6 Benefits of Link-Building for Your Site (And Business)
Natalia Toth
Do you wonder why your website isn't getting the traffic you expected? The reason might lie in your link-building strategy.
If you’re a multitasking solo marketer or a small business owner, you’ve probably heard about link-building, but might not be sure why it matters. Can it be just a buzzword?
Think twice! Link-building can have a huge impact on your website's visibility for search engines, and ultimately, your company’s revenues.
Let’s see the six key benefits that link-building brings to your SEO and wider business objectives.
1. Takes you to the top of the search engine ladder
Here are a couple of scary stats:
- 75% of people don’t look past the first page of Google results; and
- 91% of all web pages don’t get traffic from Google whatsoever.
The latter happens mostly because these pages have no backlinks to help them out.
In May 2024, the biggest buzzword in the SEO community was Google’s Leaked documentation. The docs confirmed that backlinks are one of the top three ranking factors, along with quality content and technical SEO. Getting your website to rank higher cannot happen without backlinks.
'Ever since I started focusing on building quality backlinks, my website jumped from the third page to the first page on Google. It's incredible how much of a difference backlinks make to your ranking.'
A Reddit user
2. Makes people remember you and trust you
Another benefit of link-building is boosted brand awareness and credibility.
A backlink serves as a ‘recommendation’ from a source your audience already knows and trusts, and they’re curious about what made another brand give you a shout-out. Content that gets linked to other respected sites is seen as 54% more trustworthy, as cited by Stellar SEO.
'When reputable sites link to you, it’s like a vote of confidence. I’ve noticed more people are engaging with my content and returning to my site, which wasn’t the case before.'
A SEO expert on a Reddit discussion
And even if they don’t sign up or buy right away, you have a better chance of sticking in their memory. Businesses that regularly earn strong backlinks can see a 27% boost in brand searches, meaning more people are actively looking for them online.
3. Brings in potential customers
"Referral traffic has been a game-changer for my business. The people who find me through backlinks tend to stay longer on my site and are more likely to sign up for my services."
A Quora contributor
It’s nice to get external mentions, but we don’t care for backlinks for the sake of backlinks. We want to generate engaged visitors, leads, and sales for our business.
Perhaps the strongest argument in favor of link-building is that it drives targeted traffic. Similarweb's 2023 data shows that referral traffic is one of the key channels in attracting site visitors. All in all, about 15% of all web traffic comes from people clicking on links from other sites.
The best thing about it: people who discover your site via a referral link tend to be more engaged. Some reports suggest they’re up to 47% more likely to convert (whether that’s signing up as users, buying your product, etc.) than people who came from other channels such as paid ads.
4. Accelerates page indexing
Getting your web content indexed by search engines is crucial for it to appear in search results.
Backlinks from reputable sites help speed up this process because search engines like Google prioritize crawling and indexing pages that are linked from other authoritative sites.
Even one link makes a difference! SEOptimer found that pages with just one backlink are 55% more likely to be indexed by Google within a week than those without any backlinks. So you can start building links step by step and see the effect soon.
5. Keeps visitors around
A strong link-building strategy can also help reduce your website’s bounce rate, which is the percentage of visitors who leave after viewing just one page. In general, you’ll want a lower bounce rate because it means people are more likely to engage and convert.
As Stellar SEO’s report puts it, websites with well-planned internal and external link structures see bounce rates go down by up to 35%.
In turn, better user engagement enhances your rankings, too. Google’s recently leaked Docs only confirmed this, despite the tech giant's previous statements.
A high click-through rate, decent time spent on a page, and lower bounce rate all indicate to Google that your content satisfies users’ search intent - and the algorithm pushes you even higher in search results.
'The right backlinks can really lower your bounce rate. Visitors coming from niche-related sites are more likely to explore multiple pages, which boosts engagement.'
An anonymous Quora user
6. Facilitates new partnerships
Link-building isn’t just about getting links here and now; it’s also about building long-term relationships.
Partnerships and alliances can be a driver of your go-to-market strategy, both in B2B and B2C segments. Companies that collaborate with other brands and influencers grow about 30% faster than those that don’t. Industry connections are your shortcut to the audiences you couldn’t reach on your own. They also often become a source of exclusive market insights.
Read more: Link-building for SaaS: 10 Overlooked Strategies (+ 13 Do’s and Don’t’s)
In short: think beyond one-off link requests from other sites. If you see an overlap in your marketing objectives, it’s worth putting forward a collaboration idea.
White-hat link-building: the way to go
As you see, link-building offers a myriad of benefits.
But it’s vital to stick to white-hat link-building tactics. What are these? White-hat practices focus on earning natural, quality links rather than trying to game the system with shady tactics, also known as grey- and black-hat practices. White-hat behavior not only will keep you in Google’s good graces but also helps maintain your site’s authority in the long run. Nearly 90% of web pages penalized by Google had been caught in manipulative link schemes. So playing by the rules keeps you safe for months and years to come.
To sum it up
Have we convinced you? Link-building isn't just some SEO jargon — it's a powerful strategy that can transform your website’s performance. From boosting your Google rankings to driving more engaged traffic and finding new industry partners, the advantages are clear.
To build strong backlinks (for free) and improve rankings faster, you can’t go without a reliable tool. Ranking Raccoon is a spam-free, manually moderated link-building platform where all sites are verified for quality and authenticity. All you have to do is filter sites in your niche, send a direct link request to the site admin in one click, and get a free link. That’s an easier and 3x faster way to build backlinks than cold emails can offer.
Natalia Toth
Head of Marketing