Backlinks are one of the most powerful ranking signals Google uses. A page with strong, relevant links from authoritative domains will almost always outrank a technically similar page without them. The landscape has changed dramatically — here is what actually works in 2026.
Digital PR and Original Research
Create genuinely newsworthy content — original research, surveys, unique data sets — and pitch it to journalists and editors at relevant publications. When a journalist covers your story, they link to your site as the source. One good piece of research can earn dozens of high-authority links.
The Skyscraper Technique
Find the best-performing content in your niche using Ahrefs' content explorer. Create a substantially better version. Then reach out to sites linking to the original. "We created a more comprehensive version here" is a genuinely useful pitch when your content is actually better.
Broken Link Building
Find broken links on relevant websites in your niche using Ahrefs or Screaming Frog. Identify which broken pages you could replace with your own content. Contact the site owner to flag the broken link and suggest your page as a replacement.
Guest Posting the Right Way
Guest posting still works — but only with genuine editorial intent. Write useful articles for reputable publications in your industry. Do not use exact-match anchor text. Focus on sites with real audiences and strong editorial standards, not link farms.
What to Avoid
Avoid private blog networks, link exchanges, paid links without nofollow attributes, and any scheme that resembles "100 backlinks for cheap". Google's spam detection is extremely sophisticated. Short-term gains from manipulative link building are never worth a manual penalty.
The best link building strategy is to create things that deserve to be linked to, then systematically promote them to people who would genuinely benefit from knowing about them.