Backlink
A link from one website to another, serving as a vote of confidence that influences search engine rankings.
Understanding Backlink
A backlink (also called an inbound link or incoming link) is a hyperlink from one website pointing to a page on another website. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of confidence — the more high-quality, relevant backlinks a page has, the more likely it is to rank well. Not all backlinks are equal: links from authoritative, topically relevant websites carry significantly more weight than links from low-quality or unrelated sites. Key backlink metrics include domain authority of the linking site, relevance of the linking page, anchor text used, link placement (editorial vs. sidebar/footer), and whether the link is dofollow or nofollow. Building high-quality backlinks is one of the most impactful SEO activities.
Keep learning
Domain Authority
A score (0-100) predicting how likely a website is to rank in search results, based on backlink profile and other factors.
Anchor Text
The clickable text in a hyperlink that provides context about the linked page's content to users and search engines.
Link Building
The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own, improving search engine authority and rankings.
Nofollow
A link attribute (rel="nofollow") that tells search engines not to pass ranking authority through the link.
Track backlink and more with Optic Rank
Get AI-powered SEO intelligence that puts glossary knowledge into actionable insights.