How to Create and Use Backlinks in Notion

Notion is a project management and note-taking software that lets you create databases, take notes, track projects, and accomplish more. If you’re knee-deep with projects on Notion, the chances are that you deal with hundreds of notes or pages. While you can organize pages using folders and sub-folders, Notion has also introduced a new backlinks feature to help organize notes and pages. 

Whether you are just starting your journey with Notion or you are a pro user who utilizes complex Notion templates to manage your entire life, backlinks can help improve your Notion workflow. You can create connections between pages and see relations you would have otherwise missed.

WHAT ARE BACKLINKS OR BI-DIRECTIONAL LINKS

Backlinks, also known as bi-directional links, let you link two individual notes. While other note-taking apps like Evernote and Apple Notes let you create note links, they are one-way pointers. That means the note being linked has no way of knowing where it has been linked.

On the other hand, Backlinks establish a two-way connection between notes. So, when you link a note inside another note, the original note also shows you this information. This easily connects notes to help you organically traverse them.

BENEFITS OF USING BI-DIRECTIONAL LINKS

Using bi-directional links takes away the pressure of organizing notes and pages, especially if your project is loaded with them. You don’t need to categorize them at the start. You can start with a linked note, flesh out your idea, and then store it in its proper place. This also gives you a way to organize notes that either doesn’t fit in your folder structure or can fit in multiple folders.

Another advantage of employing bi-directional linkages is that they make switching between notes more easier. You may, for example, create a main project dashboard that connects all of your projects. You'll be able to return from specific projects to the main dashboard if you've used bi-directional connections.

Bidirectional links have the most essential benefit of allowing other users to travel through your ideas, notes, and pages without having to jump through hoops. The backlinks have an arrow in front of them to make them easier to spot in your notes and pages. Aside from that, if you change the symbol or text title on a page, every backlink on the page will be updated immediately.

IN NOTION, HOW TO CREATE BACKLINKS

Backlinks are simple to construct and use with Notion. To create bi-directional links, you can use two separate keyboard instructions.

Step 1: Open a Notion page and type double open-square brackets [[ to bring the backlinks pane.

Step 2: You can also use @ symbol to open the backlinks pane.

Step 3: Start typing the name of the page you want to link, and Notion will search your database and show you relevant results.

Step 4: Click on the name of the page you want to link.

Step 5: Notion will add the link to the page, and it will appear as shown below.

HOW TO VIEW BACKLINKS IN NOTION

Instead of accessing each page or note independently, you can use Backlinks to link numerous notes and pages together so that the information flows and it's easier to keep track of things. This is how you may see the backlinks on your own or someone else's project.

Step 1: Open a page where you have created a backlink. To visit the linked page, click on the link.

Step 2: You will see that the linked page shows backlinks just below the title.

Step 3: Click on the backlinks button to reveal all the pages where the current page is linked.

HOW TO REMOVE BACKLINKS IN NOTION

It's simple to remove a backlink to older or obsolete pages and notes for any reason. The only thing to remember is that removing backlinks will cause the linked pages and notes to be disconnected. To reconnect them, you'll need to build a new backlink.

Step 1: Open a page where you have created the backlink you want to remove.

Step 2: Select the link and click on the three-dot menu.

Step 3: Click on the Delete button to delete the backlink.

Step 4: Alternatively, click on the six-dot menu.

Step 5: Click on the Delete button to delete the backlink.

USE BACKLINKS TO LINK PAGES IN NOTION

Backlinks, also known as bi-directional links, come in handy when you're working on a large project and need to connect all of the necessary pages. The easiest approach to make use of this feature is to build links naturally rather than forcing them solely to use it. Continue to add bi-directional connections to Notion sites where it makes sense, and you'll start to notice the huge benefits after a few months.