Top Strategies to get High Quality Backlinks

Our lesson on Backlink Strategies: Testing across three niches

Two years ago, our SEO efforts looked much like everyone else's. We sent hundreds of outreach emails asking for guest post opportunities, only to see nearly 80% of them ignored. The remaining responses often resulted in backlinks that made little to no difference in search rankings. To make matters worse, we paid premium prices for some of those links, putting unnecessary strain on our budget.

We decided it was time to stop treating SEO as a numbers game and stop wasting countless hours chasing backlinks. Instead, we focused on building a sustainable strategy designed to deliver long-term results. We tested this approach across three different niches, and the outcome exceeded our expectations.

Our domain authority grew significantly: DA increased by 40% but more importantly, we began attracting a consistent stream of highly relevant visitors who were genuinely interested in using our solutions, rather than just generating vanity metrics.

Key takeaways from our experience

The challenge: Around 80% of our outreach emails were either ignored or resulted in nofollow backlinks that provided little to no SEO value. The time we invested in mass outreach could have been spent on marketing initiatives or building greater trust with potential customers.
The result: Over the past two years, we developed a focused, sustainable link-building strategy that has consistently delivered results. It has increased our domain authority while generating a steady flow of qualified organic traffic from people genuinely interested in our products and services.

Below, we share what we've learned about building high-quality backlinks and the strategy that has delivered real results for CraftedCharts. We hope these insights will help improve the performance of your blog or any website you manage.

Our goal wasn't to create another article full of generic link-building theory. Instead, we wanted to offer a fresh perspective, one based on our experience, practical lessons, and something that actually work.

What is a Backlink in 2026?

Before we dive into practical strategies, let's briefly cover the basics. At its core, a backlink is a vote of confidence. It's one website essentially saying, "I trust this source and believe its content is valuable." However, not all votes carry the same weight anymore. In modern SEO, quality matters far more than quantity.

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Defining a "High-authority" Backlink

If a standard backlink is a vote, then a high-authority backlink is an endorsement from a recognized expert. Think of it this way: advice from a random stranger rarely carries the same influence as a recommendation from someone widely respected in their field. Google evaluates backlinks in much the same way.

A backlink that provides real SEO value typically meets four key criteria:

Topical relevance. The linking website operates in the same or a closely related niche. That said, links from websites outside your industry aren't automatically worthless, they can still provide value when they make contextual sense.
Trust and authority. The backlink comes from a reputable website with established authority and a proven history, often reflected in metrics such as Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR).
Contextual placement. The link is naturally embedded within high-quality, relevant content rather than hidden in a footer or placed on a link farm alongside hundreds of unrelated links.
Follow status. The backlink is a follow link, allowing it to pass authority (commonly referred to as "link equity") to the destination page.

infographic on what a high-authority backlink is

Do you actually need Backlinks to rank?

The short answer is no. You don't need high-quality backlinks just to exist in search results but you do need them if you want to compete at the highest level.

From our experience, backlinks are one of the many signals Google uses to determine whether your content deserves to rank above thousands of competing pages. Even if you've created the best resource on the internet, a lack of authoritative backlinks can limit its visibility and prevent it from reaching a wider audience.

There's a saying that great work speaks for itself. In reality, though, even exceptional work can go unnoticed without someone promoting it. Think of backlinks as your advocates, they help introduce your content to the web and signal to search engines that it's worth paying attention to.

Instead of spamming outreach emails or chasing links wherever you can find them, focus on creating link magnets, content that people genuinely want to reference.

For example, we're currently finalizing our comprehensive guide to Etsy alternatives. We designed it as a valuable resource for business owners exploring other eCommerce platforms. As a result, people naturally reference and share it on LinkedIn, forums, and other communities, generating high-quality backlinks without us having to ask for them.

Step one: Create content worth linking to

This may not be groundbreaking advice, but our most successful link-building strategy is still based on one simple principle: great content earns backlinks naturally.

Some people may disagree, pointing out that they've published an excellent article that hasn't attracted a single backlink for months. But here's the real question: was that article actually visible to anyone in the first place?

Creating exceptional content is only half the equation. People can't link to resources they never discover.

What makes content Link-worthy?

Offer something genuinely unique. Anyone can write an article today, and with AI, producing content has never been easier. What remains rare is publishing original insights, proprietary data, real-world experience, or unique research. Before you start writing, ask yourself: How is this different from the top 10 Google results? If your answer is simply, "It's written better," earning backlinks will likely be an uphill battle. Aim to create content that is more comprehensive, data-driven, insightful, and genuinely useful.
Invest in original visuals. People love linking to infographics, charts, diagrams, and visual explanations that simplify complex topics. Avoid generic stock images whenever possible. Instead, create your own graphics that readers can reference and share.
Make sharing effortless. Encourage readers to reference and share your content. A simple note thanking people for citing your work, combined with easy-to-use social sharing buttons for platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or LinkedIn, can significantly increase your content's reach and the likelihood of earning natural backlinks.

If your content doesn't solve a problem that someone else needs to cite, it won't earn links. We stopped asking "how do I promote this?" and started asking "does this provide undeniable value that an industry expert would be proud to cite?"

When you prioritize this level of expertise, you don't just get a backlink, you get a recommendation from an authority.

Step two: Start guest posting on authoritative websites

Simply put, guest blogging is the practice of writing articles for someone else's blog or website as a guest author. You provide the content, and the publisher shares it with their audience, typically including a backlink to your website.

Many people claim that guest blogging is dead, but we don't agree. What has changed is how it should be done.

Today, AI makes it possible to send thousands of outreach emails in the hope that someone eventually says yes. From our experience, this approach will almost always generate some responses over time, whether for paid or unpaid collaborations. But does it actually make sense?

Perhaps, if your goal is simply to collect as many backlinks as possible. However, that strategy rarely produces meaningful long-term SEO results.

If you're serious about guest blogging, take a more thoughtful approach instead.

How to do guest blogging the right way

Build a focused prospect list. Instead of contacting thousands of websites, create a shortlist of around 50 high-quality websites within your niche that have strong authority and an audience relevant to your business.
Research each publication before reaching out. Read several of their articles to understand the publication's tone, editorial style, audience, and the type of content they prioritize. The better you understand their readers, the easier it becomes to propose an article that genuinely fills a gap and provides value.
Lead with value, not with a backlink request. When you send your outreach email, pitch an article that will genuinely benefit their audience. Personalized, thoughtful proposals are far more likely to be accepted than mass-produced templates sent to thousands of recipients. Website owners receive countless generic outreach emails every week offering real value is what helps your pitch stand out.

What about Digital PR and Outreach?

Beyond creating content that naturally earns backlinks, digital PR is probably our most effective strategy for increasing the number of domains mentioning CraftedCharts. The key difference is that the primary goal isn't to ask for a backlink, it's to provide genuine value to journalists and publishers.

When reaching out to media outlets, we never ask for a link directly. That approach can immediately hurt your chances. Instead, we focus on offering a valuable solution to a problem they are trying to solve.

For example, in June this year, we shared our original research and data on social media usage trends. This gave journalists a unique story angle and valuable insights they could use in their own content.

Key principles of effective Digital PR:

Journalists are looking for stories that solve problems, not product advertisements. Your pitch should provide insights, data, or a perspective worth sharing, not simply promote your brand.
Target publications your audience actually reads. The best placements aren't always the biggest websites. Focus on platforms that reach your ideal customers. In our case, this meant targeting content closely related to tools like Canva, where our audience was already active.
Never exaggerate your data. Always provide methodology. Original research builds trust only when it's transparent. Clearly explain how your data was collected and how conclusions were reached.

Step three: How to build Better Backlinks with the Skyscraper technique

The Skyscraper Technique is incredibly simple: find content that is already performing well in your niche, create something significantly better, and then reach out to the websites that have already linked to the original resource.

This approach increases your chances of earning backlinks because websites are naturally more likely to reference resources that are more current, more comprehensive, and more valuable for their audience.

This technique is one of our favorites because it proves that you don't always need to reinvent the wheel. Often, the best strategy is to improve what already exists and deliver even greater value to users.

During one of our recent campaigns, our team discovered an article ranking for the keyword "SEO Checklist 2026" that had attracted nearly 120 high-quality backlinks. We quickly identified the opportunity and created our own updated version of the checklist, expanding it to 65 actionable points (compared to the original 50).

We enhanced the resource with our own case study and a practical PDF guide, then reached out to websites that had already linked to the original article. We explained why our updated resource would provide more value to their readers.

Within just a few weeks, we secured nearly 12 valuable backlinks from industry-relevant websites.

More about competitor Backlink analysis

Instead of guessing what might work, analyze the strategies of competitors who are already ranking well in search results. If a website is linking to your competitor, it means they are already interested in your industry or topic which makes them a strong potential outreach opportunity.

To effectively analyze competitor backlink profiles, use tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz. These platforms allow you to explore a website's complete backlink profile and identify where its links are coming from.

By studying your competitors' link sources, you can uncover valuable opportunities you may not have discovered otherwise including niche websites, industry communities, and even smaller platforms such as specialized podcasts that could become relevant sources of authority for your own website.

More about recovering unlinked brand mentions

Besides earning backlinks naturally through the content we create, this is one of the simplest link-building strategies in our experience because part of the work has already been done for us.

Someone has already mentioned our brand!

When a blog, news website, or industry publication references our company or product but forgets to include a hyperlink, they are essentially sending a "vote of confidence" that is disconnected from our website.

To quickly identify these missed link opportunities, we use tools such as Mention, Google Alerts, and Brand24. We monitor not only our brand name but also the names of key products and even our main experts who contribute to building our E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

Once we discover a brand mention, the next step is simple: send a professional email to the author thanking them for the mention and politely suggesting adding a link so readers can easily explore the topic in more depth. This approach works because you're not asking for a completely new backlink, you are helping complete an existing reference and making the content more useful for readers.

Collaborating with creators, experts, and industry authorities

The final and certainly not the least effective way to acquire valuable backlinks is by building relationships with creators, experts, and authorities within your niche. This approach is often described as "borrowing" credibility from trusted voices in your industry.

These relationships often naturally evolve into high-quality backlinks, organic brand mentions, and social media shares that can expand your reach beyond your existing audience.

Unlike traditional outreach, which we discussed earlier, influencer collaborations are built around mutual value. By participating in webinars, sharing expert knowledge on LinkedIn, or contributing valuable insights to industry discussions, you position yourself as an equal partner and a knowledgeable contributor, not just another person asking for a backlink.

At CraftedCharts, we have used influencer networking relatively rarely, so we cannot share specific data or case studies related to this link-building method. However, we know that this type of collaboration not only generates backlinks but first of all increases brand awareness.

“Carefully selected influencer partnerships play a critical role in how businesses consume, validate, and respond to information today. Yet too few brands build the deep, meaningful, and complex relationships that audiences expect. Companies need to understand the value of authentic partnerships. Those who do it well can dominate the areas of industry conversation where reputations are actually shaped.” - Ogilvy

From "Link Building" to "Building Authority"

If there is one thing we have learned between 2024 and 2026, it is this: the era of aggressively chasing backlinks is coming to an end.

The days of mass email outreach although AI has made this process easier than ever are not necessarily completely behind us, but they often deliver disproportionate results compared to the time and effort invested. The websites that dominate search results today do not win because they have the highest number of backlinks, but because they have built strong authority.

If you are just starting your journey toward building a strong backlink profile:

Stop chasing quantity and focus on quality.
Become a source of information that you would genuinely want to link to yourself. If your content does not solve a specific problem or provide unique data and insights, your chances of standing out in search results are significantly lower.
Think like a potential partner, not a spammer. Whether you are creating a guest post or reaching out to journalists, always put the value of your contribution first.

Backlinks are not a "quick way to succeed" in SEO, they are a long-term investment in your brand's reputation.

Start with small steps, test what works best for your website, and continuously improve your process based on what actually attracts attention and delivers real value.

Sources:

Ahrefs Blog is arguably the most trusted name in SEO data. Their blog is famous for rigorous, data-driven studies on how search algorithms work.
Backlinko Their guides are known for being exceptionally comprehensive and actionable.
Semrush Blog their blog offers a vast library of expert-led tutorials and current industry trends.
Moz Beginner's Guide to SEO their guide is considered foundational reading for anyone entering the space.