Types of backlinks: what each one is and what it is worth

Not all backlinks are equal. Some are worth a lot, some are worth nothing, and a few can cause trouble. This guide sorts the common types by how you get them, explains what each is worth, and flags the ones that are risky.

Two ways to sort backlinks

By how you get them. Earned links come without you asking. Built links are editorial but need outreach or effort. Self-created and paid links are the ones you place or pay for yourself, and they're the riskiest.

By the link attribute. A normal link has no rel value. People call it "dofollow", but that isn't an official attribute. It just means nothing tells search engines to treat the link differently. Google also recognizes nofollow, sponsored (paid or advertising links) and ugc (user-generated content such as comments and forum posts). Google says it treats these as hints, and that it recommends sponsored for paid links and ugc for user content. See our guide to link rel attributes.

Types of backlinks at a glance

Earned and built links

Editorial links

These are links other sites add because your content deserves it. You can't buy them, and if you could, they wouldn't be editorial. To earn them, you need something worth citing: original research, a strong case study, a useful tool. Our guide to linkable assets covers what works.

Guest post links

You write an article for another site in your field, and it includes a link to yours. The value depends on the site and on how useful the article is. Aim for relevant sites with real readers. Our guides to guest post link building and to guest posting vs niche edits explain how.

Niche edits (link insertions)

Your link is added to an existing article instead of a new one. The main advantage is that the page is already indexed and may already rank and get traffic. Quality depends entirely on the page, so check that it's relevant, current and not stuffed with other commercial links. See niche edits.

Broken link building

You find a dead link on a relevant page and suggest your own page as the replacement. The steps: find broken links on pages in your topic, make sure you have a page that genuinely fits, then contact the site owner and offer it. It only works if your replacement is a good fit, and it's a courtesy to the site, not a trick.

Digital PR and expert quotes

Journalists and bloggers need sources, data and comment. If you can supply them, you can earn links from publications that are hard to reach otherwise. See expert quote link building.

Podcast and interview links

Being a guest on a podcast, or featured in its show notes, can earn a link and some credibility. Value depends on the show's audience and how the link is placed.

Image and mention reclamation

If someone uses your image, chart or brand name without linking, you can ask for a link. Search for your images with a reverse image search, and for unlinked mentions of your brand. It's a polite, low-effort request with a good hit rate compared with cold outreach.

Self-created and other links

Directory and local listings

Links from web directories can help if the directory is reputable and relevant, especially for local businesses. Google says that prominence in local results is also based on things like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have, so a complete, accurate profile matters. But Google's spam policies list low-quality directory or bookmark site links as link spam. Pick a few good ones and skip the rest.

Forum and comment links

Links you leave in forum posts, profiles and comments are usually nofollow or ugc, send little traffic and add little value. Google's spam policies list forum comments with optimized links in the post or signature as link spam. Take part where you can help, and don't treat it as link building.

Social media links

Links in posts and profiles on social platforms generally carry a nofollow-type attribute, so they don't help rankings directly. Their value is indirect: visibility, referral traffic and people finding your content, which can lead to earned links.

Press release links

Distributing a press release can get your news in front of people and produce a few links. Most are of low value for rankings. Use press releases for real announcements, use natural anchors, and don't rely on them for links.

Author bio links

A link in a contributor bio is common on guest posts. Keep it modest: a brand name or your URL, not a keyword-stuffed anchor. Over-optimized bio links look manufactured.

Testimonial links

You write a review of a product, and the company links to your site from the testimonial. It happens, but be careful. Google's spam policies list exchanging goods or services for links, and sending someone a product in exchange for them writing about it, as link spam unless the links are qualified. If you get a free product for a review, disclose it and use the right attribute.

Footer, sitewide and widget links

A link in the footer or template of every page on a site produces thousands of links from one domain. Google's spam policies list widely distributed links in footers or templates, and keyword-rich or low-quality links embedded in widgets, as link spam. Footer links are fine for your own navigation. Trading them or buying them isn't.

Paid links

Paying a site for a link that's meant to influence rankings is against Google's spam policies. The same policies say paid links are fine if they carry rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored". A labeled sponsored placement on a relevant site is a legitimate marketing tactic, and you shouldn't count on it for rankings. When we place links for clients, whether a publisher labels a placement depends on the publisher and the country. If a placement will carry a label, we tell you before you approve the site, and you decide whether to go ahead.

What about .edu and .gov links?

Many guides say links from .edu and .gov sites are especially valuable. Google has pushed back on that. In 2021, John Mueller said Google doesn't automatically ignore .edu links, and that people who focus on .edu links usually have bigger problems to worry about. An earlier statement from 2018 said Google ignores many .edu links because those sites attract so much link spam. The lesson is that a link's value comes from the site and how the link was earned, not from the domain ending.

How many of each do you need?

There's no ideal recipe. A healthy profile usually looks varied, because different people link for different reasons. A small number of relevant, well-placed links from real sites is worth more than a large number from a single type. Google's Gary Illyes has said that links are important but overestimated, and that you can rank without them. Aim for a mix that would look normal if someone reviewed it by hand.

Sources

Checked on 30 September 2026.

• Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search (updated August 2026)
• Google Search Central: Qualify your outbound links to Google (updated December 2025)
• Google Business Profile Help: Improve your local ranking on Google
• Search Engine Roundtable: Google says it does not ignore all .edu links (July 2021)
• Search Engine Roundtable: Google says links are no longer a top three ranking factor (PubCon, September 2023)