Earning links without risky tactics
Links from other websites still help search visibility, but buying them is risky. Here are sustainable ways to earn mentions and links.
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Key takeaways
- Relevant links from real, trusted sites matter more than volume.
- Create things worth referencing: data you own, useful tools, expert insight.
- Buying links or joining link schemes risks penalties and wasted budget.
Links from other websites act as recommendations. Search engines use them, among many signals, to judge which pages are trustworthy and important. But the way links are earned matters: shortcuts can backfire.
What makes a valuable link
- Relevance: the linking site relates to your industry, location or topic.
- Trust: it is a real publication, organisation or business with its own audience.
- Editorial choice: someone linked because your content was useful, not because they were paid.
- Context: the link appears in meaningful content, not in a list of hundreds of unrelated links.
One link from a respected industry publication can be worth more than hundreds from unknown sites.
Sustainable ways to earn links
Be part of your community. Local associations, chambers of commerce, events, sponsorships and partnerships often list members and supporters on their websites.
Work with partners. Suppliers, clients and technology partners may feature case studies, partner directories or testimonials that link to you.
Create reference-worthy content. Original research, practical tools, detailed guides, templates and clear explanations of complex topics attract links because people want to cite them.
Share expertise with journalists. Respond to media requests in your field, offer expert commentary and publish clear opinions on industry developments.
Reclaim mentions. Search for mentions of your brand that don't link to you and politely ask for a link where appropriate.
Fix broken links to you. If other sites link to pages that no longer exist on your site, redirect those URLs to the right pages.
Tactics to avoid
- Buying links that pass ranking value
- Large-scale link exchanges
- Private blog networks
- Automated link building and comment spam
- Guest posts written mainly to insert keyword-rich links
Google's spam policies specifically target these. Even when they appear to work at first, they can lead to penalties or simply be ignored.
Measure what matters
Track referring domains over time, but also the traffic, enquiries and reputation that mentions bring. The best links send real visitors.
Our SEO service includes ethical authority building, supported by content worth referencing.
Frequently asked questions
Are directory listings useful?
Relevant, reputable directories, such as industry associations and well-known local directories, can help customers find you and support local SEO. Mass submissions to low-quality directories don't help.
What should I do about spammy links pointing to my site?
Usually nothing; Google generally ignores them. If you have a manual action for unnatural links, clean them up and use the disavow tool carefully.
