How to Get Backlinks to a New Website: 7 Methods That Work in 2026
You’ve picked a niche, built the site and started publishing. Now comes the part that decides how fast you rank: links from other websites. A new site with good content and no backlinks rarely gets past page two for anything competitive. This lesson shows you how I approach it: start by studying the links your competitors already have, get links on the same sites or sites just like them, then fill the gaps with guest posts, outreach, digital PR and free foundational links. It also covers what links really cost and how to check a site before you pay for anything.
The best way to get backlinks to a new website is to run a competitor backlink analysis: put the sites ranking for your keywords into a tool like Ahrefs, list the domains linking to them, and go after links on those same sites. Where you can’t get a link on a competitor’s site, find sites like it with the same niche, similar authority and similar traffic. Then add guest posts through a marketplace like iCopify, your own outreach, outreach sellers on Fiverr, digital PR and free foundational links.
- Competitor backlink analysis is the highest-quality starting point: the sites already linking to the pages you’re trying to beat are proven, relevant link sources.
- If you can’t get a link on the exact site, match it: same niche, similar Domain Rating (DR) and similar organic traffic.
- Most links aren’t free. When you do outreach, most site owners will quote you a price, much like a brand paying an influencer for a post. Some will link for free in exchange for a well-written article for their site.
- Vet every site before you pay: real organic traffic that’s stable or growing, traffic from your target country, topical fit and a sensible number of outbound links.
- “How to get backlinks” gets about 2,600 US searches a month with a keyword difficulty of 24 in Ahrefs (November 2026).
Why backlinks still matter (and what DR and DA mean)
Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. Search engines treat a link from a relevant, trusted site as a vote of confidence, so a page with good content and strong links usually outranks a page with good content and none. AI answer engines lean on the same signals when they decide which sources to cite.
SEO tools summarise a site’s link strength in a single score. Ahrefs calls it Domain Rating (DR) and Moz calls it Domain Authority (DA). Both run from 0 to 100 and both are the tool’s estimate, not a Google metric. They’re useful for comparing sites, but traffic and relevance tell you more about whether a link is worth having.
What a good link looks like
On a site in your niche or a close one, on a page that gets indexed, from a site with real organic traffic in your target country, placed inside the content where readers will see it.
What a weak link looks like
On a site that covers every topic under the sun, with no organic traffic, hundreds of outbound links per page and a “write for us” page that accepts anything.
If you haven’t chosen your SEO tool yet, Ahrefs vs Semrush vs Moz compares them, and lesson 4 shows how to use free trials for this kind of research.
Start with a competitor backlink analysis
A competitor backlink analysis means looking at the sites that link to the pages ranking above you, then getting links from the same places. It’s the best-quality way to build links because you aren’t guessing: those sites have already shown they link to content like yours, and the pages they link to are the ones Google is rewarding for your keywords.
How to do it in Ahrefs
- Find your real competitors. Google your main keywords and note the sites that keep showing up, or put your own domain into Ahrefs Site Explorer and open Organic competitors. Pick three to five sites close to your size, not the giants.
- Pull their referring domains. In Site Explorer, enter each competitor and open Referring domains. Filter to dofollow links and sort by DR or by domain traffic.
- Find the overlap. Use the Link intersect tool: add your competitors and your own site, and Ahrefs shows the domains that link to two or more competitors but not to you. Those are your warmest prospects. Semrush calls the same report a backlink gap.
- Look at the pages, not just the domains. Open Backlinks for a competitor’s top pages (Best by links) to see exactly which articles earned links and what kind of content they were.
- Label each link by type. Guest post, resource page, directory or profile, news or PR mention, roundup, or a link added to an existing article. The type tells you how to get the same link.
- Export a target list. Put each domain in a spreadsheet with its DR, organic traffic, traffic country, link type and contact details. This is your link-building plan.
| Link type you find | How to get the same link |
|---|---|
| Guest post | Pitch the site a topic, or check whether it’s listed on a marketplace like iCopify. |
| Resource or “best tools” page | Email the owner with your page as an addition. Expect a fee on commercial sites. |
| Directory or business profile | Create the same profile yourself. These are usually free. |
| News or PR mention | Answer journalist requests or create something newsworthy (method 5 below). |
| Link added to an existing article | Ask the owner to add your page where it fits. Most will quote a price. |
Ahrefs report names checked November 2026. If you don’t have a paid tool, Ahrefs’ free backlink checker shows a sample of any site’s top links.
Can’t get the same sites? Find look-alikes
Some sites on your list won’t reply, won’t work with new sites, or will quote more than you want to pay. Don’t drop the idea, find a substitute. A look-alike site matches the original on four things:
- Niche: it covers the same topic or a close one, so the link makes sense to a reader.
- Authority: its DR is in the same range as the original (within about 10 points is a good rule of thumb).
- Traffic: it gets a similar amount of organic traffic, and the trend is flat or rising.
- Country: most of that traffic comes from the country you’re targeting.
To find them, put the original site into Ahrefs and open Organic competitors for that site: the domains it competes with are, by definition, sites in the same niche. You can also search Google for your topic plus phrases like “guest post”, “write for us” or “contributor”, or filter a marketplace like iCopify by niche, DR and traffic to match the profile.
The 7 ways to get backlinks to a new site
Once you have your target list from the competitor analysis, these are the methods you use to land the links. Most sites need a mix.
1. Foundational links
Business profiles, social profiles, relevant directories, your suppliers’ or partners’ websites, and any association you belong to. They’re mostly free, quick to set up and make your site look like a real business. They won’t move rankings much on their own, but every new site should have them.
2. Guest posts through iCopify
iCopify is a marketplace where site owners list their sites for guest posts and link insertions. You filter by niche, DR, traffic and price, then order a post on the site you want, either written by you or by the publisher. It saves you weeks of emailing and gives you clear prices up front. It’s where I’d start for most beginners.
3. Your own outreach
Email the sites on your target list directly with a specific pitch: a topic idea for their audience, or a page of yours that improves an article they’ve already published. Be ready for the reply: most site owners will come back with a price for the placement. Some will publish for free because they want good content for their site, so offer a well-researched article that fits their audience.
4. Outreach sellers on Fiverr
If you don’t have time to email hundreds of sites, you can hire an outreach specialist on Fiverr to do it for you. The quality varies a lot between sellers, so the next lesson covers exactly how to vet them.
5. Expert quotes and digital PR
Journalists and bloggers need expert sources. Sign up to journalist-request services, answer questions in your niche quickly and with something useful, and you’ll pick up links from news and industry sites. Bigger campaigns, like original surveys or data studies, can earn dozens of links at once. Many PR placements still involve a fee in practice, the same as any other promotion.
6. Linkable assets
Some content earns links on its own: original data, free tools and calculators, templates, and definitive guides. Look at your competitors’ Best by links report to see which content formats attract links in your niche, then build a better version.
7. Broken-link and resource-page links
Find pages in your niche that link to a page that no longer exists (Ahrefs’ Broken backlinks report shows these for any competitor). Create a page that covers the same topic, then email the site owners and suggest yours as the replacement. Resource pages that list useful sites work the same way.
What links cost (and when they’re free)
Most links you’ll build cost money. When you reach out to a site, the usual answer is a price for the placement, in the same way a brand pays an influencer to post about it. That’s normal across most industries, including links that come from digital PR. Prices depend on the site’s traffic, authority and niche, so a site with strong organic traffic in a competitive niche costs more than a small hobby blog.
Free links do happen. Site owners who need content will often publish a well-written article for free, and foundational profiles, directories and genuine expert quotes usually cost nothing but time. Plan your budget for a mix of both.
| Method | Usually costs | Speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundational links | Free | Days | Every new site |
| Guest posts via a marketplace | A fee per post, shown up front | 1 to 2 weeks | Relevant links without the emailing |
| Your own outreach | Often a fee; sometimes free for good content | Weeks | Getting the exact sites from your competitor analysis |
| Fiverr outreach sellers | A fee per link or per package | 1 to 4 weeks | Saving your own time |
| Expert quotes and digital PR | Time, sometimes a fee | Unpredictable | High-authority news links |
| Linkable assets and broken links | Time to create the content | Months | Links that keep coming without asking |
The vetting checklist: check every site before you pay
A link is only as good as the site it’s on. Run every site through these checks in Ahrefs (or Semrush) before you order or pay.
| Check | Where | What you want to see |
|---|---|---|
| Organic traffic trend | Site Explorer › Overview | Steady or growing over 12 months. Avoid a spike followed by a crash. |
| Traffic country | Site Explorer › Organic traffic by country | Most traffic from your target country. |
| Topical fit | Top pages report and the site itself | The site ranks for topics close to yours. |
| Outbound links | Linked domains report | A sensible number. Thousands of outbound links on a small site means it sells to everyone. |
| Real audience | The site itself | Real authors, recent posts, comments or social activity. |
| Indexing | Google: site:theirdomain.com | Their pages show up in Google, including recent guest posts. |
Track every link you build in a spreadsheet: the URL, date, anchor text, price and whether it’s still live. Check the list every few months.
Anchor text and pacing
Anchor text is the clickable text of a link. Look at your competitors’ Anchors report in Ahrefs and mirror the mix that’s working in your niche, which is usually mostly brand names and URLs, plus a smaller share of topic phrases and only a few exact-match keywords.
- Brand and URL anchors (“Rank to Earn”, “ranktoearn.com”) for most links.
- Topic anchors (“this guide to keyword research”) for a good share.
- Exact keyword anchors sparingly, on your most relevant placements.
Pace your links the way a growing site would earn them: a steady flow every month rather than a hundred in one week. Point most links at the pages you want to rank, and let your internal links pass that strength to the rest of the site. Running a website like a business covers how I budget for links alongside content and freelancers.
- List three to five competitors close to your size and pull their referring domains in Ahrefs (or the free backlink checker).
- Run a Link intersect (or Semrush backlink gap) and save every domain that links to two or more competitors into a spreadsheet.
- Label each target by link type, then set up your foundational profiles and browse iCopify for matching or look-alike sites.
- Run your first three targets through the vetting checklist before you pay for anything.
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Previous← Best affiliate programsSummary: how to get backlinks to a new website
Start with a competitor backlink analysis: find the sites ranking for your keywords, pull their referring domains in Ahrefs, and use Link intersect to find sites that link to several competitors but not to you. Get links on those sites, and where you can’t, find look-alikes with the same niche, similar DR, similar traffic and the same country. Land them with foundational profiles, guest posts through iCopify, your own outreach, Fiverr outreach sellers, digital PR, linkable assets and broken-link building. Expect to be quoted a price for most placements, vet every site before you pay, keep your anchor text natural and build links at a steady pace.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I get backlinks to a new website?
Start with a competitor backlink analysis: list the sites linking to the pages that rank for your keywords and get links on the same sites, or on look-alike sites with the same niche, similar authority and similar traffic. Then add guest posts through a marketplace like iCopify, your own outreach, Fiverr outreach sellers, digital PR, linkable assets and free foundational profiles.
What is a competitor backlink analysis?
It’s a review of the websites that link to your competitors. You enter a competitor’s domain into a tool like Ahrefs, open its referring domains, and use Link intersect to find sites that link to several competitors but not to you. Those sites are your best link prospects.
Are backlinks free?
Some are. Foundational profiles, directories, expert quotes and articles written for sites that want free content can cost nothing but time. But when you do outreach, most site owners quote a price for a placement, so plan a budget for links alongside your content.
How much do backlinks cost?
It depends on the site’s traffic, authority and niche. A placement on a small, relevant blog costs much less than one on a high-traffic site in a competitive niche. Marketplaces like iCopify show the price for each site before you order, which makes it easy to compare.
How many backlinks does a new website need?
There’s no fixed number. Look at the pages ranking for your target keyword in Ahrefs and count their referring domains. That tells you roughly how many quality links you need to compete, which is why young niches with weakly linked results are easier to win.
What is a good Domain Rating for a backlink?
There’s no single cut-off. A link from a relevant site with real organic traffic in your country is worth more than a high-DR site with no traffic or no topical fit. Match the DR range of the sites linking to your competitors.
How do I increase my website’s domain authority?
Domain Rating and Domain Authority go up as you earn links from more unique, authoritative websites. Get links from the sites in your competitor analysis and their look-alikes, publish content worth linking to, and keep building links steadily every month.
About Eugene Madondo
Eugene is a Cape Town-based SEO specialist and digital entrepreneur who has been earning online since 2012. He has worked in SEO at a tech startup, an agency and in-house tech roles, ran a consulting business, and has generated over $1.4 million from his own affiliate websites since 2020. He teaches website operators through Rank to Earn.
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