What are Backlinks?
Backlinks (also called inbound links or incoming links) are links from other websites that lead to your website. When website A has a link to website B, website B has a backlink from website A. Google considers backlinks as "votes of confidence" - if multiple high-quality websites link to you, Google says "this website must be important".
Backlinks are one of the top 3 Google ranking factors alongside content quality and RankBrain (user experience signals).
Backlinks in B2B Context
In B2B, the quality of backlinks is critical. A backlink from TechCrunch is gold for a SaaS startup. A backlink from a spam website is damaging. B2B companies should think strategically: Which websites in my industry have authority? How can I get backlinks from them?
Combined with high-quality on-page SEO, B2B companies can reach top rankings for their business keywords.
How Backlinks Work
The Google algorithm considers the following backlink factors:
- Quantity: More links are better (but quality > quantity)
- Quality (authority): Links from highly-rated websites count more. One link from Forbes > 100 links from small blogs
- Relevance: Links from websites in your industry/niche count more
- Anchor text: The text of the link. "HR Software Comparison" signals the topic better than "click here"
- Link velocity: The speed at which new links arrive. Natural growth is better than a spike
- Nofollow vs. dofollow: "Nofollow" links pass less authority. But still valuable for traffic and branding
- Link position: A link in the content is more valuable than a link in the sidebar or footer
Types of Backlinks
| Link type | Quality | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial links (earned) | Very high | Link in Forbes article about your software |
| Industry mention links | High | Link from HR industry website |
| Press release links | Medium-high | Link from PR distribution service |
| Guest post links | Medium | You write an article on another blog with a link |
| Resource page links | Medium | "Top 10 HR Software" page that includes a link to you |
| Directory links | Low-medium | Directories like "Best software for..." |
| Forum/comment links | Low | Links in forum signature or comment |
| Paid links (BAD!) | Negative (penalty!) | Bought links, Google penalizes |
Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links
Links have two attributes:
- Dofollow: `Link` or `Link` - Google follows and counts the link
- Nofollow: `Link` - Google does not follow the link for authority purposes
Dofollow links are more valuable for SEO, but nofollow links are still valuable for:
- Referral traffic (users click the link)
- Brand awareness (your name is mentioned)
- Naturalness (only dofollow links look unnatural)
A healthy backlink profile has 70-80% dofollow, 20-30% nofollow.
Anchor Text and Link Power
The text of the link (anchor text) is important:
- Good anchor text: "HR Software Comparison" - descriptive, keyword-relevant
- Neutral anchor text: "here", "click here" - generic but natural
- Bad anchor text: Over-optimized "Best HR Software for Enterprise KMU Comparison" - unnatural, Google penalizes
Natural anchor text portfolio: 40% generic ("click here"), 40% branded ("visit HR Company"), 20% keyword-rich ("HR Software").
Domain Authority vs. Page Authority
Two important scores:
- Domain authority (DA): Score for the whole website (0-100). Higher = better
- Page authority (PA): Score for individual page (0-100). A high-quality page with many links can have high PA even on a low-DA website
A link from a page with high PA is valuable, even if the domain overall has low DA.
Backlink Profile Analysis
Regularly you should analyze your backlink profile:
- Number of backlinks: How many links do you have total? Trend: is it growing?
- Referring domains: How many different websites link to you?
- Link quality distribution: What % of very high-quality vs. low quality links?
- Anchor text distribution: Is anchor text naturally distributed or over-optimized?
- New links vs. lost links: How many new links monthly? Am I losing links?
- Competitor comparison: How do my backlinks compare with competitors?
Practical Backlink Strategy for B2B
An HR software provider could run this backlink strategy:
Month 1-2: Foundation
- Directory listings (LinkedIn, G2, Capterra, Crunchbase)
- 1 guest post on HR industry blog
- 1 press release about new feature
Month 3-6: Growth
- 2-3 guest posts per month
- Partnerships with complementary SaaS (mutual links)
- 1-2 mentions in industry publications
Month 7-12: Scale
- Thought leadership: speaking at conferences (with backlinks)
- Original research / whitepaper that websites want to link to
- Proactive PR for newsworthy updates
Result after 12 months:
- 20-40 high-quality backlinks
- 100+ low-medium backlinks
- Backlink profile similar to competitors
- Top 3 rankings for 5-10 competitive keywords
Backlink Tools
- Ahrefs: Best for backlink research and competitor analysis. Shows exact backlinks.
- SEMrush: Good for backlink profile analysis and competitor comparison
- Moz: Domain authority and link profile. User-friendly.
- Majestic: Specialized in backlinks, historical data
- Google Search Console: Free, Google's view on backlinks
Bad Backlink Practices
To avoid:
- Buying links: Google penalizes. Can be manual or algorithmic.
- Private blog networks (PBNs): Creating fake websites just to sell links. Detected and penalized.
- Link schemes: Quick link exchanges, reciprocal links at scale look unnatural.
- Spam directories: Low-quality directories don't count and may harm.
- Exact match anchor text over-optimization: Too much "HR Software" anchor text looks unnatural.
- Irrelevant links: Links from random, non-relevant websites don't help.
Google's Penguin update (2012+) was designed to punish bad backlink practices. Today, quality over quantity is absolute.
Toxic Backlinks - Identifying and Removing
Sometimes you have harmful backlinks (from spam websites). To do:
- Regularly check backlink profile (monthly)
- Identify harmful or spam backlinks
- Try to contact webmaster and request link removal
- If removal is not possible, use the disavow tool (Google Search Console)
One or two harmful links are not a problem. But if too many, you should take action.
Building Natural Backlinks
The best approach: Create content that people naturally want to link to.
- Original research: "State of HR 2024 report" with data that websites want to link to
- Unique data/studies: Exclusive insights that others want to cite
- Comprehensive guides: "The complete guide to HR software implementation"
- Tools/calculators: Interactive tools that websites like to embed
- Thought leadership: Deep, original perspectives on industry trends
With valuable content, you naturally get backlinks without asking.
Backlinks and Off-Page SEO
Backlinks are the main component of off-page SEO. Combined with good on-page SEO, B2B companies can achieve strong rankings and consistently get qualified free traffic.
Conclusion: Backlinks are the Foundation of SEO
Backlinks are one of the top 3 ranking factors. Without backlinks, it's very difficult to rank for competitive keywords. With a strategic backlink-building strategy combined with good content, B2B companies can achieve top 3 rankings for their business keywords and regularly get qualified, free traffic from SEO.
The best part: Unlike paid ads, once built, backlinks remain and generate traffic long-term. A backlink you get in 2024 generates traffic in 2025, 2026, and beyond.