Beginner in SEO – Looking for Advice on Building High-Quality Backlinks

[haralusman67]

I'm currently doing an SEO internship and learning both on-page and off-page SEO. At the moment, I'm focusing on building high-quality backlinks and understanding the best practices instead of using spammy techniques.

So far, I've learned about:

Keyword research
On-page SEO basics
Forum backlinks
Profile backlinks
Anchor text optimization
Internal linking

I have a few questions for experienced SEO professionals:

What types of backlinks should a beginner focus on first?
Are forum backlinks still useful in 2026 if they're created naturally?
How many backlinks should a new website build each week?
Which free SEO tools do you recommend for tracking backlinks and website performance?
What are the biggest mistakes beginners make in off-page SEO?

I'd really appreciate any advice, learning resources, or personal experiences you can share. I'm here to learn and improve my SEO skills.

Thank you!

[rproffitt]

Year ago I'd say sure, do that.

Now with what looks like over 50% A.I. generated slop and spam you may have no choice but to join the robot armies.

[promotedge]

Backlinks are basically the internet vouching for you, so focus on earning them, not buying them. Try guest posting on niche blogs, replying to journalist requests (HARO/Qwoted), and broken link building — find dead links on relevant sites and offer your content as the fix. Genuine networking in your niche (comments, LinkedIn, Twitter) also pays off over time.

Just avoid anything like "500 backlinks for $10" — spammy links from PBNs or link farms can hurt your rankings, not help. Check your profile occasionally with Google Search Console or a free backlink tool, stay patient, and prioritize quality over quantity.

[Dani]

These days, the only backlinks that I would say work are branded PR links. Forget forum backlinsk, profile backlinks, and all that nonsense from a decade ago.