Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own. Links remain one of the most important ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. This guide covers legitimate strategies for earning quality backlinks.

Google’s original PageRank algorithm, developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, treated links as “votes” for a page’s importance.1 While the algorithm has evolved significantly since 1998, links remain central to how Google evaluates authority and relevance.

According to Google’s official documentation:

“Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote by page A for page B.”2

However, Google explicitly warns against manipulative link schemes:

“Any links intended to manipulate PageRank or a site’s ranking in Google search results may be considered part of a link scheme and a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.”3

Not all links are equal. Factors that influence link value:

1. Authority of the Linking Site Links from authoritative, trusted sites carry more weight. A link from The New York Times matters more than one from a random blog.

2. Relevance Links from topically relevant sites are more valuable. A link from a marketing blog to a marketing tool is more relevant than one from a cooking site.

3. Anchor Text The clickable text of a link provides context. Natural anchor text varies—exact-match keyword anchors at scale can look manipulative.4

4. Link Placement Editorial links within content carry more weight than footer or sidebar links.5

5. Dofollow vs. Nofollow

  • Dofollow links (default) pass PageRank
  • Nofollow links tell Google not to follow or pass credit6
  • Google now treats nofollow as a “hint,” not a directive
  • Sponsored and UGC attributes identify paid and user-generated links

The Correlation Data

A study by Backlinko analyzing 11.8 million Google search results found:7

  • Pages in position #1 have an average of 3.8x more backlinks than positions #2-10
  • The number of referring domains (unique websites linking) correlated strongly with rankings
  • Higher-authority pages tended to rank higher

Note: Correlation doesn’t prove causation, but the relationship is consistent with Google’s stated emphasis on links.

1. Create Link-Worthy Content

The most sustainable link building strategy is creating content that people naturally want to reference.

Content Types That Attract Links:

Original Research and Data

  • Surveys and studies with new findings
  • Industry benchmarks
  • Data analysis and visualizations
  • Annual reports or indexes

Example: Moz’s “State of Local SEO” report gets linked by hundreds of sites discussing local SEO.

Comprehensive Guides

  • Definitive resources on a topic
  • Better than anything else available
  • Regularly updated

Example: Backlinko’s “Google’s 200 Ranking Factors” has earned links from over 10,000 domains.

Free Tools and Resources

  • Calculators
  • Templates
  • Checklists
  • Interactive tools

Example: Ahrefs’ free backlink checker gets linked by thousands of sites teaching SEO.

Visual Assets

  • Infographics (though less effective than peak 2012)
  • Data visualizations
  • Original diagrams and illustrations

2. Digital PR

Digital PR involves getting coverage from online publications, which typically includes links.

Approaches:

Expert Commentary

  • Respond to journalist requests (HARO, Qwoted, Help a B2B Writer)
  • Offer expert quotes on trending topics
  • Be available for interviews

Newsjacking

  • Create content tied to trending news
  • Offer unique angles or data
  • Be fast—news cycles are short

Original Stories

  • Commission surveys with newsworthy findings
  • Analyze public data for insights
  • Create stories journalists want to cover

Press Releases

  • For genuinely newsworthy announcements
  • Not for routine content (Google ignores most press release links)8

3. Guest Posting

Guest posting means writing articles for other websites in exchange for exposure and typically a link.

Legitimate Guest Posting:

  • Write genuinely useful content for the host site’s audience
  • Contribute expertise you actually have
  • Focus on sites relevant to your industry
  • Prioritize quality over quantity

What to Avoid:

  • Mass guest posting at scale
  • Sites that exist only for guest posts
  • Exact-match anchor text in every post
  • Low-quality, thin content

Google’s John Mueller has stated that guest posting at scale with optimized anchor text is against guidelines.9

Find broken links on relevant websites and suggest your content as a replacement.

Process:

  1. Find resource pages or articles in your niche
  2. Use tools (Ahrefs, Check My Links extension) to find broken outbound links
  3. Create or identify content that could replace the broken resource
  4. Reach out to the site owner, alerting them to the broken link and suggesting your resource

Why it Works:

  • You’re helping the webmaster fix a problem
  • The link already existed—they just need a new destination
  • High success rate when done well

5. Resource Page Link Building

Resource pages are curated lists of links on a specific topic.

Process:

  1. Find resource pages in your niche: [keyword] + "resources" or [keyword] + "useful links"
  2. Evaluate if your content fits
  3. Reach out with a personalized pitch explaining why your resource belongs

Example Searches:

  • "seo resources" + inurl:resources
  • "marketing tools" + "useful links"
  • "startup resources" + intitle:resources

6. Unlinked Brand Mentions

Find places where your brand is mentioned but not linked.

Process:

  1. Set up Google Alerts for your brand name
  2. Use tools like Ahrefs’ Content Explorer to find mentions
  3. Reach out to request a link be added to the existing mention

Why it Works:

  • The site already knows and mentioned you
  • Low friction—just adding a link to existing text
  • High conversion rate

Analyze where competitors get links and pursue similar opportunities.

Process:

  1. Enter competitor domains into Ahrefs/Semrush/Moz
  2. Export their backlink profiles
  3. Identify patterns: What types of sites link to them? What content earns links?
  4. Find opportunities you could also pursue

What to Look For:

  • Guest post opportunities they used
  • Resource pages that include them
  • Directories or listings
  • Sites that review tools/services in your space

8. HARO and Journalist Requests

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and similar services connect journalists with sources.

Services:

  • HARO (now part of Cision)
  • Qwoted
  • Help a B2B Writer
  • SourceBottle
  • Terkel

Tips for Success:

  • Respond quickly (journalists have deadlines)
  • Be concise and quotable
  • Establish relevant credentials
  • Follow instructions exactly
  • Don’t pitch—answer the question

Realistic Expectations:

  • Response rates are low (5-10% is good)
  • Many links will be nofollow
  • Focus on relevant, quality publications

Most link building requires outreach—contacting website owners to request links.

Outreach Best Practices

1. Personalization Generic templates get ignored. Reference:

  • Specific content on their site
  • Why your resource fits their audience
  • Their name (get it right)

2. Value Proposition Explain what’s in it for them:

  • Useful resource for their readers
  • Updated information to replace outdated content
  • Alert to broken links

3. Keep it Brief Busy people don’t read long emails. Get to the point:

  • Who you are (briefly)
  • What you want
  • Why it benefits them
  • Clear call to action

4. Follow Up One follow-up after 5-7 days is acceptable. More than two is spam.

Email Template Example

Subject: Quick suggestion for your [topic] article

Hi [Name],

I was reading your article on [topic] and noticed you linked to [outdated/broken resource].

I recently published [your resource] that covers [what it covers]. It includes [unique value—data, comprehensiveness, etc.].

Might be worth a look as an alternative resource for your readers.

Either way, thanks for the great content on [topic].

[Your name]

Outreach Tools

  • Hunter.io - Find email addresses
  • Pitchbox - Outreach automation
  • BuzzStream - CRM for link building
  • Mailshake - Email outreach sequences

What to Avoid

Google’s link spam policies explicitly prohibit:10

Buying or Selling Links

  • Exchanging money for links
  • Exchanging goods/services for links
  • Sending “free” products in exchange for links

Excessive Link Exchanges

  • “Link to me and I’ll link to you” at scale
  • Partner pages existing solely to cross-link

Large-Scale Article Marketing

  • Syndicated articles with keyword-rich anchor text
  • Mass guest posting with optimized anchors

Automated Link Building

  • Software that creates links automatically
  • Comment spam, forum spam, etc.

Private Blog Networks (PBNs)

  • Networks of sites created solely to link to a target site
  • High risk of penalty

Link Schemes

  • Three-way link exchanges
  • Widget/embed schemes requiring links
  • Advertorials without proper disclosure

Penalties and Recovery

If Google detects unnatural links, you may receive:

  • Manual action - Human reviewer identified issues (visible in Search Console)
  • Algorithmic demotion - Penguin algorithm devalues spammy links automatically

Recovery Steps:

  1. Audit your backlink profile
  2. Remove or disavow bad links
  3. Submit reconsideration request (for manual actions)
  4. Wait for algorithm updates (for algorithmic issues)

Metrics to Track

Link Metrics:

  • Number of referring domains (more important than total links)
  • Domain Rating/Authority of linking sites
  • Relevance of linking sites
  • Anchor text distribution

Business Metrics:

  • Organic traffic growth
  • Keyword rankings improvement
  • Referral traffic from links
  • Domain authority/rating over time

Tools for Tracking

  • Ahrefs - Backlink monitoring, new/lost links
  • Semrush - Backlink analytics, toxic link identification
  • Moz - Link Explorer, Domain Authority tracking
  • Google Search Console - Links report (limited but free)

Realistic Expectations

Link building is slow and difficult. Set realistic expectations:

Timeline:

  • New sites: 6-12 months to build meaningful link profile
  • Established sites: Ongoing effort to maintain and grow

Success Rates:

  • Cold outreach: 5-15% response rate, 1-5% conversion
  • Broken link building: 10-20% success rate
  • HARO: 5-10% of responses get used

Quality Over Quantity:

  • 10 links from authoritative, relevant sites > 100 links from low-quality sites
  • One link from a major publication can be worth more than months of outreach

Foundation:

  • Create genuinely link-worthy content
  • Fix technical issues that might prevent linking (site speed, mobile-friendliness)
  • Have shareable assets (images, embeddable content)

Ongoing Tactics:

  • Set up brand mention alerts
  • Monitor competitor backlinks monthly
  • Respond to journalist requests regularly
  • Pursue guest posting selectively
  • Fix broken links pointing to your site (redirect or update)

Avoid:

  • Never buy links
  • Never participate in link schemes
  • Never use automated link building
  • Never spam comments or forums

Further Reading

References

Footnotes

  1. Brin, S., & Page, L. (1998). “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.” Stanford University. http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html ↩

  2. Google Search Central. “Link Best Practices.” https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable ↩

  3. Google Search Central. “Link Spam Policies.” https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam ↩

  4. Google Search Central. “Links to your site.” https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9049606 ↩

  5. Moz. “Link Placement and Context.” https://moz.com/learn/seo/internal-links ↩

  6. Google Search Central. “Qualify outbound links to Google.” https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links ↩

  7. Backlinko. “We Analyzed 11.8 Million Google Search Results.” https://backlinko.com/search-engine-ranking ↩

  8. Google Search Central. “Press releases and link schemes.” https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam ↩

  9. Google Search Liaison. John Mueller comments on guest posting. https://twitter.com/JohnMu (Various tweets on guest posting practices) ↩

  10. Google Search Central. “Link Spam - Google Search Essentials.” https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#link-spam ↩