Every business owner hears the word backlinks. It’s in every SEO pitch. But what does it actually mean?
We’ve talked with heaps of Auckland clients who bought cheap link packages thinking it’d shoot them to page one. A month later, their rankings tanked. It happens all the time.
At Rank Phoenix, we’ve spent years fixing that kind of stuff. And here’s the truth. Links still matter. They just don’t work the way most people think.
Google looks at who’s talking about you online. When real sites mention you in a genuine way, it builds trust. When dodgy sites do it, Google spots it fast.
So, do backlinks help SEO? Yeah, they do. But not every backlink is a good one.
A backlink is just one website linking to another. Nothing fancy. If someone links to your business, it’s like a digital thumbs-up.
Here’s a simple picture. Let’s say a local home-renovation blog writes about top plumbers in Auckland and includes your link. That’s a backlink. Google notices and goes, “okay, this business might actually be useful.”
The blue text you click on is called anchor text. Like best plumber in East Auckland. Those words help search engines figure out what the link’s about.
When we talk about link development, that’s the ongoing process of building those connections. Done right, it’s how your online reputation grows naturally.
So if someone asks what is backlinking in SEO, tell them it’s just one website recommending another. That’s really it.
People love saying “links don’t matter anymore.” We’ve been doing this long enough to tell you that’s not true.
Links are part of Google’s backbone. They show authority and trust. Every time another website points to yours, it tells search engines you’ve got something valuable.
We helped a small tradie from East Auckland move from page three to page one with just a handful of solid local backlinks. Nothing huge. Just clean, real mentions from trusted Kiwi sites.
So yeah, links are still one of the biggest SEO factors. But you don’t need hundreds. A few strong ones can do more than a pile of spammy ones ever will.
Tip: Quality always beats quantity. Every single time.
We get asked this daily. How do you build backlinks without paying for them?
Here’s what’s worked for our clients around New Zealand:
A café we worked with once got mentioned in a popular Auckland food blog. That one article tripled their traffic. No tricks.
If you want backlinks, start by doing things worth talking about. People link to good stories, not sales pitches.
Everyone chases backlinks, but your own website links are just as powerful.
Internal links connect your pages together. They tell Google which ones matter most and help visitors move around easily.
We often get asked how many internal links per page you should have for SEO. There’s no magic number, but we normally say three to five per 1000 words feels about right.
On our own site, for example, we link to
Best SEO Company East Auckland
and
#1 SEO Company in Auckland
where it makes sense.
Those small links help both Google and readers understand how everything fits.
Let’s talk about the links going out from your site. They matter too.
When you reference a good source – maybe a government page or a local news article – that’s an outbound link. It shows that you’re giving readers reliable info. Google likes that.
Now broken links… that’s another story. They send people to dead pages. Should your SEO team fix them? Always.
We check for them on every client site. Broken links waste crawl time and make visitors bounce. Keeping things tidy helps rankings in the long run.
So the rule’s simple. Keep good outbound links. Fix broken ones fast.
LinkedIn doesn’t get enough credit. It’s a goldmine for visibility if you use it properly.
We’ve shared quick case studies there – real graphs, not buzzwords – and ended up with genuine business leads. Sometimes other companies mention or link to us in posts, which turns into more brand searches and indirect backlinks.
If you’re wondering how to use LinkedIn for SEO or how to get SEO clients on LinkedIn, keep it real. Show what’s working. Don’t oversell.
Start conversations. Join local Auckland business groups. That’s where the real people hang out.
Short answer: not directly.
Posting your link on Facebook won’t make Google jump for joy. But it can get you in front of the right people.
We’ve seen Auckland businesses share one good blog post in a local group, get noticed by a journalist, and end up with a proper backlink later. That’s how it works. Social opens the door; backlinks walk through it.
So yeah, would linking to Facebook increase SEO? No. But the attention you get there can absolutely lead to SEO results later.
We don’t play games with automation or fake guest posts. Our process is honest and simple.
One roofing client came to us with no backlinks. Three months later they had twenty good ones from NZ blogs and directories. Their phone started ringing nonstop.
That’s what clean SEO looks like.
Do backlinks still work in 2025?
Yep. They’re still one of the biggest ranking factors, just filtered harder for quality.
How many internal links are too many?
If your page starts to feel messy or forced, you’ve gone too far.
Is LinkedIn good for SEO?
Yes. It builds authority and often sparks new backlinks naturally.
Should I remove broken links myself?
If you’re confident, sure. Otherwise, let your SEO agency handle it. They’ll do it safely.
Do outbound links hurt rankings?
Not when they go to reliable websites. They actually help.
How can I get local backlinks in Auckland?
Join directories, partner with other Kiwi brands, and get your name into community stories.
In the end, SEO links aren’t about tricks. They’re about trust and relationships. When another business or publication links to you, they’re saying you’ve earned it.
If you want that kind of reputation online, we can help.
At Rank Phoenix, we work with local businesses across Auckland, building real authority through honest link strategies. No shortcuts. Just solid, repeatable results.
Disclaimer: Rank Phoenix provides SEO and digital marketing services tailored for local businesses in Auckland. While we aim for top performance, rankings may vary based on search engine algorithms and competition. Results are influenced by several external factors beyond our control. All information on this site is for general guidance only. For specific advice, please contact us directly.
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