LeadMagnetGeniusGoogle’s original breakthrough was using backlinks (links from other sites to yours) as a signal of quality or popularity. Simplistically, if Site A has many other sites linking to it, Google assumes Site A must be valuable (like academic citations in research papers). Not all links are equal – a link from a well-known authoritative site (NYTimes.com linking to you) is far more impactful than 10 links from random low-quality blogs. Also, relevant links (from within your niche) carry more weight.
For beginners, how do you get links ethically? A few ideas: - Create Link-Worthy Content: Some content naturally attracts links. For instance, original research, infographics, really comprehensive guides, or unique tools/calculators. If you publish something truly useful or insightful, other bloggers might reference it. - Outreach: Don’t be shy to reach out to other websites or bloggers in your niche. For example, if you wrote “50 Stats about Social Media in 2025” you could contact some marketing blogs, “Hey, I compiled a bunch of new data about social media usage, might have some facts useful for your articles, here’s the link if you want to check it out.” Some might link if they find it useful (especially if they end up citing a stat). Or if you have a product, reaching out for reviews (but be careful: exchanging product for link is fine, but buying links outright is against Google’s guidelines). - Guest Blogging: Writing a guest post on another site usually allows at least a bio link or sometimes links within the content if relevant. Aim for reputable sites related to your field, and contribute genuinely good articles, not just for the link but also for exposure. The link is a bonus for SEO. - Business/Local Links: If you’re a local business, make sure you’re listed on Google My Business (for local SEO) and other local directories (like Yelp, TripAdvisor if relevant, etc.). Those provide both direct customer discovery and often a link or citation. Even if some links are nofollow (meaning they don’t pass SEO “juice”), the citation (mention of your business) can help local rankings. - Social and Communities: While links you drop on social media or forums are often “nofollow” (not counting for SEO directly), being active in communities can indirectly lead to real links. E.g., you answered someone’s question in a forum and linked your relevant blog post – maybe someone else sees it, finds it helpful, and later links to it from their blog. Plus, those direct clicks have value too! Also, having content that gets shared increases the chance the right person sees it and links to it. - Avoid Spammy Tactics: Don’t buy links from shady services. Don’t participate in link schemes like link exchanges at scale (“you link to me, I link to you” dozens of times – one or two organic ones are fine, but large reciprocal patterns aren’t). Google is very sophisticated and can penalize for manipulative link practices. If it seems like a shortcut too good to be true, it probably is. Focus on earning links, not manipulating. - Patience: Off-page authority (often measured by tools as “Domain Authority” or similar) grows over time as you consistently produce good content and network in your industry. Early on you might have zero backlinks and that’s okay. Work on creating things worth linking to, and gradually promote them.