Backlinks and SEO: The What, Why, and How

Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Have you ever sought an expert opinion? Scrolled through a restaurant’s Google reviews? Asked a trusted friend for advice?

If so, you understand the value of a vote of confidence from a reputable source.

In the world of websites and SEO, that’s precisely what backlinking is for!

Backlinks are simply links from one website to another. They can act as a vote of confidence, helping search engines discover and understand connections between pages while directing readers toward useful, relevant content.

Why Bother with Backlinks?

We’ll get into how to implement a backlinking strategy in just a minute, but first—why go to all the fuss?

Credibility Matters

The market is filled with businesses, and the internet is overflowing with websites. How do you stand out? 

Credibility.

Buyers don’t want just any business—they want one they can count on. 

When another website links to your content, it’s a small way of saying “Hey, they know what they’re talking about!” When relevant, reputable websites choose to link to your content, it can strengthen your credibility and introduce your expertise to audiences beyond your own website.

Backlinking is valuable for credibility, one of the key steps to building a strong and recognizable brand.

Strengthen SEO

Effective search engine optimization requires a continuous, holistic approach, and that includes backlinking!

Search engines use links as one of many signals to understand relationships between pages and determine which content may be helpful and relevant to a search. While backlinks are only one ingredient—structured data, keywords, useful content, technical SEO, and many other factors also contribute—a strong backlink profile can complement the work you're already pouring into your SEO strategy.

You can think of backlinking as going hand-in-hand with your internal linking strategy, only, you know, external.

Unclear on how your current SEO strategy is performing? Find out with The Brand Brew ®’s SEO & GEO Website Audit!

Expand Your Audience

There are all sorts of ways to direct traffic to your website, from social media and blogging to rich results and Google Sitelinks.

And, well, all of those things are a lot of work!

One of the benefits of earning backlinks from relevant websites is referral traffic. When someone discovers your business through a trusted source and follows the link to your website, you're reaching an audience you may not have reached on your own.

Which Type of Backlinking is Right for You?

Imagine you’re at a party, looking to make friends (which, in this analogy, are other websites that will link back to you). 

There are a few different ways you could go about it:

Natural Backlinks: Let Them Come to You

Natural backlinking is the equivalent of being an excellent conversationalist. It’s when you tell a story so intriguing and so eloquently that other partygoers are just dying to join in the conversation.

This refers to backlinks that you earn without needing to request a link. It happens when others find your content valuable, and it’s most common with highly shareable content—think detailed guides, insightful studies, and influential opinions.

Manual Backlinks: Put Yourself Out There!

In contrast, manual backlinks are acquired through direct outreach.

This can be done through guest blogging, partnerships, or any other sort of collaboration. The idea here is to form relationships with other reputable brands related to your niche so everyone grows together. 

The goal should be genuine relevance and value—not creating collaborations solely to manufacture ranking signals.

If, for instance, you specialize in branding in Hamilton, ON, you might consider forming relationships with other organizations in the Hamilton area who share your values.

In our party analogy, this is the equivalent of bravely striking up a conversation with a stranger—or rather, a future friend.

Self-Created Backlinks: Be Your Own Biggest Fan

Self-created backlinks can include legitimate business directories, professional profiles, industry associations, and other places where adding your website provides genuine context or value.

However, we advise you to be cautious.

Just like constantly boasting about yourself at a party might not be the greatest strategy for a flourishing social life, self-created backlinks are not always viewed highly by search engines.

Quality and relevance matter here, too. Creating large numbers of low-quality directory, forum, or comment links primarily to manipulate rankings can cross into link spam and do more harm than good.

It’s important to remember that quality backlinks are the true goal here.

Just like making new friends, there’s no singular right way to generate backlinks. There are, however, some techniques to keep in mind:

1. Quality Content

Quality content leads to quality backlinks. 

Content like in-depth guides, case studies, and visually engaging infographics often naturally attracts backlinks, as readers find it valuable and worth sharing or referencing.

2. Guest Posting and Collaborations

Writing guest posts for reputable sites in your niche can build visibility, relationships, and relevant backlinks when the content provides genuine value to the publication's audience.

And hey, collaborating with other thought leaders in your industry is a great way to build backlinks and form friendships! Neat, huh?

3. Outreach and Networking

Identify sites with similar audiences to your own, then reach out with content proposals or partnership ideas. 

Focusing on quality and relevance in these connections is key. A backlink from a reputable, contextually relevant website is generally far more worthwhile than chasing large numbers of low-quality links.

4. Strengthen Your Site

Just like you wouldn’t publish a link to a not-so-great website, your own site needs to be high-quality in order to earn backlinks from others.

Design a Website Worth Talking About with The Brand Brew ® 

A website worth linking to starts with something worth sharing. Useful content, credible expertise, thoughtful design, strong SEO & GEO, and a clear brand all contribute to a digital presence other people are more likely to discover, trust, and reference.

The Brand Brew®'s Digital Presence brings your website, SEO & GEO, content, photography, social media, and other digital touchpoints together as one connected online ecosystem—giving your brand a stronger foundation for visibility both on and beyond your own website.

Book a call and let's build a digital presence worth talking about.