To get backlinks, start with the links you are already owed, then go after the sources that fit your kind of site: partners and suppliers for a local business, integration pages and comparison roundups for SaaS, gift guides and product roundups for an online store. Before you spend time on any link, check that it would be high quality: a relevant page, on a site with real readers, with your link in the content.
This guide maps where backlinks come from and which sources suit which sites. For step-by-step tactics and outreach templates, see how to build backlinks.
The short version
- The fastest backlinks are the ones you are owed: unlinked mentions, partner pages, and broken links to your own site.
- The right sources depend on your site. A plumber, a SaaS tool and a Shopify store should not chase the same links.
- A high quality backlink passes 7 checks. Relevance comes first: 58.6% of SEO leaders call it the single most important factor (uSERP).
- 94% of blog posts earn no external links (Backlinko). Pages that do earn them have data, tools or a definitive answer.
- Cold outreach averages an 8.5% reply rate (Backlinko, 12M emails), so pick sources with better odds before you send anything.
Step 1: Collect the links you are already owed
These need no new content and convert far better than cold pitches. Do them once, then repeat every quarter.
- Unlinked brand mentions. Search Google for your brand name in quotes, excluding your own site (
"yourbrand" -site:yoursite.com). Any page that names you without linking is a short, friendly email away from a link. - Partners, suppliers and customers. Most companies list the tools, suppliers or agencies they work with. Ask to be on that page.
- Broken links to your site. Old URLs you moved or deleted may still have links pointing at them. Find them in a backlink tool, then redirect each one to the closest live page.
- Profiles you already have. Your social profiles, app marketplace listings, review sites and business directories should all link to your site with the right URL.
Step 2: Pick the sources that fit your site
Every backlink comes from one of a handful of sources. They differ in how fast you can get one and how much it is worth:
| Source | How fast | Typical value | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Links you are owed (step 1) | Days | Medium to high | Every site |
| Directories and profiles | Days | Low alone, a useful base | New and local sites |
| Partner, supplier and integration pages | Weeks | High, very relevant | SaaS, B2B, local |
| "Best of" roundups and comparisons | Weeks | Very high for buyers and AI answers | SaaS, ecommerce |
| Guest articles | Weeks | Medium, depends on the site | Expert-led businesses |
| Digital PR and journalist requests | Weeks to months | High | Anyone with data or an expert |
| Original data and free tools | Months, then ongoing | Highest, earned on autopilot | Sites with something to measure |
| Content networks and placements | Days to weeks | Depends on relevance and placement | Sites that want steady volume |
The differences in value are explained in types of backlinks.
How to get backlinks by type of site
A new website with no audience
You have no data, no brand mentions and no relationships yet. Start where the bar is lowest and relevance is easy:
- Create the profiles and directory listings that matter in your field, not hundreds of generic ones.
- Get listed by anyone you already work with: suppliers, partners, your web designer, the tools you use.
- Publish one page that is worth linking to: a template, a calculator, a clear answer to a common question in your niche.
- Then start pitching guest articles and roundups.
The aim for the first three months is a few relevant referring domains, not a big number. Link building for a new website has a fuller plan.
A local business
Local links come from your city and your trade, and many of them are offline relationships that already exist:
- Local business associations, chambers of commerce and city guides.
- Suppliers, manufacturers and brands you stock or install.
- Local news, event sponsorships, schools and clubs you support.
- Trade associations and certification bodies that list members.
See backlinks for local service businesses for a plan built around these.
A SaaS or software company
Buyers compare tools, so the most valuable links sit on pages where comparisons happen:
- Integration and partner directories. Every app you integrate with probably has a marketplace page that can link to you.
- "Best X tools" roundups. Find the roundups that rank for your category and ask to be reviewed. These pages also feed AI answers.
- Alternatives pages and review sites. G2, Capterra, AlternativeTo and similar sites.
- Your own data. Usage numbers, benchmarks or surveys that writers in your space can cite.
Backlinks for SaaS companies goes further.
An online store
Product pages rarely earn links on their own. Go where shoppers look for recommendations:
- Gift guides and seasonal roundups, pitched 6 to 8 weeks before the season.
- Product reviews from bloggers who cover your category.
- Supplier and brand pages that list stockists.
- Buying guides you publish, which link internally to your product pages.
More in how to build backlinks for ecommerce and ecommerce link building.
How to get high quality backlinks
Before you spend an hour on a link, run it through these seven checks. A link that fails the first three is rarely worth having.
- 1
Is the linking page about your subject?
Relevance comes first. In a uSERP survey of SEO leaders, 58.6% named topical relevance as the most important factor in a link's value. - 2
Does the site get real search traffic?
Look up its estimated organic traffic in a backlink tool. A site with high Domain Rating and almost no traffic is a warning sign. - 3
Will your link sit inside the content?
In the body of an article, next to text about the same topic. Not in a footer, sidebar, author bio or list of links. - 4
Is it a new referring domain for you?
A first link from a new site usually adds more than another link from a site that already links to you. - 5
Does the page link out sparingly?
A page with a handful of outbound links passes more to each one than a page with fifty, and a reader is far more likely to click yours. - 6
Can you use a natural anchor?
Your brand name or a descriptive phrase. If the site insists on an exact keyword anchor, that is a sign it sells links in bulk. - 7
Will it stay live?
Ahrefs found 66.5% of links to a sample of 2 million sites rotted within nine years. Prefer sites that look maintained, and check your links every few months.
Red flags
Walk away when you see:
- A site that publishes on every topic, from casinos to dog food.
- "Write for us" pages that list prices by Domain Rating with no editorial review.
- Posts with several unrelated paid links each.
- Traffic that collapsed in the last year, visible in any SEO tool.
- Promises of "100 high DR backlinks" for a fixed low price.
Google's link spam policy targets these patterns, and links from them are more likely to be ignored than counted.
How to get backlinks without outreach
Outreach works, but slowly. Only 8.5% of outreach emails get a reply, according to Backlinko's study of 12 million emails. Three ways to get links without writing pitches:
- Publish linkable assets. Original data, free tools and definitive guides earn links from writers who find them while researching. Content over 3,000 words earns 77.2% more referring domains than content under 1,000 words (Backlinko, 912M posts).
- Answer journalists. Request services connect reporters with sources. A quote in a news article usually comes with a link.
- Use a placement service that vets sites. Outrank finds blogs that already get Google traffic in your subject, writes a full article for them with your link inside, and checks the link stays live. Placements go to blogs at DR 30+ with around 100 Google clicks a month, verified in their Search Console. Every Outrank plan includes automated backlink building, and the backlink plans add more placements.
FAQ
How do I get backlinks for free?
Claim unlinked brand mentions, get listed by partners and suppliers, fix broken links to your own site, set up relevant profiles, and publish one page worth citing. Then pitch guest articles and roundups. All of these cost time, not money.
What is the fastest way to get backlinks?
Links you are already owed: unlinked mentions, partner pages and broken links pointing at your site. They can go live within days because the other site already knows you.
How do I get high quality backlinks?
Pursue only links that pass three checks: the page is about your subject, the site gets real search traffic, and your link sits inside the content. Then prefer new referring domains, natural anchors and sites that link out sparingly.
How many backlinks should I get per month?
It depends on your competitors. Look at how many referring domains the top-ranking pages for your keyword have, and grow steadily toward that range. Our guide on how many backlinks you need to rank shows the method.
How do I get backlinks for a new website?
Start with directories that matter in your field, partners and suppliers, and one linkable page. Expect a few relevant referring domains in the first months, then add guest articles, roundups and digital PR.
Is it OK to pay for backlinks?
Google's policies prohibit buying links only to pass ranking value. Paying for a real article on a relevant site with readers is lower risk. Our comparison of the best places to buy backlinks explains how to vet sellers.
