# Link building

Category: [Link Building & Off-Page](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/link-building-off-page/) › [Link building methods](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/link-building-off-page/link-building-methods/) · Also known as: link acquisition, link earning

**Link building** is the practice of getting other websites to link to yours. The aim is more visibility in search results and more referral traffic. It is part of off-page SEO.

## Why do links matter for SEO?

Google's documentation says it uses links as a signal for the relevance of pages and to find new pages to crawl. On its page about how search ranks results, Google says that one factor for quality is whether other prominent websites link to or refer to the content, which is generally a good sign that the information is trustworthy. Link analysis and PageRank appear in Google's list of ranking systems. Google does not say how much weight links carry compared with other signals.

## Common methods

Vendors and agencies usually describe these approaches (common practice, not Google guidance).

- Publishing content others want to cite, such as original data, studies or tools
- Digital PR and coverage in trade media
- Guest posts that a publication accepts on editorial grounds
- Broken link building, which offers your page as a replacement for a dead link on another site
- Link reclamation, which restores backlinks that were lost

## Where link spam starts

Google defines link spam as creating links to or from a site primarily to manipulate search rankings. The examples include buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges, links created with automated programs, and keyword-rich links in guest posts or press releases distributed on other sites. A paid link is not a violation when it is qualified with `rel="sponsored"` or `rel="nofollow"`.

## Example

A garden tool maker publishes an analysis of garden accidents. Several consumer and regional news sites report on it and link to the study page. The company gave nothing in return, so the links are editorial. The example is fictional.

## FAQ

**Is link building still worth it?** Google lists links as a signal. How much they weigh is not published.

**Is link building against Google's guidelines?** Earning links is not. Buying or exchanging links to influence rankings is link spam.

## Related terms

- [Broken link building](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/broken-link-building/index.md)
- [Link profile](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-profile/index.md)
- [Dofollow link](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/dofollow-link/index.md)
- [Digital PR](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/digital-pr/index.md)
- [Guest post](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/guest-post/index.md)
- [Link spam](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-spam/index.md)
- [Link reclamation](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-reclamation/index.md)

## Sources

- [How Google Search ranks results – Google](https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/ranking-results/)
- [SEO link best practices – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)
- [Spam policies for Google web search (link spam) – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam)
- [Guide to Google Search ranking systems – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide)

---

Last updated: October 7, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/link-building/