Backlinks Remain One of the Most Important Ranking Signals.
Search engines treat links from other sites as votes of confidence. According to a 2025 analysis by Backlinko, the number of referring domains (unique sites linking to you) correlates more strongly with Google rankings than any other off-page factor. Pages in position 1 have an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than pages in positions 2-10.
Quality matters far more than quantity. A single link from a reputable industry publication is worth more than dozens from low-quality directories. At x13apps, we focus on earning links through genuine relationships and valuable content. Here are the strategies that consistently work in 2026.
Create Linkable Assets Worth Referencing
The best way to earn links is to create content worth linking to. Original research, comprehensive guides, infographics, data-driven articles, and industry surveys naturally attract links because they provide unique value that other sites want to cite. According to a study by BuzzSumo, infographics are 3 times more likely to earn backlinks than standard blog posts.
Invest in creating one exceptional piece of content per quarter rather than spreading your budget across dozens of average posts. A single well-researched "State of the Industry" report can earn 50-100 backlinks from news sites, blogs, and industry publications. At x13apps, we help clients identify linkable content opportunities that align with their expertise.
Guest Posting — Done Right, Not for Mass Links
Write genuine guest posts for reputable sites in your industry. Focus on providing value to their audience, not just getting a link. The link will follow naturally if your content is good. Avoid the common mistake of writing the same generic pitch to hundreds of sites — research each publication, read their content, and propose something unique that their audience has not seen before.
Target sites with Domain Rating (DR) between 30 and 60 that are relevant to your industry. A link from a DR 40 site in your niche is worth more than a link from a DR 80 site in an unrelated field. Relevance is a crucial quality signal that Google evaluates alongside authority.
Broken Link Building
Find broken links on relevant industry sites using tools like Check My Links or Ahrefs' broken link checker. Create content that replaces or improves on what was lost. Contact the site owner, politely inform them of the broken link, and suggest your resource as a replacement. This approach works because it provides immediate value to the site owner — you are helping them fix a problem on their site.
The success rate of broken link building ranges from 20-35% when done well. Track your outreach in a spreadsheet and follow up after one week if you receive no response. Personalize each email — generic templates are easily spotted and ignored.
Digital PR and HARO
Share your expertise with journalists and bloggers through platforms like HARO (Help a Reporter Out), Qwoted, and Terkel. When journalists need expert quotes for their articles, respond quickly with useful, quotable insights. Each citation earns you a valuable backlink from a news or media site. Set up email alerts for relevant queries and respond within the first hour — journalists receive hundreds of responses and the early ones get the most attention.
Building backlinks requires patience and persistence, but the compounding effect on rankings makes it one of the highest-value SEO activities. Avoid buying links or participating in link schemes — Google penalizes these practices aggressively, and recovering from a manual penalty can take months.