If you’ve been working on getting your site ranked higher, you’ve likely heard a thousand times already that backlinks are the secret. The problem is, though—how do you get them in the first place without spamming others or paying money for sketchy services?

If you are studying with the best digital marketing institute in Nagpur, they would likely share with you the following: link building is not really about how to manipulate Google. It’s about providing others with reasons to link to you organically. And yes, it does require work. But when you actually learn the right way to do it, it’s more about getting links and less about pursuing them.

I’ve seen it all—guest blogging that no one read, cold emailing that no one replied to, and even using “quick fixes” that landed my site in the penalty box. Out of this, I discovered what actually works, what’s an exercise in futility, and what’s actually dangerous.

Let’s dissect them.

Table of Contents

9 Successful Strategies for Building SEO Links That Work!

1. Know What Makes a Link Valuable

Not all links are equal. Some will improve your rankings. Others will hurt your site.

When you build links, you don’t want quantity; you want quality.

Go after links from:

Sites that actually receive traffic
Niche-related sites
Pages that rank well in the domain
Content that is read and shared

Consider this—would you prefer 50 generic directory links or 5 from influential industry bloggers? The latter is always the better deal.

2. Make People Want to Link to Your Content

This is the step everyone forgets. If your content is not interesting, stale, or too generic, who will link to your content?

Some linkable content ideas:

In-depth “how-to” tutorials
Data or research-oriented content
Genuine case studies
List of handy tools or resources
Expert interviews

Example: If you have a travel blog, a guide such as “The Complete Packing Checklist for a Two-Week Europe Trip” would be more likely to be shared than “My Trip to Paris.”

EEAT factor: If your content demonstrates experience (first-hand experience), expertise (expert guidance), authority (use of credible sources), and trustworthiness (sound information, current facts), people are much more likely to share.

3. Build Relationships Prior to Asking for Links

Cold pitching strangers is not going to take you very far. But if you make the effort to meet people first—adding comments, liking posts, participating in the same groups—you won’t appear random in your approach.

Action steps:

Reach out to industry bloggers on LinkedIn or X
Leave their posts with actual comments
Like their posts and tag them
Participate in community discussions

Once they realize you’re around, sending a link request won’t be perceived as spam.

4. Guest Posting (The Right Way)

Guest posting remains one of the greatest ways to get backlinks, but only when properly done.

Wrong way: Writing a low-effort, bland post just to include your link.

Right way: Writing a high-quality post that actually benefits the blog readers.

Quick tips:

Pitch topics that are their style and audience
Make sure your author bio is engaging and has your link
Share a link to your own content only if it truly provides value

For instance, if you’re learning at the Best digital marketing institute in Nagpur, you might publish a guest blog on “SEO Strategies Best for Beginners” on a marketing blog and link back to a resource you published.

5. Broken Link Building

It’s tedious, but it does the trick. This is where you discover broken links on other sites and offer your content as a substitute.

How to do it:

Utilize tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, or Check My Links (Chrome extension)
Discover broken links within your niche
Contact the website owner by email, graciously informing them
Offer your content as a substitute

It’s a win-win—they repair their broken page, and you receive a backlink.

6. Resource Page Links

Most websites have “recommended tools” or “resources” pages. If your service, content, or tool is something that fits, you can approach them and request that they include you.

For instance, your “Kitchen Basics” website on a food blog may offer a free downloadable recipe planner. You can propose offering it to be included.

Ensure your pitch is concise and direct. No one enjoys reading long, formal emails.

7. Utilize HARO and Journalist Requests

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and similar sites link journalists with experts. If you offer a quote or advice, they will refer to your site as the source.

How to increase your odds:

Get back to requests in a timely manner
Be brief in your response, but informative
If appropriate, include your credentials

This strategy establishes authority and provides you with quality links from news websites and authority blogs.

8. Internal Linking Still Matters

While we’re talking about backlinks, don’t forget internal links—links from one page of your site to another. They:

Help Google understand your site structure
Pass link equity between pages
Keep visitors on your site longer

For example, if you’re writing about “Keyword Research,” link to your previous guide on “SEO Tools for Beginners.”

It’s a simple step, but it strengthens your SEO foundation.

9. Avoid Shortcuts and Risky Tactics

It’s easy to be tempted to purchase links or use automated link-building software, but Google is smart enough to sense unnatural behavior.

What not to do:

Spammy directory listing
Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
Comment spam on arbitrary blogs
Irrelevant link swaps

Yes, they may provide instant gratification, but they may also send your rankings crashing down.

EEAT—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness—is more than an SEO buzzword. Google relies on it to determine whether your content (and your website) is worthy of a ranking.

Building links for SEO isn’t just a technical job. It’s about creating something worth linking to and forming genuine connections.

If you’re just starting, pick two or three methods from this list and focus on them. Over time, you’ll see what works for your niche.

And if you want to accelerate your learning curve, enrolling in the best digital marketing institute in Nagpur can provide you with hands-on training, resources, and inside information that ease link building.

Backlinks don’t happen overnight. But after you acquire some quality ones, you can see how far they move your rankings. Persevere.