What Is Crypto Link Building?
Crypto link building just means getting links from other websites to your cryptocurrency, blockchain, or similar project. Nothing fancy about that, just a different target group.
Execution? Not easy by any means.
Here’s what makes crypto link building different:
- Most publishers have very strict policies in their editing departments regarding crypto (especially exchanges, ICOs, and anything that resembles financial advice)
- The ones that do accept crypto clients charge you premium rates because they know you have limited options
- Your competitors are spending huge budgets on link building, with dubious methods in many cases
- Google’s YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) standards apply, which means that low-quality links could actually hurt you
- The industry changes so fast that content quickly becomes outdated, which can make it much harder to gain natural links
Think of it this way: if regular link building is playing on normal difficulty, crypto link building is hard mode with half your weapons disabled.
Why Link Building Matters in the Crypto Industry
You know links help you rank. In crypto, though, they do something just as important: they build trust.
A crypto site that has backlinks from TechCrunch, CoinDesk, or established finance publications signals legitimacy in a way paid ads never will.
The reality is that without regular link building, you’re invisible. And if you’re invisible in an industry in which trust is everything, you’re irrelevant.
The Real Cost of Crypto Link Building
If you’re used to spending $500-1,000 per month on link building for a normal business, you need to triple that for crypto. Minimum.
Why? Publishers know they’re taking a risk. Crypto-related transactions are occasionally flagged by payment processors. Editorial teams need extra approval cycles. Frankly, there is simply less supply than demand.
What this means in practice:
- Guest posts that cost $200-300 in other industries? Expect $600-900 for crypto
- Niche edits on finance sites? Double the usual rate
- Digital PR that gets you featured in publications? Budget 3-5x what a SaaS company would pay
Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s frustrating. But here’s the thing: cheap crypto links are almost always spam. And spam links in a YMYL niche can trigger manual penalties that take months to recover from.
Build fewer links from better sites if your budget is tight. One link from a respected crypto publication is worth more than 50 links from random blogs that accepted your pitch because they literally accept everyone’s pitch.
15+ Link Building Strategies That Actually Work for Crypto Sites
1. Guest Posting on Crypto Publications
This is your bread and butter. Find crypto news sites, blockchain blogs, and Web3 publications that take contributor content. Write something genuinely useful, pitch it professionally, and include a natural link to your site.
The challenge: Most serious crypto publications are being inundated with pitches. CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, and Decrypt receive hundreds of submissions weekly. Only either the best content, insider knowledge, or purchased sponsored posts will make it through.
What works:
- Pitch data-driven pieces (original research, surveys, market analysis)
- Provide expert commentary on breaking news or regulatory changes
- Target mid-tier crypto blogs first to get credibility before the big shots
Real talk: guest posting in crypto costs more and converts less than other industries. Expect 80-90% rejection rates for cold pitches. Budget accordingly.
2. Digital PR and Newsjacking
When regulation news breaks, when a big hack happens, when crypto prices do something dramatic, journalists need expert quotes fast. Position yourself or your team as that expert source.
How it works in practice:
- Follow crypto news sources religiously
- Respond to journalist requests via online platforms, such as HARO (Help a Reporter Out), or via Twitter
- Prepare pre-written statements on hot topics so you can respond within hours
- Build relationships with crypto journalists before you need them
The digital PR links are editorial, contextual, and from high-authority news sites. These are the links that actually move your domain rating.
3. Create Linkable Assets That Crypto Sites Actually Want to Reference
Everyone says “create great content,” but nobody defines what that means for crypto. Here’s what actually gets linked to:
Data and research reports:
- Annual industry surveys
- Market analysis with unique data sets
- User behavior studies
- Comparative charts of regulations across countries
Interactive tools:
- Crypto calculators (ROI, tax, staking rewards)
- Portfolio trackers
- Gas price estimators
- Comparison tools for wallets, exchanges, or protocols
Visual resources:
- Infographics explaining complex concepts (how DeFi works, blockchain architecture)
- Industry maps showing the ecosystem
- Graphical timelines of crypto history or regulatory changes
The key is creating something so useful that crypto bloggers bookmark it and reference it when writing their own content. One well-executed resource can generate 20-50 backlinks over its lifetime.
4. Niche Edits and Link Insertions
This is where you pay to add your link to existing articles on relevant sites. It’s quicker than guest posting, and the content is already indexed and potentially ranking.
Why this works for crypto:
- You skip the content creation process
- The link goes live instantly
- You can target articles that already rank for your keywords
The catch: Quality niche edit opportunities in crypto are limited. Most sites offering niche edits are low-quality SEO blogs that exist purely to sell links. You will need to vet carefully.
What to look for:
- Real traffic, according to SimilarWeb or Ahrefs
- Actual crypto content, not some general blog that just so happens to have one crypto article
- Links that make contextual sense in the article
At Search Royals, we pre-vet each publisher in our network. No mystery metrics, no “trust us” promises. You see the site’s stats before committing.
5. Broken Link Building
Find dead links on crypto resource pages, Bitcoin wikis, or blockchain education sites. Reach out to the site owner, let them know about the broken link, and suggest your content as a replacement.
Why this works: You’re solving a problem for the site owner. Broken links hurt user experience and SEO, so webmasters are motivated to fix them.
The crypto angle: The industry moves really fast, which means a lot of crypto sites go defunct. This includes ICO project sites, abandoned wallets, and outdated exchanges; these create broken link opportunities.
Tools you need:
- Ahrefs (check competitors’ broken backlinks)
- Check My Links (Chrome extension)
- Screaming Frog (crawl resource pages for dead links)
Pro tip: Don’t just say “hey, this link is broken.” Explain why your content is a better, more current alternative. Make it easy for them to say yes.
6. Get Featured in Crypto Roundups and List Posts
“Best crypto wallets 2025,” “Top DeFi protocols,” “Most promising blockchain projects.” These listicles drive consistent search traffic and often link to featured companies.
How to get included:
- Research existing roundup posts in your category
- Reach out to authors with a compelling pitch: what makes you unique, how many users, what sets you apart
- Offer exclusive data, quotes, or beta access in return for inclusion
Reality check: If you are new, it’s tough to get in the established roundups. Target the smaller blogs and newer lists, which you can then use as social proof when pitching bigger sites.
7. Unlinked Brand Mentions
Your project is probably being mentioned on Reddit, in Discord servers, in blog comments, or on news sites without getting an actual link. Find those mentions and convert them.
How to find unlinked mentions:
- Google your brand name in quotes plus “-yoursite.com”
- Use tools like Ahrefs Content Explorer or Mention
- Monitor crypto forums and social platforms
The outreach: “Hey, I found that you mentioned [Project Name] in your article about DeFi lending. Really appreciate the coverage. Would you be open to linking to our site so readers can learn more?”
Some will ignore you. Some will add the link. It’s a numbers game, but the effort-to-reward ratio is solid since the mention already exists.
8. Podcast Appearances and Interviews
Crypto podcasts are everywhere, and most of them link to guests in show notes. That gives you a backlink, plus exposure to their audience.
Finding podcast opportunities:
- Search “[your niche] podcast guest” or “crypto podcast interviews”
- Look at where your competitors have been featured
- Pitch yourself, with a specific angle or topic, not just “I’d love to be on your show”
What hosts want: Unique insight, controversial opinions (within reason), or technical expertise that educates their audience. Nobody wants another generic interview of the type “blockchain will change everything.”
9. Crypto Directories and Listing Sites
Yes, directory links are usually low-value, but crypto-specific directories that actually curate quality projects drive referral traffic and provide baseline relevance signals.
Directories worth pursuing:
- CoinMarketCap (if you are a token)
- CryptoCompare
- DeFi Pulse (for DeFi projects)
- Niche-specific directories for wallets, exchanges, or dApps
Skip the junk: generic business directories that have a “crypto” category tacked on are worthless. If they list everything from plumbers to ICOs, move on.
10. Community Engagement (Reddit, Crypto Forums, Discord)
Most crypto forums do not allow promotional links, but strategic participation builds relationships that would help in getting links naturally later.
Where to engage:
- r/CryptoCurrency and niche subreddits for your category
- BitcoinTalk forums
- Crypto-specific communities on Discord and Telegram
The approach: Answer questions, provide valuable insight, and build your name. Once you create something truly useful, the community will naturally link back to it simply because they already know and trust you.
And, no, spamming your referral link every third comment is not “community engagement.” That’s how you get banned.
11. Partner with Crypto SaaS Tools
Many crypto infrastructure tools (analytics platforms, trading bots, portfolio trackers) have resource sections or integration pages. If your project connects with theirs, you often can get a link from their site.
How this works:
- Build a real integration or partnership
- Get listed on their “partners” or “integrations” page
- Co-create content (joint webinars, case studies, and comparison guides)
These become valuable links since they are contextually relevant and also come from sites within your very same niche.
12. Press Releases (For Actual News)
Whether you’re launching a product, announcing funding, releasing major features, or making executive hires, crypto news sites will cover it. Just make sure it’s actually newsworthy.
What gets coverage:
- Funding announcements
- Major partnerships
- Product launches with unique features
- Regulatory changes relevant to your project
What doesn’t: “We updated our home page” or “We hit 100 users.” Press releases work when you have something legitimately interesting to announce.
Distribution: Utilize crypto-specific PR distribution services. Generic PR wire services waste your budget sending your release to publications that don’t care about blockchain.
13. Sponsor Crypto Events and Conferences
Conference websites almost always link to sponsors. Plus, you get brand exposure and networking opportunities that can lead to additional links.
Events worth considering:
- Consensus
- ETHDenver
- Bitcoin Conference
- Regional blockchain meetups
The ROI calculation: A $5,000 sponsorship could yield a single high-authority backlink, brand visibility, and some potential partners. Compare that against buying individual links at $600-900 each. Sometimes the math works out; sometimes it doesn’t.
14. Create Original Research and Data Studies
Time-consuming and resource-intensive, this usually generates the highest-quality backlinks. Original data attracts links because other writers need statistics to reference in their own content.
Some crypto research ideas:
- User adoption studies
- Trading behavior analysis
- Security audit findings
- Regulatory sentiment surveys
- Industry salary reports
Promotion is everything: Creating the research is 40% of the work, but the other 60% is in pitching to journalists, bloggers, and newsletter writers that will cover it.
15. Influencer Collaborations
Partner with crypto influencers for content that naturally includes links, not sponsored posts screaming “paid promotion,” but genuine collaborations where you bring expertise or data to their audience.
What this looks like:
- Expert interviews that you’re featured in
- Co-created educational content
- AMA sessions with link attribution
Influencer vetting: Monitor their engagement, not the count of their followers. A 5,000 email list with 40% open rates is more valuable than 100,000 Twitter followers with 0.5% engagement.
16. Build Relationships with Crypto Journalists
Most link building is transactional. But relationships with journalists create ongoing link opportunities.
How to build these relationships:
- Follow them on Twitter and engage (thoughtfully, not spam)
- Share their articles
- Offer yourself as a source before you need coverage
- Respond quickly to requests for expert quotes
Journalists remember sources that make their job easier. Be that source, and links follow naturally.
Crypto Link Building Tools
You need the right tools to efficiently execute these strategies. Here is what matters:
For prospecting and analysis:
- Ahrefs: Identify competitor backlinks, track your link profile, find broken link opportunities
- Semrush: Competitor analysis, keyword research, link gap analysis
- Majestic: Historical link data and Trust Flow metrics
For outreach:
- Pitchbox: Automate outreach campaigns without looking like a spam bot
- BuzzStream: Relationship management to track conversations with publishers
- Hunter.io: Find email addresses for outreach contacts
For content research:
- BuzzSumo: See what crypto content is getting shared and linked to
- Google Trends: Recognize the rising topics in crypto before everyone else covers them
For monitoring:
- Google Alerts: Track when your brand gets mentioned
- Ahrefs Alerts: Receive notification of new backlinks or lost links
- Brand24: More comprehensive brand monitoring across platforms
At Search Royals, we vet publishers using all of these tools before adding them into our marketplace. You are not buying links blind. Every site is analyzed for real traffic, domain authority, and relevance.
Why Crypto Link Building Is Different (And Harder)
Let’s be real about the challenges. Crypto link building isn’t just link building with a different subject matter. The barriers are real:
Publisher reluctance: Many traditional publications have blanket bans on crypto content. They’ve been burned by scams, ICO scandals, and regulatory uncertainty. You’re starting with a credibility deficit.
Price inflation: Those publishers that do work with crypto projects charge premium rates. They know you have fewer options and price accordingly. Budget for 2-3x normal link building costs.
Increased scrutiny from Google: Crypto falls under YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) guidelines. Low-quality links hurt more on this vertical than they would for, let’s say, a SaaS blog.
The rapid changes in the industry: Content very quickly goes out of date. A link from an article about “the top NFT marketplaces in 2023” doesn’t really help in 2025. Relevant links are continuously needed.
Deep pocket competition: Giant exchanges and protocols have large budgets for marketing. You’re competing against teams that will spend $50k-100k a month just building links.
This is not to discourage you but rather to set expectations. Crypto link building works; it just requires more budget, more patience, and more strategic thinking than other industries.
Building Links That Last
Crypto link building is not a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process that compounds over time. The links you build this month improve your rankings next quarter, which drives more traffic, which makes it easier to get better links next year.
Start with 2-3 strategies from this guide. Master those first before adding in more tactics. Most crypto projects fail at link building because they attempt to do everything, execute poorly, and don’t yield results.
If you are building your links yourself: Focus on quality publishers, track everything obsessively, and be prepared for high rejection rates. It’s a grind, but it works.
If outsourcing: Choose an agency that understands crypto’s unique challenges. Generic link building agencies will waste your budget targeting irrelevant sites or overpromise results. Ask for specific examples of crypto clients they’ve worked with and the actual results (not just “we increased traffic by 500%”).
At Search Royals, we’ve built our whole business around one key principle: transparency. You see exactly which publishers we’re pitching, what you’re paying, and what results you’re getting. No black box, no mystery metrics. Just crypto link building that actually moves the needle.
The crypto industry moves fast, but ranking on Google still requires the fundamentals: quality content, technical SEO, and yes, backlinks from sites people actually trust.
Now get to work. Those links won’t build themselves.
