How to Increase Backlinks: Proven Link Building Strategies

Summary: Learn how to increase backlinks with a practical plan: build linkable assets, run targeted outreach, and use digital PR to earn high-quality links that boost SEO.

Introduction

Backlinks are votes of confidence from other websites. To earn the best ones, start by building a trustworthy, well-optimized site and create content people actually want to cite. Then use targeted outreach and digital PR to turn those assets into authoritative links that move the needle for SEO.

Building backlinks is a mix of two things: first, creating awesome content that other people actually want to link to, and second, asking the right websites for those links. It all comes down to a link-worthy website that demonstrates expertise and trust. Once you have that foundation, smart outreach helps you secure endorsements from authoritative sites.

Build a Link-Worthy Foundation First

Before you think about sending outreach, get your own house in order. A backlink is a vote of confidence, and nobody wants to endorse a site that looks shaky or untrustworthy.

From an editor’s perspective—a person you’re asking for a link—a “link-worthy” site looks professional, credible, and valuable. For your site, that “health” is overall quality, user experience, and demonstrated expertise.

Solidify Your On-Site Essentials

Make sure your site meets a basic standard of quality. This isn’t just about design; it’s about creating a platform other sites feel good sending their audience to.

Before any link building, run through a quick pre-flight checklist so that when someone clicks through from an outreach email, they see a credible resource worth linking to.

Your Pre-Link Building Checklist

“A strong foundation isn’t just a nice-to-have—it's a prerequisite for any successful link-building campaign.”

Make Your Content an Undeniable Asset

Your content needs to be an asset that’s actually worth linking to. If you’re rehashing the same information as everyone else, why would a busy editor choose your piece over an established authority?

One effective approach is to build interactive tools or deep, original pieces that provide instant value.

Examples:

• A marketing team could add a useful calculator to show potential ROI from campaigns, which editors are likely to share. Consider linking to a practical tool such as the Facebook Ads Cost Estimator to illustrate ad spend decisions.
• A financial advisor might offer a calculator to demonstrate long-term growth; a helpful example is the Mortgage Calculator.

These assets position your site as an authority and make earning backlinks far easier.

Create Content That Earns Links Passively

The best links are the ones you don’t have to ask for. That happens when you shift from writing ordinary blog posts to creating genuine link assets: original research, ultimate guides, free tools, and compelling case studies.

The upfront work on one epic asset can pay dividends for years.

Develop Link-Worthy Content Formats

Formats that attract links without outreach include:

• Original data and research — surveys or fresh analysis that journalists and bloggers can cite.
• Ultimate guides — definitive resources that become the go-to reference.
• Free interactive tools — calculators or templates that provide immediate value.

“A single, well-made tool can become the cornerstone of your link-building strategy.”

Turn Your Expertise into a Tool

Building a tool isn’t as hard as it sounds. You don’t always need a development team. Start by thinking about repetitive client questions or quick calculations you do often.

For profitability planning and content ROI decisions, tools like the Business Valuation Estimator or the Email List Value Estimator help frame the value of content investments.

This turns a static page into an interactive experience that naturally attracts links.

Calculate the Long-Term Benefit

Treat a major link asset like any business investment. For example, instead of writing three standard posts, consider building one tool or in-depth study that passive links can compound over time.

Using tools such as the Business Valuation Estimator can help you model long-term return and justify higher-impact projects.

Mastering Digital PR and Media Outreach

Creating content that attracts links is a long-term strategy, but sometimes you need to land a few big wins proactively. Digital PR and media outreach are about offering journalists a story they need—not blasting generic pitches.

Aim for one or two major links from top-tier publications that can significantly boost authority. Shift from “How can I get a link?” to “What story do I have a journalist needs to cover?”

Find the Story Hiding in Your Data

Journalists want compelling, data-backed stories. You may have unique insights in your own analytics or client data. Even small surveys or internal trends can produce newsworthy angles.

Example story angle: “Data Shows Small Businesses Are Shifting Ad Spend from Facebook to TikTok” — it’s specific and timely.

Crafting a Pitch That Actually Gets Opened

A solid pitch should be personalized, punchy, and prove value in the first sentence.

Good pitch structure:

• Killer subject line: frame it like a headline they might write.
• The hook: lead with your most compelling finding.
• Key data points: 2–3 bullets of the most important stats.
• The offer: exclusive access to data, the full dataset, or an expert interview.

Think about the potential return because landing top-tier links takes work. Use value modeling tools like the Business Valuation Estimator to justify the outreach effort.

The Power of Expert Opinion

Sometimes the story is your expertise. A sharp, contrarian take or a concise expert quote can position you as a recurring source for journalists.

When you consistently provide value—through data or insight—you become a trusted resource that journalists cite repeatedly.

How to Do Guest Posting the Right Way

Guest posting has a poor reputation because people used to use it for spammy links. Done right, it still builds authority, drives referral traffic, and earns high-quality backlinks.

The modern approach is brand placement: contribute valuable content to publications your target audience already reads.

Shift Your Mindset From Link Building to Brand Placement

Focus on publishers with engaged audiences that align with your niche. Prioritize relevance and audience over raw domain metrics.

Good placements include:

• Complementary businesses serving the same audience (but not competitors).
• Industry publications hungry for expert perspectives.
• Affiliate blogs that publish roundups or how-to guides.

Craft a Pitch Editors Want

Solve a problem for the editor. Propose specific article ideas that show you’ve done your homework.

Good ideas:

• “How We Used [Specific Strategy] to Solve [Common Problem]”
• “5 Underused Alternatives to [Popular Tool]”
• “Step-by-Step Guide to [Achieving a Desirable Result]”

Optimize Your Contribution for Clicks and Authority

Write a stellar article and place your link naturally where it adds context. Optimize your author bio with a useful resource or tool to encourage clicks—e.g., link to a helpful calculator such as the YouTube Channel Value Estimator.

Find Link Opportunities by Analyzing Your Competitors

You don’t have to start from scratch. If reputable sites link to competitors, they’re likely interested in the topic—and might link to you if your resource is better.

This process, a backlink gap analysis, lets you reverse-engineer opportunities using SEO tools.

How to Run a Backlink Gap Analysis

Workflow:

• Pinpoint 3–5 direct competitors who rank for your target keywords.
• Export their backlink profiles with tools like Ahrefs or Semrush and compile the data.
• Find domains that link to 2+ competitors but not you.
• Visit the linking pages to understand why they linked out (resource list, review, guest post).

Once you have a list of prospects, create content that’s clearly better than the linked pages and start outreach.

Competitor Backlink Analysis Framework

Following this framework turns raw data into a focused link-building campaign.

Don’t Forget to Track Your Own Progress

Track your backlink growth so you can prove impact and identify which campaigns work. Historical backlink data often shows clear patterns tied to campaigns or events—for example, large sites can gain tens of thousands of referring URLs around major events, as reported by Majestic in recent coverage of UEFA’s traffic surge.¹

Tie link-building efforts back to business goals by modeling expected value with tools like the Business Valuation Estimator. This turns link building from a hopeful expense into a measurable growth engine.

Your Top Link Building Questions, Answered

Here are concise answers to the common questions I hear most.

How Quickly Do Backlinks Start Working?

It takes patience. Google must find and index the linking page and evaluate how the link affects your site’s authority. While small bumps can happen in days, measurable ranking changes usually take months. Studies of large datasets show only a small percentage of pages reach top-10 rankings within a year, so expect a medium-term timeline for meaningful results.²

How Many Backlinks Do I Actually Need?

There’s no magic number. Focus on relevance and quality. One well-placed, contextually perfect link from an authoritative site is worth far more than many low-quality links. Benchmark against competitors to set quality targets rather than chasing raw counts.

Should I Use Tools to Get Backlinks?

Yes—use tools strategically. Automation helps scale research and outreach, but human judgment is essential for relationship building and content creation. Use tools to find opportunities and model value, then invest time in personalization and compelling content.³

Ready to create link-worthy tools and supercharge your SEO? Use practical calculators to demonstrate value and attract links—examples include the Facebook Ads Cost Estimator, the Mortgage Calculator, and the Business Valuation Estimator.

Quick Q&A — Common Link Building Concerns

Q: How do I get links without sounding spammy?

A: Create genuinely useful content first, personalize outreach, and explain why your resource adds value to the linking page.

Q: What’s the best type of content to earn links?

A: Original data, long-form ultimate guides, case studies, and interactive tools typically attract the most passive links.

Q: How do I prioritize outreach targets?

A: Focus on relevance and audience fit. Use competitor backlink analysis to find domains already linking to similar content.