Backlink

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A hyperlink on one website that points to another site, often used to improve the latter’s search engine ranking; a reference link from an external page directing users back to the original location; an incoming link connecting to a webpage from a different domain or page
2. A web link originating from an external site leading to a target page, which can enhance search visibility; a reverse connection on the internet pointing back to a source website; an external hyperlink used to build credibility and increase traffic by linking back to a specific page
3. An external reference hyperlink that guides visitors from one website back to another, frequently aiding in SEO efforts; a link returning to the original webpage from a separate domain; a referring link that connects a destination page to elsewhere on the web through inbound linking

Etymology: "Backlink" is a plain compound, built from "back" and "link." "Back" comes from Old English "bæc" and is one of the oldest words in the language, while "link" entered English in the Middle Ages from a Germanic root meaning a ring or loop of chain. Put together, a backlink is simply a link that points back toward the page it came from, a reversal of the direction a reader normally travels. The compound's modern sense is a product of the web. Its meaning has little to do with chains or rings, and the joining of two ordinary words produced a term that describes a relationship between two web pages rather than any physical object. Because the parts are so transparent, the word needs no special story beyond that combination.

Synonyms: incoming link, inbound link, referral link