Editorial.Link, Page One Power, Siege Media, FATJOE, Outreach Monks - these are among the top link building agencies marketers trust to strengthen search visibility, earn authoritative backlinks, and improve long-term organic performance through proven outreach and content-driven strategies.
We handpicked a list of leading link building companies after carefully reviewing over 3,700 agencies, considering their services, awards, portfolios, industry reputation, pricing, and client reviews. Explore these leading agencies and their specializations to find a credible partner to boost your organic visibility.
The Number 1 Link Building Company as Selected by DesignRush Is:
uSERP
- Best for: Overall
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2019
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Lone Tree, CO
- Notable clients: Preply, Monady.com, CrowdStrike, Robinhood, Freshworks
On a mission to help brands scale traffic, rankings, and revenue, uSERP uses a content-first approach to attract high-authority backlinks and brand mentions. Its expertise covers link building, niche edits and resources, guest posting, unlinked mentions, and digital public relations (PR). Combining these backlinking services with performance-driven optimization tactics, uSERP aims to make search engine optimization (SEO) a customer growth engine that propels revenue and business advancement to its clients. The agency has used this unique strategy to help over 300 clients cumulatively acquire 27,340 quality links.
uSERP Success Story
- Challenge: Competing in a highly saturated market vertical, Preply struggled to rank for relevant yet highly competitive keywords in the language learning space. Seeking to elevate topical authority and acquire higher rankings for difficult keywords, the company reached out to uSERP for assistance.
- Solution: Recognizing the impact of contextual brand mentions when trying to outrank stiff competition, uSERP produced highly captivating content and reached out to top online publications. In doing so, it placed Preply in front of its ideal customer profile, built domain authority, improved keyword ranking, and drove referral traffic and quality leads.
- Results: By obtaining over 450 authority backlinks from websites with domain ratings of 50 and above, Preply achieved impressive results — the learning platform increased traffic from 790,000 monthly visitors to 2.4 million monthly visitors, accounting for a 203% spike and ranked first for the keyword “Spanish tutor” on Google.
LinkDoctor
- Best for: Guest posting
- Average hourly rate: $125
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2020
- Size: 100-249
- Location: Sheridan, WY
- Notable clients: Express Legal Funding, TopSpeed, ArcStone, ProxyScrape, MaxBurst
Committed to delivering only topically relevant, high-quality backlinks to its clients, LinkDoctor provides data-driven link building strategies that cover analysis, strategy, execution, and reporting. In doing so, the link building agency has helped over 500 clients rank on the first page for 138,000 keywords, granting them features on prominent sites like Forbes, Fordham University, and AT&T. Moreover, its Link Replacement Guarantee policy allows clients to replace or change any suggested link to an equally high-authority one at no cost and risks.
LinkDoctor Success Story
- Challenge: Pre-settlement funding company Express Legal Funding was struggling to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords and enhance its website’s domain rating. Wanting to change this, it consigned LinkDoctor to audit its website, identify causes of hindered organic growth, devise a link building strategy, and elevate website authority.
- Solution: Considering that the client’s operations were predominantly in the finance and legal industries, LinkDoctor targeted niche-relevant keywords and websites. The link building company deployed a guest posting strategy, providing opportunities to organically insert keywords and track their progress, improving the client’s keyword ranking and credibility. Moreover, it added new keywords to the client’s content and optimized it further after tracking its performance.
- Results: Through a combined strategy of link building and keyword optimization, the client improved its website domain rating from 7 to 15, leading to a 155% uptake in keyword ranking and a 1,030% growth in organic traffic.
Check LinkDoctor Agency Profile
HigherVisibility
- Best for: Data-driven linkable assets
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: $1,000 - $10,000
- Founded: 2008
- Size: 50-99
- Location: Memphis, TN
- Notable clients: Allied Van Lines, Caliber Collision, BBQGuys, Warner Bros, Ebay
HigherVisibility is an award-winning digital marketing agency, recognized five times as the “Best SEO Agency.” The company offers a full suite of SEO services, including link building, dental SEO, local SEO, and technical optimization, intended to improve rankings organically across SERPs. Its proprietary Targeted Growth System® has been engineered to help clients achieve higher search rankings, stronger brand visibility, and sustainable ROI. With advanced technology, proven expertise, and a reputation for consistent results, HigherVisibility has established itself as one of the most trusted names in search engine optimization.
HigherVisibility Success Story
- Challenge: Moving company Allied Van Lines endured declining online visibility despite its strong market reputation. Past SEO vendors left the brand with spammy backlinks, thin content, and reduced search rankings against major competitors.
- Solution: HigherVisibility tailored a new strategy involving conversion optimization, link rebuilding, keyword research, and a full technical audit. The team strengthened user engagement with heatmap insights, reclaimed high-quality links, and developed SEO-rich content aligned with search intent.
- Results: Organic traffic rose from 466,657 to 479,007, accounting for a 2.6% year-over-year increase. The strategy restored Allied’s digital authority and strengthened its competitive standing despite pandemic-related market challenges.
Check HigherVisibility Agency Profile
Outreach Monks
- Best for: SaaS backlinks
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: Inquire
- Founded: 2017
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Mohali, India
- Notable clients: Raven360, Sephora, Tripadvisor, Coinbase, Express VPN
Outreach Monks strives to unlock business growth potential through powerful link building strategies encompassing guest posting, white-label link building, link insertions, blogger outreach, and local citation services. The agency also provides country-specific backlink services, spanning multilingual links, global outreach campaigns, and international SEO strategies. Building more than 20,000 links for over 2,000 businesses, Outreach Monks has earned brand mentions from publications like HubSpot, Zendesk, BigCommerce, and G2.
Outreach Monks Success Story
- Challenge: New to link building, corporate learning management system (LMS) company Raven360 partnered with Outreach Monks to build a stronger online presence, elevate website credibility, and outrank competitors.
- Solution: Outreach Monks performed a comprehensive competitor analysis to determine the most relevant websites for its client. Following the analysis, it crafted a custom link building campaign and targeted relevant SaaS websites with a domain range of 30-80. It also implemented guest posting and niche edits and reached out to its huge network of SaaS website partners.
- Results: In the span of six months, Raven360 grew its domain rating from 42 to 48 (14% increase), grew its organic website traffic by 455%, and registered a 102% rise in number of ranked keywords. Moreover, the client’s traffic value rose from $1,608 to $8,824.
Check Outreach Monks Agency Profile
Page One Power
- Best for: Resource link building
- Average hourly rate: Inquire
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2010
- Size: 100-249
- Location: Boise, ID
- Notable clients: Atera, Hyatt, Quickbooks, Bostitch, WorkWave
Seeking to drive sustainable business growth, Page One Power offers custom link building strategies comprising guest posting, unlinked mentions, resource link building, broken link building, outreach management, and editorial update link building strategies. Its offering extends to enterprise link building, linkable content creation, SEO, and content marketing. Across its 14 years of industry experience, Page One Power has served 1,000 clients and created 6,100 onsite assets, averaging 15,000 links annually.
Page One Power Success Story
- Challenge: With a limited marketing budget, Atera relied on organic search engine marketing (SEM), particularly link building, to compete with other brands. However, having endured underperforming campaigns with outsourced marketing agencies, it sought a credible link building company that could deliver on its promises.
- Solution: Page One Power conducted a market analysis of Atera’s industry to identify relevant technical terms and keywords. The agency uncovered new link building opportunities, optimized some existing linked content, and produced five linkable articles and one long-form guide to secure links on resource pages. Page One Power prioritized linking top-funnel content to build funneled link equity and strategically chose relevant link building websites.
- Results: Within six months, Page One Power acquired 29 links, improved keyword rankings by 18 positions, generated 43,000 impressions, and gained 166clicks. More importantly, Atera increased monthly organic sessions by 306% and monthly new users by 285%.
Check Page One Power Agency Profile
Editorial Link
- Best for: Editorial backlinks
- Average hourly rate: $25
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2020
- Size: 50-99
- Location: Petersburg, FL
- Notable clients: Belkins, Capital.com, PandaDoc, Innowise, Intellias
Amassing a robust network of partner sites, Editorial Link supplies clients with quick, niche-specific backlinks that drive business value. Its link building suite comprises linking resource planning, outreach management, and implementation, where clients can tap into partner sites like HubSpot, Forbes, Wallstreet Review, and Monday.com. By solely targeting corporate blogs as partner sites, Editorial Link assures the usage of only quality, reputable, and permanent backlinks. To date, the agency has delivered over 5,000 editorial links to 100 clients.
Editorial Link Success Story
- Challenge: Facing high industry competition, international business-to-business (B2B) marketing company Belkins approached Editorial Link to increase organic traffic and website credibility through high-quality organic links.
- Solution: After analyzing the competitors’ backlink strategies, Editorial Links focused on building branded links to the client’s homepage, leveraging its vast number of lead-generation website partners. Next, it secured more targeted links from websites associated with technology and sales for specific pages, beginning with low-traffic sites. After two months of active efforts, the agency acquired backlinks from higher-traffic sites as well.
- Results: Within a year, Belkins earned 60 high-quality backlinks from high-traffic sites like Envato, HubSpot, and Venngage. Because of this, it has improved its website’s domain rating from 58 to 70, monthly website traffic to 9,300 visitors, and keyword ranking from 5,100 to 6,800.
Check Editorial Link Agency Profile
LinkBuilder.io
- Best for: HARO link building
- Average hourly rate: $149
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2016
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Notable clients: JobSage, Snack Nation, Identity Guard, Follow Up Boss, LegalZoom
Leveraging big data analytics to power its process-driven, cutting-edge link building strategies, LinkBuilder.io is on a mission to help clients rank at the top of SERPs. The agency specializes in over 20 link building techniques, including relationship-based link building, broken link building, guest post link building, editorial outreach, unlinked brand mentions, helping a reporter out (HARO), journalist pitching, competitor link building, and PR link building, to name a few. Since its inception, LinkBuilder.io has procured over 20,000 links for 350 companies worldwide.
LinkBuilder.io Success Story
- Challenge: Operating without a link building strategy, employee review platform JobSage was quickly outranked by industry giants like Glassdoor and Indeed.com. Seeking to improve its rankings, it commissioned LinkBuilder.io’s expertise.
- Solution: To build a strong foundation of homepage links, LinkBuilder.io implemented HARO and PR link building strategies to build the initial website authority. It then proceeded to target high-performance and relevant websites in the career, education, job, and human resources (HR) fields while building links to various blog posts and excluding direct commercial pages.
- Results: Through its comprehensive link building strategy, LinkBuilder.io acquired 1,500 links for the client, elevating its domain rating from 3 to 53. Moreover, JobSage saw a 14,852% surge in organic traffic and a $56,632% traffic value increase.
Check LinkBuilder.io Agency Profile
Blue Tree Digital
- Best for: PR link building
- Average hourly rate: $149
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2017
- Size: Under 49
- Location: Miami, FL
- Notable clients: Credit Donkey, Freshbooks, CloudDefense, Cloudwards, Dooly
With over 450 prominent publication partners, Blue Tree Digital offers tailored link building services that fuel brand visibility, credibility, and customer growth. Supplying editorial link building, digital PR, custom blog outreach, guest posting, HARO link building, linkable asset campaigns, white label link building, and content writing, the backlink company has built 3,700 links and helped clients save an average of $6,000 in monthly SEO costs. Notable publication partners of Blue Tree Digital include BlackBerry, Investopedia, Forbes, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Crunchbase.
Blue Tree Digital Success Story
- Challenge: Personal finance company Credit Donkey approached Blue Tree Digital with three challenges threatening its top organic marketing position: increasing competitors, limited high-quality mentions, and difficulty targeting the right keywords.
- Solution: To address the client’s concerns, Blue Tree Digital conducted a comprehensive market diagnostic and reached out to thousands of relevant finance and fintech publications with an average domain rating of 70 and a minimum of 20,000 monthly followers. It also submitted unique blog topics and content for each website that agreed to partner and ensured the natural placement of Credit Donkey links.
- Results: Within a year, Credit Donkey recorded a 227% traffic increase, growing from 210,461 to 477,356 monthly visitors, and registered a 159% rise in domain referrals.
Check Blue Tree Agency Profile
Sure Oak
- Best for: Niche backlink building
- Average hourly rate: $135
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2017
- Size: Under 49
- Location: New York City, NY
- Notable clients: Mercedes Benz, GAP, American Red Cross, Ann Taylor, Advance Auto Parts
Focusing on results, experience, and strategy, Sure Oaks strives to deliver long-term growth to its clients through premium link building services. Its expertise spans backlink audit services, editorial link insertions, guest posting, toxic link management, competitor link analysis, broken link building, unlinked brand mentions, link reclamation, value exchange strategy, digital PR, and white label link building. As a testament to its capabilities, Sure Oak has been named one of the leading SEM and SEO agencies by Digital.com, Centauri Awards, and Rank Hacker.
Sure Oak Success Story
- Challenge: A solar marketing company reached out to Sure Oak as it faced difficulty finding relevant websites link building. Without a team to consistently implement SEO and link building strategies, the client endured high keyword competition, making it more difficult to establish its online presence.
- Solution: Having helped other clients in similar situations, Sure Oaks knew guest posting would be the most effective strategy for this difficult link building niche. The company meticulously searched for website partners relevant to the client’s audiences and industry, developed compelling content that reflected the client’s unique views, and highlighted its benefits, targeting low-competition keywords.
- Results: Sure Oaks boosted the client’s pageviews to target pages by 400%, total organic pageviews by 98.5%, keyword rankings by 64%, and domain referrals by 102%.
Stan Ventures
- Best for: Outreach campaigns
- Average hourly rate: $100
- Minimum budget: $1,000-$10,000
- Founded: 2009
- Size: 500-999
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Notable clients: Norsteel Building, FCA Canada, Swyft X, SFL Worldwide, CBD Dog Health
Trusted by over 2,500 businesses, Stan Ventures boasts an expansive network of 50,000 bloggers for powerful backlink services. Across its link building portfolio, the agency offers white-label link building, guest posting, blogger outreach, niche editing, and content writing. Additionally, its bespoke link building packages connect clients to websites with extensive organic traffic, allowing them to reach wider audiences. By supplementing backlink strategies with fully managed SEO, the link building agency helps businesses implement strategies that scale and maximize profit margins.
Stan Ventures Success Story
- Challenge: Construction company Norsteel Building wanted to attract prospects from the American and Canadian regions, but its website was underperforming in terms of traffic and quality leads. Seeking to improve its organic performance, it partnered with Stan Ventures.
- Solution: Stan Ventures initiated an outreach campaign, targeting websites with high domain ratings and organic traffic for guest posting opportunities. After witnessing the link building company’s capabilities, the client upgraded to a full SEO plan. Throughout the collaboration, Stan Ventures leveraged Quora, local citations, image submission, and document-sharing techniques to improve the client’s local presence.
- Results: Norsteel Building saw an uptake in monthly organic traffic from 1,500 to 3,5000, keyword ranking from 35 to 114, and referring domains from 215 to 722. Significantly, Norsteel Buildings has become one of the most searched branded keywords, having a search volume of 1,300 — almost matching the search volume of “steel buildings.”
Check Stan Ventures Agency Profile
How We Picked the Best Link Building Agencies
We selected the best link building agencies by assessing thousands of agency profiles based on their skills, achievements, reported strategies, client references, and collaborations. In doing so, we developed an effective evaluation process to identify the leading agencies capable of expanding audience reach and building website credibility through comprehensive link building solutions.
Our team of industry experts analyzes agencies based on the following criteria:
- Reviews: Client satisfaction, level of trustworthiness, project management, communication style, and work ethics
- Portfolio: Successful projects showcasing the agency’s approach to delivering tangible results
- Awards and recognitions: List of notable achievements and affirmations by reputable third-party agencies
- Team bios: Overview of employee profiles and relevant link building experience
- Top services: Core competencies and areas of focus
- Link building expertise: Ability to drive organic traffic growth, obtain quality customer leads, and build brand authority via tailored link building strategies
Visit the DesignRush Agency Ranking Methodology for more information on how we research agencies.
10 Most Popular Link Building Companies Compared
| Agency name | Location | Hourly rate | Size | Best for |
| uSERP | Lone Tree, CO | Inquire | Under 49 | Overall |
| LinkDoctor | Sheridan, WY | $125 | 100-249 | Guest posting |
| HigherVisibility | Memphis, TN | Inquire | 50-99 | Data-driven linkable assets |
| Outreach Monks | Mohali, India | Inquire | Under 49 | SaaS backlinks |
| Page One Power | Boise, ID | Inquire | 100-249 | Resource link building |
| Editorial Link | Petersburg, FL | $25 | 50-99 | Editorial backlinks |
| LinkBuilder.io | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | $149 | Under 49 | HARO link building |
| Blue Tree Digital | Miami, FL | $149 | Under 49 | PR link building |
| Sure Oak | New York City, NY | $135 | Under 49 | Niche backlink building |
| Stan Ventures | Chicago, IL | $100 | 500-999 | Outreach campaigns |
Organic rankings are determined by five factors: top services, reviews, portfolio, awards/press, and team expertise. Sponsored listings pay for a placement that appears above organic positions. Sponsorship does not affect star ratings or review content - read more on our methodology page.
DigiDesire is your premier digital marketing agency. Designed to deliver innovative digital marketing services and solutions to empower you to thrive in your business growth among growing digital domains...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- SEO
- PPC
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Karachi, Pakistan
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $500/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Websites Built for Speed & Conversion. We create stunning, high-converting websites for businesses worldwide. Based in San Jose, CA Stand out from competitors, attract more leads, and grow your revenue. Get Your Website Live Fast...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- SEO
- Branding
- Mobile App Development
- UI/UX Design
- Show more
- Location
- San Jose, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $500/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
The Kulture Digital is a global perception strategy and digital PR and firm. We help founders, high-growth companies, and institutions shape how they are seen, trusted, and remembered...
Top Services:
- Public Relations
- Reputation Management
- Digital Strategy
- Media Buying
- SEO
- Show more
- Location
- Oworonshoki, Nigeria
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $500/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
Grow organic traffic, generate qualified leads, and build authority with SaaS SEO, GEO/AEO, content marketing, and link building strategies...
Top Services:
- SEO
- AEO
- Content Marketing
- WordPress Website Design
- Web Development
- Show more
- Location
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $500/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
DBP is a results-driven digital marketing agency helping businesses grow through SEO, web development, social media marketing, paid advertising, branding, and creative digital solutions that increase visibility, leads, and conversions...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Web Development
- Web Design
- Social Media Marketing
- PPC
- Show more
- Location
- Lahore, Pakistan
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $500/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
GBL Technologies helps businesses grow with innovative digital, AI, marketing, and technology solutions...
Top Services:
- Graphic Design
- Branding
- Design Services
- Web Design
- Web Development
- Show more
- Location
- Spring, Texas
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $500/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
A results-driven SEO agency specializing in data-backed strategies that boost search rankings, increase organic traffic, and deliver measurable growth for your business...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Web Development
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Average Hourly Rate
- $499/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Website Design Hive creates stunning websites, logos, apps, and animations while driving growth through SEO, PPC, and digital marketing. We turn ideas into results-driven online experiences...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- Web Development
- eCommerce Development
- Logo Design
- Branding
- Show more
- Location
- Campbell, California
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $450/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
Hourly Technical SEO consultation services available. Services encompass on-page SEO optimization, site architecture refinement, enhancement of page load times and Core Web Vitals, backlink analysis, and recovery from penalties. No obligatory retainers or minimum commitments required...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- Bend, Oregon
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $425/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
Genius Marketing - Vancouver WA's Premier Digital Marketing Agency. We deliver expert SEO, web design, social media management, PPC advertising, and local marketing services to businesses in Vancouver, Camas, Battle Ground, and Clark County. Specializing in: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Website...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Email Marketing
- Web Design
- UI/UX Design
- eCommerce Development
- Show more
- Location
- Vancouver, Washington
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $400/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
AI Cyber Experts helps MSPs deliver enterprise-grade cybersecurity through a unified security platform, co-managed services, and AI automation. Simplify your security stack, reduce costs, and scale operations with fully white-label solutions...
Top Services:
- IT Services
- Cybersecurity
- Managed Services
- Digital Marketing
- Branding
- Show more
- Location
- Durham, North Carolina
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $399/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
Chiic Digital stands as the foremost E-commerce and Digital Marketing agency, esteemed for its unparalleled service catering to elite brands and leading hospitality businesses. Operating under the umbrella of Chiic World Vietnam, we specialize in an array of services including Marketing communication...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Graphic Design
- Video Production
- Branding
- Digital Strategy
- Show more
- Location
- Da Nang, Vietnam
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $350/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Your company's story deserves to be heard, nationally. Ready to make headlines? Step into the spotlight. Get the publicity you deserve...
Top Services:
- Public Relations
- Reputation Management
- SEO
- Social Media Marketing
- AI Development
- Show more
- Location
- White Plains, New York
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $350/hr
Looking for a website that captivates customers? We create standout websites for brands like yours that attract more customers, outperform competitors, and help you bring in top talent...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Reputation Management
- Digital Strategy
- Web Design
- UI/UX Design
- Show more
- Location
- Austin, Texas
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $350/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
We blend in traditional and AI based SEO so you rank for the now and the future...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- Location
- Denver, Colorado
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $350/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
You already have a vendor for social, one for SEO, and one for paid media. Real Growth Matters replaces all three with a single accountable team running strategy, brand, and full-funnel marketing as one system. We take on a deliberately small number of clients at a time. Everyone else gets our free tools...
Top Services:
- Advertising
- SEO
- PPC
- Social Media Marketing
- AEO
- Show more
- Location
- Bel Air, Maryland
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $350/hr
DiscoverMyBusiness is a link building agency in New York City that pairs digital PR outreach with technical SEO to build organic growth for clients. Founded in 2018, the team has served 500 plus businesses across the US and Canada with senior strategist led campaigns and month to month terms...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- CRO
- PPC
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- New York City, New York
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 4 Projects Listed
Single Origin is a senior, design-led marketing team building for the AI-search era. SEO, AI visibility, paid media, and web design under one roof and one accountable partner, tested over the last decade...
Top Services:
- AEO
- SEO
- WordPress Website Design
- Web Design
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Walnut Creek, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
We generate qualified buyer leads for $25,000 to $100,000+ wellness devices , equipment & technology...
Top Services:
- Media Buying
- PPC
- Advertising
- Digital Strategy
- Reputation Management
- Show more
- Location
- Miami, Florida
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Luca Tagliaferro is the leading SEO consultant in the U.K.. Author for several marketing publications...
Top Services:
- Content Marketing
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
At Rizen, we are devoted to fueling growth and success for businesses all over. We offer a comprehensive suite of services that far exceed the traditional roles of marketing, design, or sales – each working together in concert to build your business into an unstoppable force...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Social Media Marketing
- PPC
- Content Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Miami, Florida
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Wiideman Consulting Group, Inc., formerly known as "SEO Steve," is a leading agency specializing in SEO consulting, training, strategy, and procurement services...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Digital Strategy
- Location
- La Mirada, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
The Pollack Group is an innovative agency that specializes in delivering powerful brand experiences. Our team of experts, Brand Psychologists, Audience Behavior Analysts, Content Creators, and Master Communicators, unlock the potential of your organization with meaningful strategies designed to foster loyalty...
Top Services:
- Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Direct Marketing
- Public Relations
- Show more
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
At SFB, we're more than just a marketing company; we're your key to unlocking exponential growth in the dynamic world of digital marketing. Our team of experts, armed with the latest tools and proven strategies, empowers you to dominate across all key platforms, from Facebook and Google to Instagram, YouTube...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Digital Strategy
- PPC
- Advertising
- eCommerce
- Show more
- Location
- Hadera, Israel
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Orangefiery is a dynamic branding and PR agency delivering top-tier strategic communications and consulting services. Focused on intellectual rigor and actionable insights, the agency blends strategy and creativity to drive meaningful change for its clients. Valuing both idea generation and meticulous project...
Top Services:
- Public Relations
- Business Consulting
- Reputation Management
- Branding
- WordPress Website Design
- Show more
- Location
- New York City, New York
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $25,000 - $50,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Brand and Go-to-Market Consultancy for MedTech, Startups, and Entrepreneurs...
Top Services:
- Branding
- Graphic Design
- Logo Design
- Web Design
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Newport Beach, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Brandswell is an integrated brand, marketing, and communications agency renowned for leveraging expert energy and a legacy of excellence to drive superior marketing results. With a proven 15-year track record, we excel in the ideation, implementation, and activation of original, highly effective marketing...
Top Services:
- Branding
- Digital Services
- Graphic Design
- Creative Services
- Digital Strategy
- Show more
- Location
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $25,000 - $50,000
Outdoor and Billboards Nigeria specializes in dynamic outdoor advertising solutions across Lagos, Nigeria. From strategic media buying to creative concept development and precise campaign placement, the agency elevates brand visibility and engagement through innovative outdoor marketing strategies...
Top Services:
- Media Buying
- Advertising
- Branding
- Public Relations
- Digital Services
- Show more
- Location
- Ikeja, Nigeria
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
We create and manage the world's most iconic brands. Brand and product agency that delivers heroic work and legendary clients. DECOSTA has worked with clients in a wide range of industries including entertainment, consumer goods, technology, energy, finance, and more...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Branding
- Creative Services
- Product Design
- Digital Strategy
- Show more
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $25,000 - $50,000
- Portfolios Count
- 6 Projects Listed
You bring the energy, the clarity, the purpose––in person, its undeniable. Now its time for your brand to match that power.Create a brand foundation rooted in who you truly are––so your message is clear, your presence is magnetic, and your business grows with aligned momentum...
Top Services:
- Branding
- Creative Services
- Digital Strategy
- Web Design
- Web Development
- Show more
- Location
- Melbourne FL, Florida
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Blockchain Marketing Boutique is a senior-level Web3 marketing and PR agency specializing in tailored growth strategies, brand positioning, and high-impact campaigns. We connect innovators, investors, and communities to accelerate success in the blockchain space...
Top Services:
- Branding
- Creative Services
- SEO
- Social Media Marketing
- Public Relations
- Show more
- Location
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
Louisville Web Lab is a family-owned healthcare marketing agency for independent, high-ticket practices in Kentucky and southern Indiana. We sell one outcome: fifteen paying patients in ninety days for a fixed $7,500. A paying patient is a started, paid case, not a lead and not a booked appointment...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- SEO
- Digital Services
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Shepherdsville, Kentucky
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $25,000 - $50,000
- Portfolios Count
- 7 Projects Listed
Search Scope is a senior, founder-led SEO consultancy based in Victoria Park, Perth, Western Australia, working with multi-location and national brands across Australia. Founder Dorian Menard has worked in SEO since 2013 and specialises in local SEO, multi-location SEO, national SEO, AI SEO...
Top Services:
- SEO
- AEO
- Digital Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Reputation Management
- Show more
- Location
- Victoria Park, Australia
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
We're an integrated communications firm based in India, focused on driving communications via a technology-driven approach. Through our units, Pepper Interactive (for PR and social media), StudioTronics for AI-powered visual content and design (including 2D/3D videos and graphics), and gig1 for exclusive...
Top Services:
- Public Relations
- Reputation Management
- Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Bengaluru, India
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Accuracast is an international digital marketing agency that helps ambitious brands grow globally by streamlining and enhancing digital marketing across borders...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Business Consulting
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- CRO
- Show more
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
Phoenix Project is a Warsaw-based digital marketing agency founded in 2019, specializing in international SEO, GEO, AI search optimization, and advanced Tiered Link Building. We also offer Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and website development...
Top Services:
- SEO
- PPC
- Content Marketing
- Advertising
- eCommerce
- Show more
- Location
- Warsaw, Poland
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
Search marketing agency specializing in increasing the visibility of brands on search engines & AI channels...
Top Services:
- AEO
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- CRO
- Show more
- Location
- San Francisco, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
OLPNA IT Solutions is an India-based IT services and training company in Jaipur that provides digital solutions and professional courses for individuals and businesses. Its services include website and app development, digital marketing, SEO, social media marketing, graphic design, PPC advertising, IT...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Graphic Design
- Video Production
- Web Development
- Web Design
- Show more
- Location
- Jaipur, India
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Tanzilite helps businesses grow online with smart, creative, and result-focused digital marketing solutions. From SEO and paid advertising to social media, web development, and branding, we create strategies that improve visibility, attract customers, and build stronger brands...
Top Services:
- Graphic Design
- Video Production
- SEO
- AEO
- PPC
- Show more
- Location
- Lahore, Pakistan
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
Info Web USA Technologies delivers AI-powered SEO, web design, app development and performance marketing built to drive real revenue. Get a free audit today...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- AEO
- PPC
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $300/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
CrowdBoost Marketing is a full-service agency in Burbank, CA, building marketing that moves people to act since 2006. One 17-person team handles websites, SEO (including AEO and GEO for AI search), paid ads, email, social, photo, video, branding and AI consulting, so clients get the personal attention of a...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Web Design
- AEO
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Burbank, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $295/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
A Wama é um studio de design e desenvolvimento de produtos digitais em Campinas (SP), com atuação em todo o Brasil. Criamos sites em Framer, aplicativos, sistemas sob medida, branding e design systems. Primeiro studio Framer Expert PRO da América Latina, com mais de 200 projetos entregues e 6 anos de...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- UI/UX Design
- Web Development
- AI Development
- Mobile App Development
- Show more
- Location
- Campinas, Brazil
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $280/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
OWDT stands as a premier web design company, branding, and marketing firm, known for its extensive range of high-quality web design, branding, and marketing solutions. Our portfolio boasts continuous, successful collaborations with renowned clients like Forbes, BP, Ocean Alexander, BMW, and the famous NRG...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- SEO
- Creative Services
- Logo Design
- Branding
- Show more
- Location
- Houston, Texas
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $275/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $50,000 & Up
We're the Perth SEO agency tat your copetitiors are afraid of. On-page SEO, off-page SEO, local SEO, technical SEO, SEO migrations and audits... we do it all ad do it VERY well. So for SEO that really works to drive more traffic, more leads and more sales to your website, choose the SEO company your mum would...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- Subiaco, Australia
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $275/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Falcon Rank Marketing is a trusted local SEO and digital marketing agency in Doha, Qatar, helping businesses grow online since 2023. We offer affordable local SEO services, Google Business Profile (GMB) optimization, and custom website development with responsive design. Serving restaurants, shops, and...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Logo Design
- Web Design
- Web Development
- WordPress Website Design
- Show more
- Location
- Doha, Qatar
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $275/hr
Brafton is a content marketing and SEO agency in Sydney, helping APAC brands earn visibility in traditional search and AI search (GEO). In-house strategists, writers and SEO specialists drive rankings, traffic and AI citations...
Top Services:
- Content Marketing
- SEO
- PPC
- Email Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Average Hourly Rate
- $270/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 12 Projects Listed
Welcome to SkyDiamond Elite, your premier destination for bespoke ecommerce digital marketing solutions in fashion/apparel, luxury/lifestyle, and beauty. With a focus on personalized strategies and cutting-edge technologies, we specialize in elevating your brand's online presence with tailored digital...
Top Services:
- Digital Strategy
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- SEO
- PPC
- Show more
- Location
- Austin, Texas
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $250/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 8 Projects Listed
Directive is the B2B marketing agency that transforms marketing from a cost center into a predictable revenue driver...
Top Services:
- PPC
- AEO
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Irvine, California
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Average Hourly Rate
- $250/hr
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
Helping one plumbing & HVAC company per service area become the business Google and AI recommend first....
Top Services:
- AEO
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Digital Services
- Web Design
- Show more
- Location
- Saint Louis, Missouri
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $250/hr
- Portfolios Count
- 4 Projects Listed
Slake Marketing is a Los Angelesbased digital marketing agency that helps solopreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses grow their brands with clarity and confidence. The agency offers website and branding design, photography, strategy coaching, and integrated design-and-coaching packages, providing a...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- Business Consulting
- Web Design
- Branding
- eCommerce Development
- Show more
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $250/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 11 Projects Listed
Explore SEO Specializations
- Amazon
- Automotive
- B2B
- Construction
- Consulting
- Dental
- eCommerce
- Enterprise
- for Moving Companies
- Generative Engine Optimization
- Google My Business
- Healthcare
- Home Services
- Hospitality
- Insurance
- International
- Law Firm
- Local Optimization
- Manufacturing
- Mobile
- Multilingual
- Nonprofit
- On-Page Optimization
- Outsourcing
- Professional Services
- Real Estate
- Restaurants
- Shopify
- Small Business
- Startup
- Technical
- Veterinarian
- Video
- YouTube
Popular Services
Everything You Need to Know Before Hiring Link Building Agencies
How can link building companies help businesses?
A link building company helps businesses earn relevant, authoritative backlinks that can improve search visibility, organic traffic, and overall online authority. Through services such as outreach, guest posting, digital PR, and linkable asset creation, they help brands secure placements on credible websites that strengthen their backlink profile.
According to a Backlinko study, the #1 result on Google has an average of 3.8x more backlinks than results in positions #2-#10. Moreover, the top-ranking pages have 3.2x more referring domains on average.
Beyond rankings, quality link building can also improve brand credibility and discovery. When a business is mentioned or linked to by trusted publishers, bloggers, or industry websites, it can expand reach and reinforce trust with potential customers.
Reboot reports that 48.5% of digital PR news articles from English-speaking countries showcase positive sentiments, with the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada ranking the highest.
How do you measure the success of a link building campaign?
To measure the success of a link building campaign, compare performance against your baseline, campaign goals, and industry benchmarks. The most useful metrics combine link quality, SEO impact, and business outcomes. Key metrics to track include:
- Number and type of backlinks per month
- Built links: Links earned through outreach, guest posting, digital PR, or partnerships
- Organic links: Links obtained naturally without direct outreach
- Syndicated links: Links from republished or redistributed content
- Link quality
- Domain authority or domain rating of the websites that link to your content
- Topical relevance of the linking site or page
- Placement quality, such as whether the link appears naturally within the main content
- Link survival rate: Calculates the percentage of acquired backlinks that remain live over time
- Referral traffic: Tracks the number of visits from acquired backlinks
- Keyword ranking: Monitors changes in search rankings for target keywords connected to the link pages
- Link velocity: Track the rate at which new backlinks are earned, while keeping quality and relevance in mind.
- Conversions or leads: Measure whether linked pages generate signups, inquiries, or sales, especially if the campaign targets commercial pages.
How long does it take to see the results from a link building strategy?
On average, you can start seeing results from your link building strategy within 3-12 months. However, a survey by the Editorial.Link reveals that 57% of marketers believe that link building strategies can drive results within 1-3 months, while 33% say it takes 3-6 months.
The factors that impact the timeline include:
- Current site authority and brand popularity
- Industry competition
- Traffic trends
- Quality of backlink
- Aggressiveness of your campaign
Here is a rough link building timeline:
- Months 1-3: Your link building agency fixes broken links, disavows harmful backlinks, creates linkable assets, and begins outreach.
- Months 3-6: You may begin earning backlinks and brand mentions, with early improvements in referral traffic, visibility, and some keyword rankings. The agency reviews performance and adjusts the campaign.
- Months 6-12: Improvements are more recognizable and sustainable, including higher SERP, domain authority, organic traffic, lead generation, and conversion rates. The agency continues to create content, acquire backlinks, and refine the campaign.
A reputable agency should set realistic expectations and report progress over time, rather than promise immediate ranking gains.
How to find the right link building agencies for your business?
To find the right link building agency for your business, evaluate its expertise, experience, and credibility. Consider following these steps:
- Specify your requirements, including your goals, budget range, timeline, content type and frequency, and target audiences, media outlets, and websites.
- Shortlist link building companies with proven experience in your target market and link building strategy. Review their case studies and look at their business outcomes, link acquisition processes, and content quality.
- Assess their network by checking out their previous publications, list of media contacts, and influencer relationships.
- Read client feedback and reviews to evaluate the company's reliability, transparency, responsiveness, and work quality.
- Issue a request for proposal, detailing your project scope, goals, timeline, budget, and target platforms. Compare proposals and narrow your selection by project fit.
- Set an introductory meeting with your top candidates and ask them about their link building methodologies, evaluation criteria, and outreach strategies.
- Choose a link building company with ethical link building practices, practical experience in your specific niche, and strong client references.
What questions should you ask before hiring?
Before hiring a B2B link building agency, ask these questions to confirm its ability to fulfill your requirements and support your long-term goals:
Relevant Background
- What link building strategies do you specialize in?
- Can you provide previous link building campaigns similar to my requirements? What results did you achieve?
- What is your experience in my industry? Can you provide client references and example publications in my niche?
Services and Processes
- Can you walk me through your link acquisition process?
- How do you choose the keywords, anchor text, and target pages?
- What tools and technologies do you use for your link building campaigns?
- How do you handle quality control and link removal?
Related to Your Project
- How will you align your link building strategies with my brand, target audience, and current marketing efforts?
- Can you help me acquire local, national, and global backlinks?
- How do you define and measure success? What type of reporting can I expect?
- How do you manage Google algorithm updates? What happens if I get penalized?
Sources
DesignRush sustains a directory of over 40,000 agencies categorized by service category, location, expertise, and reviews. We build our database in two ways:
- Our dedicated team of agency experts actively searches the web for top-performing companies. We then pull information from their websites, online presence, and client testimonials to verify their status and qualifications prior to listing.
- The agencies listed get notified of their profiles on the website and they can choose to claim it or not, which suggests their availability for more collaborations.
Agencies can also reach out to DesignRush and must go through the verification process prior to being listed.
Why companies trust DesignRush
Every agency is independently vetted before it can be listed or ranked
4.8
4.8Some agencies pay for sponsored placement, clearly labeled and held to the same vetting standards.
5 Frequently Asked Questions About Link Building Companies
What are the typical link building services offered by companies?
Link building companies typically offer a mix of strategy, outreach, content creation, and reporting services. Their work often includes competitor analysis, backlink research, campaign planning, link prospecting, outreach, performance tracking, and ongoing optimization.
Key services include:
- Backlink audit: Reviewing your backlink profile to identify harmful or low-quality links, spammy referring domains, and broken links or pages that may affect SEO performance.
- Blogger outreach: Reaching out to relevant bloggers, publishers, influencers, and content creators to secure brand mentions and backlinks.
- Guest posting: Creating content for authoritative, relevant third-party websites that includes a contextual link back to your site.
- Linkable asset creation: Developing high-value content such as infographics, original research, guides, tools, or calculators that naturally attract backlinks.
- Broken link building: Finding broken links on other websites and suggesting your content as a relevant replacement.
- Digital PR: Earning backlinks through media outreach, press coverage, expert commentary, and newsworthy campaigns.
Many link building companies also provide digital marketing services, including search engine optimization (SEO), local SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing.
How much do link building services cost?
The cost of link building services varies, depending on service type and scope, target niche, competition level, link quality, editorial fees, and engagement level.
For instance, a B2B link building agency may charge around $150-$300 per placement for sites with a domain authority (DA) of 20-30 and $600-$1,500 per placement for sites with a DA of 50+.
Below are the approximate price ranges of link building services:
- Guest posting: $150-$1,500 per link
- Niche edits: $150-$300 per link
- Link insertion: $75-$2,000 per link
- Digital PR: $2,000-$15,000 per month
- Content creation: $5,000-$20,000+ per month
- SEO campaigns: $3,000-$15,000+ per month
- Managed link building: $1,500-$3,000 per month for small projects, and $7,000-$15,000 for enterprise-level work
What is the difference between white-hat and black-hat link building techniques?
White-hat link building refers to ethical, guideline-compliant strategies used to earn backlinks that provide real value to users. Reputable link building companies use these methods to build authority over time through relevant outreach, strong content, and credible placements.
Examples of white-hat link building include:
- Creating useful, original content that people naturally want to reference
- Earning links from relevant, trustworthy websites in your industry
- Securing contextual links that fit naturally within high-quality content
- Building a diverse backlink profile across different referring domains
- Using digital PR, guest posting, and outreach in a relevant and transparent way
Black-hat link building, by contrast, uses manipulative tactics designed to influence rankings without providing real value. These methods may produce short-term gains, but they can also lead to search engine penalties, lost trust, and long-term SEO damage.
Examples of black-hat link building include:
- Buying links to manipulate search rankings
- Excessive link exchanges
- Spamming blogs, forums, or comment sections with links
- Hiding links or text in content
- Using link farms, private blog networks (PBNs), or automated link building tools
How do backlinks impact AI search visibility?
Backlinks can influence AI search visibility indirectly by strengthening your site's authority, discoverability, and performance in traditional search. In practice, sites with stronger backlink profiles often earn better organic visibility, and that can increase their chances of being surfaced or cited in AI search experiences.
However, backlinks are only one part of the picture. Content quality, relevance, crawlability, and overall site trust also matter. Google's guidance for AI Overviews says standard SEO best practices still apply, rather than any separate AI-specific optimization.
According to industry research, 76% of pages cited in AI overviews rank in the top 10 of Google's search results. Moreover, it observed positive correlations between link quality and AI mentions.
When should you hire a link building agency and when to keep it in-house?
The answer will depend on your internal capabilities, marketing goals, timeline, and budget.
Hire a link building agency if:
- You do not have the in-house expertise or resources to build and manage a consistent link building strategy.
- You need to scale quickly or compete in a highly competitive industry where outreach experience and publisher relationships matter.
- You need a team with proven processes for prospecting, outreach, content placement, and reporting.
Keep it in-house if:
- You are running a small or limited campaign that does not justify agency costs.
- You already have a dedicated SEO, content, or outreach team with the capacity to manage link building internally.
- You want greater control over strategy, messaging, and day-to-day execution.
- Your business relies heavily on internal subject-matter expertise, making it easier for your own team to create and pitch link-worthy content.
