Types of backlinks in SEO: what each one is and how it gets there

The main types of backlinks are defined in two ways: the link attribute they carry, and the source that creates them. Attribute types include default/followed links, nofollow, sponsored and UGC. Source types include editorial links, guest posts, curated links, visual links, listicle placements, digital PR, resource pages, citations, press releases and community links.

This page works through both sorts in order. First, the four attribute values and how common each one is, both on the web at large and in a large sample of monitored links. Then each source type in turn: what it is, and how the link gets onto the page. After that, what we check on a publication before and after a placement, and how to keep track of the types in your own profile. We place links for a living, so the source sections also say what we look at.

Types of backlinks by attribute

The old shortcut was to split backlinks into dofollow and nofollow links. It is too thin now. A more useful taxonomy starts with link attributes: default/followed links, nofollow, sponsored and ugc. SEO teams still say "dofollow", but there is no special dofollow tag. It usually means a normal link with no qualifying rel attribute.

The nofollow value is defined as markup. The HTML Living Standard describes that link type in one sentence: "Indicates that the current document's original author or publisher does not endorse the referenced document." It is a statement by the page that links, not a property of the page linked to. The other values are written the same way, as keywords inside the rel attribute on the link. Because the value lives in the markup, it can be checked on the link itself.

The other two values arrived later. Google announced sponsored and ugc on 10 September 2019, in a post called Evolving "nofollow" on the Google Search Central blog. In that post, sponsored identifies links "that were created as part of advertisements, sponsorships or other compensation agreements." The ugc value "stands for User Generated Content" and is for links within user generated content, "such as comments and" forum posts. The same post changed how the values are read. From 10 September 2019, all three are treated as hints for ranking, and for crawling and indexing it says: "nofollow will become a hint as of March 1, 2020."

The SEO chapter of the Web Almanac 2025, published 15 January 2026, puts a figure on each value. The chapter draws on the HTTP Archive crawl, Lighthouse reports, Chrome User Experience reports and custom metrics. On nofollow, it reports: "For search-related qualifiers, nofollow continues to dominate at 32.3% of pages, nearly identical to 2024 levels." On the two newer values: "By contrast, the more specific sponsored and ugc attributes remain stuck at 0.5% each." And on dofollow and follow: "Even outdated attributes like dofollow and follow linger on fewer than 0.5% of pages, a reminder that old SEO myths still echo in small corners of the web without a practical effect."

A second set of figures comes from links people track. The link building statistics page by François Mommens, dated 16 June 2026, draws on "a sample of more than 865,000 backlinks". That sample is the backlinks Linkody users monitor, not the whole web. In it: "In our sample, 77% are dofollow. The other 23% are nofollow." For the newer values: "Just 1.4% of our links carry rel=ugc. Only 0.25% use rel=sponsored." Both newer values are rare among monitored links, just as they are on pages.

The same sample cuts the followed share by site authority: "The share of dofollow links climbs as authority rises, from 63% on weak sites to nearly 90% in the mid range. Then it dips at the very top. The DA 70 and above group is back near 72% dofollow." The attribute tells you what the linking page declared. It does not tell you what kind of site it is.

Table: the four link attribute states, what each one declares and where each turns up, using the Web Almanac 2025 page figures and Linkody's monitored-link sample.

One dataset counts pages and the other counts links, so the figures sit side by side rather than combining. A followed link is the default everywhere; the other three rows are the exceptions a page has to write in. If you want the deeper technical split, our guide to dofollow links and nofollow links covers the mechanics.

Types of backlinks by source

The attribute is written into the link. The source is how the link came to be on the page at all. Someone placed it for you inside an article. An editor chose to cite you. A journalist covered you. A directory listed you. A user posted it. Each type below is defined by that route onto the page, and two links with the same attribute can come from very different routes. Some sources are placements we make for clients. The sections below take each source type in turn: what it is, how the link gets there and, where a dataset says so, what attribute it tends to carry.

One read on how often each route gets used comes from Reporter Outreach's State of Link Building 2026: "500 SEO professionals surveyed in Q1 2026 via online questionnaire distributed across SEO communities, professional networks, and the Reporter Outreach client and partner base." It adds that "All data is self-reported." By share of respondents using each method: digital PR 45.6%, broken link building 44.0%, guest posts 42.4% and link insertions (niche edits) 42.0%.

Curated links (niche edits)

Curated Links, also known as niche edits or in-content links, place your link into an existing relevant article. The article is already published and indexed, so the link joins a page that already has a subject, a history and readers. Because the page already exists, its indexation and readership can be checked before anything is placed.

Check the page, not just the domain. You want a niche edit to sit in a paragraph that already supports the topic. The domain's metrics describe the site; the paragraph describes the placement.

We tier Rhino Rank Curated Links by the placement site's referring domains, and we choose the site itself on relevance, referring domains, DA, organic traffic and overall site quality. The Rhino Rank guide to niche edits covers the format in more detail.

Guest posts

Guest Posts, also known as guest blogging, are backlinks earned through an article published on another site in your market. The article is new, written for that site's readers, and the link sits inside it as part of the copy.

A Rhino Rank Guest Post is a new article of 750+ words on a third-party site. We tier it by the minimum Moz DA of the placement site, across six tiers from DA10+ to DA60+. The tier sets the floor for the site's authority, and the rest of our checks decide whether the number holds up. The difference from a curated link is where the link lives: a guest post creates new copy, while a curated link goes into an existing article.

Visual links

Visual Links are backlinks earned through images, graphics or visual assets published on a relevant site. The important bit is the link. An image backlink needs the image itself, its caption or a nearby citation to carry an actual hyperlink to a real URL.

Alt text does not create a backlink. It describes the image for accessibility and image search context. If an image is wrapped in an <a> tag pointing to your site, that linked image can count. If an article credits the image with a nearby text link, that link can count too.

Image links are the smaller share by markup. In the Linkody sample named above: "96% of backlinks are plain text links. Only about 4% are images." The best visual assets usually save the writer time. If your chart explains the point clearly, citing it is easier than recreating it. The asset does the persuading; the link follows. A visual link still gets the same read as any other: the page, the site and the audience around it.

Listicle placements

A listicle placement is a link inside a list article on a third-party site. We tier Listicle placements by the minimum DA of the site, and the product is the same on every tier. In the product page's own words: "The only difference is the minimum DA of the site we place you on."

Editorial and natural links

An editorial link is one another publisher chooses to add. With editorial backlinks, the decision sits with the publisher: the reference is made because it helps their page. These links are typically formed when:

• Your website is listed as an information source.
• A person from your business is quoted by another person.
• Your website is featured in a round-up article.

The common thread is that someone else decides the reference is worth making.

Natural backlinks, also known as organic backlinks, are links placed by real site owners without a direct placement request. They happen when someone finds your content, decides it helps their audience and links to it from their own page.

Natural links tend to come from useful assets. Think evergreen guides, data, tools, templates, case studies and clear explanations. Publish something specific enough to cite, then make sure the people who would cite it can actually find it. Promotion helps people find the asset; the link itself still needs someone else's decision behind it.

Digital PR and press mentions

Digital PR backlinks come from coverage earned through journalists, publishers and industry media. The source might be original data, expert commentary, a reactive quote, a survey, a useful report or a genuinely newsworthy angle. The publication selects the story, and the link rides on the coverage. The pitch has to stand as a story before any link enters the picture.

The catch is that not every press mention includes a live link. Some outlets cite a brand without linking. Others link with nofollow. A mention without a link still puts the name in front of readers. The separate category is useful because the acquisition channel is different: you are pitching a story, not just requesting a placement.

Resource page links

Resource page links come from pages that curate helpful external resources on a topic. Think "recommended tools", "useful guides" or "industry resources" pages. A good resource-page link is earned because your page already fits the resource's stated criteria. The route in is a short pitch to the page's maintainer, pointing at a page that already fits the list.

We would check the page is still maintained; a resource page left untouched is a different prospect from one that is kept current. We would also check the company kept on the page. If every listed site is unrelated, the resource page is probably not as selective as the heading suggests. A selective page links out because each entry earned its place.

Citations and business listings

WordStream's guide to local citations, by Tom Demers, last updated 27 May 2026, defines the term this way: "A local citation is an online mention of a business. In the context of local SEO, this typically refers to a structured listing on an external website that includes the business name, address, and phone number (NAP)." That definition sets the category: the mention is the constant, and the link is the variable.

A citation is a mention first: "Many local citations that you build will include links to your website, but some will not." The same guide splits citations into two kinds. A structured citation is a listing on a directory-style site with fixed fields for the business details. The other kind: "An unstructured citation is a citation that happens outside of a company or website profile, typically in an article or blog post."

For local businesses, citations also reduce confusion. If your name, address and phone number vary across the web, search engines and customers get a muddier signal. Keeping those details identical across listings is unglamorous work, and it is the work citations do. The Rhino Rank guide to citation building covers the process.

Press releases

Press release links come from brand-issued announcements distributed through wire services or a company's own newsroom. Press releases can still help with visibility and brand mentions. They can also give journalists a clean source to cite. Use them for news, not for link volume.

Community, forum and Q&A links

Social, community and Q&A links come from places such as Reddit, Quora, industry forums and LinkedIn posts. They also appear in specialist communities. These are the links the ugc value was defined for: content added by users rather than by the site itself. The link gets onto the page because a user put it there, and its job is to be useful to the person reading the thread.

UGC links come from content users add to a site: forum posts, comment sections, community profiles, wiki-style contributions and review platforms. The site owner tags them because they do not fully control every user submission. The tag describes who wrote the content, not whether the link helps a reader. A forum answer that cites a genuinely useful page is still a citation a reader can follow.

Other sources: video, podcasts, broken links and testimonials

Video and podcast backlinks appear in YouTube descriptions, podcast show notes, guest bios and episode pages. The route onto the page is a real appearance: an interview, a review or a guest slot. Show notes and bios vary by site, so the page gets the same read as any other source. We would judge these links by audience match first. A specialist podcast with modest reach can be more useful than a broad channel where nobody cares about the topic.

Broken link building is a tactic where you find a broken link on a relevant site. You then contact the site owner and suggest a useful replacement page from your own site. The pitch works because it fixes something the site owner already wants fixed.

Submitting testimonials to companies you have worked with or bought from can earn backlinks. The link appears when the company publishes your quote with a credit link. Testimonial link building works best when the endorsement is specific, useful and true. The quote has to stand on its own; the credit link follows the words.

Networks we do not place on

Two source types sit outside our placement work. A private blog network, or PBN, is a group of sites run by one owner to link out. A link farm is a site or group of sites whose pages exist to hold outbound links. Both are built to pass links along rather than to be read. The Rhino Rank guide to PBN backlinks covers the first, and the Rhino Rank guide to link farms covers the second.

We turn both down on publisher quality alone. Ownership is hidden, there is no real audience, and the traffic does not hold up against the metrics. As our own standard puts it: "We turn away sites whose metrics look impressive but whose traffic doesn't hold up." A page that exists to hold links is not a publication, and we do not place on one.

What we check on a publication

Before a placement goes out, we check the HTTP status code the client's target URL returns: no dead pages, no redirect chains. The link only works if the target resolves.

On the publication side, we weigh indexed pages, organic traffic and its trend, Moz DA cross-checked against Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR), and referring domains together. No single metric settles it. As our guest post page puts it: "DA sets the tier and price; DR and live traffic tell us whether the number is earned." We do not place on PBNs or networks. Every link sits in the body copy of the page, and a human signs off each one.

After publication, the page must be live. The link must sit in the body copy. The anchor and target URL must match the order. The page must be indexable. Only then is the URL reported to the dashboard. A delivered link carries 12-month replacement cover: if the link is removed or its page is taken down, we replace it like for like. The full standard lives on our quality assurance page.

Our published campaigns show the mix of types. Of the 34 campaigns published as case studies on our site, Rhino Rank Curated Links appear in 30, Guest Posts in 10 and Visual Links in 3, and 9 used more than one product. The mix spans placements into existing articles, new articles and visual assets. They are the campaigns we chose to publish, not every campaign we have run.

Keeping track of the types in your own profile

A backlink profile is not just a count of referring domains. It includes the attributes the links carry, the anchors they use, the context of the pages they sit on, the topical fit of the sites behind them and whether the links still exist. A count of domains alone would miss most of that. Reading a profile means reading those parts together, not sorting by one column. Our guide to reading a backlink profile walks through each component.

Links also drop out over time. From the Linkody sample named earlier: "In our sample, only 56% of monitored backlinks are still live and correct." The rest break down this way: 17% were removed with the page still up, 14% return an error, 13% hit a crawl error and under 1% had the anchor or rel changed. The page adds its own caveat: "The crawl errors, about 13%, are murky." A link that was live last year is not evidence of a link that is live today, which is why a profile needs re-checking rather than a one-off check.

A backlink tool lists referring domains, anchors and attributes, which is enough to see the spread of types pointing at your site. The Rhino Rank guide to a backlink audit covers the review, and analysing your competitors' backlinks shows which types are common in your market. Use competitor data as a map, not a photocopier. A market where most links come from directories reads differently from one built on coverage and citations. The point of the review is to see which types are present, in what mix, and from which kinds of site.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main types of backlinks?

Backlinks are sorted in two ways. The first sort is by attribute: a link is either a default followed link, or it carries one or more of three rel values, nofollow, sponsored or ugc. The second sort is by source: editorial links, guest posts, curated links, visual links, listicle placements, digital PR, resource pages, citations, press releases and community links. The attribute is written into the link itself; the source is the route the link took onto the page.

Is there a dofollow attribute?

No. There is no dofollow value in the HTML standard; a followed link is a link with no nofollow, sponsored or ugc value, which is the default state of every link. SEO teams still say dofollow as shorthand for that default state.

How can I get high quality backlinks?

You can acquire high quality backlinks by creating useful assets and pitching relevant publishers. Start with the pages your market already cites. Whatever the type, the target is the same: a relevant, indexed publication with a real readership.

Are nofollow, sponsored and UGC links worth having?

Yes, when the source is relevant and the link has a real audience. Each value declares something different about a link. nofollow says the linking page does not endorse the target, sponsored says the link was part of an advertisement, sponsorship or other compensation agreement, and ugc marks content added by users. These values are common enough that the Web Almanac 2025 measured nofollow alone on 32.3% of pages, and a link carrying any of them still points readers at your site.