Backlink & SEOGlossary
Learn the terminology of backlink monitoring and SEO. From anchor text to toxic backlinks, we've got you covered.
A
Anchor Text
The clickable text in a hyperlink. Anchor text helps search engines understand what the linked page is about. For example, in the link 'Click here for SEO tips', the anchor text is 'Click here for SEO tips'. Relevant, descriptive anchor text can improve SEO value.
B
Backlink
A hyperlink from one website to another. Also called an 'inbound link' or 'incoming link'. Backlinks are important for SEO because search engines view them as votes of confidence. The more quality backlinks a page has, the more authoritative it appears to search engines.
Backlink Monitoring
The process of tracking the status, health, and changes of backlinks pointing to your website. Monitoring includes checking if backlinks are still active, if anchor text has changed, and if link attributes (like nofollow) have been modified. Essential for protecting SEO investments.
Broken Link
A hyperlink that no longer works, typically returning a 404 (Not Found) error. Broken links can occur when pages are deleted, URLs change, or websites go offline. Having many broken outbound links can negatively impact SEO.
D
Disavow
A process of telling search engines (specifically Google) to ignore certain backlinks when assessing your site. Used to distance your site from spammy or toxic backlinks that could harm your rankings. Done through Google Search Console's Disavow Tool.
Dofollow
A link that passes SEO value (PageRank, link equity) from the source page to the target page. By default, all links are dofollow unless specified otherwise. Contrast with 'nofollow' links which explicitly tell search engines not to pass ranking signals.
Domain Rating (DR)
A metric developed by Ahrefs that shows the strength of a website's backlink profile. Scored from 0 to 100, calculated based on the quantity and quality of external backlinks. Similar to Domain Authority but uses different calculation methods.
E
External Link
A hyperlink that points from your website to a different domain. Also called an 'outbound link'. External links to authoritative sources can improve your content's credibility, but too many can dilute your page's authority.
G
Guest Posting
The practice of writing and publishing content on another website or blog. A common link building strategy where the guest post includes a backlink to the author's website. Quality guest posting focuses on providing value to the host site's audience.
I
Inbound Link
A synonym for backlink. A hyperlink from an external website pointing to your website. Inbound links from authoritative sites signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
Internal Link
A hyperlink that connects one page of a website to another page on the same website. Internal links help users navigate your site and help search engines understand your site structure and content hierarchy.
L
Link Building
The process of acquiring new backlinks from other websites to improve search engine rankings. Strategies include guest posting, broken link building, content marketing, outreach, and digital PR. One of the most important aspects of off-page SEO.
Link Equity
Also called 'link juice'. The SEO value that a link passes from one page to another. Factors affecting link equity include the authority of the linking page, relevance of content, dofollow/nofollow status, and anchor text.
Link Farm
A group of websites that all hyperlink to each other or to a specific target site to artificially inflate that site's link profile. Link farms are a black-hat SEO technique and can result in search engine penalties.
Link Profile
The complete collection of backlinks pointing to a website. A healthy link profile is diverse, with links from various relevant domains, natural anchor text distribution, and minimal toxic or spammy links.
Link Rot
The gradual decay of hyperlinks over time as linked pages are moved, deleted, or websites go offline. Link rot causes backlinks to become broken or 404 errors. Regular backlink monitoring helps detect link rot early.
N
Negative SEO
The practice of using black-hat techniques to harm a competitor's search rankings. Can include building spammy backlinks to a competitor, hacking their site, or creating fake negative reviews. Backlink monitoring helps detect potential negative SEO attacks.
Nofollow
A link attribute (rel='nofollow') that tells search engines not to pass link equity to the linked page. Commonly used for paid links, user-generated content, and untrusted sources. Introduced by Google in 2005 to combat link spam.
O
Outreach
The process of contacting website owners, bloggers, or journalists to build relationships and acquire backlinks. Effective outreach is personalized, provides value, and targets relevant sites in your niche.
P
PageRank
Google's original algorithm for measuring the importance of webpages based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to them. Named after Google co-founder Larry Page. While no longer publicly visible, link-based ranking signals remain important.
R
Referring Domain
A unique domain that contains at least one backlink to your website. Having backlinks from many referring domains is generally more valuable than many links from a single domain. A key metric for evaluating link profile diversity.
Rel Attribute
HTML attributes that define the relationship between linked pages. Common values include: nofollow (don't pass link equity), sponsored (paid links), ugc (user-generated content), and noopener (security). Multiple rel values can be combined.
S
Sponsored Link
A link with the rel='sponsored' attribute, indicating it was created as part of an advertisement or paid placement. Introduced by Google in 2019 as a more specific alternative to nofollow for paid links.
T
Toxic Backlinks
Backlinks from low-quality, spammy, or penalized websites that can harm your search rankings. Signs of toxic links include: links from link farms, irrelevant sites, foreign language spam sites, or sites with thin/duplicate content.
U
UGC Link
A link with the rel='ugc' attribute, indicating it was created by users rather than site owners. Commonly used for links in comments, forum posts, and other user-generated content. Introduced by Google in 2019.