How many backlinks do I need for SEO success in 2025?
If you're trying to boost your website’s visibility, you’ve probably come across the term backlinks a million times by now. And yes, they really matter.
When Google crawls the internet, one of the key things it looks for is who’s linking to who. Those links are kind of like digital votes of confidence. The more trustworthy sites that link to yours, the more search engines assume your content must be worth checking out.
Here’s the kicker, though: over half of all web pages out there don’t have any backlinks pointing to them. Even among those that do, nearly 30% have three or fewer links from other sites. No wonder an estimated 91% of pages get zero organic Google traffic, primarily because they have no backlinks giving them credibility.
So if you’re wondering how many backlinks you need to really compete, I am here to help you.
Let’s break it all down !
The quick answer
If you’re wondering how many backlinks you actually need to rank, here’s a rough ballpark based on different types of websites and real-world SEO case studies:
Brand new website:
Aim for 40 to 100 high-quality backlinks to start gaining traction. Since your domain is new, Google will take time to trust it, so focus on getting relevant, trustworthy links over time rather than spamming low-quality ones.
“Roughly 40–50 solid backlinks were enough to see ranking improvements in a medium-competition scenario”
- Navneet Kaushal, CEO at PageTraffic
Local business:
If you're targeting a specific city or region, you’ll want around 120 to 180 solid backlinks. Local citations (like Yelp, Google Business Profile, and local directories) plus some niche-specific backlinks can make a big difference here.E-commerce store:
E-commerce tends to be more competitive, especially in product-heavy niches. Expect to need 200 to 400 quality backlinks to stand a chance, especially if you're going after competitive product keywords. Content marketing, influencer outreach, and product reviews can be key backlink sources here.Super competitive niche (finance, tech, legal, crypto):
In highly saturated markets, you’ll likely need 500 to 1,500+ backlinks but again, quality trumps quantity. Top sites in these niches often have thousands of backlinks, but they also have strong authority and long histories.
But wait, not all backlinks are created equal
It’s not just about the number of backlinks; it’s about the quality, relevance, and diversity:
A single backlink from a top-tier, relevant site (like Forbes, HubSpot, or a well-known niche blog) can outperform 50+ spammy or irrelevant links.
“One good link from a relevant website can be more impactful than millions of low-quality links.”
Relevance matters more than ever, Google understands context. A backlink from a site in your industry is more valuable than a random one.
Anchor text diversity, link placement (within content vs footer), and domain authority also play a role.
“Okay… but what is a good backlink?”
A high-quality backlink usually checks a few boxes:
It comes from a site in the same niche or topic area.
The anchor text makes sense and relates to your page.
It’s from a real, active site, not a random link farm.
The linking page isn’t overloaded with outbound links.
The site gets traffic and isn’t buried in Google.
Ideally, it’s indexed and ranks for related keywords.
The page has its own backlinks and internal links.
And the domain itself has a solid backlink profile.
Forget about obsessing over metrics like DA or DR, these can be manipulated. What matters more is the actual relevance and trust of the site.
How do you know how many links you have?
Before you can build an effective backlink strategy, you need to know where you stand. Luckily, there are some solid tools out there to help you track and analyze your link profile:
Google Search Console
This is your best starting point and it’s completely free. It gives you a decent snapshot of your backlinks, including:
Top linking sites
Top linked pages on your site
Anchor text most commonly used
While not as detailed as premium tools, it’s reliable and straight from Google, so it’s always worth checking.
Majestic, Ahrefs, or Semrush
These are more advanced tools, perfect if you’re serious about SEO. They offer deep backlink analysis, such as:Total number of backlinks vs referring domains
Link quality scores (like domain rating, trust flow, etc.)
Link growth over time (gains and losses)
Competitor backlink comparisons
Spam/toxic link detection
They’re excellent for benchmarking, tracking progress, and uncovering new backlink opportunities.
Need help choosing the right CMS for SEO? Here's our guide to the best CMS platforms for SEO.
Why it matters
Knowing how many backlinks (and referring domains) you currently have helps you:
Set realistic goals for your link-building campaigns
Track the impact of your SEO efforts over time
Spot issues like sudden link loss or toxic backlinks
Reverse-engineer your competitors’ strategies
Bottom line: If you're serious about growing your organic traffic, keeping a close eye on your backlink profile is non-negotiable.
Bottom line : If you’re serious about growing your organic traffic , keeping a close eye on your backlink profile is non negotiable
What does Google say about backlinks?
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller has repeatedly emphasized that the total number of backlinks “doesn’t matter at all” in Google’s ranking algorithms. In one webmaster hangout, he said Google doesn’t count links in a simplistic way :
“You could have millions of links and Google might ignore most of them if they’re low-quality or irrelevant.”
What truly matters is how trustworthy and natural your backlink profile is. Mueller explained that Google tries to understand what is relevant for a website, and one strong link from a highly authoritative, relevant site can send a more powerful signal than a thousand mediocre links.
How do you get backlinks?
A few ways to go about it:
1. Create killer content
Blogs, guides, videos, anything that educates, solves problems, or entertains can attract links naturally. Regular blogging is especially effective. Sites with active blogs tend to get way more backlinks than those without.
“Websites with active blogs have 97% more inbound links on average than those without blogs”
Also, if you’re a B2B company looking for an easy, SEO-friendly blogging platform, Inblog is worth checking out. It’s plug-and-play, no coding or complicated setup. Just connect your domain, start publishing, and Inblog handles the SEO basics automatically (like sitemaps, image optimization, canonical tags). Plus, it has built-in tools to track how your content is performing.
2. Fix broken links
Find broken links on other websites and offer your own (relevant) content as a replacement. Website owners often appreciate the heads-up and may just give you that backlink.
3. Use outreach wisely
Reaching out to site owners works when done right. Be respectful, personalize your message, and show them why your content adds value. Spammy link requests don’t cut it anymore.
4. Hire experts
If you don’t have time or don’t know where to start, it’s totally okay to get help. Reputable SEO services can handle the heavy lifting, writing content, building links, and tracking your rankings.
Don’t miss our tips on how to increase blog traffic.
“How many backlinks per day is safe?”
This is a common concern, especially for new site owners worried about penalties.
The truth?
There’s no fixed “safe” number of backlinks per day. It depends on factors like:
Your domain age and authority
Your industry/niche
The quality and source of the backlinks
For example:
A large, well-known brand like Wayfair might naturally earn 30–50 backlinks daily from press coverage, blogs, and directories.
A small blog or local business? Getting 5–10 backlinks a week is more realistic and more natural.
Rule of thumb:
Don’t force it. Google’s algorithms look for organic growth, not aggressive link spamming. Focus on earning links through real value: content, partnerships, etc.
“What about monthly backlink growth?”
Same principle applies: consistency beats spikes.
Rather than trying to gain 100 links in a week and then nothing for a month, aim for steady growth. Google is more likely to trust and reward websites that build links naturally over time.
Example:
A legitimate software company like scnsoft.com might earn around 20–30 quality referring domains per month, and that growth is:
Progressive
Natural
Mostly through relevant, authoritative sites
That’s the kind of pattern Google wants to see.
Final thoughts : Stop chasing numbers, start chasing quality
If there’s one takeaway here, it’s this: you don’t need a mountain of backlinks, you need the right ones.
Instead of blindly chasing high link counts, focus on:
Relevance
Authority
Context
Natural placement
Do that, and you’re already ahead of most of your competitors.
Backlinks are just one part of the equation. To really climb the rankings, make sure every SEO element is working together. Start by learning how to increase domain authority and strengthen your site’s credibility from the ground up !
