You may have had the same issue as most people when it comes to knowing how to obtain backlinks. One guide plunges right in and dives into the advanced SEO techniques and another gives you a list of dozens of tools to work with without telling you where to begin.

So let's make things easier.

Backlinks are still one of Google's most important ranking factors. Having other sites link back to you is a vote of confidence. It lets search engines know that your content is valuable, reliable or noteworthy.

Getting quality backlinks, however, is not as easy as sending out some emails or registering in directories. The connections that really work for your rankings typically arise from relationship-building, high-quality content, and targeting the appropriate websites.

This guide will teach you the strategies you can use to generate backlinks that actually count, how to distinguish between the link that is worth it and the one that isn't, and some of the common pitfalls to avoid. These are the strategies that you can use to create links that will result in sustainable, long-term growth in your SEO efforts, regardless of whether you're a small business in Massachusetts, or an online company that services customers nationwide.

What Is a Backlink and Why Does It Still Matter in 2026?

The definition of a backlink is a link from one site to another site, in this case, the other site being your site. That's all it is.

For instance, whenever a blog posts about your company and connects to your home page, you have obtained a backlink. Any review you find on an online magazine with a link to your site is a backlink as well.

Why do all SEOers pay so much attention to them?

This is because backlinks assist search engines to determine which sites people can trust. Google has no way to know which businesses are trustworthy for millions of users, so it has to go by what's on the web. Having an important or popular site link to your pages is one sign that your content is valuable and should be shared with others.

Of course, not all backlinks are equal. A link from a reputable industry site is more important than a dozen links from any low quality random site. Overall, you will have better chances of ranking higher in search results if you have more quality backlinks.

In today's era of AI-driven search tools, backlinks are more crucial than ever. ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar systems can be based on Google's AI search summary and extract content from reliable sources throughout the internet. Having your business featured or linked to on reputable sites will not only help establish your authority with Google, but also with AI tools.

That is, backlinks are not just for the purpose of ranking. They also help shape the perception of your business when users find you online, as they increasingly find answers from AI than from traditional search results.

Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links (and Why Both Matter)

However, not every backlink is equal, and this is a stumbling block for many newbies.

A “dofollow” link shares some of that trust that we discussed earlier. It’s like a live poll of your website. A nofollow link is a link with a tiny bit of code that says Google, "don't count this one and you'll find it in a comment, forum post, or social media post.

Most guides neglect this: nofollow links still count! They get people to click through them, find out about your business, and sometimes spread them out even more. Even if a link doesn't directly affect your rankings, they can still drive traffic to your site. Work on getting a decent balance of both types of links, not only dofollow links.

How to Tell If a Backlink Is Actually Worth Pursuing

Not every backlink is worth your time. Chasing the wrong ones can waste hours and sometimes even hurt your site. Before you reach out to anyone for a link, run the opportunity through these five quick questions.

Is the website actually related to your industry? A link from a site that talks about something completely different won't carry much weight, even if that site is well known.
Does the site get real visitors? A high authority score means nothing if nobody actually reads the page. Check whether it shows up in search results or has genuine traffic.
Is the link placed inside the content, not buried in a sidebar or footer? Links that sit naturally within an article carry far more value than ones tucked away where readers rarely look.
Does the anchor text sound natural? If every link pointing to your site uses the same keyword-stuffed phrase, it can look manipulative to Google rather than genuine.
Is it dofollow, or at least worth the visibility? Dofollow links carry more direct ranking value, but a relevant nofollow link from a well-trafficked site is still worth having.

If an opportunity checks most of these boxes, go after it. If it checks none, skip it and save your energy for a better one.

8 Proven Ways to Get Backlinks

Now for the part you actually came here for. These eight methods aren't shortcuts or tricks — they work because they give website owners a real reason to link to you.

Guest Posting on Relevant, Active Blogs
Create content for a blog or news site your users visit regularly, and include a natural link back to your site. The trick is to choose those blogs which are current and not those that haven't updated for years. When searching for "write for us" in conjunction with your industry, be sure to propose a topic they've never discussed before instead of pushing to the top of the pile to repurpose old material.

Broken Link Building
On each site, there are links that are old and no longer working, which are linked to pages that have been deleted or moved. Find one in your industry and e-mail the owner about it and propose an alternative page. This is a good thing for site owners because you are doing something for them that is beneficial, and they know it.

The Skyscraper Technique
Look for a very popular piece of content in your niche with lots of backlinks, then make it something that is unquestionably better, more comprehensive, more up-to-date, or simply more instructive. When it becomes live, contact the sites that are linking to the original and present them your version. You are not pitching a new idea, you are providing an enhancement on something that they already have found value in linking to.

Digital PR and Journalist Outreach
Journalists always seek out expert quotes for their articles and that's an easy way to get a link from a major publication. These requests are made through sites like Featured.com or Qwoted. Make your pitches concise and to the point—reporters sift through dozens of pitches and only choose to follow up on those that contain the information they are looking for.

Publishing Original Data or Local Research
Run a small survey, pull data from your own clients, or share results from something you tested, then publish what you find. Original information like this gets cited because nobody else has it. Even a simple local survey, like spending habits in your area, can catch the attention of local news and bloggers.

Reclaiming Unlinked Brand Mentions
Sometimes a website talks about your business without actually linking to it. Search your business name in Google to find these mentions, then send a quick, friendly email asking the writer to add a link. Most people are happy to fix this since they already mentioned you; they just forgot the link.

Resource Page and "Best Of" List Outreach
There are numerous websites with pages that contain useful resources, services and tools for a specific industry. To locate these pages, conduct a search in Google for "[your industry] resources" or "best [your industry] tools," and then contact them and let them know why your business should be included. Stay on topic and limit the length of the post to what is relevant to their readers.

Building Free Tools, Templates, or Calculators
Free tools that solve one small, specific problem tend to get shared and linked to again and again, long after you publish them. Think simple: a checklist, a calculator, a planner, anything your audience would actually bookmark. Once it's live, share it directly with bloggers and sites that cover related topics.

Backlinks for Small and Local Businesses: What's Different

If you're running a local business, you have a few extra link opportunities that bigger companies often overlook. Local newspapers and news sites often cover community events, new store openings, or local milestones, so a quick pitch about something happening at your business can land a real news link. Joining your local chamber of commerce or a business association usually gets you listed on their website too, and that's an easy, legitimate link to start with.

Sponsoring a local event, sports team, or charity drive often comes with a website mention as part of the deal. The same goes for suppliers or partner businesses you already work with, since linking to each other's sites is a natural fit for both of you.

These local links work alongside your Google Business Profile and local SEO efforts, not instead of them. We're based in Massachusetts and use these exact tactics for clients here, but the same approach works no matter where your business is located.

Mistakes and Tactics That Can Hurt You

Not all link building is good and some link building shortcuts can be more harmful than beneficial. The first red flag for Google is when you buy links, particularly if they don't relate to your business. Private blog networks, or PBNs, are also very similar: a network of low-quality sites created simply to get links to one another, and Google has become very efficient at identifying them.

Doing so can also look spammy even if each link looks fine on its own, as you will be filling the entire link with the keyword you are targeting. It holds true for submitting to a handful of random directories, that aren't in your field.

Google's disavow tool allows you to request Google to ignore the spammy links that have no connection to your site, helping to safeguard your rankings from spammy links.

Free and Paid Tools to Find and Track Backlinks

You don't need expensive software to get started, but a few tools make the process much easier.

If you're just starting out, Google Search Console and Ubersuggest will cover most of what you need. Once you're running a steady link-building campaign, upgrading to Ahrefs or Semrush makes the research a lot faster.

How Long Does It Take to See Results from Backlinks?

That is the one question that will be asked and the one answer that is: It depends. In two to four months, most businesses begin to see some movement in their rankings after building quality links; in competitive industries, it can take longer. Google also requires time to crawl the page and “discover” your new link.

When it comes to getting quality links, it's better to get one from a relevant, trusted site than ten that are of low quality. Don't rush, build gradually, and results will come with time.

FAQs

How many backlinks do I need to rank?
There's no magic number. A handful of high-quality, relevant links can outperform hundreds of weak ones, so focus on quality over count.

Are backlinks still important in 2026?
Yes. They remain one of the strongest trust signals for Google, and they're now also shaping how AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini describe your business.

Can I get backlinks for free?
Definitely. Guest posting, broken link building, and reclaiming unlinked mentions cost nothing but time and a few well-written emails.

Is buying backlinks ever safe?
No. Paid links that look unnatural can trigger a Google penalty, which often does far more damage than the link itself was worth.

Final Thoughts

Backlinks take real time and effort to do right, and that's exactly where most business owners get stuck. If you'd rather focus on running your business while a team handles the outreach and tracking for you, Vortex Web Innovate offers a free backlink audit to show you exactly where you stand. Reach out, and let's talk about what your website actually needs.

How to Get Backlinks in 2026: A Practical Guide for Growing Businesses