How Many Backlinks Do I Need? Boost SEO with External Links

In the complex world of SEO, backlinks remain a helpful tool to improve your website’s search engine rankings. But how many backlinks do you actually need? Whether you’re new to SEO or looking to strengthen your existing strategy, understanding the role and value of different types of backlinks can make a significant difference in your site’s performance. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what backlinks are, why they matter in 2025, we’ll answer your burning question, how many backlinks do I need?, and show you proven strategies for building high-quality backlinks that can boost your rankings and drive more organic traffic to your site.

Wait…what is a backlink?

Before determining the ideal number of backlinks for your website, it’s good to be sure you understand what a backlink is. A backlink is just a fancy word us SEOs use to describe the link created when an external site (ideally one that is authoritative and valuable!) links back to your website. High-quality backlinks help websites improve their SEO, because if search engines see that another trustworthy website is linking to yours, they understand that your site must be trustworthy, too. And with Google’s recent confirmation that you can’t just add authority and expertise to your website, backlinks are a great way to signal to Google that your site has necessary authority and expertise to be at the top of the SERP (search engine results page). 

Like many things with SEO, the answer to how many backlinks you need for your website is not exactly cut-and-dry. We’ll explore below how to determine the number of backlinks you need for your website, the best ways to build high-quality backlinks, and the effects backlinks can have on your off-page SEO.

What are the different types of backlinks?

Not all links carry the same weight in the eyes of search engines. Understanding the different types can help you determine how many backlinks your website needs more accurately.

What link attributes can websites assign to external links?

Let’s explore the various link attributes websites can assign to an external link:

Dofollow links are standard backlinks that pass authority between websites, essentially showing search engines that the linking site vouches for the linked site, helping with the link recipient’s SEO rankings. These are generally regarded as the most useful backlinks sites can receive.

Nofollow links contain a special tag that indicates to search engines that they shouldn’t pass authority from the linking site to the linked site. This means that your website won’t benefit from the domain authority of the website linking to you, which makes nofollow links less valuable for SEO. Although, since 2020, Google now potentially considers nofollow links for ranking in some cases, meaning even nofollow links could potentially boost your site’s SEO. 

Links attributed with either the Sponsored or UGC tag are treated as nofollow by search engines. Sponsored links indicate paid relationships between websites, whereas UGC (User-Generated Content) links come from user-generated sources such as comments and forum posts.

Are some backlinks better than others?

There are some general guidelines to keep in mind when seeking new backlinks for your website. The following information reflects what we’ve typically observed throughout our link-building experience, but it is important to note that this information is approximate and can vary depending on the tools you use to assess a website’s domain authority. These tools are estimates from third-party sources and tend to differ from tool to tool. That being said, here are some basic parameters to determine the quality of links your website receives.

High-quality backlinks come from trusted, authoritative websites, preferably those that are relevant to your industry. These links typically have domain authority scores (DA) of 60 or above. These authoritative websites provide the strongest ranking signals to Google and can significantly boost your performance on a search engine results page. Just a few of these premium links can outweigh dozens of lesser quality ones when it comes to boosting your off-page SEO. Website examples that offer high-quality backlinks include: Forbes, Entrepreneur, ESPN, the Washington Post, and more. 

Medium-quality backlinks come from legitimate sites with moderate domain authority (DA scores 40-59). While not as powerful as top-tier links, these links are still valuable, especially when considered together.

Lesser-quality backlinks come from smaller, less established websites (DA scores 30-39). They still provide some value if they’re from relevant sources, but their impact on rankings is generally minimal. The exception to this is if the source is reputable and extremely relevant to your content; for example, an interior design blog linking to your furniture catalog. In this case, the link holds a lot more value since it tells search engines your content is relevant to queries about furniture and interior design.

Spammy, damaging, low-authority backlinks come from low-quality, irrelevant, or suspicious websites. These links can actually harm your SEO efforts and potentially trigger Google penalties. Examples include links from link farms, private blog networks (PBNs), or websites with no real value to users. 

To maintain your SEO optimization, it’s recommended to conduct a backlink audit and disavow low-quality backlinks from your website. To do this, use Google Search Console’s Links Report to see which websites are linking to your website, then export the backlink data, analyze links for quality/relevance, create a disavow file listing toxic links, and submit your file through Google’s Disavow Tool.

With backlinks, quality matters more than quantity, particularly if you’re earning high-quality, do-follow backlinks from websites with high domain authorities. In general, we recommend that you aim to build backlinks from sites with DAs over 30. 

How important are backlinks in 2025?

While some in the SEO world have begun to believe that backlinks are no longer important for your websites, backlinks remain a core part of the Google Philosophy:

While no one knows which factor is the most important in the ranking algorithm for Google and other search engines, what we do know is that high-quality, authoritative backlinks produce results. One study of nearly 12 million search results conducted by industry blog Backlinko showed that the number of domains linking to a page correlated with the page’s ranking on the SERP. 

So, while it’s not up to us to say that backlinks are the most important factor for ranking in 2025–and, truthfully, it seems likely that they are not the #1 factor that influences ranking–the most successful SEOs will incorporate building reputable backlinks into their strategy. After all, when Google considers them a part of their core philosophy, their importance cannot be overlooked. 

For what it’s worth, from what Google shares with the public, some of the most important factors that impact your content’s rankings on SERPs is its relevance, quality, and usability. In their public information about how search works, Google shares that backlinks help the search engine determine that content is high quality: yet another vote for the importance of backlinks.

Convinced? Let’s revisit the original question.

How many backlinks do I need?

So, how many backlinks do I need? Well, it depends. The answer varies based on your specific situation, but some general benchmarks exist. Typically, a well-established website has between 40-50 backlinks to its homepage and anywhere from 0-100 backlinks to individual pages.

However, these numbers aren’t universal. Every keyword, niche, and search result is different. The real answer depends on your competition and what they’re doing.

The most effective approach is to calculate what’s called the “link gap”—the number of backlinks you need to build to rank in the top three spots on Google for a given keyword. This involves analyzing your competitors’ backlink profiles and determining how many links you’ll need to bridge the gap between your site and theirs.

Remember, it’s not just about quantity. A strategic mix of quality and quantity will yield the best results. If you’re far behind competitors, focus on building volume with decent-quality links. If you’re neck-and-neck, prioritize high-quality links to gain an edge.

How do backlinks affect your keyword rankings?

Backlinks significantly impact your website’s performance in search engine results in three primary ways:

• First, backlinks help move your keyword rankings up. 

Google views links like endorsements, and the more endorsements you have from websites that Google trusts, the higher your site will rank. When high-authority sites link to your content, they pass some of their authority to your site, making Google more likely to rank your content higher on the SERP.

• Second, backlinks increase your search traffic. 

As your rankings improve, your organic traffic naturally increases. This traffic is very valuable, since it is highly targeted, because you’re ranking for relevant keywords that attract searchers specifically interested in what you offer.

• Finally, backlinks increase your site’s authority. 

This creates a competitive advantage in the SERPs, making it harder for competitors to outrank you and easier for you to rank for additional similar keywords.

How to build backlinks for your website

If you’re asking yourself, “how many backlinks do I need?”, you may be wondering how to build backlinks for your website. Here are our recommendations:

Remember, you usually want to try to build links on websites with domain authorities ≥ 30. Check the website’s domain authority with free tools from Moz or Ahrefs.

Method 1: Replicate your competitors’ best links

1. Identify your top competitors in search results for your target keywords
2. Analyze their backlink profiles using tools like Ahrefs’ Backlink Checker
3. Determine how they obtained those links (guest posts, forum posts, etc.)
4. Reach out to the same websites and replicate your competition’s strategy.

This approach is particularly effective because websites that have previously linked to your competitors are more likely to link to you as well, allowing you to get more high-quality links with less effort.

Method 2: Outsource link building to a qualified SEO agency that specializes in link-building.

Building links requires significant time and dedication. Many business owners choose to outsource their link building needs to reputable agencies that manually submit and review each link, follow quality control processes, and target relevant, authoritative websites when building out your backlinks.

Additional effective link building strategies include:

• Submitting pitches to journalists seeking expertise on platforms like SourceBottle
• Strategic press releases on relevant websites in your industry 
• Getting featured on a service provider directory
• Building long-term relationships with website owners in your niche
• Using credible link-building platforms such as Ranking Raccoon to simplify link-building.

How quickly will backlinks improve my search rankings?

Backlinks don’t deliver instant improvements to your search rankings. The impact typically unfolds over months, rather than days or weeks.

How long does it take for backlinks to get indexed?

Backlinks can take anywhere from less than one week to 3+ months to be indexed by search engines. You have to wait for the search engine to reindex the website that linked to you. Various factors influence this timeline, including:

• The authority of the linking website
• How frequently the linking site is crawled
• The linking site’s overall SEO health
• The placement of the link on the page.

Once indexed, these links begin increasing your site’s authority, but seeing your ranking improve on the SERP requires patience and consistency. Link-building is about the long game; don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Trust that the links you build will deliver compound benefits over time.

Invest in Your Off-Site SEO with High-Quality Link-building

The question “How many backlinks do I need?” doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. High-quality links from reputable websites with DAs of 60 or more will eventually be game-changing for your SERP rankings. So, if we’re talking about high-quality, authoritative links, hey, the more the merrier! But for spammy or nofollow links, your site is better off without them. 

The best way to determine how many backlinks you need for your website is to calculate the link gap between you and your higher-ranking competitors, and go from there. 

Link-building is a not a rank-#1-on-Google-overnight scheme. Nothing in SEO is. 

Cultivate your relationships with journalists who are seeking your expert insights for their articles. Submit press releases to relevant industry websites. Connect with other SEOs looking to build reputable backlinks on credible tools like Ranking Raccoon. Or, better yet, call in the SEO pros.

When you want a trusted partner to create and review reputable backlinks for your website, you’re going to want an Optimist on your side. Contact us today to find out how we can improve your keyword rankings by building reputable backlinks for your business!