Backlinks are incoming links from external websites to your domain. When Site A links to Site B, that's a backlink for Site B. Search engines treat these links as endorsements — the logic being that if multiple credible sites link to your content, it's probably worth ranking higher. Google's original PageRank algorithm was built on this concept, and while the algorithm has evolved significantly since 1998, backlinks still matter enormously. Google has repeatedly confirmed they're among the top three ranking signals, alongside content quality and RankBrain. In practical terms, pages with strong backlink profiles routinely outrank technically superior pages that lack external links. Not all backlinks carry equal weight. A link from CBC.ca or a .edu domain in your niche carries far more authority than a link from a random blog with no traffic. Google evaluates the linking site's domain authority, relevance to your content, the anchor text used, and whether the link is followed or nofollowed. Links earned naturally from editorial mentions typically provide more value than those from directories or forum signatures. The quality versus quantity equation shifts depending on your domain's maturity. A brand-new site might benefit from 50 decent backlinks from Canadian business directories and local blogs. An established Toronto SaaS company competing nationally needs links from industry publications, high-authority tech blogs, and relevant .ca domains to move the needle. At Ottawa SEO, we've managed link profiles across 500+ domains since 2014, and the pattern is consistent: 10 contextual links from sites with real traffic and topical relevance outperform 100 low-quality directory links every time. We focus on earning links through content that naturally attracts citations — original research, tools, and resources that solve actual problems in our clients' industries. The risks are real too. Buying links from link farms or using automated link-building tools can trigger manual penalties that tank your rankings. Google's algorithms have gotten sophisticated at detecting unnatural link patterns, so the approach that works long-term is the same one that worked in 2014: create something worth linking to, then do targeted outreach to the sites that would genuinely benefit their audience by referencing it.