What Are Backlinks?
A backlink is simply a link from one website to another. When another website links to your site, that's a backlink. Think of it as a vote of confidence. The linking site is telling Google and its own visitors that your content is valuable enough to reference.
For example, if a local news outlet writes an article about the best contractors in Seattle and links to your website, that's a backlink. If a supplier lists you as an authorized dealer and links to your homepage, that's a backlink. If a blogger reviews your services and includes a link, that's also a backlink.
Not all backlinks are created equal. A link from a trusted, authoritative website carries far more weight than a link from a brand-new blog nobody reads. Understanding that distinction is the difference between a link building strategy that works and one that wastes your time.
Why Backlinks Matter for SEO
Google uses over 200 ranking factors to determine where your website appears in search results. Backlinks have been one of the top three factors since Google was founded, and they still are today. Google's own documentation confirms that links remain a core part of how they evaluate content quality and relevance.
Here's why they carry so much weight. When a reputable website links to yours, Google interprets that as a signal of trust and authority. The more high-quality sites that link to you, the more Google trusts your content. That trust translates directly into higher rankings.
Think of backlinks like referrals: If a trusted colleague recommends a contractor, you're more likely to hire them. Google works the same way. Links from authoritative sites are referrals that tell Google your business is trustworthy and relevant.
Backlinks also help Google discover new pages on your website. Google's crawlers follow links across the web. When an authoritative site links to a new page on your site, Google finds and indexes it faster. This matters especially when you publish new content or launch new service pages.
For local businesses specifically, backlinks from local sources like chambers of commerce, local news sites, community organizations, and regional directories carry extra weight. They signal to Google that your business is a real, established part of the local community.
Quality vs Quantity: What Actually Matters
This is where most business owners and even some agencies get it wrong. Ten years ago, you could rank by accumulating thousands of low-quality links from directories, comment sections, and link farms. That approach doesn't just not work anymore. It can actively hurt your rankings.
Google's algorithm has evolved to evaluate the quality of each link pointing to your site. Here's what makes a backlink high quality:
Domain authority. A link from a website that Google already trusts carries more weight. A link from a DA 70+ news site is worth far more than a link from a DA 10 blog that was created last month.
Relevance. A link from a site in your industry or local area is more valuable than a random link from an unrelated site. If you're a plumber, a link from a home improvement blog matters more than one from a fashion website.
Editorial context. Links placed naturally within content, where the author genuinely chose to reference your site, carry the most weight. Links buried in footers, sidebars, or mass directories carry less.
Anchor text. The clickable text of the link gives Google context about what the linked page is about. Natural, varied anchor text is healthy. Over-optimized anchor text like "best plumber Seattle" used repeatedly looks manipulative.
Types of Backlinks You Should Know About
Dofollow links pass SEO value (sometimes called "link juice") from the linking site to yours. These are the links that directly impact your rankings. Most standard links are dofollow by default.
Nofollow links include a tag that tells Google not to pass ranking value. Social media links, some blog comment links, and many news sites use nofollow. These links won't directly boost your rankings, but they can still drive traffic and build brand awareness. Google has said they treat nofollow as a "hint" rather than a directive, meaning they may still consider these links in some cases.
Editorial links are the gold standard. These happen when someone writes about your business or references your content and links to you naturally. They're the hardest to get and the most valuable.
Local citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on directories like Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and industry-specific sites. While many of these are nofollow, they're important for local SEO because they confirm your business information across the web.
How to Earn Backlinks (The Right Way)
Earning high-quality backlinks takes effort, but the strategies that work are straightforward. Here are the approaches we use for our clients that consistently produce results.
Create Content Worth Linking To
The most sustainable link building strategy is creating content so useful that other sites want to reference it. This includes comprehensive guides, original research, local data, tools, and expert insights. If your content answers a question better than anything else on the internet, people will link to it.
Local Partnerships and Sponsorships
Sponsor a local little league team, partner with a community nonprofit, or participate in local events. These relationships naturally lead to backlinks from the organizations' websites. These links are high quality because they're local, relevant, and editorial in nature.
Guest Contributions
Write expert articles for industry publications, local news sites, or relevant blogs. You share your expertise and get a link back to your site. The key is contributing genuinely useful content to reputable publications, not mass-producing thin articles for link farms.
Digital PR
Get featured in local news stories, industry roundups, or expert commentary pieces. When reporters need a quote from a local business owner, be the one they call. Services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connect you with journalists looking for sources.
Pro tip: Check what's linking to your competitors but not to you. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush let you see every site linking to a competitor. If a local directory or industry site links to them, there's a good chance they'd link to you too.
Need Help Building Quality Backlinks?
Our link building team earns high-quality, relevant backlinks that improve rankings and drive real traffic. No spam, no shortcuts.
Link Building for Local Businesses
Local businesses have unique advantages when it comes to link building. You're embedded in a community, which means you have access to link opportunities that national brands don't.
Chamber of Commerce memberships typically include a listing and backlink on the chamber's website. These are high-authority local links that signal community involvement to Google.
Local business associations and trade organizations often list their members with links. Joining the local builders' association, restaurant association, or professional group in your industry gets you a relevant, authoritative link.
Supplier and vendor relationships can produce links when companies list their authorized dealers, preferred contractors, or partners on their websites.
Community involvement generates links naturally. When you sponsor events, participate in charity drives, or host workshops, the organizations you work with typically link to your site from their event or partner pages.
What to Avoid: Backlink Practices That Will Hurt You
Google's Penguin algorithm update specifically targets manipulative link building. These tactics can result in manual penalties that tank your rankings overnight.
Buying links. Paying for links from random websites, PBNs (private blog networks), or link sellers violates Google's guidelines. It works until it doesn't, and when Google catches it, the penalty is severe.
Link exchanges. "I'll link to you if you link to me" schemes are easily detected by Google. A few natural reciprocal links are fine, but systematic exchanges are a red flag.
Low-quality directories. Submitting your site to hundreds of generic web directories adds no value and can look spammy. Stick to reputable, industry-specific, or local directories.
Comment spam. Dropping your link in blog comments, forum posts, or social media threads is ineffective and makes your brand look bad.
Article spinning. Creating dozens of variations of the same article and distributing them across low-quality sites for links is a dated tactic that Google identifies and penalizes.
How to Measure Your Backlink Success
You can't manage what you don't measure. Here are the metrics that matter when tracking your link building efforts.
Total referring domains. This counts how many unique websites link to yours. Growth in referring domains over time is a strong positive signal. Focus on this number more than total backlinks, because 10 links from 10 different sites is more valuable than 10 links from one site.
Domain authority trend. Tools like Moz and Ahrefs assign your site an authority score. Watch this trend over time. Steady growth indicates your link building is working.
Organic traffic correlation. As you build links, you should see corresponding increases in organic traffic. Track this in Google Analytics to confirm your links are translating into real visibility.
Ranking improvements. Monitor your target keyword rankings alongside your link building efforts. Quality links should produce measurable ranking improvements within weeks to months.
The Bottom Line
Backlinks remain one of the most important factors in SEO. They're how Google measures trust, authority, and relevance. For local businesses, a strong backlink profile can be the difference between appearing on page one and being invisible.
The key is quality over quantity. Focus on earning links from relevant, authoritative sources through genuine relationships, great content, and community involvement. Avoid shortcuts. The businesses that invest in legitimate link building are the ones that build sustainable rankings that last.
Dylan leads the SEO team at Integrity Marketing, specializing in local SEO, technical optimization, and link building strategies that drive measurable results for businesses across the Pacific Northwest.