Why Other Websites Linking to Yours Is Like Word-of-Mouth for Google

You're looking for a good accountant. You could Google random names and hope for the best — or you could ask three people you trust and see who they all recommend. If the same name comes up again and again, that's probably your person.

Google thinks the exact same way about websites.

So What's a Backlink, Exactly?

A backlink is simply when another website includes a clickable link that sends people to your website. That's it.

Think of it like a recommendation. When a local food blog writes about the best pizza in town and links to your restaurant's website, that's a backlink. When a business directory lists your plumbing company with a link to your site, that's a backlink. Every single one of those links is another voice telling Google: "Hey, this place is worth visiting."

Why Google Cares So Much About This

Google's whole job is to show people the most trustworthy, relevant results when they search for something. But how does an algorithm figure out who's trustworthy?

It looks at who vouches for you.

If ten random strangers told you a restaurant was great, you might give it a try. But if the city's most respected food critic, three Michelin-starred chefs, and your favourite neighbourhood blog all said the same thing — you'd be booking a table tonight. Google works the same way. A link from a well-known, respected website carries far more weight than a link from some no-name corner of the internet.

The more quality backlinks your website has, the more Google sees it as an authority. And the more authority you have, the higher you appear in search results when potential customers are looking for exactly what you offer.

How to Actually Get Good Backlinks

Here's where most people freeze up, because nobody teaches you this. The good news: it's not as complicated as it sounds.

Write something genuinely useful. If you own a landscaping company and you publish a simple guide — "How to prepare your garden for a Norwegian winter" — local gardening blogs, news sites, and community pages might link to it naturally. Useful content gets shared. It always has.

Partner with businesses you already know. If you refer clients to each other with a neighbouring business, ask them to put a link to your website on theirs. A yoga studio and a physiotherapy clinic. A wedding photographer and a florist. These natural partnerships are exactly the kind of thing Google loves.

Get listed in directories. There are reputable online directories for almost every industry and city — think Yelp, local chamber of commerce websites, or industry-specific registries. Getting your business properly listed on these counts as a backlink, and it also puts you in front of people who are already looking for what you do.

Reach out to local press or bloggers. Did you open a new location? Launch something unusual? Local journalists and bloggers are often looking for stories. A short, genuine pitch can turn into an article — and an article almost always includes a link back to your site.

A Quick Story

A client of mine — a small interior design studio — had a perfectly nice website that was nearly invisible on Google. We didn't rebuild the site. Instead, we helped them contribute a short article to a popular home decor blog, got them listed on two industry directories, and reached out to a local architecture firm they already collaborated with to exchange links.

Three months later, they were showing up on the first page for searches they'd never appeared in before. No ads. No tricks. Just the right people pointing at them online.

Why Buying Links Is a Terrible Idea

You'll come across services that promise to get you "500 backlinks for €50." Run the other way.

Google has entire teams dedicated to identifying fake, paid, or manipulated links. When they catch it — and they do catch it — your website can be penalised, which means you could drop from page one to page ten overnight, or disappear from search results entirely.

It's the equivalent of paying people to stand outside your shop and tell strangers it's great. It feels like it should work. But customers figure it out quickly, and your reputation takes a hit that takes years to recover from.

Backlinks need to be earned. That's what makes them valuable.

The Bottom Line

Getting your website found on Google isn't just about having a beautiful site — it's about building trust, and trust is built the same way online as it is in real life: through genuine recommendations from people who actually respect you.

It takes time. It takes a little strategy. But it compounds, and unlike paid ads, it doesn't stop working the moment you turn off the tap.

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