Step-by-step link building plan that ranks your pages higher

A solid link building plan can make or break your SEO strategy.

In this article, I’ll show you the exact link building plan that works – step by step. From finding link prospects to earning high quality backlinks, everything here is built for real-world results.

Let’s dive in and build a plan that gets you more links, more website traffic, and real results.

What is a link building plan?

A link building plan is your step-by-step strategy for earning backlinks from relevant websites that actually help you rank. Think of it as a blueprint for your entire link building process. It lays out your goals, budget, timelines, and tactics.

Backlinks are still one of the biggest ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. Building links without a plan often leads to wasted time, and links that never deliver results.

A well-built strategy keeps every link tactic laser-focused on what matters: higher search engine rankings and more traffic.

It helps you focus on valuable links that support your content marketing, amplify your best blog posts, and get your money pages in front of the right target audience.

Why a link building plan is crucial for SEO?

Without a structured link building plan, your efforts can turn into busywork that gets you nowhere.

Here’s what a strategic plan does for your SEO:

• Keeps your efforts focused: Target relevant websites that impact your rankings for good.
• Protects your site: A natural, consistent link profile helps you avoid penalties.
• Supports long-term growth: Smart planning leads to high quality links that build authority and drive steady website traffic.
• Aligns with SEO goals: Whether you’re targeting money pages or pushing content assets, every link you build moves the needle on rankings, traffic, or conversions.

Key components of a successful link building plan

1. Set clear goals:

Rank for competitive keywords? Boost organic traffic? Promote service pages? Your goals shape the types of links you go after – and the link building tactics you use.

2. Focus on relevancy:

Stick to websites that are in your niche. A few links from relevant pages beat dozens of off-topic pages or spammy mentions.

3. Go after authority:

Use link building tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, etc., to find high authority sites. One backlink from a trusted domain is worth more than 50 no-name mentions.

4. Personalize every outreach
Copy-paste emails get ignored. Show you’ve actually read their content, drop your link like it belongs there, and tell them exactly why it improves the page.

5. Stay consistent

Building links once a quarter won’t cut it. Make building links a habit, not a campaign. Ongoing effort = long-term rankings.

Step #1. Identifying your target audience

Every link building plan starts with one thing: knowing exactly who you’re trying to reach.

If you skip this step, you’ll waste time chasing backlinks from irrelevant sites.

Here’s how to nail it:

1. Use audience data tools
Start with platforms that already know your visitors:

• Google Analytics: See which pages drive more traffic, where users come from, and what content they engage with.
• Facebook Insights: Great for profiling interests, behaviors, and demographics, especially useful for B2C brands.

2. Combine demographics + psychographics
Don’t just ask, “Who are they?” Ask, “What do they care about?”

• Demographics: age, location, job title
• Psychographics: values, pain points, topics they share

Step #2. Analyze your competitors’ backlinks

A solid competitor backlink analysis helps you spot what’s missing in your own link building strategy and shows you exactly where to build next.

1. Use backlink analytics tools
Use Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Moz’s Backlink Analytics to reverse-engineer your competitors’ link profiles. Look for:

• Total number of backlinks
• Unique linking domains
• Top linked pages
• Anchor text and context

2. Find gaps in your own profile
Spot domains that link to your competitors, but not to you. These are relevant link prospects you can go after.

3. Focus on the quality of links
Don’t aim to copy every link. Go after links from sites Google already trusts. One strong mention can do more than a hundred weak ones.

Pro Tip: Export your competitor’s links. Then sort by DR and toss anything below 40 or off-topic. What’s left? A curated list of sites that are already linking to your space.

Step #3. Choose the right sites to target

Not all backlinks are created equal.

To build a successful link building strategy, you need to earn links from sites your target audience actually trusts and visits.

Here’s how to find them:

1. Prioritize relevance and authority

Target high quality sites that publish content aligned with your niche. These should:

• Match your audience’s interests
• Appear in relevant search results
• Already link to content similar to yours

Avoid link farms or shady directories; they can hurt your search rankings instead of helping.

2. Align targets with your money pages

Think strategically: Which commercial pages do you want to rank?

Then find relevant sites that could naturally link to them. The better the fit, the easier it is to land the backlink and the more likely it is to drive organic traffic.

3. Use competitor insights to expand your list
From your previous step, look for linked pages on competitor sites and ask:

• Could this site link to your version of that content?
• Can you one-up this? Maybe with original data, sharper design, or a guide that actually goes beyond surface-level fluff.

4. Match content to intent
Not every page is link-worthy. Focus on creating and promoting assets like:

• Pages that solve real problems
• Engaging blog posts built for shares
• Evergreen content tied to search engine optimization topics your audience cares about

Step #4. Determine how many links you need

Spoiler: “As many as possible” isn’t the answer. Strategic beats excessive.

Let’s break it down…

1. Resume with backlink gap analysis

Evaluate:

• The number of referring domains pointing to top-ranking competitors
• Their Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA)

Focus on links from domains with DA/DR 40+. These are your high authority sites and most valuable prospects.

2. Set a practical benchmark

Instead of trying to get every link your competitors have, aim for the top 10–15%.

That’s your quality backlink sweet spot – fewer, stronger links to your landing pages will outperform dozens of weak ones.

3. Prioritize quality over quantity
Whether you’re earning backlinks through digital PR, linkable assets, or even paid links, focus on:

• Relevance
• Authority
• Page-level alignment

Step #5. Set a realistic link building budget

A smart link building plan doesn’t just focus on how many backlinks you need, but also what it’ll take to earn them without burning your budget.

1. Focus on quality, not quantity

Trying to grab more links for cheap? That’s how you end up with spammy link building techniques and penalties.

One backlink from a trusted high authority site beats 50 low-grade website links any day.

2. Plan for consistency

Building links isn’t a one-and-done task. In my experience, link spikes look good on a graph, but Google prefers consistency. Build slow, build right, and your rankings will follow.

3. Know what links actually cost

Placements on top-tier websites often cost $150–$500+, depending on the niche. Many SEO pros budget $300+ per link for high quality links.
Ask yourself:

• How many links do you really need?
• Where can you invest to get maximum SEO return?

4. Be careful with cheap freelancers

Low-cost gigs often land you on spammy sites, use shady anchor text, and hurt more than help. Invest in quality link building services or keep it in-house.

Step #6. Choose the right link building techniques

There’s no silver bullet. What works for a SaaS company might flop for a local service business. Successful link building plans don’t copy-paste; they adapt. Use what fits your niche and ditch what doesn’t.

Now it’s time to zoom in on the link building strategies that actually move the needle.

Let’s break them down, one by one.

1. Broken link building

This tactic is simple. Find dead links. Reach out. Suggest your content instead.

Broken link building involves replacing dead links on other websites with your own relevant content to fix broken links.

You’re not asking for a favor – you’re doing them one.

1. Find broken pages: Run competitor domains through Ahrefs or SEMrush. Look for 404 pages with lots of backlinks.
2. Check the links: Use Check My Links or just open their backlink reports.
3. Pitch your content: Quick email:
   “Hey, saw this dead link on your site. I’ve got something that could be a solid replacement.”

2. Creating linkable assets

Quality content that satisfies audience needs is absolutely essential for attracting backlinks.

That means creating linkable assets – the kind of content that website owners want to reference because it makes their page better.

What works best?

• Original research
• Definitive guides that cover a topic better than anything else
• Infographics that simplify complex ideas (still great for earning social shares + natural links)

Here’s how to do it:

1. Create content 10x better than what’s already ranking in the search results or solve a problem nobody else has tackled.
2. Optimize anchor text and tie your content to pages that deserve the links – blog pages, not just money pages.
3. Newly published content can’t build links on its own, even if it’s great. Content promotion is what gets it seen and linked to. That’s where smart link building outreach come in.

3. Leveraging social media

If you’re not using social media in your link building plan, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity.

Social signals aren’t just for bragging rights. When your link worthy content gets shared, it:

• Boosts visibility across platforms
• Drives referral traffic, increasing the chance of earning backlinks
• Starts organic link acquisition: when your content resonates, people link without being asked

How to use social media to build backlinks the right way:

1. Find share-worthy formats: Use tools like BuzzSumo to discover which blog posts or visuals are getting tons of engagement and model that.
2. Pitch smart: Use free tools like Ainfluencer to find influencers, and journalists who’ve shared similar content and pitch them your linkable assets.
3. Never spam: Always outreach with personality – quick, clear, respectful.

4. Guest blogging

Guest blogging is hands-down one of the most scalable ways to build high quality backlinks if you do it right.

Sure, it takes time. You’ll need to pitch, write, and build real relationships with site owners. But the payoff?

• Links from high authority sites
• Exposure to a target audience already primed for your content
• A steady stream of traffic and brand trust

Here’s how to get more from every guest post:

• Pitch sites that make sense for your niche. And when you do, don’t just drop a headline – show them how your post fits their audience’s search intent or adds something fresh to their existing blogs.
• Don’t just build links to your sales pages – link to informational pages that answer real questions and build topical authority.
• Avoid keyword-stuffed bios or mass outreach. Instead, make every pitch personalized and purposeful.

Pro tip: Build a list of 20–30 websites that publish guest content in your niche. Pitch once. Then keep that relationship alive – it’s where the more links magic happens.

5. Utilizing PR and media placements

If you want to earn links from authoritative sites like HubSpot, Entrepreneur, or even Forbes, traditional outreach won’t cut it.

You’ll need to think like a PR pro.

Here’s how to use digital PR to build high quality links that move the needle:

• Use tools like ProfNet to get featured as a source. Journalists need quotes. You need links. It’s a win-win.
• Pitch something that makes them stop scrolling: Like fresh data, spicy opinions, or expert quotes they’d love to be part of.
• Reverse engineer competitor press: Find the media outlets linking to your competitors, then pitch something even better.

PR-backed link building gets you relevant links from trusted, high-authority websites. That means better rankings, more credibility, and a stronger backlink profile than 90% of your niche.

6. Directory links

Directory links can lend a credibility boost – but only if you choose wisely.

1. Target niche and reputable directories: Focus on high-quality directories that are:

• Niche-specific
• Curated (manually reviewed)
• Actually used by real people

2. Check authority before listing: Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Majestic for a quick check. Look for directories with solid Trust Flow, DA or DR – generally DR 40+ ensure your effort actually counts.

Step #7. Monitoring and adjusting your link building efforts

You’ve built links. Now what?

It’s time to track what’s working – and double down.

Here’s how to keep your link building plan on point:

• Track your outreach: Use link building tools like Ahrefs to monitor emails, responses, and placements.
• Measure what matters: Look at metrics like referral traffic, Authority Score, and conversions. If those go up? Your efforts are paying off.
• Keep track of lost links: Backlinks disappear all the time. Just check if it’s a 404, a site update, or a manual removal – then reach out and request a fix.
• Automate your audits: Set up regular scans to catch spammy links, dead links, or declining domains before they tank your rankings.
• Double down on what’s working: Track every guest post, social share, and content push – and keep the winners.

SaaSMonks’ perspective: When to DIY link building and when not to

Doing link building yourself gives you control over outreach and messaging. It’s great for learning, staying close to your brand, and building personal relationships. But here’s the tradeoff: it’s time-intensive, slow to scale, and easy to burn out. Research. Outreach. Follow-ups. Repeat.

Link building services, on the other hand, brings systems, vetted link partners, experience and a step-by-step process that keeps you updated at every stage. They cut through trial-and-error, get results faster, and free your team to focus on growth – not cold emails.

If you’ve got time, tools, and SEO expertise, DIY can work. But if you want to scale smart, earn high quality backlinks, and skip the learning curve – link building services are the better bet.

Wrap-up

Building links the right way takes effort. But if you’ve stuck with this article, you already know the shortcuts don’t work.

A smart, step-by-step plan helps you focus on what actually moves the needle: relevant sites, quality content, and repeatable processes that help your pages rank higher.

Whether you’re flying solo or scaling with a team, stay consistent. Stay strategic. And know that every high-quality link you earn is another step toward stronger rankings, better traffic, and sustainable SEO growth.

Now it’s your move – map your link building plan and put it into action.

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What is a link building plan?

A link building plan is your roadmap for earning backlinks that actually boost rankings. It lets you focus on the right websites, build relationships, and earn links that grow your visibility in search.

Q2. Why is it important to have a link building plan for SEO?

A smart link building plan helps major search engines see your site as credible and relevant – two things they love. Done right, it turns quality backlinks into long-term rankings and traffic growth.

Q3. What does a solid link building plan include?

Every smart link-building strategy starts by defining what actually matters, like which pages you need to rank and what you’ll get from it. Then it’s about consistently building high-quality links from relevant, authoritative websites. Focus on pitching the right people with content that fits their site, and track what lands well. You’ll get the best results when your strategy is tailored to your niche, your audience, and your overall SEO goals.

Q4. How do I know if I have enough links to rank?

Start by analyzing who’s already ranking. Use a backlink tool to check how many referring domains they have, and the quality of those links. Aim for a realistic slice of their high-authority backlinks. That gives you a clear benchmark to build toward, without flying blind.