How To Build Backlinks to a New Website?

Launching a new website is exciting — until you realize no one can find it.

That’s where backlinks come in. They’re like little votes of confidence from other websites, telling Google: “Hey, this site is worth checking out!”

But if your site is brand new, how do you actually get those first backlinks?

Let's see the process step by step.

Building links to a new site can be an endeavour - but it's totally doable

Step 1: Create Something Link-Worthy

Only a few editors will agree to link to your homepage or sales page.

Most will, however, agree to add a link to a well-researched blog post that can add value to their own article.

So, if you want backlinks, you first need to craft content that people will want to share.

Some quick ideas:

• Findings from your recent market or customer research
• A free tool or calculator (e.g. a tax calculator, a sales commission calculator)
• An opinion piece based on your personal experience with a topic
• An ultimate how-to guide or checklist
• A review or a comparison of market alternatives

For inspiration, you may want to check out the examples of SaaS sites that nailed link-building or a selection of eCommerce sites that excelled at building backlinks.

Step 2: Start with ‘Easy Win’ Links

There are a few places where you can get backlinks more easily, depending on your industry:

• Trustworthy directory listings/product launch sites like Product Hunt or AppSumo. It takes time to prepare your launch, but you'll be rewarded with a really strong backlink (ProductHunt, for example, has a 92 DA), lots of visibility, traffic, and constructive feedback from other founders and potential users. This is all pure gold - and you get it for free.
• Review sites (G2, trustpilot, Capterra, tripadvisor)
• Forums (like Reddit, Quora, or niche forums). Although they will likely be nofollow links, they can still drive traffic to your site

Another quick win? Your existing partnerships.

If you’ve worked with freelancers, agencies, vendors, or customers, ask if they can link to you (case studies, testimonials, collaborations — there are plenty of angles).

And don’t just chase big sites — at first, focus on getting backlinks from similarly low domain-ranking sites. It’s way easier to trade links and collaborate with sites in the same growth stage.

Step 3: Network & Reach Out

Cold outreach gets a bad reputation, but it can work if you do it the right way. Instead of blasting emails to hundreds of webmasters, try:

• Building relationships with industry bloggers or thought leaders on LinkedIn, Meta, X, Bluesky, or other social media platforms. You can start with nanoinfluencers (the ones with less than 10K followers), because they're usually more responsive, affordable, and build a closer relationship with their audience. Your ad in a nanoinfluencer's profile might generate fewer views, but higher conversions.
• Offering your expert quote for an article (digital PR)
• Pitching yourself as a podcast speaker - this can be a great way to spread the word about your product and yourself
• Leaving a testimonial for another product and asking them to add it to their website with a backlink. It works especially well with other new websites who need social proof.

Step 4: Speed It Up with Ranking Raccoon

Is it possible to build quality links without a single cold email? Without wasting hours on prospecting?

It is! If you want to skip the exhausting contact lookup and cold outreach and get quality backlinks faster, check out Ranking Raccoon.

On Ranking Raccoon, you’ll find powerful backlink opportunities from trustworthy sites in SaaS, eCommerce, Design, and 50 other niches. You get AI-based recommendations of best backlink partners based on your site topic and domain authority. Plus, you can find pages by target keywords in seconds. All you have to do then is to send the site admin a message.

Try Ranking Raccoon for free and give your new website the boost it deserves!