Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. In my old article I argued that quality mattered more than collecting as many links as possible. That remains useful. I placed too much emphasis, however, on keywords in anchor text and spoke too confidently about what would produce a high ranking.
Why would someone link to you?
A link is first a route for a reader. Research, a clear guide, an original dataset or a well-explained example may be a source another writer wants to cite. Start by asking which page on your site is genuinely helpful. Make it easy to find and give it a stable address.
Look at a link in context. Is the source related to the subject? Does the link make sense for readers? Might it bring visitors seeking your explanation? A list of artificial links from unrelated pages cannot replace that value.
Follow current guidance
Google describes links as signals for discovery and relevance. It also cautions against forced keywords in anchor text and links created primarily to manipulate rankings. You cannot control exactly how others link to you. You can make work worth sharing with a natural description.