Link Building Strategies That Still Work in 2026

Why we wrote another list

Before writing this, we read the guides that rank for "link building strategies" on Google UK and DuckDuckGo UK (11 November 2026): twelve different pages in all. Eleven were published by companies selling links or link-building tools. Five recommended tactics Google's own spam policies list as link spam, such as link exchanges or paying for links. None quoted those policies, and none explained how to check your links in Google Search Console, the free tool Google gives every site owner. Only two were written for UK businesses.

We don't sell links, and we don't sell a tool. So this guide rates every strategy by risk as well as effort, quotes Google where it matters, and shows you how to measure the results for free.

Start with these three

If you only have a few hours a month, do these first:

1. 1Supplier and manufacturer links. If you stock, fit or are accredited by a brand, ask to be on its stockist or installer page.
2. 2Trade bodies and memberships. Most associations, chambers of commerce and accreditation schemes list their members. Check yours do, and that the listing links to the right page.
3. 3Unlinked mentions. Search for your business name in quotes. Where a local news site, partner or event page mentions you without a link, ask politely for one.

None of these involves paying anyone, and all three come from sites that make sense for your business. That relevance is what separates a useful link from a risky one. Only three of the twelve guides we read even mentioned supplier links.

What makes a good link in 2026

A good link has three things going for it:

• Relevance. The linking site covers your industry, your area or your customers. A Derbyshire building trade body linking to a roofer makes sense. A casino blog doesn't.
• A real audience. People read the page and might click through. A site that exists only to sell links has no readers.
• Editorial choice. Someone linked to you because it helped their readers, not because you paid them.

You'll see Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) in every link-building pitch. They're scores made by SEO tool companies (Moz and Ahrefs), not Google measurements, and they can be inflated. Use them for rough comparisons only. A small local newspaper that sends you customers is worth more than a high-scoring site nobody visits.

Does link building still work in 2026?

Yes. Google's guide to its ranking systems says of PageRank, its original link system, that it "has evolved a lot since then, and it continues to be part of our core ranking systems" (Google Search Central, ranking systems guide, updated 10 December 2025).

What's changed is that links aren't the only thing worth earning. Google's AI Overviews and assistants such as ChatGPT summarise what other sites say about a business, so being named in a relevant article helps even without a link. Google says the same SEO best practices apply to its AI features. The practical upshot: the strategies below earn links and mentions together, which is why we prefer them to anything that produces a link and nothing else. More on that in AI search optimisation.

Twelve link building strategies, rated by effort and risk

Times are our own estimates for a small business doing the work in-house, not measured averages. "Risk" means the chance of breaching Google's spam policies if done as described here.

1. Supplier and manufacturer links

List every brand you stock, fit or are certified by. Check each one's "where to buy" or "find an installer" page. If you're missing, email your account manager with your trading name, address and the exact page you'd like linked (template below).

2. Trade bodies and memberships

Associations, chambers and accreditation schemes usually publish member directories. Make sure your listing is complete and links to the most relevant service page, not just the home page.

3. Unlinked mentions

Set up a free Google Alert for your business name. When a mention appears without a link, thank the writer and ask if they'd add one. Keep it to a few lines.

4. Directory and citation clean-up

A handful of accurate listings on the main directories still helps local businesses, mostly by keeping your name, address and phone number consistent everywhere. Low-quality directory links don't help, and Google's spam policies name them. Our local SEO service covers this.

5. Case studies with partners

When you finish a project with a supplier, software provider or contractor, offer to co-write a case study. They get content; you get a credible mention and usually a link.

6. Local sponsorships and events

Sponsoring a local team, charity event or business award often comes with a link from the organiser. Do it because you back the cause. Google treats a sponsorship bought only for the link as a paid link, and those need a rel="sponsored" tag.

7. Broken-link outreach

Find pages in your industry that link to something that no longer exists. If you have a genuinely equivalent page, tell the site owner about the broken link and offer yours. It works because you're fixing their problem.

8. Resource-page outreach

Councils, universities, trade bodies and charities sometimes keep lists of useful resources. If your guide genuinely belongs on one, suggest it.

9. Expert comment for journalists

Journalists post requests for expert comment on social media, often under #journorequest, and through request services. A short, quotable answer from a named expert, sent quickly, regularly earns a mention and often a link.

10. Podcasts and event talks

Speaking slots and podcast interviews usually come with a profile page and a link. They also put your name in front of people who might quote you later.

11. Tools and calculators

A cost calculator, checklist or free template can attract links for years, but only if it answers a question people really ask and you keep it up to date.

12. Data-led digital PR

If you hold data nobody else has, such as enquiry trends, prices or survey results, publish it with one clear finding and pitch it to the press that covers your sector. Our guide to digital PR for Derby engineering firms shows how this works for B2B suppliers.

Three outreach emails you can copy

Short, specific and polite gets answered. Change the details in square brackets.

Supplier or manufacturer listing

Subject: Stockist listing for [your business] Hi [name], We've stocked [brand] at [your business] in [town] since [year]. I noticed we're not on your [stockist / installer] page at [URL]. Could you add us? Our details are [trading name, address, phone], and the most useful page to link to is [URL]. Thanks, [name]

Unlinked mention

Subject: Thanks for mentioning [your business] Hi [name], Thanks for including us in [article title]. If it's useful for your readers, could the mention link to [URL]? That's the page that covers [topic]. Either way, thanks for the write-up. [name]

Broken link

Subject: Broken link on [their page title] Hi [name], On [their page URL], the link to [what it was] goes to a page that no longer exists. We have a similar guide at [your URL] if you'd like a replacement, or you may prefer another source. [name]

What we refuse to do, and why

We don't buy links, rent them from private blog networks (PBNs: groups of sites built only to link out), run link swaps or pay guest-post farms. That's not squeamishness. Google's spam policies list "buying or selling links for ranking purposes", "excessive link exchanges" and "using automated programs or services to create links to your site" as examples of link spam. They also name links with optimised anchor text in "guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites" (Google Search Central, spam policies, updated 28 August 2026).

The same page says paid links are fine for advertising and sponsorship, as long as they carry a rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute. So a paid advert or sponsorship is acceptable; a paid link dressed up as editorial isn't.

Five of the twelve guides we read still recommended at least one of those tactics. If an agency offers "20 high-DA links a month", ask where they come from. If the answer is vague, you're probably paying for the risk.

How to measure link building for free

Google Search Console's Links report shows which sites Google has found linking to you. None of the twelve guides we read explained it, so here's how:

1. 1Open Search Console, choose your site and click Links in the left-hand menu.
2. 2Under External links, open Top linking sites to see which domains link to you, and Top linked pages to see where those links point.
3. 3Note the figures on the first day of each month in a simple spreadsheet.

It doesn't list every link, and new ones can take a few weeks to appear, so treat it as a trend line rather than a live count. Alongside it:

• Keep your own list of every link earned, with the URL, date and method, so you can check each one is still there.
• Watch the pages the links point to. If links go to a service page, that page's rankings, clicks and enquiries should move over the following months.
• Ignore link counts on their own. Ten relevant links beat a hundred irrelevant ones.

A 90-day plan for a small business

That's about 15 hours over three months.

Want it done for you?

We don't sell links on their own. Link building is part of every SEO plan we run, using the methods on this page: local SEO from £400 a month and national campaigns from £1,000 to £4,000 a month, plus VAT. Press releases are charged separately, and only when a story genuinely needs one. See link building services for how a month of it works with us.

Link building questions, answered

What are the best link building strategies for a small business?

Start with supplier and manufacturer listings, trade body and membership listings, and asking for links where you're already mentioned. They're low risk, cost nothing but time and come from sites relevant to your business.

Does link building still work?

Yes. Google says PageRank, its link analysis system, is still part of its core ranking systems. What no longer works is buying or swapping links, which Google's spam policies class as link spam.

How many links do I need to rank?

There's no fixed number. It depends on how many relevant links the sites above you have. Compare yourself with them rather than aiming at a target count.

Is it safe to pay for a guest post?

Not if the link passes ranking credit. Google's spam policies name links with optimised anchor text in guest posts as link spam. If you pay for a placement, the link should carry rel="sponsored".

How long does link building take to work?

Links usually take weeks to be found and months to show in rankings. Treat it as a steady habit, not a one-off project.

What does link building cost in the UK?

It's usually part of an SEO plan rather than sold per link. With us it's included in SEO from £400 a month. See how much SEO costs in the UK for wider ranges.

Find out which links you're missing

Our free website SEO audit looks at your key pages and names the three things costing you the most enquiries, in plain English, with no obligation. If links are one of them, we'll say which ones are worth chasing first.

Request a free audit or call 0115 647 0444.