20+ Types Of Backlinks That Impact Your SEO For Higher Ranking

Learning Search Engine Optimization (SEO) takes time. But one thing is absolutely true: You need backlinks to succeed online. If your website wants to rank high, other reliable sites must link to you. These links are like digital votes of confidence. Learning about all the best Types of Backlinks is the first step to high rankings.

Here is the list of 20+ types of Backlinks that impact your SEO. You’ll also learn how to get the good ones and how to avoid the bad ones that can hurt your site.

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks are simple links. They are links on someone else’s website. They point back to a page on your website. People also call them “incoming links” or “inbound links”. Think of backlinks as a direct endorsement for your content. When Google sees these links, it knows your content is good and trustworthy.

Why Are Backlinks Important?

Backlinks are crucial for getting top search rankings. Search engines use these links to figure out how strong a page is. Websites with many high-quality links usually rank better. Google treats these links as strong, trusted votes. These backlinks:

Make Your Site Stronger: Every good link adds trust to your website. This process helps your whole site rank better over time.
Help Google Find You: Search engines use robots to find content. They follow links across the internet. Links are the fastest way for Google to find and list your new pages.
Bring People to Your Site: Backlinks are not just for SEO. They also send referral traffic straight to your page. When visitors click from a popular site, it increases your brand awareness.

Follow Links vs. No-Follow Links

Not all Types of Backlinks give you the same value. The link’s code tells the search engine if it should pass authority or not.

What are Dofollow Backlinks?

Dofollow links are the standard link. They are the best for passing SEO value to your site.

They Pass Value: Dofollow links are the regular type of link. They pass valuable SEO power, sometimes called ‘link juice,’ to your page.
They are a Trust Signal: They tell search engines that the site linking to you really trusts and approves your page.
They Boost Ranking: These Types of Backlinks directly improve your potential to rank higher in search results. They are the best Types of Backlinks for visibility.

What are Nofollow Backlinks?

Nofollow links do not pass authority. But they are still necessary for a natural link profile.

The Tag: Nofollow links include a special code: rel=”nofollow”. This code tells search engines not to pass ranking power.
Common Use: Nofollow is used for things like comments, sponsored posts, or affiliate links.
Indirect Help: They do not boost rankings directly. But, they still bring important traffic from people. Having Nofollow Types of Backlinks also makes your link profile look normal and balanced. If a site only has Dofollow links, Google might think it is cheating.

What Types of Backlinks Are Valuable?

One great link is much better than a thousand bad links. You must only work to get high-value Types of Backlinks. The best links share a few key features. Focus on these points when looking for link opportunities.

From High Authority Websites: Links from sites with a high trust score (Domain Authority) are the strongest. A link from a major, trusted company gives you huge power.
Content Must Match: The linking website must be very relevant to your topic. A strong link from a completely unrelated site is worth much less than a link from a niche expert.
Placement Matters: Valuable links are placed high up inside the main article text. Links hidden in the footer or sidebar do not have as much ranking weight.
Unique Websites: Try to get links from many different websites. Google cares a lot about the total number of unique linking sites, which they call referring domains.
Real Visitors: The linking page should get real organic traffic. If a site gets no traffic, it might be a low-quality site made just for selling Types of Backlinks.

Top 20+ Types of Backlinks That Impact Your SEO

Here is a list of over 20 valuable Types of Backlinks you should aim to get:

Natural Editorial and Resource Backlinks

These links are earned because your content is genuinely good. They are considered the most powerful links for SEO.

Editorial Backlinks: These are the most wanted Types of Backlinks. They happen when a writer naturally mentions your excellent content as a source.
Resource Page Backlinks: Links earned from pages that list useful tools or links for a specific topic.
Contextual Niche Edits (Link Inserts): This is when your link is added naturally into an existing, published article on a relevant site.
Broken Link Building: You find links on good sites that lead to a dead page (404 error). Then you suggest that they replace that broken link with your working, similar content.
Image Backlinks: Links you get when someone uses your unique image or chart. They credit you with a link below the image.

Authority and Profile Backlinks

These links come from trusted institutions or dedicated industry pages. They help establish your site’s credibility and professionalism.

.EDU and.GOV Links: These are Types of Backlinks from official educational or government websites. These links pass the highest level of trust.
Guest Post Backlinks: You write a new, high-quality article for another website in your industry. This must be done on relevant, trusted sites.
Testimonial Backlinks: You write a great review for a product you use. The company often gives you a link back to your site as thanks.
Journalist Links (HARO): You answer questions from reporters who need expert quotes. These links often come from major news sites.
Business Profile Links (Citations): Links from local directories like Yelp or Google My Business. These are key for local SEO.
Podcast/Webinar Links: You are mentioned in the show notes of a relevant industry podcast or recorded webinar.
Acknowledgment Backlinks: A link given to you when a site recognizes your company or sponsorship.

Community and Social Backlinks

These are links you get from interacting with people online. They are often for driving traffic rather than high SEO power.

Forum and Community Links: Links from Q&A sites or industry forums. They are often Nofollow. But they bring good, targeted traffic.
Social Media Post Links: Links from big platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook. They are Nofollow. But they are vital for traffic and getting your brand seen.
Social Bookmarking Backlinks: Links created when users save or “bookmark” your content on platforms like Reddit or Pinterest. These help with content discovery.
Comment Backlinks: Links earned by leaving thoughtful comments on other blogs. These are often Nofollow but can still bring traffic.

Specific Technical Types of Backlinks

This group includes links gained through technical strategies and specific online placements. Use these to round out your backlink profile.

Directory Backlinks: Submitting your site to focused, high-quality web directories.
Internal Backlinks: These are links from one page to another on your own website. They help search engines find and crawl all your pages.
Reclaimed Backlinks (Unlinked Mentions): Finding mentions of your brand online that don’t include a link. Then you ask the site owner to add a link.
Widget Backlinks: Links created when you offer a free tool or widget that other sites can embed, which includes a link back to your site.
Reciprocal Backlinks (Link Exchanges): Directly trading links with another site. This must be done carefully to avoid looking manipulative.
Image Backlinks (Re-listed): Links you get when someone uses your unique image or chart and credits you with a link.
Ebook/Whitepaper Backlinks: Links embedded within downloadable content like industry reports or e-books that are hosted on other sites.
Academic Backlinks: Links from research papers or academic platforms (similar to .edu links but focused on scholarship).

How to Analyze Backlinks and Check Quality?

You must know how to nalyze Backlinks. This is needed to keep your SEO healthy. You should check your links often to find and remove risks. Checking your backlinks is vital for long-term SEO success. Follow these steps to audit the quality of the links you have.

Find All Linking Sites: Use tools to see every unique website that links to you. Focus on how good these unique sources are.
Check Domain Trust Score (DA/DR): Look at the trust score of the linking website. A higher score usually means a more powerful link.
Confirm Content Relevance: Always check that the topic of the linking page matches your topic closely. If the topics are wrong, the link has little power.
Look at Link Text (Anchor Text): The words used for the link should be different and sound normal. Using the exact same keyword too often looks spammy to Google.
Watch for Warning Signs: Look for things like thin, robotic content or too many ads on the site. These are signs of a spam site.

What Kinds of Backlinks Should you Avoid?

Some types of Backlinks go against Google’s rules. Using them can seriously damage your ranking through penalties. Never engage in these risky and manipulative practices.

PBNs (Private Blog Networks): These are fake websites built only to pass link power. Google sees PBNs as cheating.
Paid Dofollow Links: Links you pay for must be marked as nofollow or sponsored. Paying for links without these tags breaks Google’s rules.
Too Many Link Exchanges: If you trade links too often with partners, your link profile looks unnatural.
Spammy Directory Links: Links from low-quality, generic lists made only to hold links.
Auto-Generated Spam: Links left in comment sections by bots or links that are irrelevant. These are very high risk.
Links from Link Farms: Websites that only exist to link out to hundreds of different sites for cash.

Bad Backlinks That Can Harm Your SEO

These low-quality Types of Backlinks are never worth the risk to your SEO.

Type of Backlink	SEO Power (Ranking Help)	Risk of Penalty
Editorial Link (Natural Mention)	Very High	Very Low
.EDU or.GOV Link	Very High	Very Low
Guest Post Backlink (Quality Site)	High	Medium (If overused)
Business Profile Link	Medium	Low
Forum/Comment Link (Spam)	None	High (Toxic Risk)
PBN/Link Farm Link	None	Very High (Penalty Risk)

Focus on Quality Over Quantity

Backlinks are still the most important factor for ranking high. To succeed in SEO, you must focus on getting natural, relevant Types of Backlinks. Quality is always better than quantity. Avoid bad links. Focus on high-authority sources. This will help you build a powerful website foundation. Use this guide to manage your links. Master the many Types of Backlinks available to you.

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FAQs

What Are Backlinks in simple words?

They are links from external websites that point to your site, acting as a digital vote of confidence.

What is the difference between a Dofollow Backlink and a Nofollow Backlink?

Dofollow links pass SEO authority and help rankings; Nofollow links do not pass authority but still drive traffic.

What types of Backlinks are valuable for search ranking?

Backlinks from highly authoritative and relevant websites, especially those placed naturally within the content re valuable for search ranking.

How to analyze Backlinks to check for quality?

Check the domain authority, relevance, organic traffic of the linking site, and the placement of the link on the page.