It’s well-established that organic search traffic tends to be of higher quality per visitor than other types of traffic, including PPC advertising. But the question remains: should you invest in backlinks in 2025, and is it the right choice for your business?

Let’s Dive In…

The Benefits of Link Building

Google tends to be secretive about its ranking factors, but even they have confirmed that content and backlinks are the two most crucial elements for ranking well. Independent studies by Ahrefs have repeatedly shown that backlinks are a key ranking factor.

This shift underscores the importance of creating a link building strategy centred around acquiring backlinks from quality, relevant websites. Opting for cheap, low-quality links can do more harm than good. That’s why it’s crucial to trust the links you’re building and ensure they are of high quality and relevance, as only these types of links can truly impact your rankings.

Foundation for a Successful Link Building Campaign

With years of experience as an internet publishing platform, working with companies of all sizes, we’ve seen the full spectrum of challenges and successes. Many businesses approach us to enhance their search traffic through managed link building services, but often they lack the foundational elements necessary for success.

On-Page SEO

Investing in backlinks without a solid on-page SEO foundation is like fuelling a subpar car with rocket fuel and expecting it to outperform a Ferrari on a racetrack. If your website lacks in user experience, speed, content, and structure, link building will only take you so far.

In simple terms, ensure your website is well-optimised before you start building links. A well-structured, content-rich site will always outperform a poorly optimised one, even if they both have a similar number of backlinks.

The Business Case for Link Building

Before starting a link building campaign, it’s important to assess whether the investment will yield a positive return. Most of our clients recognise the importance of backlinks as part of their SEO strategy, but we encourage them to think in terms of ROI and ensure they have a clear vision of why link building is a smart investment.

Easy ROI Projects

Some businesses have a straightforward business case for link building. For example, we’ve worked with a multi-million dollar branding agency that only needs to secure one client per year to cover the cost of our services. Similarly, a client in the CRM space needed just ten new lifetime customers to break even, making link building a highly attractive, low-risk proposition.

Challenging ROI Projects

On the other hand, some businesses find it more difficult to justify the cost of link building. For instance, a small affiliate site in a low-commission niche needed a massive amount of traffic to generate an additional $1,000 in monthly revenue. In these cases, unless the site already has a successful foundation and a strong SEO strategy, link building may not be the most viable option.

Industry and Location Considerations

The difficulty of achieving success with link building varies by industry and location. Competing in a highly competitive industry, like online casinos, requires significant financial backing and a long-term vision. Conversely, a local accountancy firm in a less competitive market could see significant gains from a targeted link building campaign.

The location also plays a role. Competing in a large city like New York presents more challenges than in a smaller city like Seattle, due to the difference in competition levels.

Traffic Potential and Scalability

Assessing traffic potential is straightforward with tools like Ahrefs, which allow you to analyse competitors and estimate organic search potential. The scalability of your business also affects how much you can benefit from link building. For example, large SaaS companies can scale almost indefinitely through SEO and content marketing, making link building a critical investment. On the other hand, a local dental practice has a natural ceiling to the number of clients it can serve, which may limit the long-term value of link building.

Competitor Link Analysis

A crucial part of any link building strategy is understanding what it will take to compete with top-performing competitors. Generally, sites with more high-quality referring domains tend to rank better. However, it’s not just about quantity; the quality and diversity of your link profile are equally important.

Calculating Link Building ROI

Finally, understanding your average revenue per visit is essential for determining the value of organic traffic. Whether you run an e-commerce store or rely on leads generated from your site, calculating how much revenue each visitor generates can help you decide if link building is a worthwhile investment.

Conclusion

Link building remains a vital part of SEO, but its success depends on several factors, including the competitiveness of your industry, the scalability of your business, and the quality of your website’s on-page SEO. By carefully analysing these factors and crafting a targeted strategy, you can determine whether investing in backlinks is the right choice for your business.