Backlinks are one important factor in how a search engine ranks your website, as it is a simple way for Google to understand how authoritative and trustworthy your site is. Every business is unique, so the importance can vary depending on your current authority score, who you are trying to compete with and for what search terms as well as the backlink profile of other companies within your sector.

However, from a simplistic perspective, if other websites are linking back to you, particularly those with high levels of authority themselves and are closely related to your industry, it tells Google that you know what you’re talking about and encourages the search engine to point even more people your way. You can encourage backlinks by creating high quality content that other sites will want to link back to.