Editorial.Link, Page One Power, Siege Media, FATJOE, and Outreach Monks 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. For full-service SEO beyond link building, compare top SEO companies worldwide. Based in the US? See link building agencies in the US.
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.
Link Building ×
KeywordProbe.com offers expert-led, productized SEO services, no contracts, just results. Get keyword research, on-page SEO, content, and backlinks tailored to your business. Built by a 20-year SEO veteran. Start with a Free SEO Action Plan...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- Dallas, Texas
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $150/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Roofing SEO services is a specialist roofing agency built exclusively for roofing companies that want consistent rankings, qualified leads, and real revenue growth. We understand the industry, the competition, and the search intent behind every roofing enquiry...
Top Services:
- SEO
- PPC
- Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- London, United Kingdom
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $100/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Terra-Codes combines link building and AI visibility in one integrated service. We help businesses, online stores and agencies strengthen their digital authority through relevant backlinks, brand mentions and placements in trusted editorial environments. Our approach connects established SEO practices with...
Top Services:
- SEO
- AEO
- Content Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- Media Buying
- Show more
- Location
- Mettmann, Germany
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $100/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
We design and hand-code websites for small businesses across Ottawa, ON and beyond. No templates, no wordpress, no shortcuts. Just fast, reliable, custom-built websites built with SEO in mind from day one. We also offer Google Business Profile audits and management as well as business automations...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- Web Development
- SEO
- Digital Strategy
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Ottawa, Canada
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $50/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
SEO Agency Toronto is a results-driven digital marketing agency helping businesses improve online visibility, attract qualified traffic, and generate sustainable growth. We specialize in SEO, local SEO, technical SEO, content strategy, website optimization, and digital marketing solutions tailored to each...
Top Services:
- SEO
- eCommerce
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Average Hourly Rate
- $25/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
TransFunnel is an AI-enabled CRM, marketing automation, RevOps and inbound marketing consulting and technology partner helping businesses connect systems, automate processes and scale growth. We also deliver end-to-end IT solutions, custom software, products and integrations...
Top Services:
- CRM Consulting
- Web Design
- Web Development
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Bengaluru, India
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Average Hourly Rate
- $40/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
Best Website Development and Digital Marketing Company in USA,UK and Ghana...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- Digital Marketing
- Branding
- SEO
- Web Development
- Show more
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
We are Idiosys USA, a top Minnesota-based web development company offering premium web development, app development, digital marketing, and software development consulting services...
Top Services:
- Web Development
- Web Design
- eCommerce Development
- Mobile App Development
- Software Development
- Show more
- Location
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $20/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 4 Projects Listed
BacklinkLift helps SaaS and digital brands grow through strategic, high-quality backlinks. We specialize in niche link placements that improve authority, rankings, and organic visibility...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Digital Services
- Digital Strategy
- Digital Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $30/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
ui42 is a digital agency and one-stop shop for online success. Since 1997, weve connected tech, design, marketing, and data into powerful digital solutions. With 100+ experts, we create custom websites, e-shops, UX/UI design, and performance marketing. We're the creators of CMS BUXUS, used by brands across...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Digital Strategy
- Web Development
- UI/UX Design
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Bratislava, Slovakia
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Average Hourly Rate
- $40/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
The ShopNinjas is a full-service Shopify development agency building custom stores, apps, and migrations for scaling brands. From bespoke theme design to Shopify Plus and their own suite of apps and plugins, we deliver eCommerce that converts and grows...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- eCommerce Development
- Mobile App Development
- Software Development
- SEO
- Show more
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $60/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Bath agency building custom-coded websites and local SEO for small businesses & trades...
Top Services:
- Graphic Design
- Branding
- Web Design
- eCommerce Development
- Web Development
- Show more
- Location
- Bath, United Kingdom
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $50/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Kushel Digi Solution has over 8 year of experience in Shopify, Bigcommerce, And custom E-commerce solution to deliver high performing online stores...
Top Services:
- eCommerce Development
- Web Development
- Web Design
- Graphic Design
- WordPress Website Design
- Show more
- Location
- Noida, India
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $20/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 8 Projects Listed
Night Fox runs Night Fox AI, a marketing system for local businesses: websites, search and AI visibility, and Google Ads. Orlando office; clients nationwide...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Web Design
- Web Development
- Digital Strategy
- Show more
- Location
- Orlando, Florida
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $200/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Brassic stands as a boutique digital marketing agency, distinguishing itself by its ability to deliver results for clients and partners across various budgetary considerations. We invite you to communicate your needs, and we will devise strategies to enhance the prosperity of your business...
Top Services:
- PPC
- Event Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Media Buying
- Digital Strategy
- Show more
- Location
- Manchester, Michigan
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $130/hr
Matteo Giorgi IT consultant specialized in Digital Marketing with vertical skills in SEO, Digital Advertising and Digital Analytics...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Location
- Imola, Italy
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $65/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
North SEO helps Vancouver-based businesses rank higher on Google and attract more local customers through expert SEO strategy, Google Business optimization, and real human support...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- Vancouver, Canada
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $60/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
97th Floor is the number one digital marketing agency built to create pipeline and revenue for clients by crafting and executing custom, audience-first channel strategies that deliver bottom-line results...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Advertising
- Content Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Lehi, Utah
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $150/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Marketing by Data is a digital marketing agency specializing in data-driven strategies to help businesses achieve their marketing goals. They offer services such as SEO, PPC, email marketing, social media advertising, website development, and analytics. With a focus on transparency and measurable results...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Advertising
- SEO
- PPC
- Show more
- Location
- Burbank, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $250/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Clickwebb is a Swedish agency specializing in large-scale SaaS platforms and complex web applications built from scratch...
Top Services:
- Graphic Design
- Web Design
- UI/UX Design
- Web Development
- eCommerce Development
- Show more
- Location
- Enköping, Sweden
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $65/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
Cheric Information Network Technologies PVT LTD specializes in dynamic digital marketing services designed to catapult your business growth and elevate your online presence. With our expertise and tailored strategies, we empower businesses to thrive in the digital landscape and achieve unprecedented success...
Top Services:
- Web Development
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Logo Design
- Show more
- Location
- Hyderabad, India
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $20/hr
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
AXAT Technologies, is a fast Growing Web Development, Mobile App Development and Digital Marketing firm, Located at Mumbai, India and Singapore. Website Development, Web App Development, E-Commerce Development, Custom Application Development, Cloud Application Development, SAAS Application Development...
Top Services:
- Mobile App Development
- Software Development
- Web Development
- Web Design
- WordPress Website Design
- Show more
- Location
- Mumbai, India
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $20/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 12 Projects Listed
We are a team of seasoned professionals who convert knowledge into your business growth, one of the best digital agencies in Lithuania and UK. One stop shop for marketing strategy and implementation, digital marketing services like SEO, Google ads, social media, communication, e-commerce, export...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- PPC
- Social Media Marketing
- Video Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $100/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
YAS Digital Agency Igniting brands with innovative marketing solutions, we're the creative force behind your success. Unleash the power of strategic marketing with us. Let's get started!...
Top Services:
- Branding
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- eCommerce
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $1/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
Smashdoor Marketing is a full-service marketing and media agency dedicated to achieving your goals through exceptional customer service, advanced technology, and data-driven strategies. Our commitment to thorough research ensures that we deliver targeted and effective marketing solutions tailored to your...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Advertising
- PPC
- Digital Strategy
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Calgary, Canada
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
201 Creative is a results-driven digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, content strategy, and online growth, helping businesses increase visibility, generate leads, and drive long-term revenue. Digital marketing agency specializing in long-term strategic growth through advertising and SEO...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Email Marketing
- Digital Marketing
- UI/UX Design
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Poway, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
Full stack web development, UI/UX design, SEO, DevOps, and mobile app solutions based in Stavanger, Norway. We help startups and businesses build fast, modern, and conversion-focused digital products with transparent pricing, no hidden fees, and a strong commitment to delivering real results...
Top Services:
- Web Development
- Graphic Design
- Web Design
- UI/UX Design
- Software Development
- Show more
- Location
- Stavanger, Norway
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $100/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
4Beez Agency serves as your gateway to digital success in Paris and Barcelona, offering tailored solutions to unlock the full potential of your digital journey. Rely on our expertise in specialized UI/UX design, web development, and visual identity services. Whether you are a burgeoning startup or a thriving...
Top Services:
- Graphic Design
- Logo Design
- Branding
- Design Services
- Package Design
- Show more
- Location
- Paris, France
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $80/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
LawTurbo is a digital marketing agency dedicated to helping law firms grow their online presence and attract more clients. We specialize in SEO, PPC, website optimization, and content marketing, crafting tailored strategies to meet the unique needs of attorneys. Our team combines industry expertise with...
Top Services:
- SEO
- PPC
- Web Development
- Web Design
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Costa Mesa, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $120/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
MiamiSEO.co helps businesses dominate local search rankings in Miami with tailored SEO strategies, driving traffic, leads, and brand visibility...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- Miami, Florida
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $100/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Jen Ruhman SEO is a San Diego SEO company helping small and mid-sized businesses improve visibility in Google Search, Google Maps, and AI search. Clients work directly with founder Jen Ruhman on Local SEO, technical SEO, content, and strategy...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $149/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Publish Today Media deploys some of the most advanced digital marketing strategies and Ad Tech platforms available today. We help you achieve your company's marketing goals using 'Full Funnel' marketing techniques that ID & find your ideal prospects, create awareness, and provide all the messaging touchpoints...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- Digital Services
- Advertising
- Media Buying
- Digital Strategy
- Show more
- Location
- Reading, Massachusetts
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
De Castro Media is a premier digital agency committed to boosting sales through innovative marketing strategies. By leveraging cutting-edge techniques and a results-driven approach, we ensure your business achieves significant and measurable growth...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Graphic Design
- Branding
- Digital Strategy
- Design Services
- Show more
- Location
- Peyia, Cyprus
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $50/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
Whello is a full-service digital marketing agency based in Bali and Pekanbaru, Indonesia. No matter what your digital marketing needs are, we can help. From creating a website to optimizing it for search engines, running Google and social media ads, or even providing copywriting services, we have got you...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- PPC
- Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Kuta Selatan, Indonesia
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
Unsalted Innovations, LLC is a digital marketing and AI visibility agency based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded by Brianna Sybesma, the company helps businesses nationwide improve how they appear in AI-powered search platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- AI Development
- AEO
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $140/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 3 Projects Listed
Bluxel Africa creates strategic, lead-generating digital platforms for real estate professionals designed to convert visitors into inquiries...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- Graphic Design
- Logo Design
- SEO
- Branding
- Show more
- Location
- Kilifi, Kenya
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $25/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 2 Projects Listed
Webflowforge connects the website your customers see with the systems your team relies on. We help B2B and SaaS businesses plan, design and build Webflow websites, integrate CRMs and automate repetitive work with tools like HubSpot, n8n and Make. From the first click to the sales handoff, we bring design...
Top Services:
- Graphic Design
- Digital Services
- Logo Design
- Web Design
- WordPress Website Design
- Show more
- Location
- Kiryat Bialik, Israel
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $115/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $10,000 - $25,000
- Portfolios Count
- 4 Projects Listed
MZ Medical Billing provides end-to-end medical billing services for clinics, hospitals, and multi-specialty practices across the United States. The team manages eligibility checks, coding review, claim submission, denial follow-ups, A/R recovery, and patient billing, helping providers maintain predictable...
Top Services:
- BPO
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Location
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Number of Employees
- 100 - 249
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
JB2302 is a Reddit-focused marketing agency that helps brands leverage Reddits large and highly engaged user base to generate awareness, organic traffic, leads, and sales. The agency combines community intelligence, strategic content, authentic engagement, and Reddit SEO to build brand authority and drive...
Top Services:
- AEO
- SEO
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $25/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
With the ideal fusion of digital media and market intelligence, Prohed aids in your growth. Young Expert Minds working together for your ambition makes up our team.We take pride in providing all of our clients with superior solutions and outcomes. Innovation, excellence, progress, and satisfaction are the...
Top Services:
- SEO
- CRO
- Social Media Marketing
- PPC
- eCommerce
- Show more
- Location
- Gurgaon, India
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $50/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 9 Projects Listed
Gap Infotech is a premier web design and development company in Gurgaon, known for its excellence in digital solutions. As the top SEO company in the area, its seasoned designers, developers, and SEO experts deliver efficient digital marketing solutions that consistently exceed client expectations...
Top Services:
- Social Media Marketing
- Advertising
- SEO
- PPC
- Logo Design
- Show more
- Location
- Gurgaon, India
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $49/hr
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Rankex Digital is a results-driven marketing agency specializing in SEO, lead generation, PPC, and web development to drive growth and brand success...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Location
- Bhubaneswar, India
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $20/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Web Design Mechanic creates clean, custom websites and digital experiences build to match your business goals. "No templates", just thoughtful design and smart development. We also offer digital marketing services like, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Online Reputation Management, and...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- Web Development
- Branding
- eCommerce Development
- Video Production
- Show more
- Location
- Fremont, California
- Number of Employees
- 50 - 99
- Average Hourly Rate
- $25/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
- Portfolios Count
- 1 Project Listed
Sayles Industries is a results driven digital marketing agency specializing in Local SEO, Google Business Profile optimization, WordPress web design, lead generation, and AI powered marketing solutions. We help contractors, home service companies, law firms, and local businesses increase visibility,...
Top Services:
- SEO
- WordPress Website Design
- Digital Marketing
- Web Design
- Web Development
- Show more
- Location
- Erie, Pennsylvania
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $200/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Yup, All you need to scale your business in one place. We are a digital marketing solution company with a strong focus on web development, AI and automations - a one-stop shop powered to support businesses at every stage of their customer journey. We select our partners in line with our core principles: we...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- PPC
- Social Media Marketing
- SEO
- Video Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $35/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Attention-Driven Marketing Capturing Attention in the Digital Age. In todays fast-paced digital landscape, capturing and holding your audiences attention is more critical than ever. Attention-Driven Marketing focuses on creating engaging, concise content that resonates with your target audience and stands out...
Top Services:
- Digital Services
- Video Production
- Public Relations
- SEO
- PPC
- Show more
- Location
- Burlington, New Jersey
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $100/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Full Throttle SEO's services are designed to drive more organic leads and revenue to your website. If you're tired of endless audits without action, you need Full Throttle SEO. Because we care about your success, we provide actionable recommendations within your first full month!...
Top Services:
- SEO
- Web Development
- Reputation Management
- WordPress Website Design
- UI/UX Design
- Show more
- Location
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $150/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
USA Marketing Pros is a web design and digital marketing agency based in Arlington, Virginia, serving businesses across Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland. We help businesses improve visibility, generate qualified leads, and grow through website design, SEO, Google Ads management, social media...
Top Services:
- Digital Marketing
- Web Design
- SEO
- Reputation Management
- PPC
- Show more
- Location
- Arlington, Virginia
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $99/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Looking for expert help with social media management, PPC, and SEO or digital marketing? Look no further than Meyvn World Marketing Management. Our team has the skills and experience to help your business succeed online, regardless of the industry.Contact us today to learn more...
Top Services:
- Web Development
- Web Design
- Digital Strategy
- Digital Marketing
- SEO
- Show more
- Location
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $25/hr
- Minimal Budget
- $1,000 - $10,000
Mr Digital is the antidote to the broken agency model. We are a Growth Architecture Partner for Hospitality, B2B, and eCommerce brands, replacing hourly billing and vanity metrics with Fixed-Fee Revenue Engines that deliver measurable commercial return...
Top Services:
- Web Design
- eCommerce Development
- Web Development
- WordPress Website Design
- Digital Marketing
- Show more
- Location
- Brighton UK, United Kingdom
- Number of Employees
- Under 49
- Average Hourly Rate
- $60/hr
- Minimal Budget
- Under $1,000
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
- Personal Injury
- Professional Services
- Real Estate
- Restaurants
- Shopify
- Small Business
- Startup
- Technical
- Veterinarian
- Video
- YouTube
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.
