Even in 2025, link building remains one of the most effective off-page SEO tactics. When other websites link to your content, it signals to search engines that your pages are valuable, authoritative, and relevant. But earning high-quality links requires more than just publishing content and waiting. It takes strategy, consistency, and alignment with what other publishers or creators find worth referencing.

This article covers reliable approaches to both link building (actively acquiring backlinks through outreach or promotion) and link earning (generating backlinks organically by creating content people want to cite or share).

The Difference Between Link Building and Link Earning

Link building typically involves deliberate actions to secure backlinks from other websites. These include outreach, partnerships, guest posts, or submitting to directories. You identify targets and pitch your content or collaboration.

Link earning happens when other websites link to you naturally, without any request. This usually follows from creating content that:

• Answers a popular or difficult question
• Offers original data or insights
• Serves as a resource in your industry
• Gains visibility through social sharing, PR, or rankings

A healthy SEO strategy includes both. You build links to get traction and visibility, and you earn links by consistently publishing link-worthy content that attracts attention over time.

Scalable Link Building Tactics That Still Work

1. Guest Posting on Relevant Industry Sites

Contributing high-quality articles to other reputable websites remains an effective way to build contextual backlinks. The key is to write for sites that:

• Have editorial oversight
• Serve an audience aligned with your niche
• Allow in-content or author bio links
• Are not link farms or low-quality networks

Your content should bring value - not exist solely to place a link. Avoid spammy outreach templates. Tailor your pitch to each site and suggest topics that haven’t been covered yet.

(See Guest Posting & Outreach Done Correctly for more.)

2. Resource Page Outreach

Many sites maintain curated lists of tools, articles, or templates related to a specific subject. If you’ve created a genuinely helpful resource (such as a free SEO checklist or industry glossary) you can reach out and ask to be included.

Before contacting anyone, make sure:

• Your content actually fits the theme of their resource
• The page is live and actively maintained
• Your link adds value, not redundancy

This strategy works especially well for educational institutions, nonprofit pages, and industry guides.

3. Broken Link Building

Broken link building involves finding dead links on relevant websites and suggesting your working content as a replacement. Tools like Ahrefs and Check My Links (a Chrome extension) help identify broken outbound links on high-authority pages.

This tactic works best when you already have content that closely matches what the original link pointed to. You’re solving a problem for the site owner - making this a mutually beneficial exchange.

4. Partnering With Industry Tools and Platforms

If your product or service integrates with other tools or platforms, reach out to be listed on their partner pages. These often link out to vendors, add-ons, or apps and can offer high-authority backlinks.

Even a short mention or listing can carry value, especially if the domain is trusted and niche-relevant.

Link Earning Through Content That Attracts Links

Earning links requires content that people naturally want to reference. This isn’t about volume - it’s about depth, originality, and strategic promotion.

1. Original Research and Data Studies

Publishing your own data (whether from surveys, customer insights, or product usage) can attract journalists, bloggers, and researchers looking for statistics to support their writing.

The format should include:

• Clear methodology
• Visualizations (charts, tables, infographics)
• Expert interpretation
• Quotes or key takeaways others can cite

Examples include:

• State of Industry reports
• SEO ranking factor studies
• User behavior insights from your platform

Even a small sample size can earn links if the topic is timely and presented well.

2. Definitive Guides and Evergreen Resources

Long-form, in-depth guides that cover an entire topic comprehensively often serve as references for other content creators. These act as pillar pages and are central to your content clustering strategy.

To make them linkable:

• Include citations and credible sources
• Break content into sections with clear headings
• Embed custom visuals or tools (e.g. checklists, templates)
• Keep them updated to maintain freshness

Guides that focus on helping others do something better (like “How to Build an Internal Linking Strategy” or “Local SEO for Multi-Location Businesses”) perform particularly well.

3. Visual Content and Embeddable Assets

Well-designed infographics, charts, and diagrams often get shared across blogs, slide decks, and social posts. If you include a linkable embed code or attribution, these can pass backlinks as they’re reused.

Other embeddable assets include:

• Code snippets or calculators
• Downloadable templates
• Interactive widgets
• Data visualization tools

Make sure your brand or link is part of the asset so it’s credited when reused.

4. Building Author Expertise and Publishing Off-Site

When you (or your team) regularly publish content on industry platforms, podcasts, webinars, or expert panels, you increase the chance of natural links back to your own site. These could come from bios, speaker listings, roundups, or resource pages.

This type of brand-based link earning builds over time and often results in the most trusted links, especially in competitive industries.

Sustainable Link Strategy Principles

• Prioritize quality over quantity. A few relevant links from reputable sites will outperform dozens of weak ones.
• Avoid manipulative tactics. Buying links, excessive anchor matching, or using expired domains risks penalties.
• Diversify sources. Aim for backlinks across different domains, formats, and contexts.
• Think beyond SEO. Many links are earned by promoting content that solves real problems for real people.

Your link strategy should grow with your content. Build foundational links for visibility, and create assets that earn links organically as your authority grows.