What Are Inbound Links: The ONLY Easy Cheat Sheet On The Internet

If you are here, chances are you are new to the inbound links. Of course, you have heard about inbound marketing and how it’s one of the most effective ways of increasing traffic. 

Let’s break it down for you: you already know that if you can get links to your blogs, you can increase your website’s traffic. But what you probably didn’t know is that there are different kinds of links that you can easily obtain. 

Yep! There are three primary categories of links:

1. Internal Links. 
2. Outbound Links. 
3. Inbound Links. 

So, while all three are important, the most sought-after and popular ones are inbound links. But what are inbound links all about? Most importantly, how are these links different from the other two types? 

Yep, I’ve had the same doubts when I started my content marketing career nearly a decade ago. So, I am here to help you understand four things:

1. What are inbound links? 
2. Why do you need these links? 
3. What does a good inbound link actually look like?
4. How to obtain more inbound links?

Stay tuned.

What Is An Inbound Link? 

Inbound links are links that come to your website from a different website. Generally, the term ‘inbound’ is used by the site-owner who receives the said link. 

For instance, if I get a link from Hubspot (wow, I would die!) on Search Engine Magazine, I would say, “I received an inbound link from Hubspot.”

The Evolving Landscape Of Inbound Links:

TBH, the way we looked at link building 5 years ago has evolved and changed – for the better. Yes, inbound links still matter. And a lot. 

Having said that, we are no longer optimizing for ranking on Google Search. Rather, we are definitely optimizing, but for something bigger.

On that note, in 2025, we are optimizing for:

1. Topic associations. 
2. Brand building. 
3. Co-citations within trusted content.

This is because in the present search landscape, most importantly with LLM (large language models) such as AI Mode and ChatGPT, context ends up beating the <href> tag. AI-powered search engines are directly pulling answers from the internet. Moreover, they generally cite their sources. But they aren’t picking the sources depending on standard link metrics. 

In fact, so many crucial brand mentions are not even clickable. As a result, this ends up shifting the purpose of building links – we have moved from authority in SEO to discoverability. And that too across search – from search to AI, forums, and social. It is more about where your target audience is consuming content from.

That is a major shift in the mindset. 

What Does A Relevant Inbound Link Look Like?

This is important. A good and relevant inbound link:

1. Always uses correct anchor texts. 
2. Always comes from an authoritative website.

In addition, it is vital to point out that good inbound links come with proper anchor text. Yep! By ‘proper,’ I mean the anchor text should look natural and not stuffed with keywords. 

In this context, this is what Google’s stand is on unnatural anchor texts: 

“Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites. For example: There are many wedding rings on the market. If you want to have a wedding, you will have to pick the best ring. You will also need to buy flowers and a wedding dress.”

It is clear that Google does understand the importance of a link, so anything generic like ‘click here,’ or ‘learn more,’ can turn out to be as valuable as keyword-optimized anchor texts. 

Why Do I Need Inbound Links? 

The importance of inbound links for your website is HUGE! I have listed down the primary benefits of inbound links below – scroll down to check. 

1. Enhances Your Ranking On Google

The inbound links in SEO form an essential part, as they help a website improve its metrics within a shorter period. Your website’s authority and status get enhanced due to inbound linking. 

It can help your website rank at the top of the search results within a shorter period. Ensure that you do not miss an opportunity to get a quality inbound link for your website. Organic linking forms an integral part of inbound linking. 

2. Increases The Organic Traffic Of Your Website 

The organic traffic to your website increases when you do inbound linking to your website. So it can help you achieve your objectives in the right way to make things work well in your way.

One of the best ways to increase organic traffic to your website is link building. It can help you to achieve your objectives correctly. However, it is almost the opposite of paid traffic. 

It can help you to achieve your goals effectively within a stipulated period. In addition, it is one of the effective ways to increase organic traffic to your website with the help of search engines.

3. You Will Get More Referral Traffic

We have all talked about the impact of the link on your organic traffic and rankings. However, it also impacts your viewers who are coming to your website from the sources of your linking site.

There is a difference between the exposure to the larger audience and the smaller audience. But, most of the time, they are a passionate audience. 

A good link quality can help you bring more traffic to your website. In addition, it can help your website to gather more links within a stipulated period.

It can make things work well in your way while you want to establish your business in a preset manner. Selection of the niche can help you get things done in the proper sequence. 

4. Domain Authority Of Your Page Increases 

The domain authority of your page increases when you have enough inbound links to your site. Therefore, it can make things easier for your business to increase page traffic within a shorter time. 

The more inbound links you get on your site, the higher your organic traffic to your website. So it can make things easier and simpler for your website to get things done in your favor within a shorter period. 

Your website’s inbound link increases the website traffic within a shorter period. Therefore, it can make things happen in your favor. 

5. Increases Your Revenue & Sales 

Your business’s revenue and sales figures will increase when your website opens up new opportunities for generating revenue. In addition, it can help you improve your website’s traffic within a specific period. 

More quality links mean a higher ranking on the website. Therefore, it can help you increase your site’s traffic within a stipulated period.

You need to know the facts that can help you increase the chances of generating revenue for your business within a shorter time frame. 

6. In Your Niche, It Establishes The Relationship 

It can help you establish a relationship with the websites and blogs that publish content on similar interests and niches. You need to identify the facts that can help things work well in your favor.

Developing a relationship with the niche can help you establish a better relationship with your brand. 

It can make things work well in your way. Avoid making things more complicated at your end. Try to achieve your objectives by establishing a healthy relationship with the clients in the long run. 

It can make things work well in your way while you want to establish your business in a preset manner. Selection of the niche can help you get things done in the proper sequence.

How To Obtain More Inbound Links?

I’m not going to talk about obtaining inbound links in detail because theoretical knowledge can only get you so far. However, I’m going to list down some of the effective strategies that always work. 

Keeping the evolving nature of SEO, here are some of the most effective strategies for obtaining more inbound links:

1. You don’t need a PR company to earn high-authority links. Instead, just help the right people at the right time. So, the point is to become a credible source for bloggers and reporters. 

2. Guest posting is not dead – it has evolved. In 2025, you can’t submit a low-effort article to a random website and land a keyword-rich backlink. Currently, guest posting is more about obtaining trustworthy and relevant content in spaces that influence brand perception and AI responses. 

3. Some blogs are created to rank, but others are built for citations. Yep, so the idea is to create citation magnets that will get you inbound links organically. The best part? Original data, surveys, and free tools always get cited with consistency. So, if you don’t know where to start, you can always start by creating citation magnets. 

4. In 2025, you need branding – without branded techniques and strategies, you might as well call it a day, when it comes to inbound links. It is easy, really – every time you create original content based on authentic data and information, you have to brand your content. Why? Branded strategies always get cited – and wham! You will get backlinks as well.

5. Historically, affiliate marketing had little to do with SEO and more to do with performance marketing. But now, affiliate programs play a crucial role in building relevance. How? It not only drives sales but also incentivizes creators to create content around your brand.

Read Also:

• Future SEO: How Will Search Engine Algorithms Shape The Future Of Organic SEO?
• Omnipresent SEO: Is This Modern SEO Approach Worth The Hype?
• How AI Is Transforming Seo Strategies In 2025