How to Get Backlinks in 2026: 10 Effective Link-Building Strategies
Backlinks remain an important part of search engine optimisation, but successful link building is no longer about collecting as many links as possible. The focus should be on earning relevant references from trustworthy websites that provide genuine value to readers.
For businesses investing in SEO, quality backlinks can strengthen online visibility, introduce their brand to new audiences, and support long-term organic growth. However, not every backlink delivers the same value, and some link-building practices can do more harm than good.
This guide explains how to get backlinks in 2026, what makes a backlink valuable, and ten practical strategies businesses can use to build a stronger online presence.
What Are Backlinks in SEO?
A backlink is a link from one website to another. When an external website links to your content, it creates a connection that search engines can use to discover pages and understand their relevance.
For example, if a marketing publication references your original research on ecommerce conversion rates and links to your website, that link is considered a backlink.
Google uses links as one of several signals when evaluating pages, but backlinks alone do not determine rankings. Content quality, search intent, relevance, technical accessibility, and numerous other factors also influence search performance.
Backlinks can also generate referral traffic when readers click through from another website. This makes them valuable beyond their potential contribution to organic search.
Why Are Backlinks Important in 2026?
Backlinks continue to play a role in SEO because they help connect information across the web. A relevant editorial link can indicate that another publisher considers your content useful enough to reference.
For businesses, a well-earned backlink can offer several benefits:
- Search visibility: Relevant links can contribute to how search engines evaluate and discover content.
- Referral traffic: Links from industry publications can introduce potential customers to your website.
- Brand credibility: Being referenced by respected sources can strengthen audience trust.
- Content discovery: Links help search engines and users find useful resources.
- Industry relationships: Editorial collaborations can create opportunities beyond SEO.
As search evolves, brand mentions and citations across online publications may also contribute to broader digital visibility. However, there is no established guarantee that gaining backlinks will cause a particular AI search platform to recommend or cite your business. (See our AI search strategy and Google AI search optimization guides.)
What Makes a High-Quality Backlink?
Not all backlinks are equally useful. A link from a relevant industry publication may provide more meaningful value than dozens of links from unrelated directories.
When evaluating opportunities, consider the linking website’s relevance, editorial standards, audience, and the context surrounding the link.
A good backlink generally appears naturally within useful content and helps readers access additional information. For example, a respected ecommerce publication linking to a Shopify conversion optimisation guide is more contextually relevant than an unrelated entertainment website linking to the same page.
Third-party metrics such as Semrush Authority Score or Ahrefs Domain Rating can help compare websites, but they are not Google ranking metrics. They should support research rather than determine decisions on their own.
1. Create Content People Naturally Want to Reference
One of the most sustainable ways to earn backlinks is to publish content that provides information other websites cannot easily find elsewhere.
Original research, industry surveys, practical templates, detailed tutorials, and interactive tools can attract editorial references when they solve genuine problems.
For example, a digital agency could publish an original analysis of landing page performance across different industries. Journalists, business publications, and marketing professionals may find the findings useful enough to reference in their own content.
The key is originality. Rewriting information already available on hundreds of websites rarely gives publishers a compelling reason to link to your page.
Start by identifying questions your audience frequently asks, then consider what useful data, expertise, or resources you can contribute. A clear content marketing strategy helps here.
2. Find Unlinked Brand Mentions
Sometimes websites mention a business without linking to its official website. These existing references can create straightforward opportunities to request a relevant backlink.
Search Google for your brand name using quotation marks and exclude your own domain. Brand monitoring tools can also help identify mentions across publications, blogs, and other websites.
Review the results and identify relevant mentions where adding a link would genuinely help readers learn more about your business.
For example, if an industry article discusses your agency’s work but does not link to your website, you can politely contact the publisher and suggest linking to the relevant service page or case study.
Keep outreach brief and respectful. The publisher should retain complete editorial control, and a link should only be requested when it improves the reader’s experience.
3. Reclaim Broken Backlinks
Websites change over time. Pages are deleted, URLs are updated, and older resources sometimes become unavailable.
If another website links to a page on your domain that no longer exists, visitors may encounter a 404 error instead of the intended content.
Use tools such as Google Search Console, Semrush, or Ahrefs to investigate broken pages and backlinks pointing to them. (An SEO website audit will surface most of these.)
When a relevant replacement page exists, a permanent 301 redirect may be appropriate. If the original content has moved, redirecting visitors to its new location can preserve access to the resource.
Avoid redirecting unrelated pages simply to retain links. If no suitable replacement exists, you can ask the referring publisher to update or remove the outdated reference.
4. Analyse Competitor Backlinks
Competitor backlink analysis helps identify websites that already reference businesses operating in your industry.
Tools such as Semrush Backlink Analytics and Ahrefs Site Explorer can reveal referring domains, linked pages, and potential content opportunities.
For example, a competing Shopify agency might receive backlinks from ecommerce publications, partner directories, software integration pages, or educational resources.
Review these sources to understand why the competitor earned the reference. Was it an original study, an expert interview, a useful guide, or a genuine partnership?
The objective is not to copy every competitor backlink. It is to identify credible opportunities where your own expertise or resources could provide comparable or greater value.
5. Use Digital PR and Expert Contributions
Digital PR connects businesses with journalists, publishers, and industry professionals who need credible information or expert commentary.
Instead of promoting services through generic press releases, businesses can contribute useful insights, original findings, or informed opinions on topics relevant to their expertise.
For example, a CRO specialist could explain common checkout friction points for an ecommerce publication. An architect might contribute expert commentary on sustainable residential design trends in Australia.
When a publication uses the contribution, it may provide attribution and a backlink to the expert’s website.
Effective digital PR depends on relevance, credibility, and timely responses. Avoid exaggerated claims or promotional pitches that do not address the journalist’s actual question.
6. Publish Relevant Guest Articles
Guest blogging involves contributing original content to another publication or website.
When used appropriately, it can help businesses reach new audiences, demonstrate expertise, and build relationships with relevant publishers.
The most effective guest articles offer genuinely useful information. A digital agency might contribute an article about improving lead-generation landing pages to a respected marketing publication.
Choose websites based on audience relevance and editorial quality rather than promises of guaranteed backlinks.
Avoid publishing large volumes of low-quality guest posts with keyword-stuffed anchor text. Google identifies excessive guest posting designed primarily to manipulate search rankings as a potential link-spam practice.
The primary goal should be contributing expertise to a publication that serves your target audience.
7. Build Backlinks Through Business Partnerships
Existing professional relationships can create natural opportunities for relevant links.
Software partners, industry associations, suppliers, clients, and collaborators may maintain pages highlighting genuine partnerships, integrations, or business examples.
For instance, a Shopify development agency might be featured in a technology partner directory. A business using a particular software platform could contribute a legitimate customer success story.
These references can help visitors discover relevant expertise or understand how businesses work together.
Links should reflect real relationships rather than artificial exchanges arranged solely to improve rankings. Excessive reciprocal linking can violate Google’s spam policies.
8. Get Featured on Relevant Resource Pages
Resource pages collect useful websites, tools, articles, and services for a particular audience.
Industry organisations, educational websites, professional associations, and specialist publications sometimes maintain these collections.
For example, a website offering financial education might reference a useful mortgage repayment calculator. An ecommerce learning resource might include a detailed Shopify migration checklist.
To find opportunities, search for industry terms combined with phrases such as “useful resources,” “recommended tools,” or “helpful guides.”
Review each page before contacting its publisher. Your resource should be relevant, accurate, and genuinely useful to the intended audience.
Avoid low-quality directories created primarily to sell placements or distribute SEO links. (For local businesses, a well-optimized Google Business Profile is a far more valuable listing.)
9. Use Broken Link Building to Offer Better Resources
Broken link building involves finding external websites that link to unavailable resources and suggesting a relevant alternative.
Suppose a marketing article references a discontinued guide about landing page optimisation. If your website contains an accurate and comprehensive resource covering the same subject, you could recommend it as a replacement.
Begin by identifying relevant industry pages with broken outbound links. Check what the missing resource originally covered before deciding whether your content is a suitable substitute.
If the replacement genuinely helps readers, contact the publisher with a short explanation and the relevant URL.
This approach works best when the suggested content closely matches the original reference. Sending unrelated links or bulk automated requests is unlikely to create value.
10. Participate in Industry Podcasts and Interviews
Podcasts, webinars, interviews, and professional discussions can help businesses reach audiences interested in their expertise.
Many publishers include guest biographies, relevant resources, or website references alongside interviews.
For example, a founder discussing conversion rate optimisation on an ecommerce podcast could share a helpful guide about improving product page performance.
These appearances provide opportunities to demonstrate experience and establish professional relationships, even when they do not result in a backlink.
Focus on relevant conversations where you can contribute meaningful insight. The value of an interview should not depend entirely on whether the publisher includes a link.
How to Build a Backlink Strategy Step by Step
A successful backlink strategy starts with understanding your website’s existing position and identifying realistic opportunities.
First, review your current backlink profile to understand which websites link to you and which pages attract the most references. Identify broken links, relevant brand mentions, and useful content that deserves greater visibility.
Next, examine competitors to discover industry publications, resource pages, and partnership opportunities. Prioritise sources that serve your target audience rather than chasing the highest authority score.
Create or improve resources worth referencing, then conduct personalised outreach when a legitimate opportunity exists.
Finally, monitor your results and refine the strategy based on the quality of links earned, referral traffic, organic visibility, and business outcomes.
Link building works best as a consistent process supported by useful content and genuine relationships.
Common Link-Building Mistakes to Avoid
One of the biggest mistakes is treating backlink quantity as the primary success metric. Hundreds of irrelevant or manipulative links can be less useful than a smaller number of credible editorial references.
Businesses should avoid buying links that pass ranking credit, participating in excessive link exchanges, using automated link-building networks, or placing keyword-rich links across low-quality websites.
Paid advertising and sponsorship links are not inherently prohibited, but Google requires appropriate qualification, such as rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, when relevant.
Another mistake is expecting immediate ranking improvements. Search performance depends on many factors, and acquiring backlinks does not guarantee a specific position or timeframe.
How to Measure Backlink Performance
Monitoring backlinks helps businesses understand whether their outreach and content efforts are delivering meaningful results.
Useful metrics include:
- New referring domains from relevant websites
- Quality and context of acquired backlinks
- Referral traffic from external sources
- Organic visibility of linked pages
- Qualified enquiries and conversions
- Lost or broken backlinks
Tools such as Semrush and Ahrefs can help analyse backlink profiles, while Google Search Console provides link information and organic search performance data.
Google Analytics can help measure referral traffic and conversions, although a single backlink’s direct influence on rankings cannot be isolated reliably.
Evaluate results over several months rather than judging success solely by the number of links acquired each week.
Frequently Asked Questions About Backlinks
How can I get backlinks for free?
You can earn backlinks by publishing useful resources, contributing expert commentary, reclaiming broken links, participating in interviews, and contacting publishers who already mention your business. These methods may not require placement fees, although they involve time and effort.
How many backlinks does a website need to rank?
There is no fixed number. Ranking potential depends on competition, content relevance, website quality, and other search signals. A larger backlink count does not automatically produce better rankings.
Are backlinks still important for SEO in 2026?
Yes. Google continues to use links for discovery and as relevance signals. However, backlinks are only one component of a broader SEO strategy.
Do backlinks help with AI search visibility?
Relevant online references may support brand discovery and recognition across the web, but their direct influence on individual AI search systems is not fully established. Backlinks do not guarantee inclusion in AI-generated answers.
Is buying backlinks safe for SEO?
Buying links to manipulate search rankings violates Google’s link-spam policies. Paid placements used for advertising or sponsorship should use appropriate link attributes and should not be sold as guaranteed ranking improvements.
Final Thoughts
Effective link building is about earning recognition, not manufacturing popularity.
Businesses that publish original resources, contribute useful expertise, and build genuine industry relationships create more sustainable opportunities for backlinks and referral traffic.
The strongest strategy combines editorial quality, relevant outreach, technical maintenance, and consistent measurement.
At BrandUs, we view backlinks as part of a broader SEO and digital growth strategy. By connecting content, technical SEO, user experience, and conversion optimisation, businesses can focus on attracting relevant visitors and creating opportunities that support long-term growth.