How To Choose the Best Quality Link Building Services: Complete Guide

Let’s face it: quality link building services are important for any online business. Without high-quality links, your website may not rank as high as you would like in the search engine results pages (SERPs). And, when you don’t rank well, you’re not able to attract as much traffic. And whether you have an e-commerce site or a brick-and-mortar, a lack of traffic could spell disaster for your business.

Fortunately, there are quality link building services available to help build your brand’s online presence and domain authority (DA). These services can help you to increase your website’s visibility and attract more traffic. They can also help you improve your website’s search engine ranking, which can lead to more sales and conversions.

However, with so many options available, choosing the best link building service for your business can feel overwhelming. It’s important to understand which services provide genuine value and can effectively support your goals.

This complete guide will help you compare high-quality link building services. We’ll cover the basics you need to understand link building strategies, tactics normally used, white hat and black hat strategies, and much more.

By the end, you’ll be equipped to make an informed decision that maximizes your investment and boosts your online presence!

Link Building 101: How Does a Link Building Strategy Work?

Finding the best link building service requires that you have a foundational understanding of how link building campaigns work. This knowledge will empower you to better recognize a reputable company in addition to understanding exactly what you’re paying for.

Let’s examine the basic terms and concepts that you need to understand before making this important choice.

What is a Backlink?

Not quite sure what a backlink is? You’re not alone. Many site owners have heard of backlink building as a strategy but don’t fully understand how it works or how it impacts SEO. Let’s start with the basics.

A backlink is essentially a hyperlink that points from one website to another. Backlinks are crucial for Google search ranking algorithms because they help search engines evaluate a website’s authority and relevance.

The more high-quality backlinks your site has, the more likely it is to be seen as a trustworthy source, which can significantly boost your content marketing and SEO efforts.

Nofollow X Dofollow links

Now that you’ve got the basics of backlinks down, it’s worth exploring two important terms you’ll frequently encounter: nofollow and dofollow links.

When another website links to yours, a dofollow link passes SEO value and helps improve your site’s ranking in organic search results. In contrast, a nofollow link does not pass on SEO value (“link juice,” as it can be called, too), meaning it doesn’t directly impact your ranking.

However, if they come from reputable sources, nofollow links can still drive traffic to your site and enhance credibility, making them valuable for attention and visibility even if they don’t contribute directly to SEO rankings.

Both types of links play a role in building quality links and strengthening your overall backlink profile.

What Determines the Quality of a Backlink?

Not all backlinks are created equal. Several factors determine whether a backlink is beneficial or detrimental to your site. The most important factors include the authority of the website linking to you (also called Domain Authority or simple DA), the relevance of the linking site’s content, and the overall trustworthiness of the site.

For example, a backlink from a highly authoritative, industry-relevant website will boost your SEO much more than a link from a low-quality or spamming website. Spamming websites often engage in harmful practices that can damage your site’s reputation and lead to penalties from search engines like Google.

When crafting a backlink building strategy, it’s essential to prioritize content creation on reputable sites to ensure the links pointing to your website add genuine value.

This is why many quality link building services focus on not just quantity but the quality of backlinks obtained through thoughtful content marketing.

What is Domain Authority (DA)?

Domain Authority is a metric created by Moz that scores a website on a scale from 1 to 100, predicting its likelihood of ranking on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

The higher the DA score, the stronger the website’s backlink profile, which means it’s more likely to perform well in Google search rankings.

DA works like a “grade” for websites. A score of 1 means the website is new or has very few quality backlinks, while a score closer to 100 indicates a highly authoritative site with many strong backlinks. Factors such as the number and quality of incoming links influence this score, with high-quality, authoritative backlinks boosting the score.

This metric is often the determining factor of the price you will pay for high-quality backlinks.

How Do Backlinks Affect a Site’s Domain Authority?

So, as we’ve briefly explained, backlinks are one of the key factors that affect a website’s Domain Authority. The more high-quality backlinks a website has, the higher its DA will be.

This is because Google views high-quality backlinks as a sign of trust and authority. As a result, websites with more high-quality backlinks will rank higher in search engine results pages than those with fewer or no backlinks.

Manual Link Building: What Does it Mean?

Manual link building is a process of building links to a website by manually contacting other websites and requesting that they link to the website. This can be done by emailing the website owner, submitting a request on the website’s contact form, or finding the website owner’s contact information and emailing them directly. Quality link building services can include this option in your scope.

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What Are Some Link Building Tactics Sites Used to Build DA?

There are many link building tactics that you can use to improve your website’s link popularity. Some of the most effective techniques used by quality link building services include those listed below.

Create Valuable Content That People Want to Link To

One of the most effective ways to build high-quality backlinks is by creating content that others find valuable and want to share. This could be anything from a detailed guide, infographics, original research, webinars, or interactive tools that people will naturally link to because it offers value to their audience.

One way to determine if your content is linkable is to consider if it’s something influencers would post or share.

Example: If you run a marketing blog, publishing an in-depth guide on SEO best practices could encourage other blogs to link to your content as a reliable resource.

Submit Your Website to Directories and Search Engines

Submitting your site to online directories or search engines can help improve your visibility and earn backlinks. However, be cautious about only submitting to high-quality directories to avoid links from low-value sites.

Example: Local businesses often submit their websites to directories like Yelp to increase local traffic and backlinks.

Create Clickbait Content

While the term “clickbait” often has a negative connotation, creating highly engaging or controversial content can still drive backlinks. Just be sure the content is still relevant and provides real value.

Example: A catchy blog post title like “10 Marketing Myths You Still Believe” can pique interest and encourage shares, driving more links.

Sponsor Events or Donate to Charity Auctions

Sponsoring events or donating products to charity auctions is a good way to get your brand mentioned on authoritative sites, which can often result in a backlink to your website.

Example: If you sponsor a local event, the event organizers may include your company logo and a link to your website on their official event page.

Create Press Releases and Submit Them to News Outlets

Press releases are a classic way to gain visibility and backlinks from authoritative news outlets. When your press release is picked up, many news websites will link back to your site as the source. Another approach is to use tools like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to connect with reporters looking for sources and provide them with information that they can use in their articles. Quality link-building services often offer this kind of strategy in their link-building services.

Example: A company launching a new product can issue a press release to online news outlets, gaining coverage and backlinks from reputable media sources.

Post Comments on Other Websites

Engaging in thoughtful discussions in the comment sections of blogs or forums can help you build relationships and sometimes earn a backlink. Just ensure the comments are relevant and not spammy.

Example: Leaving an insightful comment on a high-traffic blog post and linking back to your own relevant content can drive traffic and earn a backlink.

Create Blog Posts and Link to Other Related Blog Posts

Writing blog posts that naturally link to related content—either on your own site or on authoritative external sites—can enhance your backlink profile. This encourages other websites to link back to your content.

Example: If you write a blog post about social media marketing, linking to a post on content marketing can create an opportunity for others to return the favor by linking to you.

Promote Your Website and Links via Social Media

Sharing your content on social media platforms increases visibility and can drive backlinks when others link to your posts. The more engaging and shareable the content, the more likely it will attract links.

Example: Sharing an infographic on X that explains a complex concept in your industry can get shared widely, potentially earning backlinks from those who find it valuable.

Which Link Building Strategy Will Work Best for You?

When it comes to selecting the best link building strategy for your website, there is no one-size-fits-all answer.

The most effective method will depend on factors such as your target audience, industry, and the type of content you produce. However, successful strategies often share a common focus: building quality links that enhance your website’s credibility and relevance in the eyes of search engines.

Whether you opt for guest blogging, content outreach, or creating shareable resources, the key is to consistently produce quality content that attracts attention and resonates with your audience. This will naturally encourage other sites to link to your pages, improving your standing in organic search results.

So, whatever approach you choose, be sure to focus on creating quality content that will interest your target audience. That way, you can attract links from other websites that will help improve your SEO.

White Hat Link Building: The Kind Of Strategy You Must Focus On

When it comes to building a sustainable and successful link building strategy, white hat practices are the way to go.

White hat link building refers to ethical tactics that align with Google’s guidelines, ensuring your website builds authority naturally without risking penalties. These practices focus on creating valuable content that attracts links organically rather than manipulating rankings through shortcuts.

The techniques we shared earlier—such as creating valuable content that people will want to link to, submitting your website to directories, and sponsoring events or donating products—are all considered white hat methods.

These approaches are not only safe but also highly effective because they focus on delivering real value to your audience, which signals to Google that your website is trustworthy and relevant.

By sticking to white hat strategies, like creating blog posts, crafting press releases, and using social media to promote your content, you ensure long-term SEO benefits.

What Is Black Hat Link Building?

Black hat backlink is the opposite of white hat link building strategies. While white hat link building adheres to Google’s guidelines and focuses on ethical practices for improving search engine optimization, black hat tactics attempt to manipulate rankings by bending or outright ignoring these rules.

These manipulative methods are heavily criticized within the SEO industry due to their unethical nature.

A common black hat technique is the use of a link farm, where a network of low-quality websites is created solely to generate a large number of backlinks. Another example is purchasing large quantities of backlinks from untrustworthy sources.

While these tactics may boost backlink quality and Domain Authority in the short term, they pose significant risks to a website’s long-term success. If detected by Google, they can lead to penalties or even a complete removal from search results over time.

On the other hand, white label SEO services, which follow white hat strategies, focus on sustainable growth by building high-quality, relevant backlinks that follow best practices.

Why Choose White Hat Link Building Services?

It’s really simple: When you follow Google’s guidelines, you can rest assured that your investment will last the test of time while using black hat strategies can put your website at risk of penalties. Google has been increasingly strict in punishing sites that engage in unethical practices.

In fact, Google’s March 2024 spam update further strengthened the company’s ability to detect and penalize manipulative linking strategies. Sites that were relying on black hat techniques saw significant drops in rankings during this update.

According to Google, this update focused on devaluing spammy links and ensuring organic search results reflect backlink quality and relevance: “We’re updating our spam policies to keep the lowest-quality content out of Search, like expired websites repurposed as spam repositories by new owners and obituary spam.”

Additionally, the June 2024 spam update refined these algorithms further, catching new forms of spam and reaffirming the importance of quality link building services to help with that.

Link Building Tips to Keep in Mind

There is no one process for gaining links that will work for every website. However, there are some key principles that you should always keep in mind when pursuing links from a link building service:

• Quality over quantity: Don’t pursue links just to have more links. Make sure that each link you acquire is high quality and will benefit your website.
• Research your target audience: Know who your target audience is and what they are interested in. This will help you determine where to pursue links. A good digital market service will conduct this research for you as part of the link building process.
• Variety is key: Don’t rely on only one or two sources for links. Spread your net wide and pursue links from various sources using various tactics.
• Don’t be afraid to ask: Don’t be afraid to reach out to websites that you think would be a good source of links for you. Many website owners are happy to share links with others who are interested in their content.
• Stay up to date with changes: Keep up to date with the latest changes in the world of SEO and link building. This will help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure that your link building efforts are effective.
• Use keywords naturally: When crafting your anchor text, never force a keyword into the outbound link if it doesn’t make sense. It’s better to have the right anchor text rather than a lot of links that mislead site visitors. Furthermore, webmasters will flag your site as producing poor-quality content. This will result in rejections from editorial publications and can create a red flag in Google’s indexing.

How to Choose High-Quality Link Building Services?

Experience and Expertise

When choosing a link building service, look for one with proven experience and expertise in SEO. A company with a successful track record will be better equipped to craft tailored strategies for your industry and website needs. They should also be familiar with white hat practices to ensure sustainable, penalty-free results.

Quality of Links

Not all links are created equal; you have already shared this mantra. The quality of backlinks is one of the most important factors that affect your website’s domain authority and search rankings. Focus on services that prioritize obtaining high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites. This will significantly boost your site’s SEO.

Pricing

While pricing varies widely in the link building industry, it’s important to consider the value you’re getting for your investment. Low-cost services may rely on black-hat tactics or low-quality links that can harm your site in the long term. Look for transparent pricing models that reflect the quality of the links provided.

Customer Service and Support

A quality link building service should provide excellent customer support and communication throughout the process. You’ll want a provider who acts as an extension of your team, keeping you updated on progress and available to answer questions or concerns.

Website Auditing and Analysis Tools

Before starting your link building campaign, an agency should conduct a thorough audit of your site’s current backlink profile and SEO health. The best services use advanced analysis tools to identify opportunities for improvement and to track the success of your campaign over time.

By considering these factors, you can be sure that you are choosing a quality link building service that will help your business succeed online.

Quality Link Building Services: What You Can Expect

While searching for the best link building service, you will find a wide array of service types. Some are more effective than others. However, the price can vary wildly depending on the SEO link building service you choose and the number of links you’re looking for. Let’s take a look at them.

1. Custom Link Building Services

If you’re looking for high-quality, effective custom link building services, custom link building (or curated link building) is the way to go.

Unlike automated link building services, custom link builders will ensure your site receives backlinks with strategically integrated keywords and a balanced number of links per domain.

A Higher Price Tag for Better ROI

A custom link building agency costs a bit more than an automated service, but often the quality of links is much better. This is because their experienced link builders will work with you to create a custom link building strategy tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Most custom link building services include keyword research and guaranteed white hat links. Not only does this provide a vote of confidence, but custom links improve your search ranking and help you attract more traffic from inbound links.

Another bonus of high-quality links is general brand-building through industry-relevant backlink placements.

2. Blogger Outreach Services

Effective blogger outreach is an important part of any successful link building campaign. This approach can also be quite time-consuming, which is where an experienced digital marketing agency can save you time and money by engaging with influential bloggers. This approach works by asking bloggers to link to your site within their content.

A quality link building company has the connections and the ability to ensure your linkable assets wind up on the most powerful marketing channels. When a blog has a high domain authority, you can reach a wider audience.

A More Affordable Link Building Technique

If you’re on a tighter budget, you can find a link building agency that assists with outreach site identification rather than a full-service guest post service. These companies will help you identify and connect with the right bloggers to reach your target audience.

3. Guest Blogging Submissions

Unlike blogger outreach, guest blogging requires that you provide blogs with written content or linkable assets. While this kind of link building campaign is a bit more involved, it allows you to have more control over your hyperlinks and backlink-associated keywords.

Guest post services are a way for bloggers to get content for their blogs and a link building technique that pays off. When comparing digital market services, you may want to ask if they provide link building packages with a guest blogging option.

If so, you will want to ask if they can either provide a writer for a guest post or provide a placement of guest posts that your company can provide.

4. Editorial Backlinks

Similar to guest blogging submissions, editorial backlinks provide high-quality backlinks from beneficial link building activities. These backlinks appear on news outlets and are a form of HARO that provides reputable news sites with high-quality content in exchange for contextual links.

How do editorial backlinks differ from guest blogging? These pieces often require high-quality content creation with a sophisticated level of thought leadership. Often, this level of knowledge takes years of experience in a niche.

Backlink Services to Avoid

As a site owner, you must use your own due diligence in selecting ethical backlink services. This becomes tricky when you take into account that low-quality and high-quality backlinks often look about the same on paper—especially when you’re contracting for a lot of links.

To avoid overpaying, participating in tactics that will harm your backlink profile in the long run, and black hat tactics, be on the lookout for:

Private Blog Networks

There is a lot of discussion these days around private blog networks (PBNs). Put simply, a PBN is a group of websites that are privately owned and used to rank higher in SERPs. Typically, these websites are related in some way—for example, they may all be owned by the same person or company, or they may all be related to a specific topic or industry.

How Do PBNs Work?

The idea behind using a PBN is that you can improve your website’s ranking in SERPs by linking to it from these other websites.

So, is using a PBN effective? The answer to that question is a little complicated. On the one hand, using a PBN can definitely help you improve your website’s ranking. On the other hand, if you are caught using a PBN, your website could be penalized by Google.

Ultimately, whether or not using a PBN is effective depends on some factors, including how well you execute it and how careful you are in hiding your PBN from Google.

But to play it safe, you will want to avoid any link building service company that uses PBNs. Furthermore, a reputable link building company would never jeopardize their client’s site’s rankings.

Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal linking is the process of agreeing to link to someone’s website in exchange for their site linking to yours. While it may seem like an easy option for building backlinks, trading links is against Google’s linking guidelines.

How does Google know if a site is trying to manipulate its SERP rankings through link exchanges? Their web crawlers note when two sites have new backlinks to one another as they index the sites.

Premium Link Building Services Worthy of Your Budget

These services have access to link building experts, high-quality link directories, and other resources that can help your website rank higher.

If you’re looking for quality link building services, here are a few to consider:

LinkGraph

LinkGraph is an innovative and rapidly growing SEO and link building service company known for its data-driven approach. With proprietary tools like the SearchAtlas platform for keyword research and backlink analysis, LinkGraph delivers high-quality backlinks that comply with Google’s best practices.

Their team of SEO experts acts as an extension of your team, providing comprehensive support that goes beyond traditional services.

LinkGraph’s services include:

• White-hat link building: Following ethical practices that align with Google’s guidelines to build long-term success.
• White label link building service: Perfect for agencies looking to scale link building without compromising quality.
• Customizable backlink packages: LinkGraph offers packages for businesses of all sizes, ensuring that both small startups and large enterprises can benefit from high-authority backlinks.
• Full transparency: Clients have access to a dashboard where they can track the entire process of their campaign, from content creation to live URL placements.

Additionally, LinkGraph uses outreach techniques to secure placements in over 10,000 high-authority publications, ensuring that each link contributes to domain authority and SEO growth.

Whether you need just a few backlinks or a full-scale campaign, LinkGraph’s approach is designed to deliver exceptional results within 30 days for any niche.

Learn more about how LinkGraph can elevate your SEO through their link building services by visiting their link building services page.

Moz

Moz, or SEOmoz, is a well-known and respected SEO company that offers a variety of premium link building services. Their services include:

• Link building
• Content marketing
• SEO Consulting
• Outreach link building

What to Ask a Potential Link Building Company

When discussing your backlink strategy with a custom link building campaign, always ask for a list that shows each site’s authority where your links will be placed. This is an extremely important ranking factor and can help you avoid a manual penalty from Google.

If you’re paying a premium for custom white hat backlinks, be sure to verify:

• The number of backlinks you will receive
• How the service defines “a good backlink”
• If you have a dedicated account manager
• That you will receive contextual link placements
• If your package includes a technical SEO audit, including an in-depth backlink audit
• Do their link building specialists use a variety of techniques, such as HARO and a social media strategy
• How they approach each of their client’s niches

Quality Backlinks = Higher Search Engine Ranking

Choosing the right quality link building services is a critical decision for the long-term success of your online business. As this guide has shown, understanding key concepts like backlinks, domain authority, and white hat versus black hat strategies is essential to making an informed choice.

The best link building services will offer ethical, white hat methods that build high-quality backlinks and ensure sustainable SEO growth by adhering to Google’s guidelines.

When selecting a service, focus on the quality of backlinks, the experience and expertise of the provider, and whether they employ a variety of effective link building tactics like content creation, guest blogging, or press releases.

Be sure to choose a service that prioritizes value and relevance, ensuring that every link contributes to your site’s authority, visibility, and performance in search engine rankings.

LinkGraph offers an award-winning integrated agency experience, including link building that works. Book a free meeting to learn more and see how LinkGraph can help grow your business!