The Backlinks Guide That Actually Makes Sense
How to Explain, Build, and Prove the Value of Links (Without Losing Your Mind or Your Clients)
Published September 8, 2025 • 15 min read
Explaining backlinks can be harder than building them. And if you don't get client buy-in, it won't matter how good your links are—they'll never see the value.
The Real Truth About Backlinks:
- Technical skill gets you quality links
- Communication skill gets you client trust
- Trust + Quality = Long-term success
What Are Backlinks? (The Answer That Actually Helps)
Here's the problem: Most SEO guides explain backlinks like this: "A backlink is an incoming hyperlink from one web page to another website." Technically correct. Practically useless.
Let's fix that with explanations that actually make sense:
Imagine Google as a massive cocktail party. Backlinks are other guests recommending you. The more respected guests who vouch for you, the more everyone trusts you're worth talking to. One recommendation from the CEO beats twenty from random strangers.
Think of your website as an academic paper. Backlinks are citations. The more authoritative papers that cite your work, the more credible you become. Google's entire algorithm started as a way to rank academic papers this way.
Your website needs street cred. Every quality backlink is another business saying "Yeah, they're legit." Google counts these votes. More votes from respected sites = higher rankings. It's digital word-of-mouth at scale.
The Stat That Matters
91% of all web pages never get organic traffic from Google. The #1 reason? No backlinks. Not bad content. Not poor keywords. Simply no other sites linking to them. That's how critical backlinks are to visibility.
The Three Levels: Know Your Audience or Lose Their Trust
After hundreds of client calls, we've discovered most clients fall into one of three knowledge levels. Miss their level, and you'll either drown them in jargon or bore them with basics. Either way, you lose trust before results can land.
Signs You're Talking to a Newbie:
- "I don't know how to start link building"
- "Why do I need backlinks?"
- "What's a DR score?"
- "Can't I just focus on content?"
What They DON'T Care About:
- DR vs DA debates
- Prospecting methodologies
- Technical SEO jargon
How to Win Them Over:
Skip the technical talk. Show simple cause and effect:
"Here's what 5 quality links could mean for your rankings in 90 days"
Use visual examples, competitor comparisons, and concrete timelines. Make it tangible, not theoretical.
Signs You're Talking to an Aspiring Expert:
- "ChatGPT told me I need DR50+ links"
- "I need exactly 20 backlinks per month"
- "Should all my anchor text be exact match?"
- "I read that PBNs are the fastest way"
What They DON'T Care About:
- Basic explanations (they think they're past that)
- High-level strategy (often goes over their head)
- Nuance and context
How to Win Them Over:
Trickiest clients. They know just enough to be dangerous. Validate what they know, then redirect with proof:
"You're right that DR matters, but relevance beats metrics. Here's a case where a DR35 link outperformed a DR70 because..."
Use data to challenge misconceptions. Show them the "why" behind the "what."
Signs You're Talking to a Veteran:
- "How do you vet links for spam score?"
- "What's your anchor text distribution strategy?"
- "Show me your outreach templates"
- "How do you handle link velocity?"
What They DON'T Care About:
- Niceties or oversimplification
- Basic education
- Fluff or filler
How to Win Them Over:
Easiest to work with. They understand the landscape, know the risks, want the details:
"Here's our 12-step vetting process. We check spam score, traffic trends, relevance, and manual review for PBN patterns..."
Show the process, listen to their input, collaborate on strategy. They're partners, not pupils.
What Makes a Quality Backlink? The 7-Point Checklist
Not all backlinks are created equal. One high-quality link can outperform 100 low-quality ones. Here's our battle-tested framework for identifying links worth pursuing:
Relevance Above All
A DR30 plumbing blog linking to a plumber beats a DR80 tech blog every time. Google values topical relevance more than raw authority.
Real Traffic = Real Value
Check the site's organic traffic. A link from a site with 10k monthly visitors is worth more than a DR70 ghost town nobody visits.
Editorial Context
Links within content perform better than footer or sidebar links. The link should feel natural, not forced or paid.
Domain Authority (But Not Obsessively)
Yes, DR/DA matters. But chasing only high DR leads to irrelevant links. Aim for DR25+ with strong relevance rather than DR70+ without context.
Link Neighborhood
Who else does this site link to? If they're linking to casinos, pharma, and essay mills, run. You're judged by the company you keep.
Anchor Text Diversity
Natural link profiles have varied anchor text. If you're getting 20 links all saying "best plumber Melbourne," Google knows something's up.
The Human Test
Would a real human click this link? If the answer is no, Google probably won't value it either. Links should provide value to readers, not just SEO.
How to Actually Build Backlinks (That Don't Get You Penalized)
Forget the spam. Forget the shortcuts. Here are the link building strategies that actually work in 2024 and beyond:
Create newsworthy content that journalists want to cover. Data studies, expert commentary, and unique research earn links from major publications.
Success rate: High | Difficulty: High | Quality: Premium
Not the spam kind. Write genuinely valuable content for relevant sites in your industry. Focus on sites your customers actually read.
Success rate: Medium | Difficulty: Medium | Quality: Good
Find broken links on relevant sites, create better content than what was there, and suggest your link as a replacement. Win-win for everyone.
Success rate: Medium | Difficulty: Low | Quality: Good
Many sites have resource pages listing helpful links. If you have genuinely useful content, reaching out for inclusion works surprisingly well.
Success rate: Low | Difficulty: Low | Quality: Good
Create tools, calculators, or comprehensive guides that naturally attract links. If it's valuable enough, people link without being asked.
Success rate: High | Difficulty: High | Quality: Premium
Respond to journalist queries on HARO, Qwoted, or SourceBottle. Provide expert quotes and earn links from major news sites.
Success rate: Low | Difficulty: Medium | Quality: Premium
The Golden Rule of Link Building
If you wouldn't proudly show a link to Google's spam team, don't build it. Every link should pass the "Would I want this if SEO didn't exist?" test. Quality over quantity, always.
Red Flags: Link Building Tactics That Will Destroy Your Rankings
These strategies might seem tempting, but they're ranking suicide. Here's what to avoid at all costs:
PBNs (Private Blog Networks)
Networks of fake blogs created solely for links. Google's algorithms are trained to detect these patterns. When caught (not if), your site gets sandboxed or banned.
Link Farms & Exchanges
"You link to me, I link to you" schemes or sites that exist only to sell links. These leave obvious footprints and trigger manual penalties.
Automated Link Building
Software that blasts your link across thousands of sites. Creates an unnatural link velocity spike that screams "manipulation" to Google.
Irrelevant Directory Submissions
Submitting to thousands of low-quality directories. If the directory would accept a casino, pharmacy, and dog groomer on the same page, it's worthless.
The Penalty Reality Check
Google penalties aren't always obvious. You won't get an email saying "You're penalized." Instead, your traffic slowly bleeds out over months. By the time you notice, the damage is done and recovery takes 6-12 months minimum.
How to Measure Backlink Success (Metrics That Actually Matter)
Building links without measuring impact is like driving blindfolded. Here's what to track and why it matters:
Track unique domains linking to you, not total backlinks. 10 links from 10 domains beats 100 links from one domain.
Target: 5-10 new quality domains/month
The ultimate proof. Quality backlinks should increase organic traffic within 2-3 months. No traffic growth = wrong links.
Target: 10-20% growth per quarter
Track your target keywords. Good links should move keywords from page 2-3 to page 1 within 3-6 months.
Target: 50% of keywords improving monthly
Keep your backlink profile clean. Rising spam scores indicate bad links that need disavowing before they cause damage.
Target: Spam score under 5%
Good links show impact within 90 days. If you're not seeing ANY movement after 3 months, something's wrong:
- Links are too low quality
- Links aren't relevant to your niche
- On-page SEO needs work first
- Site has technical issues blocking growth
The Trust Equation: Why Communication Beats Everything
Here's what most SEO agencies don't understand: You can build perfect links, but if clients don't understand their value, you'll lose them before results materialize.
Trust + Quality = Long-term Success
Without trust, quality doesn't matter. Without quality, trust doesn't last.
Communicate at Their Level
Match your explanation to their knowledge. No jargon for newbies, no basics for veterans.
Show Progress Regularly
Monthly reports with clear metrics. Show the journey, not just the destination.
Celebrate Small Wins
First page 2 ranking? Celebrate. First quality link? Share it. Build momentum.
The Monthly Check-in Template
Here's exactly how to keep clients engaged and trusting:
- 1What We Did: "Built 8 quality links from relevant industry sites"
- 2What Happened: "Your domain authority increased from 23 to 26"
- 3What It Means: "You're now stronger than 3 competitors"
- 4What's Next: "Targeting these 5 opportunities next month"
The Questions Every Client Asks (And How to Answer Them)
Wrong question. It's not about quantity, it's about quality and competition. A local plumber might need 20 good links to dominate. An online casino might need 20,000 and still struggle. Look at your competitors' link profiles—aim to be 20% stronger.
Honest timeline: Google takes 2-4 weeks to discover new links, 4-8 weeks to process them, and 8-12 weeks to adjust rankings. You should see movement within 90 days. Significant results typically take 4-6 months.
Technical answer: You can, but it's like using steroids in sports. You might see short-term gains, but when you're caught (and Google's getting better at catching), you lose everything. One algorithm update can destroy years of growth.
Value perspective: Quality link building involves research, outreach, content creation, and relationship building. One good link can take 5-10 hours of work. But that link can drive traffic for years. It's not expensive—it's an investment with compounding returns.
Multiple factors: They might have better quality links, stronger on-page SEO, older domain age, better user experience, or more relevant content. Rankings are influenced by 200+ factors. Links are crucial but not everything.
The Bottom Line: Links + Trust = Growth
Anyone can talk backlinks. Not many know how to translate it for the client in front of them. Do that well, and client success follows naturally.
Remember: The real skill isn't building links—it's building trust while building links. Know your client's level, speak their language, show them progress they understand, and results will follow.
We don't just build links—we build growth strategies. Our team combines technical expertise with clear communication to deliver results you can see and understand.
About Spruik Digital
We've built thousands of high-quality backlinks for Australian businesses, from local tradies to ASX-listed companies. Our approach combines technical expertise with clear, jargon-free communication that clients actually understand.
No black hat tactics. No confusing reports. Just quality links and clear explanations that build both rankings and trust.
Talk to us about your link building needs →