Glossary · Search and local visibility
Backlink
A link from a page on another website to a page on the business's website.
Also called: inbound link, inbound links
Definition
Backlinks can help people discover a business and can provide search systems with relationship and reputation signals. Relevance, editorial context, destination quality, and the linking site's integrity matter more than raw count alone.
Why it matters
Earned links from credible local, industry, partner, press, or resource pages can support both referral traffic and discovery.
Common misunderstanding
Buying or generating large volumes of low-quality links is not the same as earning useful references and can create risk.
Related terms
Related system family: Measurement & Search Signals
Sources
- Link best practices (opens in a new tab) · Google Search Central
Last reviewed July 16, 2026