What Are the Types of Backlinks in SEO?

Backlinks are similar to votes for your web pages. The more links towards your website, the more search engines will view your site as trustworthy. The more backlinks you grab, the higher you rank, the more traffic that flows through your pages, and the more exposure for your site's name. Besides, looking into backlinks, here are the types you need to be familiar with.

written by

Manoj Kumar

When you are learning about SEO, you will encounter two very common terms

reviewed by

Narendra Kumar

When you are learning about SEO, you will encounter two very common terms

published

November 14, 2025

category

SEO

read time

10 min read

Table of Contents

What Are Backlinks?
What is the anchor text type and the difference between DoFollow and NoFollow backlinks, UGC, Sponsored?
Importance of Backlinks in SEO
What are the Popular Tools to Check Backlinks for any website?
FAQs about types of backlinks in SEO

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are links directed from one website to another. For example, if a blog or a newsroom links to your website, that is a backlink. Search engines use these backlinks to understand how trustworthy and popular your website is. The more good backlinks you gather, the higher your site climbs in search results.

Types of Backlinks in SEO with Examples

There are numerous types of backlinks, and each serves a specific purpose. Let's categorise them into simple forms with examples.

1. FFA Backlinks

FFA is an abbreviation for "Free for All." They are links you obtain through directories or link pages that will accept anyone. For instance, a plain old business directory where anybody can include their website. Easy to obtain, but they may not be of much value in terms of SEO because they are not targeted or distinct.

Image Backlinks - An image backlink is when someone links to your site via an image. For instance, if you post a great infographic, another blog might use it and link back to you. These backlinks are strong if you post visual content that people want to share.
Video Backlinks - Video backlinks are from sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, or blogs hosting your videos. If you post a tutorial video on YouTube and include your site link in the description, that's a video backlink. Perfect for companies that produce video content.
Business Profile Backlinks - When you add your business on websites such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, or local listings, you receive backlinks. These links indicate search engines that your business is verified and exists. Business profile backlinks assist in local SEO and drive customers seeking nearby services.
Social Media Backlinks - Social media backlinks are links from your posts or social media profile. For instance, including your website URL in your Instagram bio or LinkedIn profile. Although these are typically "NoFollow," they do drive traffic and get your brand noticed.
Forum Post Backlinks - You can obtain backlinks by participating in online discussion boards, responding to queries, and including your link when appropriate. For instance, on a bodybuilding forum, you might reply to a query regarding working out and include a useful blog post link from your site.

2. Guest Post Backlinks

Guest posting involves creating a piece of content for another website within your niche. They, in turn, link to your site. Guest post backlinks are quality because they tend to be from reputable sites. For instance, if you guest post on a blog that deals in marketing, you can acquire a strong backlink.

Editorial Backlinks - Editorial backlinks are where another site is linking to you naturally because your content is worth it. For instance, if a news website quotes your blog in their piece. These are among the most powerful and trusted backlinks because they are not paid or solicited for.
Link Insertions - Link insertions occur when you request a site owner to include your link in an existing post. For instance, if you have written a gardening guide, you may request a gardening website to insert your link in their blog post on plant care.
Listicle Backlinks - Listicles are list-based articles, such as "Top 10 Travel Blogs" or "Best SEO Tools." When your website or business appears in these lists, you receive a listicle backlink. These backlinks tend to result in lots of traffic.

3. Industry-Relevant Backlinks

Industry-specific backlinks are from websites within your own industry. So, if you have a technology blog and you have a link from a large technology news site, that's an industry-specific backlink. These links weigh more because they indicate you are authoritative in your industry.

4. Digital PR Backlinks (News Sites)

Digital PR backlinks are press releases, news mentions, or media site features. These are great for establishing the reputation and trust of your brand. For instance, if your startup makes it to a prominent newspaper, that's a solid backlink.

5. UGC/Organic Backlinks

UGC is short for User-Generated Content. They are user-added links, like comments, reviews, or community postings. Organic backlinks are natural links that other sites include because they enjoy your content. They're free, natural, and very valuable.

What is the anchor text type and the difference between DoFollow and NoFollow backlinks, UGC, Sponsored?

Anchor text is the clickable part of a backlink. The text tells users and search engines what the link is about. Backlinks also have attributes that affect their SEO value:

Link Type	Meaning	SEO Impact
Do Follow	Passes full SEO value to your site.	Strong impact on ranking.
No Follow	Tells search engines not to give ranking credit.	Good for traffic, but low ranking value.
UGC	User-generated content links like comments or forums.	Limited SEO value, but shows engagement.
Sponsored	Links from paid ads or sponsorships.	No ranking boost, but builds visibility.

Importance of Backlinks in SEO

There are many tools to see which websites are linking to you. Here are the best ones:

Improve Search Rankings

Quality backlinks signal trust to search engines, helping your website rank higher in search results.

Increase Website Authority

Backlinks from reputable sites boost your domain authority and overall credibility.

Drive Referral Traffic

Links placed on other websites can send targeted visitors directly to your pages.

Build Relationships and Brand Visibility

Backlink building often leads to partnerships, increasing your brand’s exposure across the web.

Faster Indexing by Search Engines

Search engine bots use backlinks to find and crawl new pages, helping your content get indexed more quickly.

Improve Search Rankings

Ranking algorithms consider backlinks to be a token that the material on your website is of high value. Thus, you are given the possibility of getting a better outcome for SEO if you manage to grab more quality backlinks.

Increase Website Authority

Backlinks from sites with a great reputation help you gain domain power (DA). Hence, if some of the big, famous websites connect you via a link, search engines will consider you as a reliable source as well.

Drive Referral Traffic

Referral traffic flows when a visitor to another site finds your link therein and clicks on it. Usually, these visitors come highly interested in your products or services in the niche, and if you provide excellent content (or service), they are more likely to return and become loyal customers.

Build Relationships and Brand Visibility

Backlinks with other websites could end up turning you into a valuable and well-known brand. In addition to your guest post or digital PR by getting your name into other media, it might result in an increase in some sort of collaborations, and then increase your online reputation.

Faster Indexing by Search Engines

Search engine spiders follow links to discover new webpages. Hence, if some sites link to you, then Google and Bing will find your content faster and will be able to index it quickly.

What are the Popular Tools to Check Backlinks for any website?

There are many tools to see which websites are linking to you. Here are the best ones:

Google Search Console (Free)

Ahrefs (Paid)

SEMrush (Paid)

Moz Link Explorer (Paid)

Ubersuggest (Free with Limits)

Google Search Console (Free) - Google Search Console shows all backlinks pointing to your site. It’s free but you must verify ownership of your website to use it.

Ahrefs (Paid) - One of the primary toolsets to accomplish backlink-related inquiries is known as Ahrefs. With it, you would get to see every single backlink that has been done previously, along with its corresponding quality and your rivals’ backlinks.

SEMrush (Paid) - Among other SEO tools, which are equally good, is SEMrush. By using it, you would be allowed not only to check the backlinks of other websites but also to track the keywords and have an overall idea of your own web page’s health through its metrics.

Moz Link Explorer (Paid) - Moz is a great tool for looking into backlinks and the authority of a domain. It is quite friendly to users and is fantastic for beginners who want to check the quality of links.

Ubersuggest (Free with Limits) - Ubersuggest is a totally free tool that is used to check backlinks and keywords. It offers limited features compared to paid tools; hence, it is suitable for newbies.

FAQs about types of backlinks in SEO

Are All Types of Backlinks Good for SEO?

The answer is NO. Backlinks, however, are not all on the same level. On the other hand, high-quality and relevant backlinks will do wonders for your website’s SEO, but the ones that are low-quality and spammy may lead to the downranking of your site.

What Is the Role of Anchor Text in Backlinks?

Anchor text acts as a rather unambiguous guide for search engines to understand what your page is about. Using short but descriptive text increases your likelihood of ranking in the same keyword field.

Can Too Many Backlinks Harm My Site?

Indeed. The problem lies in the scenario where a high number of backlinks is accompanied by a radically low quality of links from useless websites. Search engines can identify such patterns through their algorithms, and in turn, the trust granted to the site would be questioned. Let quality be your goal rather than solely quantity.

When Should I Use NoFollow Links?

Put the NoFollow attributes on such links if it's an advertisement, sponsored content, or anything that you do not trust. It tells the search engines not to distribute any SEO juice among these links.

How Do I Check If a Backlink Is DoFollow or NoFollow?

To check, you may use a tool such as Ahrefs, SEMrush or a browser add-on. These tools assist you in checking the attributes of the link so you can determine which ones are passing SEO value.

What Is a Good Ratio of DoFollow to NoFollow Links?

No perfect number exists, but a natural combination of both would be more visually attractive to search engines. The majority of sites usually target that ratio, i.e. 70% of DoFollow and 30% of NoFollow links.

Which Type of Backlink Is Best for Organic Ranking?

Backlinks from editorial, guest posts, and industry-related resources are the most effective ones. They are secure, of high quality, and tell search engines that your data is of great value.

Which type of backlinks do we need to create for business growth?

For business growth, focus on quality backlinks from trusted websites. Big brands like HDFC and Sprinklr use digital PR and listicle links to get mentioned on popular and authoritative platforms. These backlinks help build trust, increase visibility, and support steady business growth.

Content Area