’re not going to gain a lot of backlinks all at once. That truth is enough to make many businesses give up before they ever begin. But the brands that don’t give up are the ones that win.
There are two main ways to grow your number of backlinks.
1. Build backlink partnerships
At Elevate My Brand, we recommend that our clients develop an informal yet strategic partnership agreement form to bend the arc of the marketing universe towards your website. Basically, you have to create a win-win situation that other companies can’t resist. In your backlink agreement:
- Include basic info about backlinks so the partner understands the potential.
- Provide details about your authority score to show what you bring to the table.
- Be clear about what you can give them and where (e.g., blog, podcast, landing page).
- Share samples of previous partnerships with testimonials about your brand relationship.
- Give ideas for strong guest content that you can provide consumers on their blog.
- Recommend great long-tail anchors that you would like them to use in their link(s).
- Suggest other sites and domains that could join the partnership once its ROI is proven.
- Set a timeline with deadlines for implementation so both parties have actionable steps.
By the way, you don’t have to reach out to new partnerships. Likely, your company has established vendor and partner relationships that you can call upon to build backlinks now. It’s also probable that they’re seeking backlink opportunities as well—and if they aren’t, you can be the valuable partner who explains what backlinks are and sets them down the path of improved SEO.
2. Create content worth linking to
Asking others to link to your site is a “push” strategy, but there’s also a “pull” strategy: generate great content that others will want to share even without you reaching out.
“If you build it, they will come” may be a marketing myth, but it carries a bit of truth when it comes to backlinks; if you establish your brand as a valuable thought leader in your space, other brands will want to talk about you to their audiences on their own accord. While our recommendation varies based on your team’s bandwidth, your product or service, your industry, your price model, etc., we generally suggest producing two blog posts per week to maintain momentum and establish thought leadership online. As long as your posts are clear, niche and solutions-oriented, blogging goes a long way in building leadership in your space—which in turn beckons backlinks to your site.
A blog isn’t the only way to create great content, though. Wherever your business can create buzz and get people talking is where you should go in your marketing plan.
Don’t Worry—We’ve Got Your Backlink
Backlinks may not rule SEO like they used to, but they’re still a serious tool in any smart marketing strategy. The closest thing you can get to word of mouth online, backlinks have power. Get more high-quality links pointing to your site, and your search presence will grow.
External links are good for giving your content credibility by citing sources, internal links are good for controlling the user journey on your site, and backlinks are good for building brand equity over time. All three link types are important, but backlinks are the most potent—which is why they’re the hardest to obtain. Nothing worth having comes easy, as they say.
Want to dive deeper into how to ask for links or how to craft compelling content that earns them? Contact our team of search optimization experts today for a complimentary consultation.
Cody H. Owens,
Content Director