What Is a Backlink? How to Earn Good Links and Why Buying Them Is Risky
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Here is how to tell good links from harmful ones, why buying them is risky and how small businesses can earn links safely.
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. If your trade association's member list links your business name to your site, that is a backlink. Google uses links as one of its signals to discover new pages and to judge how relevant and trustworthy a page is.
This guide explains where backlinks fit in SEO, how to tell a valuable link from a harmful one, why buying links is risky and how a small business in Antalya can earn real links without a budget.
Why backlinks matter
Google's early insight, known as PageRank, was simple: if many trusted sites link to a page, it is probably valuable. Today hundreds of signals are involved and content quality matters far more, but links are still part of the picture; Google's link best practices say links are used both to find pages and to determine relevance. Links help in three ways: Google finds your pages faster, a respected source linking to you works like a reference, and a good link sends real visitors regardless of rankings.
Backlinks, internal links and outbound links
A backlink comes from another site to yours. An internal link goes from one of your pages to another and is fully under your control. An outbound link goes from your site to someone else's.
Link types
| Type | In the code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Normal ("dofollow") | No attribute | The source vouches for the link |
| nofollow | rel="nofollow" | Not endorsed, or a general-purpose flag |
| sponsored | rel="sponsored" | Ads, sponsorships or paid placements |
| ugc | rel="ugc" | User content such as comments and forums |
"Dofollow" is not a real attribute; it simply means a normal, unmarked link. When Google introduced sponsored and ugc in 2019, it also said it would treat all three as hints rather than strict directives.
Anchor text
The clickable text of a link is its anchor text. "Click here" says nothing; "our boiler service in Antalya" describes the target. But if every external link to you uses the same commercial phrase, that looks unnatural. In a natural profile, most links use your brand name, your domain or plain wording.
Good links vs harmful links
| Signs of a good link | Signs of a harmful link |
|---|---|
| From a site related to your field or area | From a site with no connection to you |
| A real site with readers and regular updates | A link farm publishing on hundreds of unrelated topics |
| Part of a natural sentence in the content | Hidden in a footer, sidebar or invisible text |
| Could actually send visitors | Buried in a list nobody clicks |
| Varied, natural anchor text | Always the same exact-match keyword |
| Given by editorial choice | Paid or swapped and not marked as such |
A quick test: would you still want this link if Google did not exist?
Why buying links is risky
Cheap link packages are widely sold in Turkey. Google's spam policies explicitly list as link spam: buying or selling links for ranking, excessive link exchanges, automated link building, paid articles or press releases with optimised anchors, low-quality directory and bookmark links and keyword-rich links in templates or footers. The result is either wasted money because Google ignores the links, or a manual action in Search Console that pulls pages down until you clean up and request a review.
Buying ads and sponsorships is fine, as long as the links carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". If you pay for a sponsored article, ask for that markup and treat it as a way to reach readers, not rankings.
Realistic link building for small businesses
- Well-known directories and map platforms: a consistent listing on Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yandex Business and Foursquare. Most of these links carry little ranking weight, but they keep your details consistent. Mass submission to unknown directories does not help. Our Google Business Profile guide covers the Google side.
- Industry platforms: TripAdvisor for hotels and restaurants, property portals for estate agents, the TÜRSAB agency lookup for tour operators. Fill in the website field where there is one.
- Chambers and associations: check that your member listing links to your site, and ask if it does not.
- Local press: a new branch, support for a local event, original data or a seasonal guide can be genuine news for local outlets.
- Partners and suppliers: dealer or reference pages are natural places for a link.
- Events and sponsorships: a link on a supporters page is natural; paid sponsorship links should be marked as sponsored.
- Useful content: a genuinely helpful guide, such as a map of dive sites in Kas, becomes something others cite.
- Unlinked mentions: if an article mentions you without a link, politely ask the publisher to add one.
Many of these overlap with local SEO, covered in our local SEO guide.
Tracking your backlinks
The free Links report in Google Search Console shows your top linking sites, your most-linked pages and common anchor texts. Checking it monthly is enough for most small businesses. To see competitors' links you need a paid tool such as Semrush or Ahrefs.
Should you use the disavow tool?
Probably not. Google says its systems ignore most spammy links and most sites never need it; misused, it can switch off links that help you. It matters if you receive a manual action for unnatural links or knowingly bought links you cannot get removed.
Is your site worth linking to?
People only link to pages worth linking to. A thin service page or a site that breaks on mobile convinces neither visitors nor Google. Get the foundations right first; the 8-step plan in our SEO guide gives the order. If you are planning a new site, our business website projects build service and reference pages in a clear structure that is easy for others to link to.
Checklist
- [ ] Search Console Links report checked monthly
- [ ] Google, Bing and Yandex business listings consistent
- [ ] Chamber and association listings link to the right URL
- [ ] Partner and supplier pages up to date
- [ ] Paid and sponsorship links marked as sponsored
- [ ] No "guaranteed backlink package" ever bought
- [ ] At least one useful guide others would cite
Frequently asked questions
Is buying backlinks illegal?
Not illegal, but it breaks Google's spam policies. Paid links that pass ranking credit count as link spam. You can buy advertising or sponsorship links as long as they carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
How many backlinks do I need?
There is no magic number. Looking at competitors gives you an idea, but relevance and trust matter more than count. A few links from trusted sites in your field beat hundreds of unrelated ones.
Are nofollow links worthless?
No. Since 2019 Google has treated nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints. They also bring visitors and awareness; a nofollow link from a news site can still bring customers.
What if a competitor points bad links at me?
Google says its systems ignore most spammy links automatically, and most sites never need the disavow tool. It becomes relevant if you get a manual action in Search Console or knowingly bought links in the past.
Where can I see my backlinks?
For free in the Links report in Google Search Console, which lists the sites linking to you most and your most-linked pages. Paid tools such as Semrush and Ahrefs add history and competitor data.
What is a 'hacklink'?
A link secretly planted on a hacked website without the owner's knowledge. It breaks Google's spam policies and relies on unauthorised access to someone else's system, so it carries legal risk too. Stay away from anyone selling it.
