Backlink and internal link
A link from another site to yours is a backlink. A link from one page of your site to another page of your own site is an internal link. Both are links. Only the first one comes from outside.
What Google says about links
We read Google's pages on 9 October 2026. They say three things that matter here.
- Finding pages: Google's starter guide says the vast majority of new pages Google finds every day are found through links.
- Understanding pages: Google's ranking systems guide says it has systems that understand how pages link to each other. This helps it decide what pages are about. It names PageRank as one of its core ranking systems.
- Not the only signal: the starter guide says Google has many ranking signals and PageRank is just one of them.
Google's starter guide also says that other sites linking to you happens naturally over time. It names word of mouth as one of the most effective and lasting ways to promote a site. Many SEO sites say backlinks give you authority or trust. We did not find those words on the Google pages we read, so we do not use them here.
Links Google does not want
Google's spam policies call it link spam when links are made mainly to change search rankings. The examples include buying or selling links for ranking, excessive link exchanges, and using automated programs to create links. Google says such pages may rank lower or may not appear at all.
Google also says paid links are not a violation if you mark them with a rel attribute of nofollow or sponsored. A rel attribute is a small label on a link. Google asks for ugc or nofollow on links that visitors post, such as forum comments.
How to check your backlinks
The Links report in Google Search Console shows top linked pages, top linking sites and top linking text. Google says the report is not a full list. It shows a sample, and each table stops at 1,000 rows. Use it to get a feel, not to count every link.
Common mistakes
- Buying links in bulk because someone promised a number.
- Swapping links with every site that asks.
- Counting links and ignoring where they come from and whether the page makes sense for your business.
- Forgetting the links you already have. If a page that earns links is moved, use a 301 redirect so visitors reach the new address.
Related terms
- Link building: the work of earning backlinks.
- Anchor text: the visible, clickable words of a link.
- Internal linking: links between pages of the same site.
- Off-page SEO (search engine optimisation): work done away from your own site, such as earning links.
- Indexing: when a search engine stores a page so it can show it in results.
To go deeper, read quality backlinks vs quantity backlinks. If you want help with outreach, see our link building service.
Sources
- Google Search Central, SEO Starter Guide (developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide), read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Central, "A guide to Google Search ranking systems" (developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide), read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Central, "Spam policies for Google web search" (developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies), read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Central, "Link best practices for Google" (developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable), read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Console Help, Links report (support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9049606), read 9 October 2026.
