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By Jean François Longy
- 25/03/2025 à 18:37
- Content
Netlinking is an SEO practice that involves obtaining inbound links to a site to improve its ranking and manipulate Google's algorithm.
What about netlinking in 2025?
Definition of Netlinking
Netlinking, also known as link building, plays a key role in improving a website's organic ranking on Google. Its main objective is to create a network of links pointing to web pages to strengthen their credibility and ultimately their ranking in Google's SERP. The more a domain receives quality inbound links, the more authority it gains, often improving its ranking. Indeed, Google considers these backlinks as "votes," which positively influence the site's position in search results.
The definition of netlinking would therefore be: An SEO technique aimed at naturally and artificially increasing the number of links pointing to a web domain to ultimately improve its ranking in Google's search results pages. Simply put!
Beyond a definition, many explanations are necessary to understand in order to implement a successful netlinking strategy.
What is a link? What is a referring domain?
A link is a clickable HTML element that connects one web page to another; it is the foundation of the web, a way to navigate from page to page through hyperlinks. It can be internal when it links two pages of the same site, or external when it points to another domain.
The link is simple HTML code: <a href="http://www.hyperlinker.ai">Hyperlinker</a>, which specifies the domain and the page being linked to, as well as the clickable text. This is called the anchor text.
A referring domain is a site that emits one or more links to another website. For example, if a blog specializing in digital marketing links to an e-commerce site, this blog becomes a referring domain for that site. The referring domain is identified in SEO analysis tools or audience measurement tools once the link has been clicked by a user.
Why does Google give so much importance to links in site ranking?
Google places great importance on links (backlinks) because they are one of the pillars of its ranking algorithm and PageRank. From the beginning, Google has used backlinks as an indicator of trust and popularity to rank sites and calculate PageRank. A link from a site already known by Google acts as a recommendation, attesting to the quality and relevance of the content. Additionally, links help Google discover new pages and improve its web indexing.
However, not all links are equal: the search engine prioritizes those that are natural, relevant, and from authoritative sites. Thus, an effective netlinking strategy relies not only on acquiring backlinks but also on their quality, origin, and semantic context. But how does Google differentiate between good and supposedly bad links?
Different netlinking strategies focus either on the quantity of links obtained through netlinking or on the quality of generated links. Quantity is associated with the number of links, while quality is linked to indicators (metrics) from SEO analysis tools such as Moz, Majestic SEO, etc. A good netlinking strategy is diverse, multi-source, thematic, and as natural as possible.
Before 2012, only the quantity of links and the proximity of the anchor text to the keyword ensured success. In 2012, with the Penguin filter, Google reinforced the importance of links in its algorithm by considering slightly more qualitative links with more varied anchor texts. In 2025, if the 2024 Google leaks are to be believed, links are still important, but other criteria like Navboost also seem to have a significant impact.
What are the best links for a successful netlinking strategy?
Different schools of thought exist regarding netlinking. Clearly, there is no single method that works, as approaches vary greatly, and positive results can come from opposing strategies.
A 2025 study conducted on 2024 campaigns by HyperLinker provides concrete insights into what can constitute the best links in an SEO strategy.
- The obtained link must already be known and indexed by Google and, if possible, should itself have rankings indicating that it is already valued. A link from a domain that itself receives many links will have a greater impact.
- The link that a site receives should be within a closely related semantic zone. A marketing-related site should receive links from content discussing the same topic or related subjects. Pages linked together should have high semantic proximity. The domain as well, when possible. One should not request or produce a link from a toy website to an automotive website!
- A single link, even a "high-quality" one, cannot sustainably impact the SEO of another site in a competitive sector. To be effective in modifying a site's ranking, links must come in significant numbers, regardless of their quality.
- The anchor text of the link significantly influences the impact it will have on ranking. While the link profile should remain diverse and natural, the links used in an SEO strategy should incorporate the targeted keywords. Exact-match or partial-match anchors have a stronger impact than neutral anchors or anchorless links. However, beware of excessive use of identical exact-match links—Google Penguin is not just a memory.
- Links acquired by a site can arrive at variable frequencies. Sites that receive links continuously over time tend to maintain high rankings longer than those that receive a large number at once and then none.
4 netlinking techniques compared
| Technique | Principle | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Linkbaiting | Create attractive content that naturally encourages citations | - Acquisition of natural links - Improved brand image - Potential traffic generation in addition to links | - Requires time and resources to create engaging content - Unpredictable results |
| Ninjalinking | Subtly integrate external links into comments, forums, or articles | - Low cost - Potential to obtain a large number of links | - Low SEO impact if poorly executed - Can be perceived as spam. Time-consuming |
| Buying links | Obtain backlinks in exchange for payment | - Quick results - Control over anchors and sites - Guarantee of obtaining quality links within a controlled budget | - Requires sometimes significant budget |
| Guest Blogging | Publish guest articles on third-party sites in exchange for a link | - Acquisition of high-quality links - Strengthening expertise and authority - Not suitable for all sectors | - Time-consuming process - Dependence on partner sites and difficulty finding willing sites |
Each netlinking method has its own specifics and should be used cautiously depending on SEO objectives.
While linkbaiting remains the most sustainable and least risky strategy, it requires significant content creation efforts, and its results are often unpredictable. It is not suitable for all businesses, as many struggle to create attractive content.
On the other hand, buying links generates quick results but requires budgets that can sometimes be substantial.
Guest blogging is an excellent compromise between quality and reliability, but it is only practical for certain types of content and sectors. In commercial activities, it is often difficult to implement.
Ninjalinking remains a more discreet and effective approach for sites without a budget but is sometimes limited in impact. It is also time-consuming.
Successful Netlinking
While there are dozens of ways to obtain links and build a netlinking strategy, working with netlinking specialists helps compare and select the best options for SEO success.