Introduction: The Real Answer to How to Get Backlinks
Everyone wants to know how to get backlinks, but most advice skips the important question: backlinks from where, and why would anyone link to you? I am Niaz Ahmad, a link building specialist, and I have earned backlinks across finance, healthcare, local services, and some of the most competitive niches online. In this guide, I will show you exactly how to get backlinks that actually move rankings, starting with what makes a backlink worth pursuing in the first place.
Here is the uncomfortable truth: most backlinks are worthless. Google ignores the vast majority of low quality links completely. The difference between a backlink profile that doubles your traffic and one that does nothing comes down to quality, relevance, and how each link was earned. This guide covers 15 proven methods, with full step by step workflows for the five I rely on most.
What Makes a Backlink “High Quality”?
Before learning how to get backlinks, you need to know which ones are worth getting. I evaluate every opportunity against four criteria.
1. Topical relevance. A link from a site in your niche beats a link from a high authority site in an unrelated niche, almost every time. Google uses the linking page’s topic to understand what your page is about. Relevance is the single most underrated factor in link quality.
2. Real organic traffic. If a site gets genuine search traffic, Google trusts it, and a link from it carries weight. I filter prospects to sites with at least 1,000 monthly organic visits in Ahrefs. Sites with zero traffic are often built solely to sell links, regardless of their Domain Rating.
3. Editorial placement. A link that a human editor chose to include because your content deserved it is worth ten times a link you placed yourself in a comment or profile. Editorial links come from outreach, PR, and creating things worth referencing.
4. Page level authority. Everyone checks domain authority, but the linking PAGE matters more. A link from a strong article on a medium site beats a link from a weak page on a huge site. Check the page’s own backlinks and traffic, not just the domain.
A backlink that scores well on all four is worth pursuing aggressively. One that scores well on none is not worth your time, no matter how easy it looks.
15 Proven Methods for How to Get Backlinks
Here are fifteen methods, with the five I use most broken down step by step.
Method 1: Competitor Link Gap Outreach (My #1 Method)
This is where I start every campaign, and it should be where you start too. Instead of guessing where backlinks might come from, you find sites already linking to your competitors and earn those same links.
Step 1: In Ahrefs Site Explorer, enter your domain, go to Link Intersect, and add two or three top competitors.
Step 2: Filter for dofollow links from domains with DR 30+ and organic traffic above 1,000.
Step 3: Export the list and categorize each opportunity: guest post target, resource page, directory, or mention.
Step 4: Work through the list with the appropriate outreach for each type. Personalize every email with something specific about their site.
Step 5: Track placements and repeat quarterly. New gaps appear constantly as competitors earn new links.
Method 2: Guest Posting on Real Publications
Guest posting earns backlinks by contributing genuinely useful articles to publications in your niche. The key word is real: sites with actual readers, editorial standards, and organic traffic.
Step 1: Build a prospect list in Ahrefs by searching for blogs in your niche with traffic above 5,000 monthly visits.
Step 2: Study each site’s recent content and pitch a specific topic that fills a gap, referencing their previous articles.
Step 3: Write the best article you can. It should be good enough to publish without the link. That is the quality bar.
Step 4: Include your backlink naturally in the body, pointing to a relevant resource, not your homepage.
Step 5: Promote the published post. Editors remember contributors who drive traffic, and they invite you back.
Method 3: Niche Edits on Ranking Articles
Niche edits get your backlink added to articles that already rank and already have authority. No new content needed, just a great resource and a good pitch.
Step 1: Google your topic plus terms like “statistics,” “guide,” or “resources” to find ranking articles.
Step 2: Identify specific sections where your resource would genuinely improve the article.
Step 3: Email the site owner pointing out the exact section and explaining what your resource adds. Keep it under 100 words.
Step 4: Follow up once after 5 days. No response after that usually means no.
Step 5: When placed, verify the link is dofollow and the anchor text is natural.
Method 4: Digital PR With Original Data
Digital PR earns backlinks from major publications by giving journalists something newsworthy: data, expert commentary, or a strong angle on a trending story.
Step 1: Find one interesting data point from your business: survey results, internal metrics, or industry observations.
Step 2: Write a clear, surprising headline for the finding. If it does not surprise you, it will not interest a journalist.
Step 3: Identify five journalists who cover your beat and pitch them personally, with the data and a quotable expert available.
Step 4: Time it well. Tying your angle to a trending news story multiplies response rates.
Step 5: When coverage lands, thank the journalist and share the piece. Relationships compound.
Method 5: HARO and Expert Quote Platforms
Journalists constantly need expert sources. Platforms like Connectively (formerly HARO) let you answer their queries, and when they quote you, you typically get a backlink.
Step 1: Sign up and set up alerts for queries in your areas of expertise.
Step 2: Respond only where you have genuine expertise. Generic answers never get picked.
Step 3: Keep responses under 150 words, quotable, with a specific credential.
Step 4: Respond fast. Journalists often choose from the first strong replies.
Step 5: Track which beats convert and prioritize those queries going forward.
Method 6: Broken Link Building
Find dead links on relevant sites, then offer your content as a replacement. You are fixing their site while earning a backlink. Use Ahrefs to find pages with many outbound links, check for 404s, and pitch replacements where your content is a genuine fit.
Method 7: Resource Page Outreach
Resource pages are curated link lists maintained by organizations, universities, and bloggers. Search for “[topic] + inurl:resources” to find them, then suggest your best resource for inclusion. Only pitch when your page is truly among the best available.
Method 8: Unlinked Brand Mention Conversion
Set up alerts for your brand name. When sites mention you without linking, send a short thank you email asking them to make the mention clickable. This converts 20 to 40 percent of the time, making it the highest ROI method per hour spent.
Method 9: Link Reclamation
Check Ahrefs’ lost backlinks report quarterly. For each quality link lost to redesigns or URL changes, email the site owner asking them to restore or update it. Recovering lost backlinks is the cheapest link building you will ever do.
Method 10: Podcast Guest Appearances
Podcast hosts almost always link to guests in show notes. Pitch relevant shows with specific episode angles, deliver a great interview, and promote the episode afterward. The backlinks are solid, and the authority compounds.
Method 11: Original Research and Data Studies
Publish survey data, industry benchmarks, or original analysis that others in your niche will reference. One strong data study can earn dozens of backlinks over its lifetime. Promote it with a focused outreach sprint after publishing.
Method 12: Free Tools and Calculators
A simple, useful tool (a calculator, template, or checker) earns backlinks passively for years. It does not need to be complex. A well executed mortgage calculator or audit template in your niche will outperform most content.
Method 13: Expert Roundup Contributions
When publications run expert roundups, contribute a specific, opinionated answer with a concrete example. These backlinks are modest individually but build a natural, topically relevant profile in volume. Never pay for roundup placements.
Method 14: Community Leadership
Answering questions thoroughly in Reddit communities, niche forums, and Slack groups builds visibility that leads to backlinks indirectly. Most forum links are nofollow, but the bloggers and journalists in those communities link to people they recognize and trust.
Method 15: Strategic Partnerships and Co-marketing
Partner with complementary (non competing) businesses on webinars, co created content, or joint research. Both parties promote, both earn backlinks, and the relationship often produces more opportunities. Start with businesses at a similar stage to yours.
How to Vet a Backlink Opportunity: My Checklist
Not every opportunity deserves pursuit. Before investing outreach effort, I run through this checklist:
- Relevance: Is the site topically related to mine? Would a reader naturally expect this link?
- Traffic: Does the site get real organic traffic (1,000+ monthly)? Does the specific page get traffic?
- Editorial standards: Does the site publish original content with real authors? Or is it clearly a link farm?
- Link profile: Does the site link out to quality resources, or to casinos, payday loans, and CBD stores?
- Indexation: Is the page indexed in Google? A link from a non indexed page is worthless.
- Outbound link count: A page linking to 200 sites passes little value per link. Prefer pages with fewer outbound links.
If an opportunity fails more than one of these checks, I skip it. Discipline here is what separates profiles that rank from profiles that just exist. Want me to vet opportunities for you? My link building services include full prospect vetting on every target.
Backlinks to Avoid: What Will Hurt You
Knowing how to get backlinks includes knowing which ones to refuse. Avoid:
- Paid links from link vendors: If someone sells you “50 DA 50+ backlinks for $100,” those links will either do nothing or get you penalized.
- Private blog networks: Google detects footprint patterns reliably now. The risk is not worth it.
- Automated profile and comment links: These have not worked in over a decade and only pollute your profile.
- Irrelevant directory blasts: A few curated, niche relevant directories are fine. Hundreds of generic ones are not.
- Excessive exact match anchors: Even good backlinks hurt if every anchor is your money keyword. Keep exact match under 10 to 15 percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to get backlinks for a new website?
For a new website, start with the lowest barrier methods: unlinked brand mentions (as you get press), resource page outreach, expert quote contributions, and community participation. Build one linkable asset early, even a simple one, because having something worth linking to makes every other method work better. Expect the first 3 months to be slow; that is normal.
How many backlinks do I need to rank on Google?
There is no magic number. Focus on the gap between you and the pages outranking you. If competitors average 50 referring domains to a page and you have 5, you need roughly 45 quality backlinks to compete. Quality and relevance matter far more than raw count.
How long does it take for backlinks to affect rankings?
Typically 2 to 6 months from when a backlink is earned. Google must crawl the linking page, process the link, and then adjust rankings, which happens gradually. Do not judge a link building campaign before 90 days minimum.
Are paid backlinks worth the risk?
No. Google’s spam detection has made paid link networks extremely risky, and penalties can wipe out years of progress. The methods in this guide earn backlinks that are safe because they are editorially given. If budget is tight, invest time in the free methods (HARO, mentions, communities) rather than buying links.
What is the fastest legitimate way to get backlinks?
Unlinked mention conversion and link reclamation are fastest (days to weeks). Niche edits typically land within 2 to 4 weeks of outreach. Guest posts take 4 to 8 weeks including content creation. Digital PR can be fast when newsjacking works, but it is unpredictable. There are no legitimate shortcuts beyond these.
Do I need backlinks for local SEO?
Yes, but fewer and more local. For local rankings, prioritize local citations, reviews, local news coverage, community sponsorships, and links from local organizations. A dozen strong local backlinks often outperform a hundred generic ones for map pack rankings.
Conclusion: Start With the Gap, Earn Every Link
Learning how to get backlinks is really about learning how to be worth linking to, then making sure the right people know you exist. Start with a competitor gap analysis so you are working from evidence, not guesses. Vet every opportunity against the quality checklist. Execute consistently for at least six months.
The fifteen methods above are not secrets. They work because they are built on a simple principle: earn links that a human editor would be proud to give. Do that consistently, and rankings follow.
Want an expert to handle this for you? Check my link building services or contact me for a free backlink gap analysis. I will show you exactly where your competitors are getting links that you are not, and build a plan to close that gap.