Backlinks don’t just help your website rank better on search engines — they’re also a kind of status symbol on the internet.
But most of the time, backlinks shouldn’t be something you force or chase after. They’re a natural result. In other words, instead of obsessing over “building backlinks,” you should focus on creating valuable public content, engaging with people socially, and promoting your work in a smart and genuine way. Do those things well, and your website will naturally get linked all across the web.
So, the purpose of this article (and this website) isn’t to teach you “how to build backlinks,” but rather to share some basic principles and underlying logic behind them. Once you understand these ideas, you’ll have a clearer sense of what to do. Of course, if you’re already an expert in this field, you might not need to read further — this piece is more like a summary for beginners or anyone still learning and growing. Yes, it’s basically my own study notes.
Where do backlinks come from?
Although backlinks are simply links from other websites, understanding their different sources helps us better grasp the meaning of link building (or marketing) and what actions we should actually take.
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From social media platforms.
These are links coming from places like Facebook, X (Twitter), and other social networks. They might come from your own posts, or, even better, from other people sharing your content (because when others share it voluntarily, that’s the real win — you can only do so much by yourself). The number of backlinks from social platforms is actually very important, which is why I’ve put it first. It means your website or content has gained real human recognition and is being spread organically. -
From references on other content sites.
For example, when someone writes a blog post or article and cites your opinion, they might include a hyperlink to your website in their text or list your site in the reference section. This kind of backlink is also very valuable — it proves that your content has real weight and has earned the trust of others. - Profile links from online accounts
This type of backlink is quite easy to get. You can register accounts on various websites or directories and include your domain in the “My Website” field or bio section. These profiles can exist on social platforms, business directories, app marketplaces, or download sites — it’s a very broad category. - Friend links (mutual website links)
Back in the early days of the internet, when websites were fewer, this was a common practice — two sites would add each other’s links at the bottom of their pages. Today, this is less common, and search engines don’t value such links much anymore, since they often lack relevance between the two sites and don’t truly reflect meaningful content relationships.
Are more backlinks always better?
This question really means: “Are all backlinks equally valuable?” The answer is no.
- Dofollow vs. Nofollow
IIn HTML, links can have attributes such as 'dofollow' or 'nofollow'. Dofollow links pass PageRank (SEO authority), while nofollow links tell search engines not to pass ranking value. Generally, dofollow links are better — but not exclusively. Having only dofollow links can actually look suspicious, since a natural backlink profile should include both. If all your backlinks are dofollow, it might signal manipulation. - Links from spammy sites
If a large portion of your backlinks come from low-quality or spammy pages (especially those already flagged by search engines), that’s a serious issue. Algorithms may suspect cheating or judge your content as low quality. Fortunately, you can ask search engines to ignore such links using their disavow tools.
In short — backlinks are not about quantity, but quality. There’s no fixed “right number.” What really matters is having high-quality content that naturally attracts links and builds a healthy backlink profile over time.