When a site appears on the first page of Google and another stagnates on the third, the difference rarely lies in the content alone. Backlinks, those links that other sites point to yours, remain a major trust signal for search engines. Building a solid link-building strategy requires understanding what Google truly values, and especially what it now penalizes.
Attributes rel=”sponsored” and rel=”nofollow”: what Google requires for paid links
Most guides on link building talk about acquiring links without addressing technical compliance. However, Google recommends qualifying each commercial link with a specific attribute.
A link obtained through a paid partnership, a sponsored article, or an affiliate program must carry the attribute rel=”sponsored”. The rel=”nofollow” attribute is still accepted, but rel=”sponsored” is now the explicit recommendation for advertising placements. This distinction, updated on December 10, 2025, by Google Search Central, is not cosmetic: it prevents a purchased link from being treated as a natural editorial link.
Failing to qualify a paid link exposes you to manual action from Google. The search engine can then devalue the link or even penalize the site receiving it. On submitsuite.fr, backlink analysis tools allow you to check the qualification of your incoming links and identify those that could pose a problem.
A link without the appropriate attribute is a risk, not a shortcut. Before seeking to multiply links, ensure that those you already have comply with current guidelines.
Link building and SEO parasites: Google’s policy since May 2024
You may have noticed articles unrelated to a site, published solely to leverage its domain authority? Google has named this practice: “site reputation abuse.”
The policy was announced on March 5, 2024, and implemented starting May 5, 2024. It targets third-party content published on a host domain solely to exploit its ranking signals. In November 2024, Google clarified that the editorial involvement of the host site is not enough to exclude a violation if the goal remains the exploitation of its authority.
In practice, publishing a guest article on a high-authority site is not a problem in itself. The issue arises when the content has no thematic link with the host site, when it is produced without editorial oversight, or when it exists solely to pass “SEO juice.”
How to distinguish a legitimate guest post from an abusive placement
- The content addresses a topic consistent with the editorial line of the site publishing it, not a foreign theme inserted to place a link
- The article is reviewed and approved by the host site’s team, which takes responsibility for its publication like any other content
- The inserted link provides a useful resource to the reader, not just a transmission of authority to a third-party site
This evolution changes the game for link-building strategies that relied on the mass purchase of guest articles on high-authority generalist sites. The thematic relevance between the source site and the target site has never been more important.
Quality backlinks: the criteria that matter for SEO
Not all links are created equal. A single backlink from a recognized site in your niche carries more weight than dozens of links from unreliable directories.
Why this imbalance? Google evaluates the trust it places in a page by analyzing who recommends it. A link placed in editorial content, on a site that deals with the same domain as yours, sends a strong signal. A link buried in a footer or in a list of partners without context sends almost nothing.
Concrete criteria for a useful backlink for your SEO
- Thematic proximity: the source site shares the same semantic field as your target page. A cooking blog linking to a recipe site has more weight than a general directory
- Editorial placement: the link is found in the body of the text, integrated into a paragraph that provides context to the reader
- Link attribute: a “dofollow” link transmits authority, while a “nofollow” or “sponsored” link signals a commercial relationship. Both have their place, but their effects differ
- Diversity of referring domains: obtaining links from several different domains is better than many links from a single site
Link anchor and optimization: finding the right balance
The anchor is the clickable text of the link. It tells Google what the page the link points to is about. Using the same optimized anchor (for example, “best SEO tool”) on all your backlinks looks like manipulation. Google detects this.
A natural anchor profile mixes several types: your brand name, a raw URL, a generic expression (“click here,” “this site”), and sometimes a keyword related to your activity. Variety in anchors protects against algorithmic penalties.
When you obtain a link, you do not always control the anchor chosen by the source site. This is normal, and it’s even a good sign: it resembles what a webmaster does when they spontaneously recommend a resource. Conversely, overly uniform anchors signal an artificial link campaign.
The most sustainable link-building strategy relies on content that naturally invites citations. An in-depth technical guide, an original study, a free tool: these are the resources that generate editorial backlinks without negotiation. Links acquired through quality content withstand Google’s algorithm updates, whereas links purchased without caution often end up losing their value.
