What Is a Backlink?
A backlink is a link from one website to another. When a website links to yours, that is a backlink to your site. When you link to another site, that is a backlink from you to them.
For example: if a Manchester business directory lists your plumbing company and links to your website, that is a backlink. If a local newspaper writes about your business and includes a link, that is a backlink. If a trade association includes you in their member directory with a link, that is a backlink.
The total collection of backlinks pointing to your website is called your backlink profile.
Why Google Uses Backlinks as a Ranking Signal
When Google was first built, its founders needed a way to determine which web pages were most authoritative and trustworthy. They observed that important, reliable resources tended to be cited and linked to by other sites — similar to how academic papers are cited by other researchers.
This became the foundation of PageRank — Google's original algorithm. The more high-quality sites that link to a page, the more authority that page accumulates, and the better it tends to rank.
While Google's algorithm has evolved significantly, backlinks remain one of its most important ranking factors. A page with strong, relevant backlinks from authoritative sites will generally outrank a page with none — even if the content is otherwise similar.
Quality vs. Quantity
Not all backlinks are equal. A single link from a respected national newspaper or industry publication can be worth more than hundreds of links from irrelevant or low-quality sites.
The key factors that determine a backlink's value are:
- Domain authority: How trusted and authoritative is the linking site? Links from The Guardian or BBC carry far more weight than links from obscure directories.
- Relevance: Does the linking site's topic match yours? A link from a plumbing trade publication to a Manchester plumbing company is more valuable than a link from an unrelated site.
- Anchor text: The clickable text of the link gives Google context about what the linked page is about. Descriptive, relevant anchor text is more useful than generic "click here" links.
- Placement: A link in the main body of an article is more valuable than a link in a footer or sidebar.
- Do-follow vs. no-follow: Do-follow links pass authority. No-follow links (marked with rel="nofollow") tell Google not to pass authority — though they still have some value for discovery and traffic.
Types of Backlinks
Backlinks come from many different types of sources:
- Editorial links: Links earned because another site found your content valuable and chose to reference it. These are the highest quality and hardest to earn.
- Business directory links: Links from local and industry directories — Google Business Profile, Yell, Checkatrade, and local Chamber of Commerce directories.
- Guest post links: Links earned by writing articles for other websites in your industry.
- Resource page links: Links from pages that curate useful resources on a topic relevant to your business.
- Local newspaper and PR links: Links from local news coverage — particularly valuable for local SEO.
- Broken link replacements: Links earned by identifying broken links on other sites and offering your content as a replacement.
What Makes a Bad Backlink?
Some backlinks can harm your rankings rather than help them. Google actively penalises sites that try to manipulate rankings through artificial link schemes. Bad links include:
- Links from link farms or private blog networks (PBNs) — sites built purely to sell links
- Paid links that violate Google's guidelines (links that are not clearly marked as sponsored)
- Irrelevant links from sites with no topical connection to yours
- Links with over-optimised anchor text (e.g., identical keyword-rich anchor text across dozens of links)
- Links from hacked or spammy sites
If your site has a bad backlink profile — perhaps from previous black-hat SEO work — it can cause ranking drops or even a Google penalty. This can be resolved through a backlink audit and disavow process.
How to Earn Good Backlinks
The most effective approach to link building is creating content that other sites want to reference — then actively reaching out to the right publications and websites.
Practical tactics that work for Manchester businesses:
- Content worth linking to: Original research, detailed guides, free tools, or expert commentary on industry topics attract links naturally.
- Digital PR: Getting your business quoted or featured in local press, trade publications, and industry blogs earns editorial links.
- Local directories and citations: Ensuring you are listed in all relevant local and industry directories provides a consistent base of relevant links.
- Supplier and partner links: Asking suppliers, clients (with permission), and business partners to link to you from relevant pages on their site.
- Trade association memberships: Many trade associations include member directories with links — particularly valuable for trades businesses.
Local Backlinks for Manchester Businesses
For Manchester service businesses, local backlinks carry particular value for local SEO. Links from Manchester-based websites — local newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, local business directories, and community organisations — send a strong geographic relevance signal.
If you want to build a stronger backlink profile for your Manchester business, MancSEO's link building service focuses on relevant, authoritative links from sources that actually improve your local and organic rankings.
