How to Get Backlinks: A Guide for Canadian Businesses

Last updated: October 1, 2026

The most dependable way to get backlinks is to earn them, and a focused small business can realistically build somewhere between two and ten quality links a month once it has content worth linking to and a simple outreach habit. The typical path looks like this: you publish something genuinely useful, you tell the right people it exists, and a share of them link to it. How fast that adds up depends on your niche, how much link-worthy content you already have, and how competitive your target keywords are. A local service business in a quieter market can often compete with a modest handful of relevant links, while a company chasing national terms may need dozens of earned links built steadily over many months.

How to get backlinks at a glance

• Fastest safe wins: unlinked brand mentions, business directory listings, and local citations you can claim in a day.
• Highest long-term value: original data, free tools, and in-depth guides that other writers cite on their own.
• Most reliable outreach tactics: guest posting, broken link building, and journalist requests through services like Connectively (formerly HARO).
• Realistic pace for a small business: roughly two to ten quality links a month, treated as a planning range rather than a promise.
• What matters most: relevance and trust of the linking site, not the raw number of links.
• Biggest risk to avoid: buying links or joining link schemes, which breach Google’s guidelines and can trigger a penalty.

Key backlink terms in plain language

• Backlink: a link from another website that points to a page on your site.
• Referring domain: a unique website that links to you, counted once no matter how many links it sends.
• Anchor text: the clickable words used for a link, which give search engines context about the destination.
• DoFollow and NoFollow: a link attribute that tells search engines whether to pass authority, with nofollow signalling that they should not.
• Linkable asset: a page built specifically to attract links, such as a study, calculator, or definitive guide.
• Domain authority: a third-party score from tools like Moz or Ahrefs that estimates a site’s strength, and not a metric Google publishes.
• Outreach: the act of contacting site owners, editors, or journalists to earn a mention or link.

Every website starts from a different place, so treat any link target or timeline here as a rough guide rather than a fixed rule. An established brand with an engaged audience often earns links without asking, while a newer site usually has to work for each one. One caution worth stating up front: link building is the corner of SEO where bad advice does the most harm. Anything that promises hundreds of links for a small fee almost always relies on schemes that violate Google’s guidelines, and cleaning up after them can cost far more than the shortcut ever saved. A simple test helps here. Ask whether a link would still make sense if search engines did not exist. If the honest answer is no, it is probably a risk worth skipping.

Key takeaways

• The durable way to get backlinks is to create things worth linking to and then make sure the right people know they exist.
• Quality and relevance outrank quantity, so a few links from trusted, on-topic sites usually do more than dozens from weak or unrelated ones.
• Some links are within reach today, including unlinked mentions, directory and citation listings, and links from suppliers or partners you already work with.
• Outreach works when your pitch is genuinely helpful, which is what separates guest posts, broken link building, and journalist requests from spam.
• Canadian businesses have to respect CASL when they run email outreach, since cold commercial email is regulated here.
• Buying links and joining private blog networks are among the fastest ways to earn a penalty instead of a ranking gain, so the safe path is earning links through genuine value.

This guide walks through what backlinks are, what separates a good one from a risky one, and the specific tactics you can use to build them, with an eye on what is realistic for a Canadian small or midsized business. If you would rather hand the heavy lifting to a team, our professional link building services cover the outreach and digital PR side that takes the most time to do well.

What are backlinks, and why do they still matter?

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to yours, and they matter because search engines treat them as a signal of trust and relevance. When a credible site links to one of your pages, it reads a little like a recommendation, a vote that your content is worth pointing people toward. Google has used links as a core ranking signal since its earliest days, and while the algorithm has grown far more sophisticated about spotting manipulation, the underlying idea holds. Sites that earn links from respected, relevant sources tend to rank better than sites that do not.

There is a second reason backlinks matter that often gets overlooked. A good link sends real people to your site. A mention in an industry roundup or a link from a supplier’s partner page can bring qualified visitors who never touched a search engine. So even setting rankings aside, links do double duty as a referral channel. That referral value is one reason the tactics in this guide focus on links that would be worth having regardless of any SEO benefit.

Backlinks are one part of the wider picture of what SEO is, and they sit within off-page SEO, the set of signals that come from outside your own website. On-page and technical work still have to be solid for links to pay off, since links pointing at thin or slow pages will not carry you far. Think of backlinks as the amplifier and your own pages as the signal. Both need to be good.

Common types of backlinks

Not all backlinks look the same, and knowing the main categories helps you focus your effort where it counts. Here is a plain breakdown of the types you will run into most often.

The pattern here is worth noticing. The links with the most value are the ones that are hardest to get, because they are the ones other people choose to give you. That is not a coincidence. Google designed the system so that manipulation is difficult and genuine endorsement is rewarded, which is exactly why earning links takes patience.

What makes a backlink high quality?

A high-quality backlink comes from a website that is relevant to your topic, carries real trust, and links to you in a natural context. Those three factors, relevance, authority, and placement, matter far more than any single score you will see in a tool. A link from a respected site in your industry is worth more than a link from a high-authority site that has nothing to do with what you do, and both beat a pile of links from low-value sites that exist mainly to sell links.

When you are weighing whether a link is worth pursuing, a few questions cut through the noise. Would a real reader of that site find your page useful? Does the site publish genuine content rather than an endless stream of sponsored posts? Is the link inside the body of relevant content, or buried in a footer or a list of hundreds of outbound links? The answers tell you more than a domain authority number ever will.

One more point about anchor text, since it trips people up. It is tempting to ask every site to link to you using your exact target keyword, but a link profile stuffed with identical keyword-rich anchors looks unnatural and can work against you. Natural link profiles are messy. They mix your brand name, the page title, bare URLs, and generic phrases like “this guide.” Aim for that variety rather than engineering every anchor.

How do you actually get backlinks?

At the simplest level there are four ways to get a backlink, and only three of them are safe. The SEO community often frames them as adding, asking, earning, and buying. Adding means placing your own link somewhere, such as a directory or profile. Asking means reaching out and requesting a link, as with guest posts or unlinked mentions. Earning means creating something so useful that people link to it without being asked. Buying means paying for links to manipulate rankings, which is the one to avoid.

Most healthy link building programs blend the first three. You claim the easy foundational links, you run steady outreach for the mid-tier ones, and you invest in content that earns links over time. The mix shifts depending on your resources, but the direction of travel is the same. Over months, an increasing share of your links should come from earning rather than asking, because that is the sign your content is doing the work for you.

Twelve ways to get backlinks that hold up

The tactics below range from quick foundational wins to longer campaigns that take real effort. You do not need all of them. Pick the two or three that fit your business, your industry, and the time you have, then do them consistently. Consistency beats intensity here, because links accumulate.

1. Reclaim unlinked brand mentions

Somewhere on the web, people are already talking about your business without linking to you, and turning those mentions into links is one of the easiest wins available. Set up a simple alert for your brand name, or use a monitoring tool, then reach out politely to the sites that mention you and ask if they would add a link. Because they have already referenced you, the ask is small and the success rate tends to be high. This is a friendly, low-risk place to start.

2. Build genuinely linkable assets

A linkable asset is a page other people want to cite, and it is the engine behind most durable link building. Original research, a free calculator, an industry benchmark, a definitive guide, or a well-made template all qualify, which is one reason content marketing and SEO work so closely together. The common thread is that each gives a writer a reason to reference you as a source. Journalists and bloggers link to data and tools far more readily than to a sales page, so if you want links to come to you, this is where the effort belongs.

3. Write guest posts for relevant sites

Guest posting means contributing a helpful article to another site in your field, with a natural link back to your own. It still works when the site is relevant and reputable and the content is genuinely good. The version that does not work is the mass-produced guest post dropped on any site that will take it, purely for the link. Focus on a short list of publications your audience actually reads, pitch topics that fit their gaps, and treat the article as a chance to demonstrate expertise rather than a link drop.

4. Try broken link building

Broken link building is a tidy tactic: you find a broken link on a relevant page, then suggest your own working resource as a replacement. Site owners generally appreciate the heads-up about a dead link, which makes them more receptive to your suggestion. It takes some digging with an SEO tool to find broken links worth pursuing, and you need a page that genuinely fits as a replacement, but the exchange is helpful on both sides, which is what makes it effective.

5. Pitch journalists and respond to source requests

Reporters and writers are constantly looking for expert quotes and data, and answering their requests can earn links from strong publications. Services like Connectively, formerly Help a Reporter Out, and similar platforms connect journalists with sources. When you provide a clear, quotable answer that fits the story, you can land a mention on a site you could never reach through cold outreach. This is a cornerstone of digital PR, and it rewards speed and genuine expertise.

6. Claim business directories and local citations

Directory and local citation listings are the foundational links almost every business should have. Listings on reputable directories and industry-specific platforms confirm that your business is real and consistent, and they support local visibility, working hand in hand with a well-managed Google Business Profile. Keep your business name, address, and phone number identical everywhere, since consistency is the whole point. For location-based businesses, this is some of the highest-return link work available, and much of it you can do yourself in an afternoon.

7. Get listed on resource and “best of” pages

Many sites maintain resource pages or “best tools” and “best providers” roundups, and getting included earns a contextual, relevant link. Search for resource pages in your niche, check that your business genuinely fits, then reach out explaining why you belong on the list. The key word is genuinely. Pitching yourself onto a list you do not fit wastes everyone’s time, but a well-matched suggestion is easy for a curator to say yes to.

8. Offer testimonials and case studies

Companies love publishing customer testimonials, and many link back to the customer’s website alongside the quote. If you use products or services you would happily recommend, offering a short, honest testimonial can earn a link from the vendor’s site. The same goes the other way. A well-documented case study of your own work gives partners and clients something to reference and link to. Both are honest, low-effort ways to earn a mention.

9. Build partner and supplier links

The businesses you already work with are a natural source of relevant links. Suppliers, partners, associations, and local organizations you belong to often have member directories, partner pages, or “who we work with” sections. These links are relevant by definition and usually easy to arrange, because the relationship already exists. Make a quick list of everyone you do business with and check whether a link makes sense with each of them.

10. Participate in communities the right way

Forums, industry groups, and platforms like Reddit and Quora can support your link building, but only when you take part honestly rather than dropping links. Most links from these platforms are nofollow, so the direct ranking value is limited. The real benefit is visibility and the relationships that lead to real links later. Answer questions in your area of expertise, be useful first, and link to your content only when it genuinely helps the person asking. Spamming these communities does more harm than good.

11. Promote your content so it gets seen

Even the best content earns links only if people find it, which is why promotion is part of link building, not separate from it. Share new pieces with your email list, mention them where your audience gathers, and reach out to people you cite in the work. A related approach, sometimes called the skyscraper technique, is to find content that already attracts links, create something clearly better, and then let the sites linking to the original know about your improved version. Promotion turns good content into linked content.

12. Turn existing relationships into links

Your current customers, clients, and professional network are an underused source of links. A satisfied client may be happy to feature you in a blog post, a partner may include you in a co-marketing piece, and a local organization may profile your business. These conversations are easier than cold outreach because trust already exists. Sometimes the fastest way to get a backlink is simply to ask someone who already likes working with you.

How can you get backlinks for free?

You can get backlinks for free with tactics that trade time and effort for cost, and most of the twelve approaches above fit that description. Reclaiming unlinked mentions, claiming directories and citations, contributing genuinely useful guest posts, responding to journalist requests, and asking partners for links all cost nothing but your attention. The trade is straightforward. Free link building asks for your time and consistency instead of your budget.

What you cannot do is get quality links for free instantly and at scale. The services promising thousands of free backlinks overnight are delivering either automated spam links that can hurt you, or links from networks that Google discounts or penalizes. Free and legitimate link building is real, but it is a steady habit rather than a shortcut. If your budget is tight, focus your free effort on the tactics with the highest return for a small business: unlinked mentions, citations, and relationships you already have.

Should you buy backlinks?

Buying backlinks to influence rankings is against Google’s guidelines and carries real risk, so for almost every business the answer is no. Google’s spam policies treat links intended to manipulate rankings, including bought links and links from private blog networks, as violations that can lead to ranking drops or manual actions. Recovering from a link penalty is slow and expensive, and it often costs more than the shortcut ever saved. The demand for bought links is understandable, since earning them is hard, but the math rarely works out.

There is a nuance worth naming, because it causes confusion. Paying for a link is not automatically against the rules when the link is properly disclosed as sponsored or nofollow, which is how legitimate advertising and sponsorships work. The problem is paying for a regular dofollow link that is meant to look editorial and pass ranking authority. That is the line Google draws. If you sponsor a newsletter or run an ad, that is fine when it is marked correctly. If you pay a vendor for a batch of dofollow links dressed up as editorial mentions, that is a scheme.

If you would like a realistic sense of what earning links actually costs when you hire help rather than buy links, our guide to link building costs in Canada breaks down planning ranges for the outreach and content work involved. It is a very different thing from buying links, and the distinction matters both for your results and for your risk.

How do you find and analyze backlinks?

You can find your existing backlinks for free with Google Search Console, which shows the sites linking to you and the pages they point to. It is the natural starting point, since it comes straight from Google and costs nothing. Beyond that, third-party tools such as Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush offer deeper backlink analysis, competitor research, and monitoring, though they are paid products. You do not need all of them, and for many small businesses Search Console plus one paid tool is plenty.

Analyzing backlinks serves two purposes. First, it tells you what you already have and whether any low-quality links need attention. Second, and often more useful, it lets you study competitors. If you look at who links to the sites ranking above you, you get a ready-made list of places that might link to you too. That competitive angle is one of the most practical ways to find realistic link targets rather than guessing.

Is it worth paying for a backlink checker? For a business running an active link building program or competing in a tough niche, a paid tool usually pays for itself in the time it saves and the opportunities it surfaces. For a small local business doing occasional link work, Search Console and a free tier may be all you need. Match the tool to the size of the job rather than buying the most powerful option by default.

How many backlinks do you need, and how long does it take?

There is no fixed number of backlinks you need to rank, because quality, relevance, and your competition matter far more than a count. A handful of strong, on-topic links can outrank a competitor with hundreds of weak ones. The honest way to answer the question is to study the sites currently ranking for your target terms and look at the strength of their link profiles. That gives you a realistic sense of the gap you are trying to close, which is far more useful than any universal target.

Timing works the same way. Links take time both to build and to influence rankings, since search engines re-evaluate authority gradually. Most businesses that run a steady program start to see movement over a few months, with competitive markets often taking a year or more. Anyone promising fast, dramatic results from link building is usually either misunderstanding it or using risky tactics. Patience is not a nice-to-have here. It is built into how the system works.

These are planning ranges drawn from how link building generally behaves, not guarantees. Your own results depend on your starting point, your content, and how competitive your market is, which is why a tailored plan beats any one-size-fits-all timeline.

What should Canadian businesses know about link outreach and CASL?

Canadian businesses running email outreach have to work within Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation, known as CASL, which regulates commercial electronic messages sent to recipients in Canada. Much of link building involves emailing site owners, editors, and journalists, and those messages can fall under CASL. In practice this means you need a valid reason to contact someone, you must identify yourself and your business clearly, and you must give a simple way to opt out of further messages.

This does not make outreach impossible, and it is not a reason to avoid link building. Plenty of outreach fits within the rules, particularly when your message is relevant, personal, and genuinely useful to the recipient rather than a mass blast. The practical takeaway is to keep your outreach targeted and honest, which happens to be exactly what makes it effective anyway. If you plan large outreach campaigns, it is worth reviewing the Government of Canada’s CASL guidance, and getting professional advice if you are unsure how the rules apply to your situation.

For location-based businesses, there is a homegrown advantage in all of this. Local citations, listings on Canadian directories, links from local organizations and associations, and coverage in regional publications all build relevant authority while keeping you close to the customers you actually serve. A national link chase is not the only path, and for many Canadian small businesses the local route is both safer and more productive.

What backlink mistakes should you avoid?

The most damaging backlink mistake is pursuing volume over quality, usually through bought links or automated schemes that promise big numbers fast. Those tactics are the quickest route to a penalty, and they undo far more than they build. But there are quieter mistakes that hold businesses back without ever triggering a penalty, and they are worth naming because they are common and avoidable.

If you take one principle from this section, let it be this. Every link decision gets easier when you ask whether the link would make sense without search engines in the picture. Real relationships, real mentions, and real usefulness are the through-line of safe link building. The shortcuts that skip those things are the ones that eventually cost you.

Should you build links yourself or hire help?

You can do a meaningful amount of link building yourself, particularly the foundational and local work, and many businesses handle those parts in-house and bring in help for the rest. Claiming citations, reclaiming mentions, asking partners, and setting up your directory listings are all within reach for a motivated owner. The harder, more time-consuming work, competitive outreach and digital PR, is where experience and existing relationships make the biggest difference, and where mistakes carry the most risk.

If you would rather focus on running your business than on chasing editors and monitoring mentions, this is the part that most often makes sense to delegate. Our team handles the outreach, digital PR, and content-led link earning through our link building services, and we are happy to talk through what a realistic program would look like for your market. You can get in touch for a straightforward conversation about where links fit in your wider SEO strategy.

A simple backlink plan you can start this month

If all of this feels like a lot, here is a short, ordered plan that suits most small and midsized businesses. It moves from the quickest wins to the longer plays, so you build momentum before tackling the harder work.

• Set up brand monitoring and reclaim any unlinked mentions you find.
• Claim and clean up your business directory and local citation listings, with identical name, address, and phone details everywhere.
• List every supplier, partner, and organization you work with, and ask each about a relevant link.
• Create at least one genuinely linkable asset, such as a guide, tool, or piece of original data.
• Identify a short list of relevant sites and publications where a guest post or expert quote would fit.
• Start monitoring journalist request platforms and reply quickly when a query fits your expertise.
• Keep your outreach compliant with CASL when you email people in Canada.
• Track referring domains and mentions over time, and put more effort into whatever is working.

None of these steps is complicated on its own. The difficulty is doing them steadily, month after month, while the results build quietly in the background. A business that works through this list and keeps at it will strengthen its link profile in the way search engines actually reward, which is gradually and genuinely.

Frequently asked questions

What are backlinks in simple terms?

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to yours. Search engines treat them a bit like recommendations, so a link from a trusted, relevant site signals that your content is worth showing to searchers. They also send real visitors your way, which makes a good backlink valuable even apart from any ranking benefit.

How do I get backlinks for free?

Most legitimate link building is free in cost and paid for with time. Reclaiming unlinked brand mentions, claiming business directories and citations, asking partners and suppliers for links, contributing helpful guest posts, and answering journalist requests all cost nothing but effort. What you cannot do for free is buy quality links instantly, since the services promising that usually deliver spam or scheme links that can hurt you.

Are backlinks still relevant in 2026?

Yes. Backlinks remain one of Google’s core ranking signals, and they matter for AI search too, since AI Overviews and answer engines tend to draw from sources that already carry trust signals like links and brand recognition. The tactics have matured, and low-quality links carry less weight than they once did, but earning genuine links from relevant sites is still one of the clearer ways to build authority.

How much does a backlink cost?

There is no standard price, and it is worth being careful here, because paying for links to manipulate rankings breaches Google’s guidelines. The cost that makes sense to think about is the cost of earning links through content and outreach, whether you invest your own time or hire help. Our guide to link building costs in Canada breaks down realistic planning ranges for that work rather than for buying links.

How do I find my backlinks?

Google Search Console is the free starting point, and it shows the sites linking to you and the pages they point to. For deeper analysis, paid tools such as Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush provide fuller backlink data, competitor comparisons, and monitoring. Many small businesses do fine with Search Console plus one paid tool rather than a whole stack.

What is the best way to get backlinks?

The best single approach for most businesses is to create genuinely useful content and then make sure the right people know it exists. Original data, free tools, and in-depth guides earn links over time because writers cite them on their own. Paired with a steady habit of reclaiming mentions and doing relevant outreach, that combination builds a healthy link profile without relying on risky shortcuts.

Is it worth paying for a backlink checker?

It depends on how active your link building is. A business running an ongoing program or competing in a tough niche usually saves enough time and finds enough opportunities to justify a paid tool. A small local business doing occasional link work can often rely on Google Search Console and a free tier. Match the tool to the size of the job rather than buying the most powerful option by default.

How many backlinks do I need to rank?

There is no fixed number, because quality and relevance matter far more than quantity. A few links from trusted, on-topic sites can outperform hundreds of weak ones. The practical answer is to study the sites ranking for your target terms and the strength of their link profiles, since that tells you far more than any universal target.

How long does it take to get backlinks?

Earning quality links takes weeks to months of steady effort, and it takes additional time for those links to influence rankings as search engines re-evaluate your authority. Most businesses running a consistent program see movement over several months, with competitive markets often taking a year or more. Fast, dramatic results are a warning sign rather than a goal.

Can I get backlinks for a brand new website?

Yes, though a new site usually has to earn links rather than expecting them to arrive on their own. Start with foundational links you control, such as directories, citations, and profiles, then move to relationship-based links from partners and suppliers. As you publish useful content and do relevant outreach, editorial links follow. It is slower for a new site, but entirely doable.

What are high-quality backlinks?

High-quality backlinks come from relevant, trusted websites and sit inside meaningful content rather than a footer or a list of hundreds of links. Relevance, authority, and placement matter more than any single score. A contextual link from a respected site in your industry is worth far more than a batch of links from low-value sites that exist mainly to sell them.

Should I buy backlinks?

For almost every business, no. Buying links to influence rankings violates Google’s guidelines and can lead to penalties that are costly and slow to recover from. Paid placements are only acceptable when they are properly disclosed as sponsored or nofollow, as with legitimate advertising. If a service offers a fixed number of dofollow links for a set price regardless of quality, treat it as a red flag.

What is the difference between a dofollow and nofollow link?

A dofollow link passes ranking authority to the destination, while a nofollow link includes an attribute telling search engines not to pass that authority. Dofollow links generally carry more direct SEO value, but nofollow links still drive traffic, build awareness, and make a link profile look natural. A healthy profile includes both, since an all-dofollow pattern can itself look engineered.

Do backlinks from social media count?

Most social media links are nofollow, so they do not pass ranking authority directly. Their value is indirect but real. Social platforms spread your content, grow your audience, and create the visibility that leads to genuine links and mentions elsewhere. Think of social as a distribution engine that feeds your link building rather than a direct ranking factor.

What is broken link building?

Broken link building is the tactic of finding a dead link on a relevant page and suggesting your own working resource as a replacement. Site owners usually appreciate the heads-up about a broken link, which makes them more open to your suggestion. It takes some research to find suitable opportunities and a page that genuinely fits, but it is a helpful, low-pressure way to earn a contextual link.

Does guest posting still work for backlinks?

Yes, when it is done well. Contributing a genuinely helpful article to a relevant, reputable site, with a natural link back, still earns valuable links. What no longer works is mass-produced guest posting on any site that will accept it, purely for the link. Focus on a short list of publications your audience reads, and treat each guest post as a chance to show expertise rather than drop a link.

How do I get backlinks from news websites?

The most reliable route is digital PR: providing journalists with quotable expertise, original data, or a newsworthy angle they can use. Responding to source requests through platforms like Connectively is a practical entry point, since reporters are actively looking for sources. Links from news sites are earned by being genuinely useful to a story, which is why data and clear expert commentary tend to work best.

Does anchor text matter when building links?

Yes, but not in the way people often assume. Anchor text gives search engines context about the destination, so descriptive, natural wording helps. The mistake is trying to force every link to use your exact target keyword, which creates an unnatural pattern that can work against you. Aim for variety that mixes your brand name, page titles, bare URLs, and generic phrases, which is what real link profiles look like.

How do I track my link building progress?

Track a few trends rather than a single number. Referring domains, the relevance and quality of new links, brand mentions, branded search interest, and referral traffic together give a clearer picture than any one metric. The clearest sign that link building is working is when your growing link profile lines up with better rankings and more of the customers you actually want.

Related articles

• Off-Page SEO: A Guide for Canadian Businesses
• How Much Does Link Building Cost in Canada? A 2026 Pricing Guide
• Local Citations for Canadian Businesses: What They Are and How to Build Them
• What Is Search Engine Optimization and Why It’s Important: A Complete Guide
• How to Increase Website Traffic: A Guide for Canadian Businesses

Sources: Google Search Central documentation on link spam and link best practices, and Government of Canada guidance on Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Search demand figures referenced during research were drawn from DataForSEO for the Canadian market.

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