When it comes to backlinks, everyone has an opinion. Some say it’s all about quality. They argue that a few links from trusted, high-authority sites will do wonders for your rankings. Forget about how many links you have as long as they’re strong.

Others? They’re going to claim it’s numbers. The bigger the number, the better. To them, even if those links aren’t perfect, enough of them is still going to make your site better.

So, who’s right?

That’s exactly what we’re here to figure out. In this article, we’ll break down backlink quality vs. quantity in simple terms. By the end, you’ll know what’s best for your website in 2025.

Let’s get into it!

What Are Quality Backlinks?

A quality backlink is a link from a website that people and search engines trust. It’s like getting a thumbs-up from someone respected in your industry.

For example, if a reputable news website or a leading blog links to your website, that is a high-quality backlink. Google considers that as a sign that your content is worth reading and is reliable.

Those who value quality over quantity believe that a couple of good, reliable links are superior to having heaps of unrelated links. The more reliable the website links to you, the more valuable the backlink.

How to Identify a Quality Backlink?

Here’s how to check if a backlink is truly high-quality:

• Is the Link Related to Your Industry? A good link comes from a site that talks about topics similar to yours. If you have a fitness blog, a link from a health website is great. But a link from a car repair site? That won’t help much.
• Does the Site Have a Good Reputation? Check if the linking site is highly trusted by Google. Sites with high Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) are viewed as more trusted. You can check this using Moz or Ahrefs. The higher the value, the better the link.
• Does the Link Look Natural? A quality link should fit naturally into the content. It shouldn’t feel like it was thrown in randomly. If it looks out of place, it might be a spammy link.
• Is the Content Around the Link Helpful? Look at the content where your link appears. If the article is well-written and useful, that’s a good sign. But if it’s full of generic or copied text, the link might not help your site much.
• Is It a DoFollow Link? DoFollow links help boost your SEO because they pass value to your site. NoFollow links don’t have the same effect. You can check the link’s code to see if it’s DoFollow.
• Is the Page Free of Spammy Links? Look at the whole page where your link is. If the page has lots of other spammy links, it’s probably not a quality backlink. A good link should come from a clean, well-organized page.

By checking these simple things, you can tell if a backlink is worth keeping.

Pros and Cons of Quality Backlinks

Getting quality backlinks is great for SEO, but it’s not always easy. Let’s look at the good and the bad sides in simple terms. 😊

✅ Pros of Quality Backlinks

1. 🚀 Boosts Your Google Rankings: Links from trusted websites help your site show up higher in Google search results.
2. 🤝 Builds Trust and Credibility: When popular sites link to you, people and search engines trust your site more.
3. 📈 Bring Long-Term Traffic: Quality backlinks keep sending visitors to your site over time, not just once.
4. 🎯 Attracts More Links: Good links bring even more links. Other sites will see your content and want to link to it too!

❌ Cons of Quality Backlinks

1. ⏳ Takes Time and Effort: It’s not quick to get good backlinks. You need to create helpful content and connect with others.
2. 💸 Can Be Expensiv: Hiring link-building experts or services costs money, but the results last longer.
3. 📝 You Need Great Content: Bad or boring content won’t get you good links. You have to create something people want to share.
4. ⚔️ Tough Competition in Some Niches: In competitive industries, everyone wants links from the same top sites, making it harder.

Knowing these pros and cons helps you decide if focusing on quality backlinks is right for you.

Simple Ways to Build Quality Backlinks

Here are some simple ways to get quality backlinks and improve your website’s SEO.

1. Guest Posting on Reputable Sites

Guest posting refers to writing content for trusted sites in your field. They give you a link back to your website when they publish your content on these sites. This is a smart way to earn valuable backlinks that enhance your search ranking.

Your website gains authority through links coming from reputable sites. This may improve your rankings and attract new visitors to your site. Also, guest posts allow you to tap into wider audiences, which can improve your brand reputation.

However, guest posting takes time. You need to find good websites, pitch your ideas, and write valuable content. It also requires strong writing skills and a good understanding of your industry. Sometimes, you may need to hire professionals to help, which can add to the cost.

2. Create Shareable Content

If you want quality backlinks, make content that people want to share. When your content is useful or interesting, other websites will link to it naturally.

This could be how-to guides, infographics, or original research. Content that helps people or teaches them something new gets shared more. And the better your content, the more authoritative backlinks you get. However, creating share-worthy content isn’t as simple. Concepting, writing, and designing takes time. You must know what grabs your audience’s attention. 

If you lack the time or skills, it can be difficult. Creating content that people love to share is still great for getting quality backlinks and driving website traffic.

3. Broken Link Building

Broken link building is a simple method of obtaining quality backlinks. Here’s how you can do it: you look for links on sites that are not working anymore, and you’re willing to exchange them with your content.

Webmasters do not like broken links because they are damaging SEO and the reputation of their sites. If you offer them a useful, working link (your content), they’ll likely add it to their site. This helps you get high-quality backlinks from trusted websites.

But it takes time. You need to search for broken links, have good content ready, and reach out to website owners. Sometimes they respond quickly, but not always.

4. Claim Unlinked Brand Mentions

Sometimes, websites mention your brand but don’t link to your site. Claiming unlinked brand mentions means finding these mentions and asking them to add a link.

This is an easy way to get quality backlinks because they’re already talking about you. Adding a link helps their readers find your site and gives your SEO a boost.

But first, you need to find these mentions. This takes time and tools like Google Alerts or SEO tools. Once you find them, reach out politely and ask for the link.

What Does Backlink Quantity Mean?

You know what quality backlinks are and why they’re important. But what about the people who say that having more backlinks is better than having high-quality ones?

When people talk about backlink quantity, they don’t mean getting links from spammy or bad websites. Instead, they focus on getting as many links as possible, even if those links come from smaller or average websites with low to medium authority.

They don’t worry much about how relevant the link is or whether the site is very popular. Their goal is simple: get more links.

For example, they may settle for a link from a low-level blog or a basic directory, regardless of the low authority of the site. They think the more links there are to you, the better you rank in search. 

This can give you a quick spike in traffic, but if the links aren’t from good places it won’t do much to help in the long run.

Pros and Cons of Focusing on Backlink Quantity 🔗

Getting lots of backlinks might sound great, but it has its ups and downs. Let’s break it down:

👍 Pros of Getting More Backlinks

1. 🚀 Quick Boost in Rankings: Adding a lot of links can quickly push your site up in search results.
2. 🌐 More Visibility: The more links you have, the more places your site shows up online.
3. 💸 Cheaper and Easier: It’s usually cheaper to get lots of links from directories or forums than to build high-quality links.

⚠️ Cons of Getting More Backlinks

1. 🛑 Spammy Links Can Hurt: Too many links from bad or unrelated sites can damage your SEO.
2. ⚡ Risk of Google Penalties: If Google spots too many low-quality links, it might drop your rankings.
3. ⏳ Short-Term Gains: The boost from lots of links doesn’t last long if the links aren’t good.

Easy Strategies to Increase Backlink Quantity

Here are some quick and simple strategies to help you build a large number of backlinks:

1. Submit to Online Directories

Adding your website to online directories is a simple way to get lots of backlinks. These directories list your site based on your business type, helping people find you online.

The more directories you join, the more backlinks you collect. This can help boost your Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR), making your site look stronger to search engines.

While this method helps you get links quickly, not all directories are safe. Submitting to low-quality sites can hurt your rankings in the long run.

2. Engage in Forums and Communities

Being active in forums lets you build many backlinks, boosting your website’s visibility and Domain Authority (DA). Where to Join:

• Industry Forums: Join forums related to your field, like Stack Overflow for tech topics.
• Q&A Sites: Answer questions on sites like Quora or Reddit and include helpful links.
• Community Groups: Get involved in Facebook Groups or LinkedIn communities in your niche.

Don’t spam! Only share links when they genuinely help the discussion. Too many links in the wrong places can hurt your SEO.

3. Comment on Blogs

When you leave comments on blogs related to your business, you can include a link to your website. This can bring more people to your site and help with your online visibility.

But it’s important not to spam. Don’t just drop your link and leave. Instead, write comments that add value—like sharing a helpful tip or asking a good question. This makes your comment look genuine, and people are more likely to check out your link.

While blog commenting can help build backlinks, overdoing it or leaving spammy comments can look unnatural and may risk hurting your site’s reputation.

4. Repurpose Content

Repurposing content is taking something you’ve already created. Perhaps it’s a blog post and converting it into different formats like videos, infographics, or even a podcast. Doing this helps you spread your message across a greater number of platforms and reach a significantly larger audience, bringing in more backlinks as a result. 

The one positive is that you’ll save time because you are repurposing content. It also places your content in front of new audiences, increasing your chances of earning more links. But the downside is that if you don’t put in enough effort, it can feel repetitive or low-quality, which won’t attract good backlinks. Plus, some platforms might not value reused content as much, which limits its SEO benefits.

Quality vs. Quantity: A Quick Overview

Here’s a simple, clear comparison to help you understand how backlink quality and quantity affect your SEO. This quick table shows the key differences so you can pick the right approach for your website.

🎯 So, Which One Should You Choose?

Here’s the truth: there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

It’s not about picking just quality or quantity. Both have their benefits, and the best strategy often lies somewhere in between.

For some websites, getting lots of links quickly might give a fast SEO boost. For others, focusing on a few high-quality backlinks will build trust and long-term growth.

But here’s the key—don’t go all-in on just one. The smartest link-building experts aim for a balance: plenty of links, but from relevant, trustworthy sources.

It’s about finding that sweet spot where you get the best of both worlds.

Outsourcing Link Building: A Smart Move

If building backlinks feels like too much to handle, letting experts take over can save you time and get you better results.

At Outreach Monks, we help businesses grow with high-quality and natural backlinks that improve rankings and traffic.

How We Helped Pangea Grow 🚀

Pangea, a fintech company offering international money transfers, struggled to compete with big names like Western Union and MoneyGram. They needed more online visibility and stronger SEO.

Here’s what we did:

1. 100+ high-authority backlinks built in 5 months.

2. 788% traffic increase—from 7,552 to 67,123 visitors.

3. $111,130 traffic value, up from just $10,578.

4. 225 new referring domains boosted their authority.

Outreach Monks offer a range of services to suit your needs. We offer Guest Posting, Niche Edits, SaaS Link Building, Blogger Outreach, and White-Label Link Building for agencies.

Let Outreach Monks handle your link-building while you focus on growing your business. We’ll help you find the perfect mix of quality and quantity for long-term success.

👉 Contact us today to see real results!

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