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SEO link promotion in 2025: how to get the most out of your linking strategy

Publication Date

22.08.25

What is website promotion through links?

Website promotion with links — what does it mean? Simply put, it’s about getting other sites to link back to yours. To better understand how it works, think of your site as a café on a quiet street in the far end of town. Maybe you serve the best coffee in the city, but who even knows about it? Everything changes when people from across the neighborhood start talking about it, leaving reviews, and recommending it to others. That’s exactly how link promotion works online.

When other sites link to yours, they’re telling Google: “Look, there’s something valuable here.” And the search engine responds. The algorithm works like this: more quality links = more trust = better search rankings. The key word here is quality.

Why is this so important for Google?

Authority and trust. Links from authoritative, topically relevant websites pass on some of their weight and credibility. For Google, this signals that your site is a reliable source of information.
Visibility and indexing. Crawlers constantly scan the web, following links from one page to another. The more backlinks pointing to your site, the faster crawlers will discover, scan, and index it.
Referral traffic. Beyond SEO benefits, each link is a potential traffic source. A reader on another website may click the link, land on your page, and turn into your customer.

But in 2025, link promotion is no longer about buying backlinks for ranking purposes — it’s about building your site’s reputation across the web. Let’s look at why.

Can effective SEO be achieved without links?

Technically, yes. Practically, no (or with very strict limitations).

SEO without backlinks can work for local or niche projects with little competition. For example, a dental clinic in a small town might get traffic through basic optimization, fast-loading pages, and a properly set up Google Business Profile.

It can also work for unique content or services like tools, studies, calculators, or AI apps, which generate demand on their own and attract visitors before earning external mentions.

But in competitive niches, backlinks are essential. E-commerce, SaaS, finance, and healthcare are dominated by sites with strong link profiles. Even the best content cannot compete without backlinks — this is why buying links is often necessary.

Backlinks are also crucial for building authority and trust, since Google in 2025 places even more emphasis on reputation. Links from authoritative websites act like expert recommendations that validate your status.

And if you want to go beyond low-competition keywords, backlinks are non-negotiable. Without them, you might rank for long-tail queries, but for high-volume keywords, external links are a must.

Is link building still relevant in 2025?

Every few years, the SEO world predicts that “links will die.” Yet in 2025, link building is not only alive but evolving into a more strategic and mature practice.

Even with the rise of AI Search and new ranking systems, backlinks remain a proven way to measure trustworthiness. SEO promotion with backlinks from niche-relevant, authoritative websites directly supports E-E-A-T, which is key to being seen as an expert resource.

Competition in SERPs is growing. When multiple sites have similar content and optimization, the quality of the link profile becomes the deciding factor.

So, do you need backlinks in 2025? Absolutely. They are reputation capital, and serious projects can’t compete without them.

Link building trends in 2025

From “buying” to PR-driven links. Instead of mass link purchases, companies are investing in digital PR: collaborations, partnerships, research, interactive tools. These bring not only backlinks but also reach, brand exposure, and traffic.
The importance of relevance. A single link from a niche-relevant site carries more weight than 10 random links from exchanges. Google has become much better at detecting natural vs. artificial linking.
Focus on brand mentions. Even unlinked mentions in major media outlets or on Reddit can boost authority. But combined with backlinks, the effect is much stronger.
Integration with AI Search. Backlink presence affects not only classic rankings but also whether your site gets included in “AI answers.” The more often your site is cited and linked, the higher the chances of being featured in AI results.

In short, link building in 2025 is still vital — but it’s no longer about “a thousand cheap links.” It’s a systematic effort to build brand authority online.

Of all the quotes included in AI overviews, 86% are taken from pages that can be found somewhere within the first hundred results on Google.

Where to get links for SEO promotion

In 2025, there are dozens of sources for acquiring backlinks, but the golden rule remains: relevance + authority + value.

Niche media and industry platforms

The most valuable backlinks come from niche sources. These can include publications in industry blogs, expert interviews, analytical columns, or case studies. Such links not only pass SEO value but also strengthen the brand’s expert image.

Digital PR and newsworthy content

Research, analytics, infographics, or unique interactive tools — all of these can become a reason for media coverage. A successful PR piece can generate dozens of natural backlinks from top-tier sites.

Guest posts

This method still works, but only if you choose high-quality and relevant platforms. The website should have a real audience and be related to your niche.

Business directories and profiles

Local business directories, Google Business Profile, or associations in your field provide not only backlinks but also extra visibility in local search.

Communities and forums

Reddit, Quora, or professional forums are excellent opportunities to gain natural backlinks. The key is not to spam but to provide useful advice and build a reputation.

Partnerships and collaborations

Suppliers, clients, partners, or joint project participants — all these relationships can be leveraged for link exchange and strengthening your SEO with natural backlinks.

Crowd marketing

Reviews on websites, mentions in discussions, comments, or Q&A platforms — these are not just backlinks but also additional touchpoints with potential customers. To save time, crowd marketing can be outsourced to specialized services.

Link bait content

The most effective but also the most resource-intensive method. If you create something truly useful — a calculator, ranking, interactive map, or research — it will attract backlinks naturally and over a long period of time.

A study by Editorial.Link showed that digital PR and guest posts are considered the most effective tactics for website promotion.

How to evaluate a backlink for effective SEO promotion

To determine whether a link is worth pursuing, several key factors must be considered. Let’s break them down.

Regional relevance in link building

What it is: how well the source site matches the geography of your business.
Why it matters: Google takes local context into account. If you’re promoting a Ukrainian site, a backlink from a local Ukrainian source will carry more weight than one from the U.S. (unless it’s a global brand).
Example: For an online store in Lviv, a backlink from Ukrainian media is more valuable than from an American marketing blog.

Niche and topical relevance

What it is: how closely the donor site’s topic aligns with yours.
Why it matters: Google understands context. A backlink from a food blog to an IT company looks odd, while one from a tech blog looks natural and valuable.
Example: A SaaS platform gains far more from a backlink on a business tech website than from a cat forum.

Authority and trust of the donor site

What it is: the level of trust Google and users have toward the source.
How to evaluate: DR/DA in Ahrefs or Moz, domain age and history (penalties, PBN involvement), and content quality (expert vs. spammy).
Why it matters: A backlink from a respected media outlet or educational site is stronger than dozens from obscure blogs.

Donor traffic quality and volume

What it is: the real visitors of the site linking to you.
Why it matters: A backlink from a site with real traffic passes SEO value and brings potential customers.
How to check: SimilarWeb, Ahrefs, Semrush.
Example: One link from a blog with 10,000 visits/month is better than 20 from sites with zero traffic.

Anchor text in natural link building

What it is: the clickable text of a hyperlink.
Types of anchors: Exact match (“buy dog food”), Partial match (“best dog food”), Branded (“ZooShop”), Naked URL (“site.ua”), Generic (“here”, “learn more”).
Why it matters: A natural anchor profile is diverse. Over-optimizing exact match anchors in 2025 quickly triggers filters.

Surrounding text and context

What it is: the words and context around the backlink.
Why it matters: Google reads not only the anchor but also the surrounding text. If it’s thematically relevant, the backlink gains value.
Example: A link to your children’s clothing site in an article about kids’ fashion trends is stronger than in one about car repair.

DOFOLLOW vs NOFOLLOW backlinks

To build an effective strategy, you must understand the difference dofollow vs nofollow backlinks

DOFOLLOW: Passes SEO value and authority (PageRank). The backbone of link building.
NOFOLLOW: Doesn’t pass direct authority but helps build a natural profile, brings traffic, and may still be considered by Google as a hint.
A healthy profile needs both. Only DOFOLLOW links look suspicious.

In 2025, Google is filtering out unnatural patterns more than ever, which means the main strategy is to make SEO link building as logical and user-friendly as possible.

Safety: how to avoid filters and penalties

By 2025, Google has become much better at telling the difference between “live” backlinks and those created purely for manipulation. The key task of a link builder is to create a profile that looks natural. To avoid trouble, you need to know the TOP 5 link building mistakes most often made.

Check PBN quality carefully

Thousands of cheap PBN or marketplace links are a direct path to penalties. Algorithms easily detect repeating templates: identical site designs, similar content, no real traffic. Such donors kill trust in your backlink profile.

Control your anchor list

In 2025, over-optimized exact match anchors are the #1 reason for penalties. If 50% of anchors look like “buy [keyword] cheap,” the profile is flagged. The right balance: most anchors should be branded, some URL/generic (“here,” “go to”), and only a small portion keyword-focused.

Mind topic and context

A backlink only makes sense if placed in relevant content. Google evaluates not just the anchor, but also surrounding text. A SaaS link in a cooking blog adds zero SEO value and increases penalty risks.

Evaluate donors

Before posting, check the site:

Does it have real traffic (not “0” in SimilarWeb/Ahrefs)?
Is content regularly updated?
Is there an audience (comments, social signals)?

A dead site with paid posts adds risk, not value.

Diversify link types

A natural profile isn’t only DOFOLLOW. NOFOLLOW, brand mentions without a link, comments, social media, and directories all create diversity. A profile with only DOFOLLOW links from articles looks unnatural.

Avoid sudden spikes

100 new backlinks in a week for a site that previously got 2–3 a month is a red flag. Growth should be gradual, even with heavy investment.

Watch geography

If a Ukrainian business suddenly gets dozens of backlinks from India or Latin America, it looks suspicious. Local context (media, directories, partnerships in your country) should always come first.

Monitor your profile

Check backlinks monthly with Ahrefs, Serpstat, or Google Search Console. If you spot spammy domains, disavow them quickly instead of waiting for penalties.

Link building strategies in 2025: quality, naturalness, relevance

In 2015, mass link buying still worked. In 2025, it doesn’t just fail — it harms. Algorithms now evaluate not only anchors and domains, but also context, history, and placement value. The “more is better” strategy is dead.

Quality matters more than metrics. In the past, the competition was about DR/DA, but now the key factor is whether a site has real users and actual influence in its niche. One backlink from an industry media outlet read by your potential customers is worth far more than dozens of links from “dummy” sites.

In 2025, Google evaluates not just the domain’s authority, but the usefulness of a link within the content ecosystem.

A natural backlink is not always accidental. It can be triggered through a newsworthy event: research, a new product, an interactive tool, or even an unconventional collaboration. The important thing is that the link appears in a logical context, not just “glued” into any random text.

Digital PR is becoming the new link building, where backlinks are a secondary but highly valuable outcome.

Relevance in 2025 is not only about the niche of the site, but also about user expectations. For example, if you’re developing SaaS for finance, a feature in a major tech blog is good, but a publication in a financial media outlet is far stronger.

Google now considers the entire thematic chain: whether the donor page’s topic, the anchor, the surrounding content, and the target page all align.

Balancing short- and long-term tacticsGuest posts or directories can deliver quick results, but their value is limited. In contrast, link bait content, research, or partnerships build a “passive” flow of backlinks that work for years.

In 2025, winners are those who invest in long-term assets rather than chasing only quick wins.

Brand factor as the foundation.The stronger the brand, the easier it is to earn organic mentions and backlinks. Strong companies don’t “buy” backlinks — they are cited because they carry authority.

Link building and brand marketing are now inseparable. In 2025, building brand authority directly equals building a high-quality backlink profile.

Tools for Link Building: Exchanges, Analytics, Monitoring

Effective link promotion is impossible without the right tools. In 2025, they fall into three main categories: tools for finding and purchasing backlinks, tools for analytics and donor evaluation, and tools for ongoing profile monitoring.

1. Link exchanges and marketplaces

Yes, traditional link exchanges haven’t disappeared, but the format has changed. If in the past they were “farms” with thousands of sites for sale, today the top services look more like curated marketplaces with real media, blogs, and niche projects.

White-hat exchanges offer placements in live media outlets with real traffic.
Local platforms have become important for regional SEO — for example, in Ukraine, these include business directories and local media services.

2. Analytics tools

Without analytics, you can’t assess donor quality or campaign effectiveness.

Ahrefs, Semrush, Serpstat — the professional standard for checking DR/DA, traffic, anchors, and competitors’ backlinks.
SimilarWeb — shows the traffic structure of a site and where its visitors really come from.
Majestic — useful for analyzing link topicality (Trust Flow, Citation Flow).

It’s important to look not only at metrics but also at behavioral factors — whether the site truly has an active audience, or if it’s just numbers on paper.

3. Monitoring and profile control

Link building doesn’t end once the link is placed. You need to regularly check whether the backlinks remain live and whether toxic donors have been added.

Google Search Console — the basic, must-have tool for backlink monitoring.
Ahrefs Alerts or Semrush Backlink Audit — notify you of new or lost links.
Linkody, Monitor Backlinks — simplified services for tracking link status and quality.
Disavow tools — help quickly remove toxic links to avoid penalties.

Monitoring isn’t just a “formality.” In 2025, Google pays more attention to backlink history. If toxic links stay in your profile for too long, it becomes a risk signal.

Promotion today means working with the entire ecosystem of tools. Exchanges provide quick placements, analytics filters out weak platforms, and monitoring ensures profile safety.

LSI Keywords in Content: How to Use Them Correctly and Where

In 2025, Google no longer works with keywords literally, as it did 10–15 years ago. Algorithms like BERT, MUM, and SGE analyze semantics and understand that “dentist,” “dental surgeon,” and “tooth doctor” are the same thing. This is where LSI keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing keywords) come in — semantically related words and phrases that help search engines better understand content.

Why use LSI keywords?They enrich semantics, making text look natural without primitive repetition of the same query.They improve rankings since the page better covers related search intents.They reduce the risk of keyword stuffing: instead of inserting the exact match 10 times, you can use variations and LSI terms.

How to use LSI keywords correctly:

In headings and subheadings (H2/H3): strengthens relevance and signals different aspects of the topic.
In surrounding anchor text: if a backlink is placed near LSI phrases, Google understands the context better.
In meta tags and descriptions: natural LSI use boosts CTR, since users see familiar keyword variations.
In the body of the article: organically, without forced insertions. LSI works only when it blends naturally, as if written by a copywriter, not an SEO technician.
In FAQs and lists: great spots for synonyms and semantically close words.

Where to find LSI keywordsUse Google Autocomplete and People Also Ask — they show real variations users search for.Professional tools like Serpstat, Ahrefs, Semrush reveal related keywords and search intents.Specialized services like LSIGraph and AnswerThePublic generate semantic variations.Competitor analysis is useful too — top-ranking articles often show which LSI terms Google already associates with the topic.

In 2025, LSI keywords work not only for SEO but also for AI-driven search. The richer the semantic context of a page, the higher the chances it will appear in AI-generated answers.

How Much Does Website Promotion with Permanent Backlinks Cost?

Permanent backlinks remain on a site indefinitely (or at least for years) and are not removed once the rental period ends. These links are more valuable because they appear more natural to Google’s algorithms and provide stable long-term results. However, the cost of promotion with permanent backlinks can vary widely, depending on several factors — including where they are placed.

Niche blogs — from $20 to $150 per article with a link, depending on traffic and authority.
Industry media and news portals — $200–800 per placement. In top international media, the price can reach $2000+.
Directories and business platforms — from $10 to $50, although their weight is lower compared to content-based links.

Geography also matters:

Ukraine and Eastern Europe — cheaper markets: $20–100 per link.
Western Europe and the U.S. — from $150–300 in blogs and $500+ in major media.

Google increasingly factors in regional relevance, so cheaper links from other countries won’t always provide value.

Placement formats to consider:

Guest posts — the most popular option, where SEO promotion costs include the price of content creation.
PR publications — more expensive, but they deliver branding effects and often appear in Google News.
Crowd links (forums, reviews) — from $5 to $30 each, though they are more of a supporting tactic than a long-term strategy.

Project-specific factors also affect costs:

Local websites or small niches: budgets can start at $300–500 per month (5–10 high-quality permanent links).
E-commerce and SaaS: realistic budgets range from $1000–3000 per month to stay competitive.
Highly competitive niches (finance, medicine, betting): $5000+, otherwise results will be minimal.

For small businesses, a realistic budget for SEO link promotion starts at $300–500/month. For mid-sized SaaS or e-commerce, $1000–3000/month, and for the toughest niches, $5000+. This is why many companies opt for comprehensive, turnkey link building and delegate the work to specialists to achieve predictable results.

How Many and What Types of Links Are Needed for Effective Promotion?

The number and type of links depend on your niche, competition, and current backlink profile. There’s no universal figure like “20 or 100 links per month,” but there are general benchmarks.

Starting point: competitor analysis

Before calculating “how many you need,” look at those already in the top:

How many backlinks do competitors have?
What types of sources are they using (media, blogs, directories, crowd)?
What’s their growth dynamic (steady or sudden spikes)?

If competitors in your niche are gaining 30 quality links per month while you’re adding only 5, catching up will be difficult even after a year.

Link Type Balance

In 2025, both volume and structure of the profile are crucial:

40–50% content-based links (articles, guest posts, media) — the foundation that builds authority.
20–30% crowd and forums (Reddit, Quora, local communities) — create naturalness and bring referral traffic.
10–20% business directories and profiles — the basic layer for local SEO.
10–15% PR and media mentions — add branding value and strong trust signals for Google.

Example Numbers by Business Type

Local business (salon, clinic, restaurant): 10–20 quality links per month (mostly local sources).
Mid-level e-commerce: 30–60 links per month of mixed types to keep pace with competitors.
SaaS and IT projects: 40–70 links, with a focus on guest posts and media.
Finance, medicine, betting: 100+ per month, since competition here is the most intense and aggressive growth is unavoidable.

Final Formula Analyze competitors → build a natural mix of link types → scale gradually → focus on quality over quantity.

Where to Safely Buy Links for SEO Promotion

Buying links remains a “gray area” — Google officially doesn’t approve it. But the market exists, and you can work with it in a way that minimizes risks and still gets you the results you want.

Exchanges and marketplaces like Links-Stream are convenient because you can instantly see the price, traffic, and metrics without having to negotiate directly with publishers.
Direct deals with websites or editorial teams offer the highest level of safety, since this type of link promotion looks as natural as possible. The downside is that it’s more expensive and takes more time to coordinate.
Local media work well for local SEO and narrow niches. For example, to promote a dental clinic in Lviv, links from local news portals and directories will work better than from general-purpose websites.
Crowd services and forums — there are platforms such as Links-Stream that help place crowd links (Reddit, Quora, niche forums, local discussions). The safety level here is very high if the texts look natural.
Outreach means links in the form of collaborations, interviews, or partner articles. The advantage is that it looks like an organic mention; the disadvantage is that it requires significant time and resources. To save time, many companies choose to order outreach from professionals.
Directories and business platforms like Clutch, GoodFirms, DesignRush, or local company catalogs are “semi-white” links that Google tends to treat as more natural. They may not always pass strong SEO weight, but they do help build brand reputation.

The safest approach to link building: a mix of marketplace links + outreach + crowd.

What to Do if Link Building Doesn’t Bring Results

If, after months of link building, your rankings haven’t moved, don’t panic. Before making changes, figure out what exactly isn’t working.

Start with analyzing link quality. Are your donors relevant to your niche, or just random websites? Source authority should be DR 30+, otherwise you’re wasting your time.

Check your site’s technical health. If your pages take more than 3 seconds to load or your mobile version isn’t functioning properly, even the best links won’t help. Open Search Console and check for critical errors.

Review the content of your target pages. Often, this is the real issue — the content doesn’t match search intent or simply isn’t engaging to users.

Don’t expect instant results. The first positive impact from link building may only appear three to four months after significant strategy changes. Invest in building long-term partnerships, not in quick schemes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find quality links in 2025 to boost SEO performance?

The most effective approach is to combine different sources. Marketplaces, regional media and directories, crowd services, and outreach in the form of collaborations and interviews look organic, while business directories like Clutch help build brand reputation. The optimal link-building strategy is a mix of marketplace links, outreach campaigns, and crowd activity.

How can I determine if a donor site is truly useful for my promotion?

DR 30+
Organic traffic of 10k+ per month
Regular publications over the last 3 months
Thematically close to your niche
Real audience on social media
Not overloaded with outbound links (no more than 3–5 per article)
Quickly indexed by Google after publication

Should I use PBNs and expired domains, or is it better to avoid the risks?

Using PBN links makes sense if you are in a highly competitive or niche-specific market. Expired domains should only be used for redirects to high-quality content.

What is a natural link profile and how do you build it properly?

It’s a mix of diverse sources, gradual growth, and 70% non-anchor links. Brand mentions without links, links from social media and comments. Different link depth — not just pointing to the homepage. Seasonal fluctuations that match your niche. Link acquisition spread over months, not weeks.

Which types of links work better — anchor or branded?

60% branded
30% non-anchor
10% keyword anchors

Anchor links are more effective for rankings but carry more risk. Branded links are safer and build trust. Non-anchor links (“here,” “via this link”) look the most natural. Never exceed 15% exact-match anchors.

How can I protect my site from Google penalties with active link building?