Backlinks (aka inbound links from other websites to your pages) are still one of the strongest authority signals in search engine optimization. They help search engines and search engine bots understand which pages deserve to rank, and they influence how your brand shows up in both traditional search and AI-driven answers.

But the rules have changed: you don’t “build links” by blasting emails or buying placements. You earn high-quality backlinks by creating something worth referencing, then putting it in front of the right people in the right way, on relevant sites, with relevant links, and with a pitch that actually helps the website owners you’re contacting.

Below is a practical guide on how to get backlinks to your site (without gambling your domain on link schemes).

TL;DR: How to get more backlinks (without the risky stuff)

• Start by auditing your current website's backlinks and backlink profile in Google Search Console (it’s free).

• Reverse-engineer competitors' backlinks to find repeatable backlink opportunities (same sites linking to them can often link to you too).

• Create high-quality content that deserves citations: original data, “best X” lists, templates, tools, or skyscraper content.

• Use 3 proven acquisition loops: broken link building, guest posting/guest blogging, and unlinked brand mentions.

• Avoid anything that looks like a link scheme (paid links passing ranking signals, automated link spam, manipulative exchanges).

Step 1: Get your baseline (so you stop guessing)

Before you try to get backlinks, you need to know what you already have, what’s working, and what’s broken.

Use Google Search Console to audit external links

In Google Search Console, open the Links report to see:

• Top sites linking to you

• Your top linked pages (your best “link magnets”)

• Common anchor text patterns
  This is the fastest way to spot what content naturally attracts quality backlinks and where you should double down.

Quick wins to look for immediately:

• Pages with lots of links but outdated content → refresh them to protect SEO value.

• Pages you want to rank but have few external links → prioritize these in your outreach.

• Spammy domains linking to you → assess quality; Google often ignores spam, but you should still review patterns.

Step 2: Choose a backlink strategy that matches your site's stage

Not every strategy fits every site. Here’s a simple decision map:

If your site is new (low authority)

Focus on:

• guest posting on smaller but relevant sites

• partnerships (vendors, communities, directories)

• “linkable assets” (templates, glossaries, stats pages)

If your site is established

Focus on:

• broken link building method

• unlinked brand mentions

• digital PR (data stories for news sites)

• “content hubs” and resource pages

If you’re local

Focus on:

• local SEO citations + local org links (chambers, meetups, universities)

• sponsorships that make sense (and are labeled correctly if paid)

Step 3: Find backlink opportunities (the non-random way)

A) Reverse-engineer competitors’ backlinks

This is the highest-leverage way to find relevant content and willing linkers.

What to do:

1. List 3–5 competitors that rank for your target keyword (or show up above you in search engine results).

2. Use a backlink tool to export linking domains and pages.

3. Filter for:

   • pages that link to multiple competitors (those are “category linkers”)

   • content types you can realistically replace or outperform

Tools like Semrush have a “Backlink Gap” style workflow specifically for discovering overlapping link sources between you and competitors.

Pro tip: don’t just copy their article link placements. Look for patterns:

• “Top tools” roundups

• “Best agencies” lists

• statistics pages

• comparison pages
  Those are scalable branded strategies because they can keep sending organic traffic for years.

B) Find broken links on relevant sites (easy yes)

The broken link building loop works because you’re improving their page, not begging for a favor.

A fast workflow:

• Find a resource page in your niche (“keyword + resources” / “helpful links”)

• Scan it with a Google Chrome plugin like Check My Links

• Identify broken links

• Suggest your page as a replacement if it’s truly relevant

Broken link building is widely documented as: find dead pages with links, create a better replacement, then outreach to the linkers.

Step 4: Create content people actually link to (the “why would they link?” test)

Most link building fails because people try to create backlinks to pages that aren’t link-worthy.

Here are formats that naturally earn high-quality backlinks:

1) Original data (the best “sweet link” asset)

• industry benchmarks

• survey results

• scraped public datasets summarized responsibly

• trend reports

Why it works: writers need sources.

2) Skyscraper content (but done right)

Skyscraper content isn’t “write a longer post.” It’s:

• clearer structure

• better examples

• more actionable steps

• updated stats

• better UX and visuals

3) Practical templates and tools

• calculators

• checklists

• email scripts

• audit spreadsheets

• mini-tools embedded on a web page

These generate links because they’re useful in other people’s workflows.

4) Opinionated “best X” lists

AIclicks does this well: direct positioning, clean structure, and scannable comparisons (tables, pros/cons, use-cases).

Step 5: Outreach that earns links (without sounding like everyone else)

Your outreach has one job: make it easy for a busy editor or site owner to say yes.

A “valuable pitch” template (works for guest blogging, broken links, and link insert suggestions)

Subject: Quick fix + optional upgrade for your [topic] page

Body (short):

• Mention the exact page and the exact spot

• Show proof (screenshot/quote/the broken URL)

• Offer a specific replacement (your own content) and why it’s better

• Give them the exact anchor suggestion (optional)

• Thank them and leave

The more you remove friction, the higher your response rate.

Step 6: Broken link building (full workflow)

Here’s a clean, repeatable broken link building method:

1. Find broken links on a relevant page (resource lists, guides, university pages).

2. Identify what the dead page used to cover (use cached versions if needed).

3. Create content that matches the intent but improves it (your “replacement”).

4. Email the page owner with a friendly heads-up + your replacement suggestion.

This tactic is effective precisely because it’s user-first: you’re helping them fix a bad experience.

Step 7: Guest posting/guest blogging (without getting flagged)

Yes, guest posting still works when it’s real publishing, not mass-produced placements.

Rules for safe guest blogging:

• Only write for relevant sites in your client’s niche (or your own niche).

• Pitch topics they’d publish even if you didn’t get a link.

• Use natural anchors (brand name, URL, or descriptive anchors, not keyword spam).

• Don’t overdo it at scale.

Google is explicit that manipulative link practices can violate spam policies; avoid anything that looks like large-scale link manipulation.

Step 8: Reclaim links you already earned (the fastest “more backlinks” win)

1) Unlinked brand mentions

Find articles that mention you but didn’t link. Ask for a link.

This is one of the easiest ways to build backlinks because the writer already decided you’re worth mentioning.

2) Lost links / broken backlinks to your site

Links disappear when websites redesign, change URLs, or clean up pages.

Your job:

• identify the lost link

• offer the updated URL (or restore the old one with a redirect)

• make it painless for them to fix

Step 9: Don’t ignore nofollow links (they still matter)

Not every link passes the same SEO value. Some links are marked:

• nofollow links

• sponsored

• UGC (user-generated)

These link attributes help search engines interpret the relationship behind links.

Even if a link is nofollow, it can still drive referral traffic, brand discovery, and citations—especially in AI-influenced discovery loops.

Step 10: Measure results (beyond “how many backlinks?”)

A common question is: how many backlinks do I need?

The real answer: it depends on the competition and link quality. Ten high-quality backlinks from strong, relevant pages can beat 200 low-quality directory links.

Track these instead:

• Growth of referring domains to priority pages

• Changes in search rankings for your target topics

• Lift in organic traffic

• Improvements in search results, CTR, and impressions (via GSC)

And always sanity-check quality and relevance—more isn’t always better.

How AIclicks fits into backlink and visibility growth

Backlinks help classic SEO, but they also support something newer: whether AI assistants trust and cite your brand.

AI search engines (and LLM-based experiences) increasingly summarize “what the web says” and cite sources. That means your off-page presence, mentions, citations, and authority matter beyond Google.

AIclicks is built specifically for that new layer. On the AIclicks blog, they describe tracking:

• which prompts mention your brand

• which models cite you

• where your website is cited as a source

• competitive benchmarking and visibility rate tracking across major AI platforms

How to use AIclicks alongside link building:

• Identify the pages that AI platforms already cite in your category → build links to reinforce them.

• Spot competitors getting cited more often → use that to prioritize content strategy and outreach targets.

• Track whether improved authority (mentions + links) correlates with better AI visibility over time.

In short, backlinks are still a core trust signal, but AIclicks helps you measure the outcomes where discovery is increasingly happening, inside AI answers, not just blue links.

Check out this video where we share the exact strategy that took AIclicks from zero to #5 in AI visibility rankings in just 90 days:

The simple weekly routine (so this actually happens)

If you want a lightweight system:

1. Monday: Review the GSC Links report and identify one priority page.

2. Tuesday: Pull 30 prospects from competitor backlinks/resource pages.

3. Wednesday: Create 1 asset upgrade (new section, data, examples) on the target page.

4. Thursday: Send 10 high-quality outreach emails (broken links + unlinked mentions).

5. Friday: Track responses, update CRM/sheet, and repeat.

That’s how you build high-quality backlinks without burning your domain or your reputation.

Conclusion

Getting backlinks to your site isn’t about chasing “how many backlinks” you can collect. It’s about earning high-quality backlinks from relevant sites that genuinely improve your authority and bring in organic traffic. Start by auditing your current website backlinks in Google Search Console, create link-worthy quality content, then use proven tactics like broken link building, guest posting, and reclaiming unlinked brand mentions.

As you scale, tools like AIclicks help you connect the dots between stronger authority and real visibility, both in classic search engine results and in AI-driven discovery, so you can build links that actually move the needle.