## Internet Archive

Internet Archive hosts public uploads for books, audio, video, software, images, and other digital material. A legitimate uploader can include a relevant external URL in an item description, but inspected description links are marked nofollow/UGC.

- URL: https://archive.org
- Guide: https://backlinkbadger.com/provider/archive/
- Link type: nofollow
- Free option: yes
- Domain authority: 18/100
- Spam score: 1/100
- Difficulty: 45/100
- Estimated time: 45 minutes
- Requirements: Free account, Uploadable archive material, Rights to share the file, Item title and description, Subject tags

Use Internet Archive only when you have real material worth archiving. The practical backlink path is not a profile field; it is a relevant URL inside the public description for an uploaded item.

### Method: Add a source or project link in an uploaded item description

1. Create or sign in to a free [archive.org account](https://archive.org/account/signup?redir=/create).
2. Start an upload from the archive.org create/upload flow.
3. Upload material you have the right to share, such as a public-domain scan, original audio/video, software, image set, documentation package, or other archival resource.
4. Complete the required metadata. Internet Archive's upload guide says the form asks for a **Page Title**, **Page URL** identifier, **Description**, and **Subject Tags**.
5. In the **Description**, add a source, project, documentation, or rights-information URL only where it genuinely helps users understand the item. The help guide says the description can include links and text styling.
6. Publish the item, then open the public `/details/<identifier>` page and inspect the external link before counting it as part of your backlink inventory.

In the public example below, the item description includes an external `OpenEducation.org` link. The inspected rendered HTML for that description link used `rel="ugc nofollow"`, which is the right expectation for this provider.

[Image: Archive.org item description showing an external nofollow UGC link]

### What to avoid

Do not upload a disposable PDF, image, or text file just to manufacture a link. Archive.org is a preservation platform, and low-value promotional uploads can be removed or ignored. The better use case is a legitimate archive item where the external URL documents the source, author project, companion site, or rights context.

### Link quality notes

The root domain is very strong, but a fresh user-uploaded item page should not inherit that authority in full. Treat this as a nofollow/UGC citation and discovery link on a trusted domain. It can still help people find the original source behind an archived item, but it is not a dofollow shortcut.