PageRank
Google's original link-analysis algorithm, which scores a page's importance by the number and importance of pages linking to it, computed…
LinksInbound linkExternal link
Backlink
A hyperlink from one website to another, historically the strongest external signal search engines use to judge a page's importance and relevance.
In full
Links are how PageRank flows and how crawlers discover content, and their anchor text supplies topical context. Not all links count: search engines discount those they judge to be manipulative, paid without disclosure, or from low-quality sources, and nofollow-class attributes signal that the publisher does not vouch for the target. Google representatives have said links matter less than they once did, but they remain a core signal and a primary driver of discovery.
Example
A university department cites a company's research page, and the page's rankings for related terms improve over the following weeks.
Related terms
Anchor text
The visible, clickable text of a hyperlink, used by search engines as a description of the destination page.
Referring domains
The number of unique domains linking to a site or page, generally a more meaningful measure of link popularity than raw backlink count.
Link equity
The ranking value passed through a hyperlink, influenced by the linking page's own authority, its relevance, its number of outbound links…
rel="nofollow"
A link attribute telling search engines not to pass ranking credit through a link; since 2019 Google treats it as a hint rather than a…
Where to read more
- Ahrefs Academy · Course · ahrefs.com
- Backlinko SEO Marketing Hub · Documentation · backlinko.com
- Semrush SEO Crash Course with Brian Dean · Course · semrush.com
- We Analyzed 11.8 Million Google Search Results · Study · backlinko.com