Backlinks
A backlink is a link on another website that points to your website. Search engines see good backlinks as a recommendation, which can help your pages rank higher in Google.
- 3 min read
What are backlinks?
A backlink, also called an inbound link, is a link from another website to yours. If a supplier refers to you on their site as an approved installer, that is a backlink. If a local news site publishes an article about your business with a link, that is one too.
Google has used backlinks as a signal from the start. The idea is simple. If other sites refer to you, you are probably worth it. Not every link counts equally. A link from a well-known, relevant site in your industry weighs more than ten links from unknown sites with no connection to you.
Actively earning backlinks is called link building. It is a fixed part of search engine optimisation, alongside technology and content.
Why backlinks matter for your business
In many regions there are several roofers, contractors or installers with a decent website. When the content is comparable, backlinks often make the difference in who ranks first. They give your site authority, and that authority helps all your pages.
Backlinks also deliver something directly. A link from a supplier, a trade association or a local platform sends visitors who already trust the source. These are often visitors who are seriously looking.
Mentions on other sites also play a role in AI search. Assistants combine information from multiple sources. The more often your business is mentioned in trustworthy places, the greater the chance you come back in an answer. That ties in with E-E-A-T, the way Google assesses experience and trustworthiness.
How backlinks work
Search engines follow links from page to page. Each link passes on part of the value of the page it comes from. The stronger and more relevant that page, the more value. The anchor text, the clickable text of the link, tells Google what your page is about.
Links can also get an attribute, such as nofollow or sponsored. With that, the linking site indicates that the link is not meant as a recommendation. Such links do bring visitors, but carry less weight in the rankings.
An example. Say a heat pump installer in the Arnhem region has a neat website but almost no backlinks. Competitors with weaker pages rank higher. The business gets to work with what it already has. The heat pump manufacturer has an installer finder on its site, but the business was not listed yet. The local business association has a member list with links. A housing association it did a project for writes a news item about it. And a regional news site publishes a piece on the heat pump subsidy, with the business as the expert.
That is four relevant, genuine links from its own industry and region. They cost little, fit the business and strengthen exactly the pages that need to rank.
Common mistakes
The biggest mistake is buying links in bulk. Packages of a hundred links for a fixed fee usually come from sites that exist only to sell links. Google recognises that pattern and ignores such links or penalises the site.
A second mistake is using the same anchor text everywhere, such as “dakdekker Utrecht” every time. A natural link profile has variety: your business name, your web address and plain words like “this installer”.
Also often seen: links that all go to the homepage. If you want a service page to rank, it helps if that page is linked to as well. Good internal link structure belongs with that.
Finally, many business owners think a link from a big, unrelated site is always good. A link from a recipe site does little for a roofer. Relevance beats size.
How to approach it
Start with the relationships you already have. Suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers, trade associations, quality marks and clients often have a place where they refer to partners. Ask whether you can be added.
Then create something others want to link to. A good explanation of subsidies, an overview of what a roof renovation involves or a clear comparison of insulation materials. Content that helps others earns links naturally.
Look for local opportunities. Sponsoring a sports club, contributing to a neighbourhood project or a listing in a regional guide brings links with a clear local connection. That helps with local SEO.
Keep an eye on your link profile. Check which sites link to you and whether there are suspicious links among them. We include that in Link building, with the emphasis on quality and relevance rather than numbers.
Frequently asked questions
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How many backlinks do I need?
There is no fixed number. It depends on how strong your competitors are in your region and industry. A few relevant links from trustworthy sites do more than many links from unknown sites.
Is buying links forbidden?
Buying links to influence your rankings goes against Google's guidelines. Paid mentions are allowed, but they must be marked as sponsored or nofollow. Bulk link packages usually bring more risk than results.
What makes a good backlink for a trade business?
A good backlink comes from a site that fits your trade or your region and is trustworthy in its own right. Think of a manufacturer, trade association, quality mark, local news site or client. The better the source fits, the more the link is worth.
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