How to Do Linkbuilding the Right Way

To increase the trustworthiness of search results, Google has been vocal about the kinds of links it discourages. The bar keeps rising to ensure everyone gets the best possible experience.

External signals and link development are ranking considerations. Prioritize the creation of high-quality backlinks at all times. A backlink is a link that connects two websites. For strong performance, both the quality and quantity of backlinks matter. SEOs who want to climb Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) often focus on earning more high-quality backlinks.

The Bad Links

Based on experience and industry studies, Google treats several kinds of low-quality links as problematic.

Linkbuilding: Directory links

In the early days of the web, users relied on directories to find websites. That’s no longer how discovery works. Most open directories offer little or no SEO value because anyone can add a site, which undermines natural link building.

Using content directories for search engine optimization is usually a waste of time and money. In article directories, webmasters can submit and distribute content that doesn’t necessarily promote their own sites. Submitting to low-quality directories does not guarantee backlinks. If you use any directory at all, it should be relevant to the topic of your article.

Linkbuilding: Missing backlinks

Backlinks can disappear for many reasons. Webmasters may remove your links, sites may go offline, or pages may be deleted. Ahrefs, for example, can help you locate missing links.

This tool can help you identify missing referring URLs or backlinks. In the Lost Backlinks report, you can see which page previously linked to you.

You can try to recover lost opportunities. Ask the webmaster why a backlink to your site was removed from a post. It’s possible your page is outdated or returning a 404 error. Refresh your content and use the outreach as a chance to reconnect. You could also use another SEO tool with similar features to help you find missing links.

Links from other countries with no relevance

Google aims to make search results locally and linguistically relevant. Sites that target a different country or language tend to pass less value if they’re unrelated to your audience. For instance, if a link from a foreign-language site uses mismatched English anchor text, a search engine may consider it irrelevant.

Focus on earning backlinks from websites in your target country or region and in the same language. Linking to or from foreign sites with no topical connection to your business typically has little to no positive impact.

Not enough numbers of referral domains

Google evaluates referring domains more heavily than the number of links from a single site. Even if you earn ten links through guest blogging on one website, it still counts as one referring domain.

This imbalance helped spawn link directories and link farms. When you link to another website, it might auto-generate sitewide links back to you across all its pages—an artificial pattern Google can detect.

Use Google Search Console’s link report to examine the mix of inbound links, linking pages, and referring domains.

To keep things natural, avoid repeatedly getting links from the same sites. Instead of collecting links from link farms or PBNs, focus on genuine relationships with webmasters.

Slow linkbuilding

Earning links steadily over time is very different from creating a burst of links in a single day. Link velocity is the rate at which your site gains backlinks. If you lose links faster than you gain them, trust can erode. If you gain many links too quickly, Google may suspect manipulative behavior.

SEO tools can help you track link growth. Or, you could hire an SEO expert to help you monitor and plan.

Links from irrelevant sites

These backlinks are easy to obtain but usually have little impact. Many people can get links from unrelated websites, but they rarely help. If Google detects a pattern of irrelevant connections, your site may be penalized.

Prioritize topical relevance to build a strong link profile. Use search to assess whether a website is truly related to your business.

Linkbuilding: False anchor text

When seeking backlinks, avoid misleading anchor text. For example, a link labeled “angler tips” that leads to a landing page about junk food is a letdown.

This not only frustrates readers but can also trigger search engine scrutiny. There is a chance Google will detect and penalize such tactics. Use accurate, appropriate anchor text to avoid issues. Google’s understanding of context helps it gauge anchor-text relevance to your site.

Links from low-quality websites

Backlinks from low-quality websites are almost always harmful. These sites exist mainly for SEO and offer little value to users. They often contain errors, thin content, and intrusive ads. If you get links from such sites, Google may penalize you.

Pursue links from authoritative websites to avoid penalties. The concept of PageRank can help you think about site quality. Tools like MozBar and Ahrefs can also assist in evaluating a website.

Strategies to make Google love your site

Google hates unethical linkbuilding. Here are tips to help search engines and users love your site or blog.

Don’t buildlinks inclusively

Use this first strategy to understand what to avoid.

Inexperienced webmasters may rush to build as many links as possible without considering link quality or acquisition methods.

Before you begin, be clear about your goals and criteria.

• What do you want to achieve with this project?
• Which sources would you suggest I look into?

Over time, a few high-value backlinks outperform a large batch of low-value ones.

Focus on high DA sites than lower DA sites

Google looks at backlink quality as well as quantity.

Domain Authority (DA) is a useful third‑party metric for evaluating a site’s overall credibility.

The number and quality of authoritative links pointing to a domain can increase its DA.

As a result, earning a link from a high‑DA site is generally better than from a low‑DA site. High‑DA sites also tend to have their own traffic, which can send you valuable referral visitors.

Pair your relevant links with high-quality content

Contextual links are far more effective than random drops. A long URL in a forum comment won’t be noticed and looks unnatural.

A link placed within a well‑written, relevant article is different. When building links, emphasize both the quality of the content hosting the link and the context supporting its placement. Without strong content, your linkbuilding strategy will struggle.

Linkbuilding to other high-quality sites

Include links to other credible websites within your articles. This gives readers more value and can increase your perceived authority, making others more likely to cite and link to you when they research a topic. It’s an effective way to get on the radar of authors and researchers.

Get new domains for new links

The incremental value of multiple links from the same domain diminishes over time.

A link from a 78‑DA site can be great, but the second link from that same site may move the needle far less.

In many cases, earning a link from a new, relevant website is better, even if its DA is slightly lower.

In other words, a link on a new 55‑DA site can outperform an additional link on a site that already links to you. Even when authority gains are modest, new referring domains can expand brand exposure and drive more referral traffic.

Utilize the effective social media

Use social media to distribute your best content, build relationships, and spark engagement. Visibility and discussion on these platforms can lead to natural mentions and links, amplify your reach, and help journalists, bloggers, and creators discover your work.

Research topics first before keywords

Start with topics, then refine to keywords. If you fixate on isolated keywords, you risk creating content that feels fragmented or unhelpful.

Identify the core questions, intents, and problems your audience cares about. Build comprehensive resources around those themes, then map relevant keywords and variations to your pages.

Create onsite pages

Many modern search systems use semantic understanding rather than relying solely on exact keyword matches. They interpret user intent and surface on‑topic content.

So, in addition to keyword research, think in terms of broader themes and keyword families. Use linkbuilding to strengthen your site’s domain- and page‑level authority. For best results, prioritize links to your most important pages.

If you have in‑depth guides or research, link to them to reinforce your brand. Avoid repeatedly linking only to one page from everywhere; patterns like that can look suspicious.

Work with the right SEO agency

Partnering with an experienced linkbuilding agency has clear benefits. Skilled linkbuilders use high‑quality content and ethical outreach to build long‑term relationships with publishers. While fees can be higher, the expanded resources and expertise often produce a strong return on investment (ROI). Make sure the SEO agency is reputable and transparent about its methods. If you run an SEO firm, white‑label SEO reselling can make sense.

Evaluate the metrics

Meaningful success metrics go beyond domain and page authority. Track referral traffic from each link to see which publishers drive the most visitors. Sometimes a link from a lower‑DA site can perform well if its audience is highly engaged. Consider the broader picture by monitoring direct and organic traffic, as well as keyword rankings.

Guest posting / blogger outreach

If another blogger’s readers would value your content, ask for a link. Requests for links, shares, and comments can help your site and your business. Even if you don’t get a link immediately, strong content can earn one later.

Be aware that inboxes are full of low‑quality outreach. Many bloggers dislike generic link requests, but thoughtful outreach remains a powerful way to build contextual links from target domains.

Personalize your outreach. Send each recipient a tailored note explaining how your contribution helps their audience. Keep it simple and useful.

Blogger outreach can be highly effective. Include it in your strategic plan.

Join bloggers community

Join communities on platforms like Facebook, Slack, and LinkedIn. Collaborative groups make it easier to discover partnerships and link opportunities.

These communities can help grow your organic traffic, improve your AHREFS domain metrics, support rankings for targeted keywords, and encourage more unique sites to refer visitors to you.

Create fresh and unique content

Content creators should worry about more than avoiding plagiarism. Aim to produce content that’s significantly better than what’s already available. Doing so builds a loyal audience that can be measured through multiple engagement metrics and identified through solid audience research.

Verdict

Patience and persistence win. Focus on creating content that’s demonstrably better than the competition and pursue linkbuilding that favors quality over quantity. That approach makes it easier to reach your target audience.

To increase the trustworthiness of search results, Google has been vocal about the kinds of links it discourages, continually raising standards to deliver the best experience.

External signals and link development are ranking considerations. Prioritize earning high‑quality backlinks. A backlink connects two websites, and both quality and quantity matter. SEOs aiming to rise in SERPs often focus on acquiring more high‑quality backlinks.

Frequently asked questions