How Many Types of Link Building Are There in SEO?
There is no single agreed number, because people slice it up differently. What helps more is grouping link building into a few clear families. Most methods fall into earned links, outreach-built links and self-created links, with a final group of risky tactics to avoid altogether. Here are the main types of link building and which ones are actually worth your time.
Rather than count an exact number, it helps to group link building into families. Earned links come to you freely because your content deserves them, the gold standard. Outreach-built links are ones you actively pursue, such as guest posts, niche edits, broken link building, resource pages and digital PR. Self-created links are ones you add yourself, like directories, local citations and social profiles, useful in moderation. Finally there are tactics to avoid, such as paid links, link exchanges and private blog networks. The best strategy mixes the legitimate types, with earned and editorial links at the heart of it.
Think in families
Broad families
Earned, outreach-built, self-created and the ones to avoid.
The best kind
Links given freely because your content deserves them.
Over type
Relevance and trust matter more than the method used.
The main types of link building
Ask ten SEOs how many types of link building exist and you will get ten different lists. The exact count does not really matter. What matters is understanding the broad families, so you can pick the methods that are safe, effective and right for your site.
Earned links
Earned links are the ones you do not ask for. A publisher links to you simply because your content is worth referencing. This includes editorial links from real publications and links that come from digital PR, where a strong piece of content or original data attracts coverage. These are the most valuable links of all, because they are genuine endorsements that are hard to fake. They are also the hardest to win, which is rather the point.
Outreach-built links
Outreach-built links are ones you actively pursue through direct contact. This is the biggest family and includes guest posting, niche edits or link insertions on existing pages, broken link building where you replace a dead link with your own, resource page links and journalist outreach for expert quotes. Done well, on relevant, quality sites, these are perfectly legitimate and effective. Done at scale on poor sites, they tip into spam.
Self-created links
Self-created links are ones you add yourself. Think business directories, local citations, social profiles and forum or community posts. These pass less authority than earned or outreach links, since you placed them rather than earning them. Used in moderation they have a place, especially local citations for local SEO. Spammed across hundreds of low-quality directories, they are pointless at best and harmful at worst.
The types to avoid
Some tactics are simply not worth the risk. Paid links that are not marked as sponsored, large-scale link exchanges, private blog networks and link farms all aim to manipulate rankings, which breaks Google's guidelines. Google's systems are good at spotting them, so they tend to be ignored or, in clear cases, penalised. The short-term boost is never worth the long-term damage. We cover one of these in Is link exchange good for SEO.
Which types should you use?
For almost everyone, the answer is a blend of the legitimate families, built around earned and editorial links. Use great content and digital PR to earn links, support it with genuine outreach on relevant sites, then add sensible self-created links like local citations where they help. Avoid the risky tactics entirely. Above all, remember that relevance and quality matter far more than the type of link. Our Backlink Services team uses this exact blend for clients. The full method is in The Complete Guide to Backlink Building. For the basics, What is link building in SEO and What is guest posting in SEO are useful next reads. How to Get Backlinks covers earning them in practice.
Three families worth using
Earned links
Given freely because your content deserves it. The most valuable kind and the hardest to win.
Outreach-built links
Actively pursued through contact: guest posts, niche edits, broken link building and resource pages. Fine on relevant, quality sites.
Self-created links
Added by you, like directories and local citations. Useful in moderation, weak or harmful if spammed.
The families of link building
Most link building methods fall into these four groups. Three are worth using, one is worth avoiding.
Types of link building,
the quick answer
Types worth using
vs types to avoid
Legitimate types
- Earned editorial links
- Digital PR coverage
- Relevant guest posts
- Broken link building
- Local citations, in moderation
Risky tactics
- Paid links, unmarked
- Large-scale link exchanges
- Private blog networks
- Link farms
- Spammed directories
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