A backlink is simply a clickable link on someone else's website that points to a page on your site. Search engines like Google use backlinks as one of their core ranking factors because links represent editorial votes—if a credible site links to you, Google assumes your content has value worth citing. Backlinks work through a combination of authority transfer and relevance signals. Google's algorithm assigns each page a theoretical authority score (historically called PageRank). When Page A links to Page B, it passes a fraction of its authority. The amount transferred depends on the linking page's own authority, how many other links are on that page, and whether the link is followed or nofollowed. A link from a high-authority domain like a university or major news outlet carries more weight than one from a new blog with no inbound links of its own. Relevance matters as much as raw authority. A backlink from a dental association's resource page to your Ottawa dental clinic signals topical alignment, which Google values. A random link from an unrelated hobby forum carries less ranking power, and if you accumulate too many irrelevant links, it can look manipulative. Not all backlinks help. Links from spammy directories, link farms, or sites Google has penalized can trigger manual actions or algorithmic devaluation. Google's Penguin update specifically targets unnatural link patterns—exact-match anchor text at scale, sitewide footer links from hundreds of low-quality domains, and paid links without proper disclosure. At Ottawa SEO, we treat backlink acquisition as earned media, not a transaction. We focus on creating linkable assets—original research, tools, local data—that naturally attract links from journalists, industry blogs, and resource pages. We also conduct manual outreach to replace broken links and get our clients cited in relevant roundups. Quality over quantity is non-negotiable. Five contextual links from authoritative Canadian industry sites will outperform fifty directory submissions every time.