The safest way to build backlinks is to create a legitimate reason for relevant sources to reference your business. Here’s how to do it.
How do you get backlinks? Give relevant websites a legitimate reason to reference your business. Recover links and mentions you have already earned, contribute useful expertise, build resources or original research worth citing, participate in real industry and community relationships, and conduct focused human outreach. Avoid buying followed links for rankings or chasing links that exist only to manipulate search results.
If you searched “how to get backlinks,” you probably already understand the basic idea: another website links to yours, and that link may help people and search engines discover and evaluate your content.
The confusing part is what to do next. Link-building vendors sell packages, SEO tools rank domains with proprietary scores, and outreach services promise a specific number of links every month. Those offers make backlinks look like inventory you can order.
That is where businesses get into trouble. A backlink is valuable only in context: who published it, why it exists, what surrounds it, where it sends the reader and whether the source is genuinely relevant to your market.
Do Backlinks Still Matter for SEO?
Yes, links still matter, but they are one part of a much larger system.
Google’s ranking systems guide explains that its systems use link analysis, including PageRank, to understand how pages connect and which pages may be helpful for a search. That does not mean every backlink helps, or that a page with more links automatically outranks a better answer.
Links work best when they reinforce something that is already worthy of attention:
- A page that matches the searcher’s intent
- Original expertise, evidence or practical value
- Clear site architecture and internal linking
- Accurate claims and trustworthy authorship
- A useful offer and credible business
- A page that can be crawled, indexed and understood
That is why backlinks are best understood as an amplifier, not a cure. If the page is weak, the first job is to improve the page. If the page is strong but credible sources rarely reference it, earned authority may be the missing layer.
For the foundation, review ClickIt CMO’s Traditional SEO Services. For how authority fits into answer engines and generative search, see AI Search Optimization Services.
What Makes a Backlink High Quality?
A useful backlink is not defined by one domain score. ClickIt CMO evaluates the complete opportunity:
- Relevance: The source is connected to your industry, topic, geography, audience or customer journey.
- Editorial independence: The publisher chooses what to include and how to reference it.
- Real readership: People appear to find, read or use the source.
- Natural context: The link supports the surrounding information instead of interrupting it.
- Destination fit: The link leads to the page that best answers the reader’s need.
- Transparency and safety: Sponsorships and paid relationships are disclosed and links are qualified appropriately.
- Referral potential: The right person could discover, trust or visit your business through the source.
A smaller, highly relevant association, local publication or industry resource may be more useful than a high-scoring site with no meaningful connection to your customers.
“In my work, the first question is not ‘Where can we get a link?’ It is ‘Which page deserves more authority, and why would a credible source reference it?’ That order matters. Strong outreach cannot rescue a weak destination page, and a relevant mention can be more useful than a higher-scoring but unrelated link.”Shaun Wilson, Founder of ClickIt CMO
How to Get Backlinks: Eight Ethical Methods
1. Reclaim links and mentions you have already earned
Start with the authority that already exists. Look for unlinked mentions of your business, outdated URLs, broken links, misspelled brand references, old media coverage, partner pages and resources that cite an asset you have moved. A short, accurate correction request is often more credible than a cold pitch because the relationship or reference already exists.
2. Use real business relationships
Partners, suppliers, professional associations, chambers, nonprofit relationships, sponsorships, vendors and customers may maintain relevant resource or member pages. A link should reflect the real relationship, not a forced exchange created only for SEO. For local businesses, these connections can also create referral traffic and geographic relevance that a generic national directory cannot provide.
3. Contribute genuine expertise
Journalists, trade publications, podcasts, newsletters and industry writers need credible sources. Offer a useful answer, firsthand experience, data or a clear point of view. The purpose is to improve the story or resource; a link or mention is a possible editorial outcome, not the price of participation.
4. Create a resource worth citing
Strong resources solve a real problem better than the alternatives. Examples include a practical calculator, decision guide, checklist, original visual, comparison framework, template, glossary or definitive local resource. Do not create a generic 3,000-word article simply because longer content appears easier to pitch. The resource needs a reason to exist and a specific audience that would benefit from referencing it.
5. Publish original data or research
A credible benchmark, survey, dataset or analysis can give publishers and industry resources something new to discuss. The methodology must be visible, the sample and limitations must be honest, and the conclusions must not outrun the evidence. Original data campaigns require more work, but they can earn links, mentions, quotations, media coverage and repeat reference value from the same underlying asset.
6. Use digital PR when you have a defensible story
Digital PR combines a useful story, evidence, media materials and targeted outreach. It works best when the angle is timely, relevant and genuinely useful to the publication’s audience. A press release by itself does not create authority. The value comes when an independent source chooses to cover, quote or reference the business because the story deserves attention.
7. Find relevant resource opportunities
Industry organizations, universities, government resources, community sites and specialized publishers sometimes maintain curated pages for their readers. If your resource clearly belongs, make a concise case for inclusion. Avoid mass-produced resource-page lists. Relevance and editorial standards matter more than the tactic’s name.
8. Build local authority in the community you actually serve
Local authority can come from community involvement, local media, business associations, partner organizations, events, expert commentary, local research and accurate citations. Whitespark’s 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors report includes locally and industry-relevant inbound links among the factors local-search experts believe affect local organic visibility. The report is an expert survey based on observation and testing, not access to Google’s internal algorithm.
A Practical Backlink-Building Process
- Choose the page that deserves support. Define the search intent, business purpose and audience before looking for a link.
- Fix the destination page. Improve weak content, unclear claims, technical problems and conversion friction first.
- Audit what already exists. Review referring domains, lost links, unlinked mentions, partner relationships and competitor patterns.
- Identify the legitimate citation reason. Decide what expertise, relationship, resource, data or story makes the reference useful.
- Qualify the source. Evaluate relevance, editorial independence, readership, context, safety, referral potential and customer fit.
- Conduct focused human outreach. Explain why the information helps that source’s audience; do not lead with your need for a backlink.
- Verify the outcome. Record the published context, destination, link attributes, mention, referral activity and any later changes.
- Measure without overstating attribution. Separate the work performed, the third-party outcome and the business/search signals that followed.
Should You Buy Backlinks?
Buying followed links for ranking purposes is not an ethical shortcut. Google’s spam policies explicitly list exchanging money, goods or services for ranking links as link spam. The examples also include automated link creation, excessive exchanges, low-quality directory links and paid articles or press releases that pass ranking credit through optimized anchors.
Advertising, sponsorships and paid partnerships can be legitimate. When a paid arrangement includes a link, Google says it should be qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" so it is not treated as purchased ranking credit.
The practical distinction is straightforward: pay for real advertising, sponsorship, research, content, outreach or PR work when it makes business sense. Do not pay for a followed link disguised as an independent editorial recommendation.
What Backlink Tactics Should You Avoid?
- Packages promising a fixed quantity of links regardless of relevance
- Guaranteed followed links, anchor text, placements, rankings or authority scores
- Automated mass outreach with generic or misleading pitches
- Low-quality directories and bookmark sites created mainly for links
- Excessive reciprocal linking or partner pages built only to exchange links
- Paid guest posts, advertorials or press releases designed to pass ranking credit
- Low-value content created primarily to manipulate linking signals
- Publisher lists selected only by DR, DA or another proprietary score
Google uses automated spam-detection systems, including SpamBrain, to address behavior that violates its spam policies. The safest approach is not to hide manipulation better. It is to create a legitimate reason for the reference to exist.
Do Backlinks Help With AI Search Visibility?
They may contribute to the wider authority and reputation around a brand, but raw backlink volume is not a reliable formula for AI citations.
An Ahrefs study of 75,000 brands across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews found that branded web mentions had much stronger correlations with AI visibility than raw backlink counts or URL-level link strength. Ahrefs also states the essential limitation: correlation does not prove causation, and improving one metric does not automatically increase AI visibility.
The useful strategic lesson is broader than “build more links.” Being credibly discussed across a range of relevant sources may matter more for AI visibility than accumulating raw backlink volume.
A linked brand mention can still be valuable. It may help a reader discover your site, connect your brand to a topic, reinforce an editorial endorsement and support traditional search. But no single backlink or authority campaign can guarantee that ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity or another system will cite your business.
ClickIt CMO Earned Authority™ is designed to build credible third-party mentions, coverage and links. The AI Citation Optimization Sprint™ is designed to strengthen the pages and canonical answers that should be cited. Both service names are intentionally unlinked until their new pages are live.
How Do You Measure Whether Backlinks Are Helping?
Measure more than the link count. A useful reporting model separates three evidence layers:
- Work performed: research, asset creation, target qualification, outreach and response management
- Third-party outcomes: relevant mentions, editorial links, corrected citations, quotations, coverage and relationships
- Business and search signals: referral visits, engaged sessions, assisted conversions, target-page movement, branded search behavior and monitored AI visibility
Also record the link’s context, destination and attributes. A mention is not automatically a link. A link is not automatically a qualified visit. A visit is not automatically a lead. Clear reporting prevents activity from being mistaken for business impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many backlinks do I need?
There is no universal number. The answer depends on the query, market, competing pages, current authority, destination-page quality and relevance of the links. Ten unrelated links are not automatically better than one relevant editorial reference.
How long does it take to build backlinks?
Reclamation and existing relationships may produce results sooner. Original research, authority assets, expert visibility and digital PR usually take longer because they depend on creation, approvals, outreach and third-party editorial decisions.
Can I create backlinks myself?
Yes. Start with accurate business profiles, real partnerships, associations, resource pages, unlinked mentions, expert contributions and useful content. Avoid shortcuts that exist mainly to manipulate search rankings.
Are directory backlinks still useful?
A legitimate directory can help when customers use it, it accurately represents the business, or it is authoritative within a location or industry. Low-quality directories created mainly to sell or manufacture links are not useful targets.
What is the difference between link building and digital PR?
Link building describes the goal of earning relevant links. Digital PR uses stories, expert insight, original data and media outreach to earn coverage, mentions and sometimes links. Digital PR is one link-earning mechanism, not a replacement term for every authority tactic.
Do nofollow or sponsored links have value?
They can. A properly qualified link may still create discovery, referral traffic, brand visibility and legitimate partnership value. Its purpose should not be to disguise purchased ranking credit.
Can anyone guarantee high-quality backlinks?
A provider can guarantee agreed research, strategy, asset creation, outreach and reporting work. Genuine publishers retain editorial control, so no ethical provider can guarantee independent coverage, followed links, exact anchors, rankings or AI citations.
When You Need More Than a Backlink Checklist
You can complete many backlink tasks yourself. The harder work is deciding which pages deserve support, what authority your business is missing, what credible citation reason can be created and which opportunities are worth pursuing.
That is the role of ClickIt CMO Earned Authority™, our ethical link building and digital PR service.
ClickIt CMO is paid for the research, strategy, authority assets, outreach, digital PR, verification and reporting work, not for a guaranteed quantity of links or publisher placements.
Sources and Further Reading
- Google Search Central: Spam policies: Official link-spam and paid-link guidance.
- Google Search Central: Ranking systems guide: Link analysis, PageRank and spam-detection context.
- Ahrefs: AI brand visibility correlations: 75,000-brand correlation study; correlation is not causation.
- Whitespark: 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors: Expert survey; not Google internal ranking data.
Shaun Wilson
Shaun is the founder of ClickIt CMO, a Fractional CMO and AI Search Strategist with 15+ years of experience across SEO, paid search, content, analytics, conversion and full-funnel digital marketing. Clients work directly with Shaun for the strategy, judgment and hands-on execution.
Find the Authority Opportunities Worth Earning
If your strongest pages deserve more visibility but respected sources rarely mention or link to them, Shaun will review the opportunity personally. The goal is to identify which pages need authority, what legitimate citation reasons your business can create and which outreach or digital PR opportunities are worth pursuing.
No backlink packages. No placement guarantees. A practical review of the authority opportunities worth earning.