A link from another site is a signal that someone found your page worth pointing to. Search engines have counted such links from the beginning, and they still do. Because links matter, a market grew up for selling them. Buying links is against search engine guidelines, it is detected more often than sellers admit, and the result can be a penalty that takes months to undo. There are slower ways that work and carry no risk.
What makes a link worth having
- Relevance. A link from a site in your field counts for more than one from an unrelated site.
- Quality of the source. A real publication with its own readers, not a page that exists to sell links.
- Placement. A link inside the text of an article, chosen by its author, is worth more than one in a footer or a list.
- Anchor text. The linked words tell search engines what your page is about. A natural mix of brand name, page title and plain phrases is normal. Hundreds of identical keyword anchors look manufactured.
Ten good links beat a thousand poor ones. Count is a poor target.
Six ways to earn links
1. Publish something worth citing. Original data, a survey, a calculator, a free tool, a clear guide to a confusing subject. Writers link to sources. Become one.
2. Digital PR. Offer journalists and industry sites a story, a finding or an expert comment. Coverage usually includes a link.
3. Guest articles. Write a useful article for a respected site in your field. One strong article on a relevant site is good. Mass-produced posts on sites that accept anything are not.
4. Partners and suppliers. Customers, suppliers, software you integrate with, associations you belong to. Many have partner or case study pages and will list you if asked.
5. Unlinked mentions. Search for places that name your company or product without linking. A short, polite request is often enough.
6. Broken links. Find pages in your field that link to something that no longer exists, and suggest your equivalent page as a replacement.
What to avoid
- Paying for links, or exchanging products for links, without marking them as sponsored.
- Link networks and private blog networks.
- Large-scale link exchanges: "link to me and I will link to you".
- Automated comments and forum posts.
- Widgets or templates with a hidden link back.
Paid placements and adverts are legitimate when they carry the rel="sponsored" attribute. That tells search engines not to count them, and it keeps you inside the rules.
Audit what you already have
Before chasing new links, look at the existing ones in search console or a backlink tool.
- Which pages attract links, and why? Do more of that.
- Do links point to pages that now return an error? Redirect those addresses and the value returns at no cost.
- Who links to your competitors and not to you? That list is your outreach plan.
- Are there many links from obviously spammy sites? Search engines ignore most of them. The disavow tool is for cases with a manual action or a history of bought links, and it should be used with care.
Internal links count too
Links between your own pages pass value the same way. When a page earns links, link from it to the service or product pages you want to rank. Many sites have a few well-linked articles and commercial pages that nothing points to.
How long it takes
Earning links is slow. A realistic pace for a small company is a few good links a month. The effect accumulates, and unlike bought links, these do not disappear when you stop paying.
Summary
Earn links from relevant sites through content worth citing, PR, partners and outreach, and stay away from anything sold by the dozen. Backlink audits and link earning are part of our SEO and digital marketing service. If you have been offered a link package and are unsure, ask us before you pay for it.