12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (2024)

Link-building strategies, along with SEO tools, have certainly changed over the years.

Since the old automated link-building tools that automatically placed content like KontentMachine or GSA’s Search Engine Ranker, modern tools have moved to manual research and outreach platforms.

Tools that many of my link-building colleagues and I use today look more like ones used for public relations (PR) rather than link-building. However, there are still tools specific to link building that aren’t going anywhere.

These can be divided into four categories:

  • Link research.
  • Prospecting and outreach.
  • Reporting.
  • AI-powered tools.

Emerging technologies powered by AI can make the link-building process easier.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (1)

Link Research Tools

Link research is vital to figuring out what type of sites you should be approaching. This includes establishing quality criteria, categories of sites, authority metrics, and others.

Majestic and Ahrefs are two research tools that provide large databases and robust reporting.

I’ve included both of these sites as I constantly see each having data that the other doesn’t.

You may find some links to your competitors’ sites in Majestic that aren’t listed in Ahrefs and vice versa.

These tools can be used together to build a comprehensive list of sites to analyze. As with many SEO tools, the pricing depends on how many features your team needs.

1. Majestic

  • Pricing: $49.99 per month with one user for the ‘Lite’ package. $99.99 per month for the “Pro” package, which they recommend for SEO agencies and consultants.
  • Payment options: Monthly or receive a discount for an annual subscription.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (2)Screenshot from Majestic, January 2023

Here are some recommendations on using it and what reports should influence your link-building.

  • Topics: This data can be used to identify the types of sites you should be generating links from. Consider running this report on the link profiles for top-ranking sites, then finding sites that fit into similar categories.
  • Referring Domains: Use this to evaluate the number of unique domains you should focus on building for your site. This also offers a look into the trust/citation flow distribution (count of domains by trust/citation flow).

2. Ahrefs

  • Pricing: $99 per month with only one user for the ‘Lite’ plan. $199 per month for the “Standard” plan.
  • Payment options: Monthly or receive a discount for an annual subscription.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (3)Screenshot from Ahrefs, January 2023

In contrast to Majestic, Ahrefs has some reports that are much easier to run inside the tool. It certainly costs more, but if you want more data, then Ahrefs is the right choice.

Here are reports to use in Ahrefs over Majestic:

  • Pages > Best by links: Two useful applications of this report are:
    • Identify competitors’ most linked content to influence your content strategies.
    • Identify the type of sites that link to the content you will produce.
  • Pages > Best by link growth: This is a “trend” report providing content that has been generating links over the last 30 days. Find content here that is receiving a rapid number of links and create more robust content.

Prospecting And Outreach Tools

Finding highly relevant sites that may link to your content is the most excruciating part of link building.

You can create a large list of sites and bulk outreach to save time, but when evaluating your link-building success on links gained per hour and the quality of those links, it’s best to handle prospecting manually or in a semi-automated approach.

I’ll go through five tools, Pitchbox, BuzzSumo, Hunter.io, BrightLocal, and HARO.

These tools can be used for the most popular link-building strategies.

3. Pitchbox

  • Pricing: Averages $500+ per month.
  • Payment options: Prices are dependent on an individual walkthrough with Pitchbox.

Pitchbox is one of the pricier tools on the market compared to email tools like MailChimp, but integrated prospecting helps reduce the time to qualify sites.

The prospecting sites list builder and SEO metrics integrated right into the opportunities report make the tool stand out.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (4)Screenshot from Pitchbox, January 2023

4. BuzzSumo

  • Pricing: $99 per month for the “Pro” package. $179 per month for the “Plus” package. There’s a pared-down free version with limited searches per month.
  • Payment options: There is also a free version with limited features.

This is an excellent tool for building lists of blogs, influencers, and authors. Out of all the prospecting tools on the list, BuzzSumo has the best filtering options.

You can use the tool for a lot of purposes, but for link building, these are two effective use cases:

  • Identifying authors: The content research and influencers sections provide lists of authors/influencers that are searchable by keywords in the content they shared or produced. One fantastic use for this is to search through the “most shared” report and find influencers that received more than 2,000 shares of their content, then outreach to them to share yours. This can yield a lot of natural links.
  • Identifying sharers/backlinks: The second use goes a layer deeper than the first, finding those that have shared the content. Pull a list of shares or backlinking websites by content, then create similar but better content.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (5)Screenshot from Buzzsumo, January 2023

5. Hunter.io

  • Pricing: Starts at free. The first two upgraded packages are $49 per month and $99 per month.
  • Payment options: Free for 25 monthly searches up to $399 per month for 30,000 searches.

This browser extension finds email addresses for easy contact options.

It helps cut down on time spent sifting through About pages. You can also take it a step further and use the tool for outreach.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (6)Screenshot from Hunter.io, January 2023

6. BrightLocal

  • Pricing: $29-$79 per month, depending on package size.
  • Payment options: You can also pay for the citation builder, reviews, or enterprise.

Citation building is important for local SEO and should be considered a link-building project.

One of the tools with the best value for submitting and managing citations is BrightLocal.

There are two components: citation monitoring and citation building. The tool also allows you to figure out how you’re ranking based on the local competition.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (7)Screenshot from BightLocal, January 2023

7. HARO

  • Pricing: Starts at free. The first paid plan is $19 per month, which adds alerts and search functionality.
  • Payment options: The free options offer media options delivered to your email three times a day and up to $149/month for premium.

While this tool is traditionally used in the journalism world, it can also help link builders. It connects you with credible sources and allows you to build natural backlinks.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (8)Screenshot from HARO, January 2023

Reporting Tools

Although many of the tools in the previous section have reporting functionality built in, I’ve found them lacking in custom reporting or the ability to associate links to ranking performance.

These tools solve that issue; AgencyAnalytics and Cyfe.

8. Agency Analytics

  • Pricing: $12 per month, per campaign. $18 per month per campaign for custom reporting features.
  • Payment options: Pay annually to save money.

Agency Analytics automatically populates the dashboard with data from Moz and Majestic and connects that data to critical performance metrics, like ranking and organic traffic.

Qualified traffic that converts to leads or sales is the purpose of link-building and SEO efforts, so reporting needs to make a connection between them.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (9)Screenshot from Agency Analytics, January 2023

9. Cyfe

  • Pricing: $19 per month for one user, with higher tiers for more users.
  • Payment options: Unlimited users for $89/month.

This tool can be built out as a hybrid between Google Sheets and Agency Analytics, meaning it’s very customizable but can also automatically and easily aggregate data from multiple sources to create a meaningful report.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (10)Screenshot from Cyfe, January 2023

AI-Powered Tools

AI-powered tools can significantly simplify otherwise complex and time-consuming tasks. Remember that some of your processes will require a human touch, so always evaluate how performance is impacted when integrating AI into your processes.

The following tools, Link Whisper, Postaga, and CTRify use AI to discover opportunities and automate processes.

10. Link Whisper

  • Pricing: $77 per month for one site, with additional plans for more sites.
  • Payment options: One to 50 site licenses.

Link Whisper is useful for internal link building.

AI technologies offer automatic link suggestions as content is produced. It can also help you recognize old content that needs more links directed to it.

The tools also automate links based on keywords and offer internal link reporting. It’s pretty all-inclusive and can help speed up internal link-building automatically.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (11)Screenshot from Link Whisperer, January 2023

11. Postaga

  • Pricing: $84 per month for one account with five users. $250 per month for 30 accounts with unlimited users.
  • Payment options: Save by paying annually.

Postaga does everything from finding opportunities to initiating outreach.

AI comes into play with the outreach assistant, which finds relevant information from influencers to include in emails. You can also enter your domain into the tool to find relevant campaign ideas.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (12)Screenshot from Postaga, January 2023

12. CTRify

  • Pricing: A free version. $197 or $497, depending on the plan.
  • Payment options: Single payment.

CTRify is a WordPress plugin that is great for content creation.

All it takes is a single keyword, and the AI creates the content you need for a specific campaign. You can then automatically publish the posts – it doesn’t get much simpler than that.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (13)Screenshot from CTRify, January 2023

Conclusion

I’ve curated this list with the intent to offer a tool for every reader, providing enterprise-level affordable solutions and highly technical tools.

There is diversity in the available tools, and you will need to select the right one for the job.

You don’t need to have a $1,000 monthly tool budget to be a link builder, but all of the tasks will take time. Allocating your time and budget in the right combination improves business outcomes.

Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal

Previous Chapter 20 Essential Technical SEO Tools For Agencies

Next Chapter Top 7 SEO Keyword Research Tools For Agencies

Category SEO Tools Link Building

As an expert in the field of SEO and link building, I've witnessed the evolution of strategies and tools over the years. My experience is grounded in practical application and a deep understanding of the dynamics shaping the digital landscape. I've successfully implemented diverse link-building strategies, adapting to the shifting trends and technologies that define the industry.

Now, let's delve into the concepts covered in the article on link-building strategies and SEO tools:

1. Link Research Tools:

  • Majestic:
    • Pricing: $49.99 per month (Lite), $99.99 per month (Pro).
    • Key Features: Topics and Referring Domains reports for identifying link profiles and trust/citation flow distribution.
  • Ahrefs:
    • Pricing: $99 per month (Lite), $199 per month (Standard).
    • Notable Reports: Pages > Best by links and Pages > Best by link growth for competitor analysis and content strategy.

2. Prospecting and Outreach Tools:

  • Pitchbox:

    • Pricing: Averages $500+ per month.
    • Standout Features: Integrated prospecting, SEO metrics, and opportunities report for efficient site qualification.
  • BuzzSumo:

    • Pricing: $99 per month (Pro), $179 per month (Plus).
    • Effective Use Cases: Identifying authors and sharers/backlinks for natural link-building.
  • Hunter.io:

    • Pricing: Starts at free.
    • Functionality: Browser extension for finding email addresses, streamlining contact options during outreach.
  • BrightLocal:

    • Pricing: $29-$79 per month.
    • Importance: Citation building for local SEO, offering value for submitting and managing citations.
  • HARO (Help a Reporter Out):

    • Pricing: Starts at free.
    • Role: Traditionally used in journalism, it connects link builders with credible sources, facilitating natural backlinking.

3. Reporting Tools:

  • Agency Analytics:

    • Pricing: $12 per month, per campaign.
    • Purpose: Custom reporting features connecting data from Moz and Majestic to critical performance metrics like ranking and organic traffic.
  • Cyfe:

    • Pricing: $19 per month for one user.
    • Customization: Acts as a hybrid between Google Sheets and Agency Analytics, offering a highly customizable reporting approach.

4. AI-Powered Tools:

  • Link Whisper:

    • Pricing: $77 per month for one site.
    • Role: AI-powered internal link building, suggesting automatic links based on keywords and streamlining the process.
  • Postaga:

    • Pricing: $84 per month for one account with five users.
    • AI Integration: Utilizes AI for finding opportunities, initiating outreach, and providing relevant information from influencers.
  • CTRify:

    • Pricing: Free version available, $197 or $497 for premium plans.
    • Unique Feature: WordPress plugin that uses AI for content creation, simplifying the process with automatic post publication.

In conclusion, the curated list caters to a diverse audience, offering solutions ranging from affordable enterprise-level tools to highly technical options. The key takeaway is that effective link building requires a combination of time, budget allocation, and selecting the right tools for the job.

12 Great Link Building Tools That Are Essential To Your Success (2024)

FAQs

What is a link building tool? ›

The Link Building Tool collects a list of link-building opportunities for your domain and provides you with a management interface to run an outreach campaign in order to potentially acquire links.

Why link building is essential to online success? ›

Link building is an off-page SEO marketing strategy to get high-quality backlinks from other websites in your industry or niche. It's a vital strategy for several reasons, including the ranking factors mentioned above, and it helps you reach a broader audience.

What is important in link building? ›

Link building is a search engine optimization technique that increases your search engine ranking. Links are one of the primary ways that search engine algorithms determine the relevance of a page. Having a good number of links to a website indicates that the content is there is valuable.

Which tools do you use to create a link? ›

2. Google. Most people don't think of Google as a link-building tool, but it's one of the best ways to find link prospects. That's because it has the largest index of web pages on the planet and arguably the best search algorithm.

How do you measure link building success? ›

Consider the following variables you can choose to prioritize:
  1. Domain Authority.
  2. Search Ranking.
  3. Conversions.
  4. Leads/Lead Generation.
  5. Page Traffic.
  6. Brand awareness (nationally)
  7. Brand awareness (locally)
  8. High authority links.

Is link building still important? ›

Link-building will always remain relevant. What is likely to change are the tactics we use to get backlinks and the criteria by which we evaluate links. If you want to futureproof yourself against the upcoming Google algorithm updates, you should invest heavily in quality backlinks.

What are the risks of link building? ›

Relying on Automated Link Building

Using automated tools for link building can lead to an unnatural backlink profile and can potentially attract penalties from search engines. Many of those tools build backlinks on questionable websites or often links are taken down after a couple of months.

Do backlinks still work for SEO? ›

Producing links isn't as simple as stacking blocks. While backlinks are becoming less important, they are still an important part of SEO.

What is the difference between link building and backlinks? ›

Link building is the process of acquiring links from other websites to point back to your own. There are two types of links that can be built: backlinks and inbound links. Backlinks are also sometimes referred to as external links or outgoing links, while inbound links are also called internal links or incoming links.

Why is link building relevant? ›

Link building strategies need to carefully executed. To reiterate, a link is more relevant if your keywords or related keywords are in: The linking page's domain. The linking page's inner-page URL.

Why is linking so important? ›

Linking to related content keeps visitors engaged and increases the time they spend on your site. It also provides context to search engines, enabling them to index your pages more effectively.

What does a link builder do? ›

Link builders play a crucial role in crafting compelling content that attracts natural backlinks from authoritative sources. By creating high-quality, informative, and engaging content, they optimize it for search engines and user engagement, ensuring maximum visibility and impact.

What is a link management tool? ›

Link management is the art of organizing, shortening, editing, customizing, and analyzing links. Because links are a digital touchpoint for customers, they are a critical aspect of your business, and it's important that you stay in control of them.

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