Link building is one of the most important SEO strategies for improving a website’s authority and visibility on search engines like Google. It involves acquiring backlinks from other websites that point to yours, signaling to Google that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
However, it’s not enough to simply gather backlinks. It’s essential to know where these links should point within your site to maximize their impact. In this article, we will explain in simple terms the best practices for choosing the destinations for your backlinks and improving your linking strategy.
What Is a Backlink and Why Is It Important?
A backlink is a link from an external website that points to your website. Google treats these links as “votes of confidence.” The more quality backlinks your site has, the more authority it will gain in search results.
Benefits of Backlinks:
✅ Increase your site’s authority.
✅ Improve your ranking on Google.
✅ Drive traffic from other sites.
✅ Strengthen your business’s credibility.
But not all backlinks are created equal. It’s not just about where they come from, but also where you direct them on your site. Now let’s look at the best places to point your backlinks.
Homepage: Building Overall Authority
The homepage is the central point of any website. Many backlinks tend to point here because it’s the primary domain address.
Advantages:
✔ Strengthens the site’s overall authority.
✔ Ideal for new brands that need recognition.
Disadvantages:
❌ Doesn’t help specific pages rank.
❌ Not the best choice if you’re looking for direct conversions.
When to Use It:
✅ If your site is new and needs to boost its overall authority.
✅ If you want to improve brand recognition.
📊 According to our study, in 2024 only 15.54% of backlinks point to the homepage, a drop from 35.85% in 2023. This indicates that link building strategies have evolved to prioritize other types of pages.
Service or Product Pages: Attracting Potential Customers
If you sell products or services, it’s essential to direct backlinks to these pages to attract visitors interested in making a purchase.
Advantages:
✔ Increases conversions and sales.
✔ Improves ranking for products or services on Google.
✔ Attracts highly qualified traffic.
Disadvantages:
❌ Difficult to acquire natural backlinks for these pages.
When to Use It:
✅ If you want to attract more customers to your services or products.
✅ If you need to improve rankings for transactional pages.
📊 Our study shows that in 2024, 29.26% of backlinks point to service or product pages, solidifying them as the most common destination.
Blog Articles: Generating Organic Traffic and Authority
Blog articles are great for receiving backlinks because they often contain valuable, educational, and shareable content.
Advantages:
✔ Helps rank specific keywords.
✔ Makes it easier to obtain natural backlinks.
✔ Increases domain authority.
Disadvantages:
❌ Doesn’t generate immediate conversions (but can over time).
When to Use It:
✅ If you want to improve rankings for key topics on Google.
✅ If you want to increase organic traffic.
📊 In 2024, 23.66% of backlinks point to blog articles, reflecting their importance in content and SEO strategies.
Category Pages: Improving Site Structure
If you have an e-commerce store or blog with many posts, linking to category pages is an excellent strategy.
Advantages:
✔ Improves organization and internal navigation.
✔ Distributes SEO authority to other internal pages.
Disadvantages:
❌ Unlikely to attract natural backlinks.
When to Use It:
✅ If your website has many subcategories or products.
✅ If you want to strengthen a specific content cluster.
📊 This type of page received 21.04% of backlinks in 2024, showing its growing importance in website structure and SEO.
Resource or Free Tool Pages: Attracting Natural Backlinks
If you offer useful resources like templates, calculators, or free tools, these pages are perfect for attracting backlinks.
Advantages:
✔ Easily generates natural backlinks.
✔ Can drive a significant amount of traffic.
✔ Increases brand recognition.
Disadvantages:
❌ Requires a unique and valuable offering to stand out.
When to Use It:
✅ If you have a unique and valuable resource that can be shared.
✅ To attract targeted traffic interested in your solutions.
Case Studies and Testimonials: Building Trust
Case studies or testimonial pages can help build trust and assist in conversions.
Advantages:
✔ Strengthens your brand’s credibility.
✔ Increases conversion rates.
When to Use It:
✅ If you sell services and want to reinforce social proof.
✅ To attract potential customers looking for similar success stories.
Not all backlinks should point to the homepage. A well-planned linking strategy considers a balanced distribution of links to different key sections of the website, depending on SEO goals and business objectives.
📊 According to our study, link building strategies have significantly changed in 2024 compared to 2023. The homepage has lost relevance as a backlink destination (from 35.85% to 15.54%), while product pages and blog articles have gained importance. These changes reflect an evolution toward strategies that focus more on useful content and conversion.
| Page Type | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Home | 35.85% | 15.54% |
| Service/Product | 20.43% | 29.26% |
| Blog Articles | 12.12% | 23.66% |
| Category Pages | 27.27% | 21.04% |
| Social Media | 3.03% | 1.05% |
| Other Pages | 1.30% | 9.45% |
Check out the full study here
