What Makes a High-Quality Backlink?

You get emails and LinkedIn messages every day with someone offering “high-quality” backlinks.

Usually, they have a list of sites you can get links from just by paying them a few hundred dollars.

But are these backlinks really high-quality?

Will they really help your SEO?

Chasing the wrong backlinks can do more harm than good. Let’s break down what a high-quality backlink really is, starting with the basics.

What is a high-quality backlink, really?

Many SEO professionals chase metrics like Domain Authority (DA), Spam Score, or organic traffic when evaluating backlinks. These can be useful guides—but they’re not how Google actually judges a backlink’s worth.

Let’s unpack why that is.

The backlink metric misconception

There are a few common metrics that backlink sellers will use when evaluating the quality of the backlinks they’re offering.

• Domain Authority, developed by Moz, predicts how likely a site is to rank—but it only considers the site’s backlink profile, not Google’s full range of ranking factors (like content quality or user engagement). This can be artificially inflated in tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush by buying spammy links and pointing them to the domain.
• Spam Score, also by Moz, flags websites with characteristics similar to penalized domains—but it doesn’t mean the site is actually spammy.
• Ahrefs Traffic, which is used to estimate a website’s organic search traffic, can be faked by link sellers by ranking for useless keywords with high search volume.

Google may use similar internal metrics (as revealed in the leaked API documents highlighted by Rand Fishkin), but they’re calculated differently. Google’s systems are far more nuanced and can factor in elements that third-party SEO tools simply can’t measure, like manual spam reports, user behavior data, and content quality assessments.

So if SEO tool metrics don’t guarantee link value, what does?

What makes a backlink high-quality?

Our link building agency has a decade of hands-on link building experience. Here’s what consistently correlates with actual ranking improvements:

1. Anchor text relevance

The words used in the hyperlink (anchor text) should naturally relate to your target page’s topic. Relevant anchor text sends strong contextual signals to Google about what your page is about. Anchor text that matches the keyword you’re trying to rank for is powerful, but too much of this will make you look spammy to Google’s algorithms.

2. Linking page content relevance and quality

The page that hosts the backlink should be well-written, authoritative, and topically related to your content. A backlink from a deeply relevant article on a trusted site is exponentially more powerful than one from an off-topic page—even if it’s on a high-authority domain.

3. Linking domain quality and relevance

It’s not just about the page—it’s also about the entire website. Links from domains that are respected within their niche and followed by your target audience tend to hold more weight. These sites care about what they link to and are selective in doing so.

The reality is, Google considers links as “votes” for your website to rank higher. When you get a backlink, they determine how strong of a “vote” that backlink should give your website based on the way they measure link quality.

Where the best links come from

Often, the highest-quality backlinks come from editorial websites that your audience is already reading.

These sites aren’t selling links—they’re curating content for their readers. As a result, their outbound links are vetted and valuable.

These links are rarely bought. Instead, they’re earned through link building strategies that include relationship building, strategic content pitching, and digital PR. It’s slower than mass outreach or buying links, but the payoff is long-lasting rankings and a stronger, more trusted online presence.

How to get high-quality backlinks

Here are 5 strategies we leverage for our clients to get high-quality backlinks to their websites.

1. Build Relationships With Real Publishers

High-quality backlinks are earned, not bought. Think of this like PR. Reach out to journalists, editors, bloggers, and website owners in your industry. But don’t lead with a backlink request—lead with value.

• Comment on their content.
• Share their work.
• Engage with them on social media.
• Pitch them relevant, timely stories or content that complements their site.

These aren’t one-off transactions. They’re professional relationships that can lead to consistent editorial coverage.

2. Create Link-Worthy Content

Nobody links to mediocre content. If you want top-tier sites to reference your work, you need to publish something they’re proud to associate with. Focus on content types that naturally attract links:

• Original research or data studies.
• Comprehensive guides or how-tos.
• Well-designed infographics or interactive tools.
• Expert roundups or interviews.

Make your content better than what’s already ranking. And make sure it’s relevant to the audience of the publishers you’re targeting.

3. Guest Posting – The Right Way

Guest posting can still work—but only when it’s done for visibility and value, not just links. Avoid low-quality sites that accept anything and everything. Instead:

• Target respected blogs and industry publications.
• Pitch unique, relevant topics.
• Include a contextual link within the content (not just a bio link).
• Don’t spam. One great guest post on a trusted site is worth more than ten weak ones.

4. Digital PR and Newsworthy Hooks

Digital PR is one of the most scalable ways to earn high-quality backlinks. Think like a journalist: What makes your business or content newsworthy?

• New data or trends?
• A controversial opinion on a hot topic?
• A timely response to industry news?

Use PR platforms or pitch journalists directly with a strong hook. Get featured, and the links will follow—from top-tier publications no less.

5. Pitch Resource Pages and Curated Lists

Many reputable websites maintain lists of helpful tools, articles, and guides. If your content fits, pitch it:

• Find these pages using search operators like intitle:resources + [your topic] or inurl:links.html + [your niche].
• Make sure your content genuinely adds value to the list.
• Reach out with a short, polite email suggesting your resource.

Done right, this can generate extremely relevant, trusted backlinks.

Final thoughts

A high-quality backlink isn’t defined by a tool’s metric—it’s defined by impact. If a link helps you climb the rankings, it’s high quality. And while DA, Spam Score, and traffic can offer direction, true value comes from relevance, authority, and trust.

In short: aim for backlinks that your audience would actually click on—and that Google would be proud to see.