What is Backlink?

Backlinks are one of the longest-standing ranking signals in search. The reasoning is that a link is an editorial judgment — someone chose to point their readers at you — and the accumulated weight of those judgments says something about whether a site is credible.

Quality varies far more than quantity. A link from a local newspaper, a supplier, a trade association or a genuinely relevant local organization is worth a great deal more than hundreds from low-quality directories. Bought links and link schemes violate search engine guidelines and can result in a penalty, which is slow and unpleasant to recover from.

For a local business the realistic sources are unglamorous and effective: local sponsorships, chambers of commerce and trade bodies, supplier and partner pages, local press coverage, and being genuinely useful enough that someone links to you without being asked. Those are also the ones that bring actual visitors.