Types of Backlinks Every SEO Specialist Should Know (and Which Ones Actually Rank)
SearchBlueprint · · 6 min read · scored 95/100
The types of backlinks every SEO specialist should know fall into a handful of core categories: editorial links earned through strong content, guest posts, resource page mentions, local business profiles, and community links. Each type carries different weight with search engines. Knowing which is which decides whether your link-building time goes toward rankings or toward links that just sit there.
The Types of Backlinks Every SEO Specialist Should Track First
Before building any link-building plan, it helps to see the main types side by side. Each one earns a link differently, and each carries a different kind of value.
| Backlink Type | How It's Earned | Typical Follow Status | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial | Cited naturally inside someone else's original content | Usually dofollow | Long-term ranking authority |
| Guest post | Contributed article on another site with a contextual link | Often dofollow, sometimes nofollow | Authority plus referral traffic |
| Resource page | Listed on a curated "resources" or "recommended tools" page | Usually dofollow | Niche authority, passive traffic |
| Business profile | Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places listings | Mixed, often nofollow | Local SEO and NAP consistency |
| Forum or community | Genuine participation on Reddit, Quora, or niche forums | Almost always nofollow | Referral traffic, thought leadership |
| Social media | Profile links and shared posts on LinkedIn or YouTube | Nofollow | Brand visibility, indirect signals |
Editorial and Guest Post Backlinks: Earn Them, Don't Buy Them
These two types account for most of the effort in a serious link-building program. Both require someone else to decide your content is worth linking to.
Editorial backlinks
An editorial backlink is a link another site adds naturally, without a request or a trade. It's added because the content behind it adds real value. A blogger citing your original research or a journalist linking to your data are both editorial links. They're the hardest type to earn, since you can't request one directly. But they're also the safest and most rewarded type of backlink a site can build.
Guest post backlinks
Guest post backlinks come from writing an article for another site in your niche. The article carries a contextual link back to your own content. Unlike editorial links, these require outreach: finding sites that accept contributions, then pitching a topic. The article itself has to earn its place rather than read as a pitch for your own product. Most specialists use specific outreach scripts and targeting to land these first two link types. This guide to building backlinks through nine real tactics walks through the process end to end.
Resource Page and Business Profile Backlinks
Resource page backlinks
Resource page backlinks come from being added to a curated list, usually titled "Resources" or "Recommended Tools." A blog, university, or niche site typically maintains the list. Earning one means finding pages that already list similar tools or references and pitching why yours belongs alongside them. These links tend to be stable long after you've earned them, since resource pages rarely get pruned.
Business profile (local) backlinks
Business profile backlinks come from listings on platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Bing Places. For any business with a physical location or a defined service area, these links do double duty. They build a backlink, and they reinforce your Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) consistency. Local rankings depend on getting that right. Keeping that information identical across every listing matters more here than the link itself.
Forum, Community, and Social Media Backlinks
Forum and community backlinks come from genuine participation on platforms like Reddit or Quora. A link only belongs in an answer if it actually helps the person asking. Social media backlinks work similarly. Profile links and shared posts rarely pass direct ranking authority, since almost all of them carry a nofollow tag. But they still send real traffic and introduce your brand to people who might link to you later, on their own site. Neither type replaces editorial or guest post links, but a profile with none of them looks incomplete.
Backlink Types Every SEO Specialist Should Treat With Caution
Private blog networks, known as PBNs, are a set of websites controlled by a single owner. They're built specifically to pass links to a target site. They can produce a fast ranking bump, but search engines have gotten better at spotting the footprint a PBN leaves behind. Google's own search essentials guidance classifies link schemes built purely to manipulate rankings as a violation (Google Search Essentials). That violation can trigger a manual action against the whole site. Low-quality directories carry a smaller version of the same risk. A handful of niche, well-maintained directories still help. Mass submissions to generic ones do little beyond flagging an unnatural pattern. The underlying lesson is the same one behind backlink diversity in SaaS SEO. A profile weighted toward one type, safe or risky, reads as manufactured rather than earned.
FAQs
What is the most valuable type of backlink for SEO?
Editorial backlinks are generally the most valuable, because another site links to you naturally, without a request or an exchange. That's the kind of link search engines already reward the most.
Do nofollow backlinks still help my rankings?
Nofollow links from social media, forums, and many business profiles rarely pass ranking authority directly. But they still send referral traffic and normal brand mentions, both of which support a link profile that looks natural.
Are private blog network (PBN) backlinks worth the risk?
No. PBNs are a network of sites controlled by one owner, built to pass links. Google's guidance treats schemes like this as a violation that can trigger a manual action against the whole site.
How many types of backlinks should a healthy link profile include?
There's no fixed number, but a profile built from a single type, all guest posts or all directory links, reads as manufactured. A mix across editorial, resource page, local, and community links looks like what a real site earns over time.
What's the difference between a backlink and an internal link?
A backlink comes from a different domain pointing to your site, while an internal link connects two pages on your own site. Both matter, but backlinks are the signal search engines use to judge how the wider web values your content.
Check Which Backlink Types Your Site Is Missing
Knowing the types of backlinks every SEO specialist should know matters only once you check your own site. See which ones you already have and which ones are missing. Talk to the team and look over a sample SEO report. It lays out the full backlink and technical breakdown, page by page.
Resources / References
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About the author
SearchBlueprint researched, wrote and scored this article with the content pipeline our customers run on their own sites. The score in the byline is what our content engine gave this page before it published. Nothing here is reviewed by hand, which is the point: it is the product's output, published where anyone can check it.