Backlinks for a Company Website: Safe Approaches and What to Avoid

Almost every website owner has received a message like this: "Backlink packages for sale, guaranteed page one on Google." The price is low, there are hundreds of links, and the promise sounds convincing. It's natural to be tempted, especially if a competitor's website already shows up on Google ahead of yours.

Backlinks do matter. But how you get them decides whether they help you or hurt you. This article explains what backlinks are, the safe ways for a B2B company to earn them, and the ways to avoid.

What a backlink is, and why it matters

A backlink is a link from another website to yours. According to Google, the main way it finds new pages is through links from other pages it has already crawled. The text of a link also tells people and Google something about the page it points to.

But links aren't the only thing that counts. Google describes PageRank, the system that uses links, as just one of many ranking signals. So the number of backlinks alone doesn't decide where your website ranks. Pages that answer what buyers need are still the foundation.

What Google treats as spam

Google has a spam policy that deals specifically with link spam. Some of the examples it gives:

• Buying or selling links to influence rankings, including payment in goods or services.
• Excessive link exchanges, or "partner" pages made only to link to each other.
• Using automated programs or services to create links to your site.
• Paid advertorials, guest posts or press releases with links that pass ranking credit, or with keyword-stuffed link text.
• Links from low-quality directory or bookmark sites.
• Keyword-optimised links in forum comments or forum signatures.

Google detects violations with automated systems and, where needed, human review. Sites that break the policies can rank lower or not appear at all. "Hundreds of cheap backlinks" packages usually fall into one of the categories above.

Sensible backlink sources for B2B companies

A safe link is one that makes sense to the readers of the other website. For B2B companies, the sources are often already around you:

• Principals or manufacturers with a page listing their authorised distributors.
• Industry associations that list members with links to their websites.
• Trade fairs that publish an exhibitor list on their website.
• News media and portals that cover your company because there is genuinely something to report.
• Partners and customers willing to name you as a supplier, with their permission of course.

Another way, slower but longer-lasting, is to create content worth citing. Technical guides, clear specification tables or honest case studies can be referenced by others without you asking. Google also says promotion through communities, social media and offline activity can help people discover your website, though overdoing promotion can actually harm it.

Read also: writing case studies without revealing client secrets.

If you do pay: sponsorships, ads, advertorials

Paying to appear in the media or to sponsor an event isn't forbidden. According to Google, buying links for advertising or sponsorship doesn't break its policies, as long as the links carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". The sponsored value exists precisely for adverts and paid placements.

So if you place an advertorial on a news portal, ask the publisher whether the link to your website carries that attribute. The point of an advertorial is to be read by potential buyers, not to raise your ranking.

Check your own website's backlinks

Google Search Console has a Links report. It shows which websites link to you most, which of your pages are linked most, and the link text used most often. Google suggests using it to check for unfamiliar or suspicious websites. Look at the link text too. If other websites refer to you by your company name or the right product type, that's a good sign. If the text is full of odd keywords that have nothing to do with your business, find out where it came from.

Bear in mind that the report is a sample, not a complete list of every link. Open the Manual actions report as well. If a reviewer at Google finds a violation, the notice appears there.

If you've already bought backlinks

Don't panic, and don't rush to disavow every link. Google says that in most cases it can assess on its own which links to trust.

• Stop buying new ones, and ask the provider to remove the links that can be removed.
• Use the disavow tool only if you need to. Google recommends it only when a considerable number of spammy links point to your site and they have caused, or are likely to cause, a manual action. Google calls it an advanced feature that can harm your site if used incorrectly.
• If there is a manual action, fix every issue, then request a review from the Manual actions report, explaining the steps you have taken.

Questions to ask before hiring an SEO provider

1. Which websites will the links come from, and can I see examples?
2. Are any links paid for? If so, do they carry the sponsored or nofollow attribute?
3. Are any automated programs used to create links?
4. What happens to the links if we stop working together?

An honest provider can answer all of these clearly. A promise of "guaranteed page one" is a sign to be careful.

Good backlinks come because others have a reason to refer to your website, not because they were bought by the package.

Want a website that gives people a reason to link to it? Read how to write articles for a company website, or get in touch to talk about your website.