---
title: "What is link building?"  
description: "What is link building?"  
author: "Anubhav Sharma"  
published: 2026-02-17  
updated: 2026-03-05  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/116340/what-is-link-building  
category: "seo"  
tags: ["seo"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# What is link building?

## Answers

### Answer by Amrith Chandran

[Link building](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12644/search-engine-optimization-and-link-building) is the [process of getting](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/160818/what-is-the-process-of-getting-an-internship-in-mindstick-training) other websites to link to your website.

These links (called **backlinks**) act like “votes of trust” in the eyes of [search engines](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162030/how-do-search-engines-rank-websites) such as Google.

The more high-quality, relevant websites that link to you, the more authority and credibility your site gains, which can [improve your](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/12252/simple-ways-to-improve-your-business-sales) search rankings.

#### Why Link Building Matters

Search engines use links to:

- Discover new pages
- Understand page relevance
- Measure authority and trust
- Determine ranking positions

Think of backlinks as **recommendations**.\
If trusted sites recommend you, search engines assume your content is valuable.

#### Types of Links

\
**1. Natural Links**

Links you earn organically because your content is useful, unique, or authoritative.

Example:

- A blog references your research article.

## 2. Manual Outreach Links

You actively ask other [website owners](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/113434/can-website-owners-see-who-visits), bloggers, or journalists to link to your content.

Example:

- [Guest posting](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/105933/what-is-guest-posting-and-how-it-s-important)
- Resource link outreach
- Digital PR

## 3. Self-Created Links (Risky)

Links created by submitting to directories, forums, or blog comments.

- Low-quality versions of these can violate guidelines from Google.

#### Common Link Building Strategies

- [Guest blogging](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/92902/what-is-guest-blogging-and-how-to-do-it)
- Broken link building
- Creating linkable assets (guides, tools, statistics)
- Skyscraper technique
- Digital PR campaigns
- HARO-style journalist outreach

#### What Makes a Good Backlink?

Not all links are equal. Strong backlinks are:

- From authoritative websites
- Relevant to your niche
- Contextually [placed inside](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/12672/binding-all-college-names-to-a-college-dropdownlist-based-on-data-selected-in-another-city-dropdownlist-both-dropdownlists-are-placed-inside-the-datalist) content
- “Do-follow” (pass [SEO](https://www.mindstick.com/services/search-engine-optimization) value)
- From diverse domains

> Quality > Quantity.

#### What to Avoid

- Buying links
- Spammy directories
- Private blog networks (PBNs)
- Excessive link exchanges

These can lead to penalties or ranking drops.

#### Simple Definition

> Link building is the strategic process of earning high-quality backlinks to improve [search visibility](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/105832/how-to-optimize-google-my-business-for-local-search-visibility), authority, and rankings.


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/116340/what-is-link-building

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