What is a backlink?

The short answer

A backlink is a link from another website to a page on your site. Useful links are earned because a resource helps readers, not because links are manufactured for rankings.

Step by step

1. Publish a resource that answers a real question or provides useful data.
2. Share it with relevant people and communities where it genuinely helps.
3. Build relationships through original research, technical contributions, and digital PR.
4. Use the Website Score widget as a product feature with visible attribution, never as a forced link scheme.

Technical details

• Relevance, editorial context, and user value matter more than volume. Google recommends qualifying paid or user-generated links appropriately.

Common mistakes

• Buying links for ranking manipulation.
• Using hidden or keyword-stuffed anchors.
• Automating comment, forum, directory, or reciprocal-link campaigns.

Limitations

• No tool can guarantee that another publisher will link to a resource or that a link will improve rankings.