Types of Backlinks: 12 Kinds of Links and What Each Is Worth
Most guides list backlink types as if they were equal options on a menu. They are not. Some types are the backbone of a healthy profile; others are filler at best. Below is how I would rank the common types for a typical small business or blog, from most to least valuable, with a note on what each is good for.
High-value link types
1. Editorial links
An editorial link is one a writer adds because they genuinely want to reference your page. A travel blogger linking to your homestay review page, or an industry site citing your pricing study, are good examples. These are the links Google's systems are designed to reward. They are slow and hard to get, and that is exactly why they count.
2. Contextual links in relevant articles
Close cousins of editorial links: any link placed inside the main body text of a relevant article, surrounded by related content. Whether earned or arranged, the in-content position and topical context make them stronger than sidebar or footer links. More on them in contextual backlinks.
3. Guest post links
You write an article for another site in your niche and include a link back. Done properly, on real sites with real readers, guest posts are useful. Done at scale on "write for us" sites that publish anything, they become a link scheme Google has warned about specifically. Our guest posting guide covers how to tell the difference.
4. Digital PR and news mentions
Coverage in news sites and magazines because you have a story, data or an expert comment. Some of these links are nofollow, but they carry brand weight and often trigger follow-on links from smaller sites.
5. Resource page links
Many sites keep curated lists, like "useful tools for freelancers" or "Rajasthan travel resources". Getting added to relevant ones is a solid, low-risk link.
Medium-value link types
6. Local citations and business directories
Listings on recognised directories and local business sites. They do not move rankings much on their own, but for local businesses they support consistency of your name, address and phone number, and they are normal for any real business to have.
7. Partner, supplier and client links
The flour supplier who lists the bakeries they serve, the agency that links to a client case study, the software integration page. These are often easy to get because a relationship already exists.
8. Niche edits
A link inserted into an existing article on another site, usually by arrangement. Sometimes legitimate (an outdated resource replaced with yours), often paid. Value depends entirely on the site; risk rises when the host site sells links openly.
9. Forum and community links
Links in answers on forums, Q&A sites and communities. Mostly nofollow or UGC-tagged. Worth doing for traffic when you are actually helping someone, not for ranking credit.
Low-value or higher-risk link types
10. Profile links
Links from user profiles on forums, SaaS platforms and social sites. Easy to create in bulk, and that is the problem. They help with brand presence and diversity, but individually pass very little.
11. Web 2.0 links
Pages you create on free hosted platforms (blog builders, publishing platforms) that link back to your site. In tiered link building they are often used as a buffer layer rather than pointed straight at the main site. Their value depends heavily on how much real content they contain.
12. Blog comment links
Almost always nofollow or UGC. Spammy comment links are the reason nofollow was invented in 2005. A thoughtful comment on a relevant post is fine for visibility; mass commenting is a waste of time.
Types you should avoid
- Private blog network (PBN) links from a network of sites built only to link out. Google has acted against these networks repeatedly.
- Sitewide footer or sidebar links bought on unrelated sites.
- Automated link spam from software that fills forms and comments across thousands of pages.
- Link exchanges at scale, where "link to me and I'll link to you" becomes a pattern rather than an occasional natural swap.
How the types fit together
A healthy profile looks like a pyramid. At the base: citations, profiles, social mentions and community links that any real business collects. In the middle: partner links, resource pages and some guest content. At the top: a smaller number of strong editorial and press links.
People who use tiered link building mirror this idea deliberately, pointing bulk links at their Tier 1 links (guest posts, Web 2.0s) rather than straight at the money page. That approach has its own risks; Google treats manipulative linking as spam at any tier. If you are curious how it works, see what are tiered backlinks.
A simple plan to follow
List your last 20 referring domains and tag each one with a type from this article. If nearly all of them fall into the bottom group, your next month should go into one or two link types from the top group, even if that means far fewer links. Two editorial or resource page links usually do more than another hundred profiles.