Link Building
Practical guides on backlinks, tiered link building, on-page and technical SEO, keyword research and more.
Free vs Paid Link Building: Costs, Risks and Where Each Fits
No link building is truly free, and paying for links carries risks money cannot remove. Here is an honest comparison of what each approach costs and where it makes sense.
Link BuildingLink Building Outreach Emails: Writing Pitches People Actually Answer
Most outreach emails get deleted unread. The ones that get answered are short, specific and clearly written by someone who looked at the recipient's site.
Link BuildingCompetitor Backlink Analysis: Finding Link Opportunities From Sites That Outrank You
Your competitors' backlink profiles are a map of where links in your niche come from. Here is how to read that map and decide which links are worth pursuing.
Link BuildingLocal Citations: How Business Listings Support Local Search
A local citation is any online mention of your business name, address and phone number. Getting them consistent is unglamorous work that local businesses cannot skip.
Link BuildingInfographic Link Building: Visual Content That Still Earns Links
The infographic boom faded, but good visual content still earns links. The difference now is that it has to show something people genuinely want to cite.
Link BuildingForum and Community Links: Earning Mentions by Being Genuinely Helpful
Forums and communities can send highly targeted visitors and the occasional link. The ones that work come from helping people, not dropping URLs.
Link BuildingProfile and Directory Backlinks: Which Ones Are Worth Creating
A handful of profile and directory links are basic hygiene for any business. Thousands of them are a waste. Here is how to tell which is which.
Link BuildingWeb 2.0 Backlinks: What They Are, How People Use Them and Their Limits
Web 2.0 backlinks come from free blog and content platforms you control. They are easy to make and easy to get wrong. Here is what they can and cannot do.
Link BuildingNiche Edits Explained: What Link Insertions Are and the Risks Involved
Niche edits add your link to an article that already exists. They are popular because they are fast, and risky for the same reasons. Here is how they work and what to watch for.
Link BuildingTurning Unlinked Brand Mentions Into Links
People already writing about you are the easiest people to ask for a link. Here is how to find unlinked mentions and convert the ones that matter.
Link BuildingEarning Links From Journalist Requests: How to Answer Reporters and Get Quoted
Reporters post requests for expert comment every day. Answering the right ones quickly and well can earn you quotes, mentions and links from publications you could not pitch cold.
Link BuildingResource Page Link Building: Getting Listed on Curated Link Pages
Resource pages exist to link out. If you have a genuinely useful page, getting added to the right lists is one of the more straightforward link wins available.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best link building method?
There isn't one best method. Guest posts, broken link building and digital PR each suit different sites and budgets. The guides here compare effort, cost and risk.
Can I build links without paying?
Yes. Outreach, resource pages, unlinked brand mentions and community participation cost time rather than money.