If you’ve ever wondered how some websites consistently show up at the top of Google search results, the answer often lies in a powerful SEO strategy called link building. Whether you’re launching a new website or trying to boost your existing online presence, understanding how backlinks work—and how to get them—is essential.
In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll break down what link building is, why it matters for your search rankings, and how it can enhance your site’s credibility and visibility. From the anatomy of a link to smart strategies for earning backlinks, this is your all-in-one resource to start building a stronger digital footprint.
What is link building?
Link building is an SEO strategy that involves incentivizing other websites to provide links to your website’s homepage, landing pages, or blog posts to increase the SEO authority of your domain.
In SEO, these links are called backlinks. What is backlinking? Backlinks are one of many signals Google uses to gauge a site’s quality and authority on a topic.
The Google algorithm has a threefold objective:
- Understand the root meaning of a user’s query.
- Analyze what content holds the most relevant information to that query.
- Prioritize the content that is most helpful in the final search result.
When a prominent website links to your site, a measure of their authority is passed to yours. This is what’s considered a high-quality backlink. When dependable sites link to your page, it signals to both site visitors and Google that your content is trustworthy.
For example, imagine you’ve just moved to a small town and ask neighbors to help you decide between doctor A and doctor B. If the majority recommend doctor B, you’d probably trust that choice. Even without first hand experience, the collective opinion carries weight. That’s essentially how backlinks work.
In short, SEO link building functions as both a human and algorithmic heuristic.
Google’s journey to prioritizing link quality
In Google’s early days, search rankings heavily favored the total number of backlinks. This encouraged brands to chase backlinks in bulk—often from spammy or irrelevant websites.
Over time, Google shifted its focus from quantity to link quality. Now, a quality link is considered an organic one that exists on an established and authoritative domain.
For example, if Inc.com publishes a report linking to a newly established website, Google recognizes that as a vote of confidence. As a result, a portion of Inc.com’s authority is passed to the new site.
In other words, the more authoritative the domain within the backlink profile, the better the outcome for your site.
Breaking down the attributes of a link
Before we get into link building tactics or backlinking strategies, it’s helpful to understand how a link is structured. Most links can be broken down into three main parts:
Example:
<a href=”https://example.com/healthy-recipes”>View healthy recipes</a>
- Anchor tag – The <a> tells the browser a link is coming.
- Link referral location – The href (hyperlink referral) specifies the URL the link points to.
- Anchor text of the link – The text “View healthy recipes” is what users see and click. This text is usually styled to stand out and indicate it’s clickable.
Types of links
As you build an SEO link-building strategy, it’s important to know that not all links carry the same weight. Different types of links provide different value:
- Follow links – These standard backlinks tell Google to pass authority and page rank to the linked site. They help bots understand content and increase site authority.
- No-follow links – A no-follow link includes the rel=”nofollow” attribute. This tells Google not to crawl the linked site. Commonly used for ads, banners, or sites you don’t want to endorse. These don’t strengthen your SEO authority like follow links do.
- User-generated links – These are generally low-quality links found in user profiles, blog comments, ads, or embedded infographics. Think “user-generated content” applied to links.
- Organic links – These are the most valuable. They happen naturally, when another site links to yours because your content adds value. No incentives, just authentic referencing—making them the crown jewel of backlinks.
Benefits of link-building
When done right, manual link-building tactics can deliver a range of benefits for your website:
- Bolster brand credibility – Google evaluates domain authority by analyzing the quality and quantity of backlinks. When a trusted site links to your content, it acts like a third-party reference that signals trust and authority.
- Improve SERP rankings – A higher domain authority means better positioning on search engine results pages (SERPs). And we all know the value of being on page one versus page 56.
- Increase web traffic – Link building brings in traffic in two ways: directly from users clicking the link, and indirectly by improving your visibility on search engines—resulting in more organic traffic.
- Create positive feedback loops – Good link building can snowball. As you gain authority and visibility, more sites will naturally link to your content, increasing your authority even further.
- Boost brand awareness – Backlinks act like word-of-mouth referrals. When someone sees a trusted site linking to you, they’re more likely to check you out. One link can lead to thousands of new impressions.
- Support revenue growth – Improved visibility leads to more potential customers, which means a bigger sales funnel and more conversions. That’s real business impact driven by SEO link building.
- Foster partner relationships – While link building can happen naturally, more often than not it results from intentional relationship-building—like with guest posting or collaborations. These partnerships enhance both trust and reach.
How to encourage link building
Everyone wants to earn high-quality backlinks without lifting a finger—but that’s rarely how it works. Brands with strong backlink profiles build them through smart strategy and proactive outreach. Here’s how:
- Performing link outreach – Reach out to websites in your niche and ask them to link to your content. Check who links to your competitors, and see if you can get featured—or even replace them.
- Partaking in guest blogging – Many websites welcome guest posts. Contributing insightful content lets you plug your site and build your reputation, often resulting in new backlinks and traffic.
- Creating visual assets – Infographics, charts, and images are easy to link to and provide value to other sites. They’re great for earning organic links and can also boost your social media and sales materials.
- Leveraging social media – Promote new blog posts and visuals on social media. Engage in conversations and tag relevant influencers or brands. Valuable content often gets shared—and linked to.
- Uncovering unlinked brand mentions – Use social listening tools to find where your brand is mentioned without a link. Then, reach out and request a proper link. It’s a simple way to convert brand awareness into SEO value.
Elevate Your Link-Building Strategy Today
When properly executed, a link building tactic can increase your number of backlinks, elevate your domain authority, and drive more traffic, brand recognition, and revenue.
But building and managing a solid backlink strategy isn’t easy. That’s where we come in.
At The CodeShooters, our growth marketing agency specializes in smart, scalable SEO strategies. From requesting and monitoring backlinks to crafting share-worthy content, we help you break the mold and stand out in the digital landscape. As both an SEO company and a content marketing agency, we offer end-to-end solutions designed to boost your authority and accelerate your growth.
