15+ Best Social Networking Sites for Backlinks

Social networking sites are among the easiest ways to earn high authority profile backlinks and drive referral traffic. This list covers the best social networking sites for backlinks, what makes them valuable, and how to use them without tripping spam filters.

What are social networking sites?

Social networking sites are platforms where you create a profile, share content and connect with others. For SEO they let you add a link to your website from a high authority domain, build brand signals, and reach audiences that can link to you naturally.

Why social networking sites matter

• They offer high authority profile links from trusted domains
• They drive real referral traffic, not just link equity
• They strengthen brand and entity signals across the web
• Most are free and quick to set up
• They help content get discovered and earn natural links

Best social networking sites for backlinks

• YouTube: Add your site to channel about and video descriptions (approx DA 100)
• LinkedIn: Profile, company page and article links (approx DA 98)
• Facebook: Profile, page and about section links (approx DA 96)
• Medium: Author bio and in article links (approx DA 95)
• Pinterest: Profile and pin destination links (approx DA 94)
• Instagram: Bio link and business profile (approx DA 93)
• Quora: Profile and helpful answer links (approx DA 92)
• Behance: Portfolio profile links for creatives (approx DA 92)
• Reddit: Profile and contextual community links (approx DA 91)
• VK: Profile and page links (approx DA 90)
• Tumblr: Blog profile and post links (approx DA 86)
• Mix: Content curation profile links (approx DA 81)

How to use social networking sites effectively

1. Complete your profile fully with a photo, bio and website field
2. Add your link in the dedicated website or about field, not just posts
3. Share useful content regularly so the profile looks active
4. Use a consistent brand name, handle and description everywhere
5. Engage genuinely so links earn clicks and natural shares

Best practices

• Prioritize platforms relevant to your niche and audience
• Avoid dropping the same link repeatedly across threads
• Mix dofollow and nofollow profiles for a natural profile
• Keep branding consistent for entity building
• Track referral traffic to see which platforms perform

Social networking sites FAQ

For more link building tactics, browse our Sites List guides, and see Moz’s explainer on Domain Authority to understand the DA scores referenced above.

The bottom line

Social networking sites are a fast, free way to earn authority profile links and referral traffic. Set up the platforms that match your niche, keep them active, and treat them as one layer of a wider link building plan.