An email lands in the company inbox: "We will get your site to page one with 1,000 high-quality backlinks." The price is low and the promise is big. Some people who tried offers like this saw a short bump followed by a drop. Others saw nothing at all.
Links from other websites are still one of the signals Google uses to judge how important a page is. Google separates a link someone placed because they found your page useful from a link made to push rankings, and it treats the second kind as a violation.
What is a backlink and why does it matter?
A backlink is a link on another website that points to yours. Google discovers new pages by following links, and it also reads them as a sign that a page deserves attention, especially when the link comes from a trusted site in the same field.
The clickable text of the link (the anchor text) helps Google understand what the page is about. A link that reads "management system for rehabilitation centers" says more about your page than one that reads "click here".
Which backlinks help a company website?
Useful links usually come out of real relationships and real work. For a company in Jordan or Saudi Arabia, these are realistic sources:
- A membership page at the chamber of commerce or industry, or at a professional association in your sector.
- Suppliers and partners who list their partners on their websites.
- Clients who write about a project you delivered for them, with their consent.
- A news story or interview on a news or industry site about work you actually did.
- Trade shows and conferences you took part in, and schools or universities where you ran a workshop.
- Well-known business directories in your country that people really use to find companies.
The best way to attract links without asking for them is to publish something worth pointing to, such as a practical guide, a small tool, or data from your sector that you gathered yourself. Mentions like these also help you appear in AI engine answers, because those engines form their picture of you from what others say.
What does Google consider link spam?
Google's policies define link spam as links created mainly to manipulate rankings. The examples Google gives include:
- Buying or selling links that pass ranking value, whether for money, services, or free products in exchange for a link.
- Excessive link exchanges, and "our partners" pages built only for swapping links.
- Programs and services that create links automatically.
- Guest posts or paid press releases with links whose anchor text is stuffed with keywords.
- Links from low-quality directories and bookmark sites.
- Links in footers or templates spread across many sites, and forum signatures with optimized links.
| Link | Safe and useful | Puts you at risk |
|---|---|---|
| Paid ad on another site | With rel="sponsored" or nofollow | A normal link that passes ranking value |
| Guest post | Real content for that site's audience | Bulk articles written only for the link |
| Business directories | A known directory in your sector or country | Hundreds of unknown directories at once |
| Links from clients | A natural mention of a project you delivered | A mandatory hidden link on every site you build |
That last row applies to web design agencies in particular. A "designed and developed by" link in a client's footer is fine if it is visible and the client agrees, and it is best marked nofollow. Forcing it through the contract without allowing it to be marked appears among Google's own examples of link spam.
What about internal links between your own pages?
These links are entirely in your hands, and many sites neglect them. Link every article to the service page it relates to, link service pages to each other where that makes sense for the reader, and write anchor text that describes the page it leads to. Internal links help Google discover your pages and work out which ones matter most.
What happens if Google decides your links are spam?
One of two things. The more common outcome is that Google's systems ignore those links, so whatever you paid is wasted with no effect. The more serious one is that someone at Google reviews your site and applies a manual action. A message then appears in the Manual Actions report in Search Console, and the affected pages, or the whole site, drop.
If you get a manual action, ask the sites that carry the links to remove them, use the disavow tool for whatever you could not get removed, and then submit a reconsideration request explaining what you did.
Do you need Google's disavow links tool?
Usually not. Google says most sites will never need it, and describes it as an advanced feature that can hurt your rankings if used incorrectly. It is meant for a site that has many spammy or paid links which have caused, or are likely to cause, a manual action.
Seeing odd links from sites you do not recognize in the Links report is normal and usually needs no action.
Where do you start with safe link building?
Start with what you already have. List the organizations you actually work with, including suppliers, partners, associations and clients, and check whether their sites mention you and link to you. Update your details on your Google Maps listing and in the well-known directories in your country. Then put your effort into content worth linking to.
We review backlink profiles and put together a realistic plan as part of our search and AI visibility service. If you have received a link offer and want an opinion before you pay, send it to us along with your website address.
Questions our partners ask
Is buying backlinks against the rules?
Buying links that pass ranking value violates Google's policies. Paid advertising on another site is allowed if the link is marked rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".
Can a competitor hurt my site with spammy links?
Google's systems are designed to ignore a lot of spammy links, and Google says most sites do not need the disavow tool. Use it if you received a manual action for unnatural links, or if you know old paid links point to your site.
How many links does my site need to rank?
There is no number. One link from a trusted site in your field can do more than hundreds of links from unrelated sites, and the competition for the phrase decides what you need.
Written by the Visual Innovate team, the people who build, host and follow up systems, websites and apps for our clients in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt.
