You could build 50 links in a month and give yourself a pat on the back while hoping that Google nods in approval. But if those links come from random, low-value sites that have nothing to do with your industry you might be doing more harm than good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s the tricky part about link building – it\u2019s not a numbers game. It\u2019s a context<\/em> game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the truth is not all links are created equal. Some links can boost your visibility, strengthen your authority, and drive targeted traffic to your site, while others can water down your credibility or get you flagged by search engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the real question isn\u2019t how many<\/em> links you need – it\u2019s which<\/em> ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to break down. What makes a link valuable in the eyes of both people and algorithms – and how to spot (or earn) the kind of links that actually move the needle for your business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re going to spend time (or money) on link building, so you better make sure the links you\u2019re chasing are actually worth it. Because one solid, contextually strong link can outweigh 20 random backlinks dumped into a spammy blog roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So – how do you know which links actually<\/em> matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all comes down to two things: topical relevance<\/strong> and domain authority<\/strong>. One tells search engines what circles you belong in. The other tells them how much weight your connections carry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you put the two together, you get the juiciest links of all time. They bring not only high-intent referral traffic to your site but also strong signals of credibility, telling both – search engines and the people, that you know your stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s break down these concepts for an in-depth understanding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Topical relevance is the idea that the websites linking to you – and the content they link from – should be contextually related<\/em> to what your site is about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In SEO terms, it means the link makes sense. It fits. It doesn\u2019t feel random. Search engines are smart enough to understand context, and when a site in your niche (or closely related to it) links to you, it sends a strong signal: \u201cHey, this site belongs in this space, too.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why topical relevance is the cornerstone of effective link-building. It trumps almost everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it exists at two levels – domain<\/strong> (the overall site) and page<\/strong> (the specific content linking to you).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domain-level relevance<\/strong> is when the entire site linking to you is in your industry. For example, we are in SEO, and getting a link from another SEO business would clearly make sense for us – as it appears super relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Page-level relevance <\/strong>goes a layer deeper. Maybe the linking site isn\u2019t exactly in your niche, but the specific page<\/em> is clearly connected to your topic. For instance, if we receive a link from a marketing tool that discusses SEO (even if they don’t provide SEO services). That would be equally valuable because SEO is a core marketing subject, and the connection is naturally relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Domain Authority (DA) is an SEO metric that predicts how well a website is likely to rank on search engines. It’s not a Google ranking factor – but it\u2019s still one of the most widely used benchmarks in the industry to gauge a site\u2019s overall trust and strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it’s technically a metric created by SEO tools, it measures something very real: a website’s content expertise. And the thing is, you can’t fake expertise over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Higher domain authority generally signals stronger, more valuable links. They pass on more “link juice,” help your rankings more, and show that authoritative sources are vouching for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A link from a 70+ DA site is a much stronger credibility signal than a dozen links from low-authority blogs that nobody\u2019s ever heard of. That said, don\u2019t chase DA blindly. Relevance still rules. A link from a DA 40 site that’s topically relevant to your business can be more valuable than a DA 90 link from a totally unrelated news outlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Combining relevance and authority gives us different categories of \u201cbest backlinks.\u201d Here\u2019s how they rank:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the gold standard of backlinks. They come from highly authoritative sites that are directly relevant to your business. For example, Hubspot linking to our SEO tool<\/a> in their “best SEO tools” article is a big deal for us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every industry has its version of \u201cHubSpot\u201d – these are the backlinks you want to aim for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These links come from sites that might not be industry giants but are deeply embedded in your niche. They carry solid weight and are more achievable than the first category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good example would be a medium-sized marketing blog that specializes in SEO strategies linking to our content about \u201cSEO best practices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While these sites pack serious authority, they might not be directly related to your industry. An example would be receiving a link from Forbes to our article on Link building with AI<\/a>, even though Forbes doesn\u2019t focus on SEO itself. It still adds value due to the authority of the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These links are decent but won\u2019t move the needle as much as the first two categories. This could be a local business blog that talks about general marketing trends, linking to your article on \u201chow to optimise your site for SEO.\u201d Still worth building as part of a balanced strategy, but shouldn\u2019t be your primary focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even links from less authoritative sites can be valuable if the topical relevance is strong. These might come from niche blogs or small business websites that are closely tied to your field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To summarize link priorities, we\u2019ve compiled a table breaking down these categories and showing which links are best for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the best links to get for your business?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is Topical Relevance? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is Domain Authority? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ranking Link Types by Value<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. High Authority + High Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Medium Authority + High Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. High Authority + Lower Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Medium Authority + Medium Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Low Authority + High Relevance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Link Priorities Conceptualized:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n