Understanding Link Building Language
Link building has its own vocabulary. Whether you're learning SEO, communicating with agencies, or interpreting reports, understanding these terms is essential. This glossary covers every important link building term you'll encounter.
Terms are organized by category for easier reference, with cross-links to related concepts.
Core Link Concepts
Backlink
An incoming hyperlink from one website to another. When Site A links to Site B, Site B has a backlink from Site A. Also called "inbound link" or "incoming link." Backlinks are a primary ranking factor in Google's algorithm.
Related: Outbound Link, Internal Link
Hyperlink
The clickable element that connects one web page to another. Consists of anchor text (or image) and a destination URL. The foundational technology that connects the web.
Link Equity
The SEO value passed from one page to another through a hyperlink. Also called "link juice" or "PageRank." Higher-quality links pass more equity. Link equity is distributed across all outbound links on a page.
Related: PageRank, Link Value
Link Juice
Informal term for link equity. Refers to the ranking power transferred through links.
Referring Domain
A unique domain that links to your website. If a site links to you 10 times, it counts as one referring domain but 10 backlinks. Referring domain count is often more meaningful than raw backlink count.
Link Profile
The complete collection of backlinks pointing to a website. Includes all links, their sources, anchor texts, and attributes. Analyzed during backlink audits.
Link Graph
The network structure of links connecting websites across the internet. Search engines analyze the link graph to understand relationships between sites and determine authority.
Link Types
Dofollow Link
A standard link that passes link equity to the destination. The default link type—no special attribute required. Dofollow links are the primary target of most link building campaigns.
Related: Nofollow Link
Nofollow Link
A link with the rel="nofollow" attribute, instructing search engines not to pass link equity. Originally created to combat comment spam. Still valuable for traffic and brand awareness.
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Link text</a>
Sponsored Link
A link with rel="sponsored" attribute, indicating paid or promotional content. Required by Google for paid links. Does not pass link equity.
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Sponsored link</a>
UGC Link
A link with rel="ugc" (user-generated content) attribute. Used for links in comments, forums, and user-submitted content. Tells Google the site owner didn't editorially place the link.
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">User submitted link</a>
Editorial Link
A link placed voluntarily by a publisher because they found the content valuable. The most valuable and natural type of link. Cannot be directly controlled or purchased.
Contextual Link
A link embedded within the body content of a page, surrounded by relevant text. More valuable than sidebar, footer, or navigation links because of contextual relevance.
Sitewide Link
A link that appears on every page of a website (typically in footer, sidebar, or navigation). One link relationship creates many backlinks. Can appear unnatural if not legitimate.
Deep Link
A link pointing to an internal page rather than the homepage. Natural link profiles have a mix of homepage and deep links. Deep links help specific pages rank.
Reciprocal Link
A mutual linking arrangement where Site A links to Site B and Site B links back to Site A. Natural in moderation, but systematic reciprocal linking at scale is considered a link scheme.
One-Way Link
A link where only one site links to the other—no reciprocation. Generally more valuable than reciprocal links as they're harder to obtain.
Internal Link
A link from one page to another page on the same website. Not a backlink, but important for distributing link equity throughout your site.
Outbound Link
A link from your website to another website. The opposite of a backlink. Quality outbound linking can improve your content's usefulness and credibility.
External Link
Synonym for outbound link. A link pointing to a different domain.
Link Attributes and Elements
Anchor Text
The visible, clickable text of a hyperlink. Provides context about the linked page's content. Various types exist: exact match, partial match, branded, generic, and naked URL.
Types:
- Exact match: Contains target keyword exactly ("link building tips")
- Partial match: Contains keyword with other words ("best tips for link building")
- Branded: Uses brand name ("Ahrefs")
- Generic: Non-descriptive ("click here," "read more")
- Naked URL: The raw URL (https://example.com)
Alt Text (for Image Links)
Alternative text for images. When an image is linked, the alt text serves as the anchor text for that link.
Link Attribute
HTML attributes added to links that modify their behavior. Common attributes include rel, target, and title.
Rel Attribute
The HTML attribute specifying the relationship between the current page and the linked resource. Values include nofollow, sponsored, ugc, and others.
Target Attribute
HTML attribute specifying where to open the linked page. target="_blank" opens in a new tab.
Title Attribute
Optional HTML attribute providing additional information about a link. Appears as a tooltip on hover.
Authority Metrics
Domain Authority (DA)
Moz's proprietary metric predicting how likely a domain is to rank in search results. Scale of 1-100. Higher scores indicate greater ranking potential.
Note: DA is not a Google ranking factor—it's a third-party estimate.
Domain Rating (DR)
Ahrefs' metric measuring the strength of a website's backlink profile. Scale of 0-100. Based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to a domain.
Authority Score
SEMrush's compound metric combining link data, organic traffic, and spam signals. Scale of 0-100.
Page Authority (PA)
Moz's metric predicting how well a specific page will rank. Similar to Domain Authority but for individual pages.
URL Rating (UR)
Ahrefs' metric measuring the strength of a specific page's backlink profile. Scale of 0-100.
Trust Flow
Majestic's metric measuring the trustworthiness of a site based on how close it is to trusted seed sites. Scale of 0-100.
Citation Flow
Majestic's metric measuring the quantity/influence of links pointing to a site. Scale of 0-100. Best analyzed alongside Trust Flow.
PageRank
Google's original algorithm for measuring page importance based on links. Named after Larry Page. While the public toolbar PageRank was discontinued, the concept still influences rankings.
Link Value
The SEO benefit a specific link provides. Influenced by the linking page's authority, relevance, placement, and other factors.
Link Building Tactics
Guest Posting
Writing content for other websites in exchange for a link (usually in the author bio or within the content). Also called "guest blogging."
Broken Link Building
Finding broken (404) links on other websites, creating replacement content, and asking webmasters to link to your content instead.
Resource Page Link Building
Getting links by being included on curated resource pages that list useful sites and tools in a specific topic area.
Skyscraper Technique
Finding popular linked content, creating something significantly better, and reaching out to those linking to the original to suggest your improved version.
Link Reclamation
Recovering lost backlinks or converting unlinked brand mentions into links. Includes fixing broken links to your own site.
Digital PR
Earning links through public relations activities like press releases, journalist outreach, and newsworthy content creation.
HARO Link Building
Using Help A Reporter Out (or similar services) to provide expert quotes to journalists in exchange for backlinks.
Niche Edit
Adding a link to existing content on another website (as opposed to creating new content). Also called "curated link" or "link insertion."
Ego Bait
Creating content that features or flatters influencers, prompting them to share and link to it.
Link Bait
Content specifically designed to attract links naturally due to its value, uniqueness, or emotional appeal. Now more commonly called "linkable asset."
Content Syndication
Republishing content on other platforms to reach new audiences. May include links but usually with nofollow or canonical tags.
Scholarship Link Building
Creating scholarship programs that educational institutions link to. Historically effective but now heavily scrutinized.
Outreach Terms
Link Outreach
The process of contacting website owners, editors, or journalists to request or earn backlinks.
Cold Outreach
Contacting people you have no prior relationship with. Requires strong value propositions and personalization.
Warm Outreach
Contacting people you have some existing relationship or connection with. Higher success rates than cold outreach.
Response Rate
Percentage of outreach emails that receive any response. Calculated as: (Responses / Emails Sent) × 100
Conversion Rate (Link Building)
Percentage of outreach that results in acquired links. Calculated as: (Links Acquired / Emails Sent) × 100
Prospect
A potential link opportunity identified for outreach. The website, page, or person you plan to contact.
Link Prospecting
The process of identifying and qualifying potential link opportunities before outreach.
Link Target
The specific page you're trying to build links to.
Outreach Template
A pre-written email structure used as a starting point for link requests. Should always be personalized.
Quality and Risk Terms
Toxic Backlinks
Links that may harm your search rankings due to spammy, manipulative, or low-quality sources. May warrant disavowal.
Spam Score
Moz's metric indicating the likelihood that a site is penalized or banned. Higher scores suggest more spam signals.
Link Spam
Manipulative link practices designed to artificially inflate rankings. Includes link buying, link schemes, and automated link building.
Link Scheme
Any pattern of links intended to manipulate PageRank or search rankings. Violates Google's guidelines and can result in penalties.
Link Farm
A network of websites created solely to link to each other and manipulate rankings. A type of link scheme.
Private Blog Network (PBN)
A network of websites, typically built on expired domains, used to create artificial links. Violates Google's guidelines.
Negative SEO
Attempts to harm a competitor's rankings through malicious link building or other tactics.
Link Velocity
The rate at which a website acquires new backlinks over time. Sudden spikes may appear unnatural.
Natural Link Profile
A backlink profile that appears organic, with diverse sources, anchor texts, and acquisition patterns that reflect genuine editorial linking.
Google Terms
Manual Action
A penalty applied by Google's human reviewers for violating webmaster guidelines. Visible in Google Search Console.
Algorithmic Penalty
Ranking suppression triggered by algorithms (like Penguin) detecting unnatural link patterns. Not visible in Search Console.
Google Penguin
Google's algorithm targeting webspam, specifically unnatural link patterns. Now part of the core algorithm and updates in real-time.
Disavow File
A text file submitted to Google listing links you want Google to ignore when assessing your site. Used to address toxic backlinks.
Google Search Console
Google's free tool for monitoring site performance, including backlinks. Provides limited backlink data compared to paid tools.
Link Spam Update
Google algorithm updates specifically targeting link spam. Multiple updates in recent years have refined detection.
Core Web Vitals
Google's page experience metrics. While not directly link-related, often discussed alongside link building in broader SEO contexts.
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Quality signals that affect rankings and relate to the types of links a site earns.
Analysis Terms
Backlink Audit
Comprehensive analysis of a website's link profile to assess quality, identify issues, and inform strategy.
Competitor Backlink Analysis
Examining competitors' link profiles to identify opportunities, benchmark performance, and inform tactics.
Link Gap Analysis
Identifying domains that link to competitors but not to you. Reveals outreach opportunities.
Link Intersection
Domains that link to multiple competitors. Often easier to acquire since they're already linking within your space.
New Backlinks
Recently acquired backlinks within a specified time period. Tracked to measure link building progress.
Lost Backlinks
Backlinks that previously existed but no longer do. Sites removed content, changed pages, or went offline.
Backlink Monitoring
Ongoing tracking of link acquisition and loss. Essential for maintaining link profile health.
Performance Metrics
Referring Domains
Count of unique domains linking to a site. More meaningful than total backlink count for most analyses.
Link Equity Distribution
How link equity flows through a site via internal linking. Influences which pages rank.
Organic Traffic
Website visitors arriving through non-paid search results. The ultimate outcome link building aims to improve.
SERP
Search Engine Results Page. Where rankings are displayed and where link building aims to improve position.
Keyword Rankings
A page's position in search results for specific search queries. Link building's primary impact metric.
Link ROI
Return on investment from link building activities. Calculated by comparing link building costs to the value of resulting traffic/conversions.
Technical Terms
Canonical Tag
HTML element specifying the preferred version of a page. Affects how link equity consolidates across duplicate content.
301 Redirect
Permanent redirect from one URL to another. Passes most link equity to the destination URL.
302 Redirect
Temporary redirect. May not pass full link equity.
404 Error
"Page not found" error. Links pointing to 404 pages provide no value. Opportunity for broken link building.
Noindex
Meta directive telling search engines not to index a page. Links to noindexed pages have reduced value.
Robots.txt
File instructing search engine crawlers which pages to access. Links to blocked pages aren't crawled.
Link Crawler
Software that discovers and analyzes links across websites. Used by both search engines and SEO tools.
Link Index
Database of links maintained by SEO tools (Ahrefs, Moz, etc.) or search engines.
Additional Industry Terms
Link Builder
Person or role responsible for link acquisition. May be in-house or at an agency.
Link Building Agency
Company specializing in acquiring backlinks for clients.
Link Building Campaign
Organized effort to acquire backlinks using specific tactics over a defined period.
White Hat Link Building
Link building practices that comply with search engine guidelines. Focuses on earning links through value.
Black Hat Link Building
Link building practices that violate search engine guidelines. High risk of penalties.
Gray Hat Link Building
Link building in areas where guidelines are ambiguous or practices are borderline.
Link Velocity
Rate at which new links are acquired. Monitored to ensure natural patterns.
Link Diversity
Variety in link sources, types, and anchor texts. Diverse profiles appear more natural.
Link Relevance
How topically related the linking site/page is to the linked content. Major quality factor.
Linkable Asset
Content specifically created to attract backlinks. Includes studies, tools, guides, and visual content.
Link Bait
Older term for linkable asset. Content designed to generate links.
Co-Citation
When two pages are frequently linked to from the same pages. May indicate topical relationship.
Co-Occurrence
When terms frequently appear near links. Search engines may use this as context signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important link building term to understand?
Referring domains is crucial—it's the primary metric that reflects link building success. Understanding the difference between total backlinks and referring domains helps you evaluate link profiles accurately.
Are Domain Authority and PageRank the same thing?
No. PageRank is Google's internal metric (no longer publicly visible). Domain Authority is Moz's approximation of site authority. Different tools use different metrics (DR, Authority Score), but none are actual Google ranking factors.
What's the difference between a backlink and a referring domain?
A backlink is a single link. A referring domain is a unique website linking to you. One domain can provide many backlinks but counts as one referring domain.
What does "link juice" actually mean?
Link juice is informal slang for link equity—the SEO value transferred from one page to another through a link. The term is widely used but technically imprecise.
Which link types pass the most value?
Dofollow contextual links from high-authority, relevant pages typically pass the most value. Editorial links are ideal because they're earned through content merit.
Using This Glossary
Bookmark this page as a reference when:
- Reading link building guides and case studies
- Communicating with SEO agencies or consultants
- Interpreting backlink analysis reports
- Learning new link building concepts
Understanding these terms is the foundation for effective link building strategy and execution.
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