How to Get Backlinks Without Buying Them
The short answer
A business gets backlinks without paying for them by giving other websites a real reason to link. Ask the suppliers, associations and directories you already belong to, publish something worth citing, offer expert comment to journalists, and ask sites that already mention you to add a link. Buying links breaks Google's spam policies.
Key takeaways
- A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Google uses links to find pages and as one sign of what is relevant and trusted.
- Start with links you have already earned: suppliers, associations and sites that mention you without linking.
- Then publish something worth linking to and tell the people who would care.
- Buying links, swapping them in bulk and paying for guest posts are link spam under Google's policies.
- There is no number of backlinks to aim for. Google says links are one of many ranking signals.
In this guide
This guide is for owners who have been told they "need more backlinks" and want to know how to get backlinks honestly. It explains what backlinks are, gives seven steps in the order we would do them, and sets out what Google forbids. If you would like the work done for you, see our digital PR and link building service.
What are backlinks, and why do they matter?
Backlink
A link on a page of another website that leads to a page on yours. Google's Search Console uses the same definition. A link between two of your own pages is an internal link, not a backlink.
Backlinks matter for two reasons Google has stated. It uses links to find new pages and as a signal when working out how relevant a page is. It also says one factor in judging quality is whether other prominent websites link or refer to the content.
Google's SEO Starter Guide adds that other sites linking to you happens naturally over time, and that you can encourage it by promoting your site. The steps below are honest ways to do that.
How to get backlinks: seven steps, in order
Start with the links closest to hand and work outward. The first three steps need no new content at all.
Seven steps to earn backlinks
- See who links to you now
Open the Links report in Google Search Console. It is free, and it shows which sites link to you most and which of your pages they link to. Google notes that it is a sample, not a full list. Write down what you find so you can compare later.
- Ask the businesses you already work with
Manufacturers often list approved installers or stockists. Trade associations and chambers of commerce list members. Clients and partners may have a page for the firms they work with. If you belong on such a page and are missing, ask. Example: a roofing company certified by a shingle manufacturer asks to be added to its installer list.
- Turn mentions into links
Search for your business name and look for articles that mention you without linking. Where a link would help the reader, ask politely, once. Do not tell the editor which words to link. If a site links to a page you have since removed, redirect the old address or send them the current one. A mention does not entitle you to a link, and the publisher decides.
- Get listed where customers look
Complete your Google Business Profile and join the directories people in your field use. Skip mass submissions: Google lists low-quality directory links as link spam. Local citations: which ones matter helps you choose.
- Publish something worth linking to
People link to things they want to show their own readers: figures from your own records, a price guide, a clear how-to, a calculator or a template. Google's self-check asks whether content provides original information, research or analysis. Build a tool only if it does a recurring job better than a page could and you can keep it accurate, and show the formula and assumptions behind it.
- Tell the people who would care
Google's Search Essentials list telling people about your site as a key best practice. Email the few people who write about the subject, share the page with groups you belong to and mention it to customers. Send each person one short, personal message. Google's starter guide warns that promotion can be overdone, and that search engines may see some practices as manipulation.
- Offer comment and stories to journalists
A quote in a news article often comes with a link. See how to pitch journalists and what digital PR is.
Repeat the first step every few months. The Links report shows which of your pages earn links, and that tells you what to publish more of.
Should I buy backlinks?
No. Google defines link spam as creating links mainly to manipulate search rankings, and buying links is the first example on its list. You will be offered all of the following.
| The offer | What Google's policy says | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| A package of links for a fixed price | Exchanging money for links is link spam. | Earn links from sites that know you (steps 2 and 3). |
| A guest post on someone's site for a fee, with a link | Payment for articles that include links passing ranking credit is link spam. | Write for a publication only when its readers gain from it. |
| Link to us and we will link to you | Excessive link exchanges are link spam. | Link to other sites when it helps your readers. |
| A free product in return for a review with a link | Listed as link spam. | Let customers and reviewers decide for themselves. |
| Submission to hundreds of directories | Low-quality directory links are link spam. | Choose the few directories your customers use (step 4). |
| Software that creates links automatically | Using automated programs to create links is link spam. | Publish something worth linking to (step 5). |
Paid links are allowed as advertising. Google says buying and selling links is a normal part of the web for advertising and sponsorship, as long as the link carries rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Google generally does not follow links marked that way, so pay for them only for the readers they bring.
Google says sites that violate its spam policies may rank lower or not appear in results at all. Search Console has a manual action called "Unnatural links to your site" for a pattern of manipulative links, and it can affect some or all of a site.
If a previous agency bought links for you, ask those sites to remove them or mark them nofollow. Google's disavow tool exists for links you cannot get removed, but Google calls it an advanced feature and says most sites will not need it.
How many backlinks do I need?
There is no number, and Google publishes none. Its starter guide says there is much more to Google Search than links, and that its link-based system, PageRank, is one of many ranking signals.
Our advice is to compare instead of count. Look at the sites that appear above you for the searches that matter, and ask who links to them and why. One link from a publication your customers read deserves more of your effort than a hundred from sites nobody visits. If your pages are thin or hard to use, fix those first, because links cannot make a weak page useful.
When is it worth paying for help?
Pay for the work of earning links, never for the links themselves. Research, writing and outreach take hours, and an agency can supply them. No one can guarantee a link, because the publisher decides. A Taskcover digital PR campaign starts from $3,000 per project, with no guaranteed links or placements. Prices are in USD and are listed on the pricing page.
Related serviceLinks earned, not bought
An audit of who links to you and your competitors, stories built on your data or expertise, and outreach to publications in your field.
See the serviceQuestions people ask about backlinks
How long does it take to get backlinks?
The first steps move as fast as people answer their email, since a supplier or an association only has to update a page. Coverage in the press depends on editors and is slower and less certain. Plan for steady work over months, not a single push.
Are nofollow links worth having?
Often, yes. Google says links marked nofollow or sponsored will generally not be followed, so do not count on them for rankings. A nofollow link from a site your customers read still sends visitors. Search Console's Links report does not show whether a link is marked nofollow.
Do internal links count as backlinks?
No. A backlink comes from another website. Internal links still matter: Google says every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site, and that good link text helps people and Google understand what the linked page is about.
Can bad backlinks hurt my website?
Usually not, if you did not create them. Google says it works hard to make sure actions on other sites do not harm a website, and that in most cases it can assess which links to trust. It advises disavowing links only when you have a considerable number of spammy links and they have caused, or are likely to cause, a manual action.
Is guest posting allowed?
Writing for a relevant publication because its readers benefit is ordinary publishing. What Google lists as link spam is payment for articles whose links pass ranking credit, and links with optimized anchor text in guest posts distributed on other sites. If money or a favor changes hands, the link should be marked as sponsored.
See who links to you and to your competitors
Send us your website and two or three competitors, and we will show you who links to them, who links to you and where we would start.
The authors
Who wrote and checked this guide
Written by
Jamiez Nguyen
Founder & CEO
Jamiez Nguyen founded Taskcover and leads strategy and client growth. He started it in 2017 as a team doing search work behind the scenes for other agencies, then opened it to businesses in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Reviewed by
John Edward
CTO
John Edward leads the technical side of Taskcover: how sites are built, how fast they load, and how search engines read them.
Updated Fact-checked About the people at Taskcover
Sources
Where the facts in this guide come from
Facts last checked on October 12, 2026.
- 1Links reportGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 2Link best practices for GoogleGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 3Automatically generating and ranking resultsGoogle Search: How Search WorksChecked on October 12, 2026
- 4Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter GuideGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 5Google Search EssentialsGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 6Creating helpful, reliable, people-first contentGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 7Spam policies for Google web searchGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 8Qualify your outbound links to GoogleGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 9Manual actions reportGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 10Disavow links to your siteGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
