There, we said it.
They’re either overly complicated documents designed to justify agency fees, or they’re so vague that “build quality links” might as well be the entire strategy. Neither helps you actually get links.
A real link building plan isn’t a 40-page PDF gathering digital dust. It’s a working document that tells you exactly what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how you’ll know if it’s working. It’s the difference between throwing darts in the dark and having a system that compounds over time.
This guide breaks down how to create a link building plan that works for real businesses, not just case studies. We’ll cover what actually matters, what you can ignore, and how to structure your efforts so you’re not wasting time on tactics that looked good on Reddit but tank in practice.
If you’ve been building links randomly, hoping something sticks, this is your reset button.
Why you actually need a link building plan (Beyond the obvious)
“Because Google rankings” is the lazy answer. Here’s the real reason: link building without a plan is expensive chaos.
When you don’t have a clear strategy, you end up:
- Chasing whatever tactic some guru mentioned last week
- Building links to the wrong pages (your homepage doesn’t need 50 links, I promise)
- Paying for low-quality links that do nothing or actively hurt you
- Burning through your budget before seeing any results
- Unable to explain to your boss or client why you’ve spent three months with nothing to show
A proper plan solves all of this. It forces you to think strategically about which pages need links, what types of links actually move the needle for your niche, and how to allocate your limited resources.
Here’s what changes when you have a real plan:
Your efforts compound instead of scatter. When you know you’re targeting travel blogs for your booking platform, you build relationships in that space. Those relationships lead to more opportunities. Random outreach to anyone with a website? That’s just noise.
You can actually measure ROI. When you know you spent $X targeting specific keywords with links to specific pages, you can track whether those pages moved. No plan means no baseline, which means you’re just guessing if anything worked.
You stop getting distracted. Every week someone discovers a “new” link building tactic (spoiler: it’s usually guest posting with a fresh coat of paint). A plan keeps you focused on what actually matters for your site right now.
Look, I get it. Planning feels like overhead when you could just be “doing the work.” But three months of random link building will teach you the hard way that strategy beats hustle. Every single time.
What is a link building plan? (The real definition)
A link building plan is your strategic roadmap for acquiring backlinks that actually improve your rankings. Not a wishlist, not a dream board. A plan.
At minimum, it includes:
- Which pages on your site need links (and in what order)
- What types of links you’re pursuing (guest posts, digital PR, etc.)
- Your target websites and publishers
- How you’re allocating budget and time
- How you’ll measure success (beyond vanity metrics)
Notice what’s NOT on that list: vague promises about “high-quality links” or “organic outreach.” Those phrases are agency-speak for “we’ll figure it out as we go.”
A good plan is specific. Instead of “build links to product pages,” it says “acquire 15 contextual links to our project management software page from SaaS review sites and productivity blogs within Q1.” See the difference?
The plan adapts as you learn what works. You’re not locked into a strategy that tanks, but you’re also not pivoting every week because some Twitter thread convinced you everything you’re doing is wrong.
Think of it like this: your link building plan is the GPS that gets you from zero authority to actually ranking. You can take detours when you find better routes, but you’re not just driving around hoping you end up somewhere useful.
Before you build a single link: the prerequisites
Here’s where most guides skip ahead to tactics. Big mistake. If your foundation is shaky, every link you build is less effective than it should be.
Your website needs to not look like garbage. I’m serious. If your site looks like it was designed in 2008 or loads slower than a dial-up connection, publishers won’t link to you. Why would they send their audience to a site that makes them look bad by association?
Basic checklist before you start outreach:
- Professional design that doesn’t scream “I used a free template”
- Fast loading speed (Google’s PageSpeed Insights should show mostly green)
- Mobile responsive (this is 2025, not 2015)
- Clear value proposition (visitors should understand what you do within 5 seconds)
- Trust signals (About page, contact info, social proof if you have it)
You need linkable content. Publishers won’t link to your homepage just because you asked nicely. They link because you have something worth linking to. If your blog is empty or full of thin, generic posts, pause your link building and fix that first.
You don’t need 100 articles. You need a handful of genuinely useful pieces that serve a purpose for your target audience. One well-researched guide beats ten “tips and tricks” posts that say nothing.
You need to know your competition. Before you build a single link, check what your competitors have. If you’re trying to rank for “best CRM software” and the top 5 results all have 200+ referring domains, your plan needs to account for that reality. You’re not getting there with 10 links, no matter how “high quality” they are.
This isn’t about copying competitors. It’s about understanding the game you’re playing. If you’re in a low-competition niche, your plan looks different than if you’re going up against established players with massive link profiles.
One more thing: get your tracking sorted now. Set up Google Search Console, connect it to whatever SEO tool you’re using (our platform has competitor research and backlink monitoring built in if you need it), and establish your baselines. You can’t prove links worked if you don’t know where you started.
Boring? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. These prerequisites separate plans that work from plans that waste your time and money.
Creating your link building plan: the actual steps
Alright, enough theory. Let’s build your plan.
Step 1: Figure out which pages need links (and in what order)
Not every page on your site needs links. Shocking, I know.
Start with pages that can actually generate business results. For most sites, that means:
Commercial pages first. Your product pages, service pages, category pages – these are what convert visitors into customers. Rank these, and your link building pays for itself.
Content that’s almost ranking. Check Google Search Console for pages sitting on page 2 (positions 11-20). These are your low-hanging fruit. A few good links can push them to page 1 where they’ll actually get traffic.
Pages with existing momentum. If a page already has some links and is ranking for multiple keywords, doubling down here often delivers faster results than starting from zero on a new page.
Here’s what you’re NOT prioritizing (yet):
- Your homepage (it’ll naturally accumulate links as you build to inner pages)
- Brand new content with zero traction
- Pages targeting impossible keywords where you’d need 500+ links to compete
Create a simple spreadsheet. List your target pages, current rankings, existing referring domains, and estimated competition level. Sort by opportunity, not by what you wish would rank.
Step 2: Determine how many links you actually need
This is where everyone wants a magic number. “Just tell me how many links I need to rank!”
Here’s the honest answer: it depends on your niche, your competition, and how good those links are.
The better approach: analyze the top 10 results for your target keywords. Look at their referring domain counts. That’s your benchmark. Not a guarantee, but a reality check.
If the #1 result has 80 referring domains and you have 5, you’re not bridging that gap in a month. Your plan needs to reflect actual timelines, not fantasy.
A realistic framework:
- Low competition keywords: 10-20 quality links might do it
- Medium competition: 30-50+ links over 6-12 months
- High competition: 100+ links, and you better have patience
Quality matters more than quantity, but only to a point. Ten perfect links won’t beat 100 decent links from relevant sites. Both quality AND quantity matter. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.
Step 3: Set a budget you can actually sustain
Link building costs money. Whether that’s paying for tools, hiring writers, buying links through marketplaces like ours, or paying someone to do outreach – you’re spending resources.
Minimum viable budgets (based on real numbers, not made-up bullshit):
- DIY scrappy mode: $200-500/month (tools + maybe a few paid placements)
- Small business serious mode: $1,000-2,500/month (consistent progress)
- Competitive niche mode: $3,000-5,000+/month (if you want to actually compete)
These aren’t agency fees. This is what you need to actually acquire links at a pace that matters.
Can you spend less? Sure. But you’ll move slower. Can you spend more? Also yes. Just make sure you’re tracking ROI so you know if that extra spend is working.
Budget allocation that works:
- 40% on content creation (you need linkable assets)
- 40% on link acquisition (outreach, paid placements, whatever works)
- 20% on tools and systems (tracking, prospecting, CRM)
Adjust based on what you already have. If you’ve got great content, shift more to acquisition. If your content is weak, fix that first.
Step 4: Choose your tactics
Here’s where most guides list 47 link building tactics. Useless. You need 3-5 tactics max that fit your resources and niche.
Digital PR / HARO
What it is: Responding to journalist queries to get featured in news articles and industry publications.
When it works: You have expertise worth quoting, or you have data/insights journalists need. Works especially well for B2B, SaaS, finance, health.
Time investment: 30-60 minutes daily monitoring and responding to queries.
Reality check: Response rates are low (5-10% maybe), but one good placement can be worth more than ten guest posts.
Strategic guest posting
What it is: Writing articles for relevant sites in your niche that allow a contextual link back.
When it works: When you target sites your audience actually reads, not just any blog that accepts guest posts.
Time investment: High. Finding sites, pitching, writing, follow-ups. Budget 10-15 hours per published post.
Reality check: Most “guest posting” is just paid link insertion with extra steps. If you’re doing it right, you’re building relationships and providing actual value. If you’re just buying placements, call it what it is.
Linkable assets (Data, research, tools)
What it is: Creating something genuinely useful that people naturally want to link to. Original research, free tools, comprehensive guides, industry reports.
When it works: When you promote it aggressively. Great content doesn’t get links by existing. You need to put it in front of people.
Time investment: Huge upfront (40+ hours for quality assets), but compounds over time.
Reality check: This is the long game. One solid linkable asset can earn you links for years. But it requires actual work, not just “10 tips for X” blog posts.
Relationship-based outreach
What it is: Building genuine relationships with site owners, bloggers, and editors in your space before asking for anything.
When it works: When you’re willing to give value first. Comment on their content, share their work, offer insights. Business karma.
Time investment: Ongoing. 30 minutes daily engaging with your target publishers.
Reality check: Slowest approach, but creates opportunities you can’t buy. Most people skip this because it doesn’t deliver instant results.
Marketplace / Direct Placements
What it is: Buying links through vetted marketplaces where publishers offer placements at fixed prices.
When it works: When you need links at scale and don’t have time for manual outreach. Good for filling gaps in your profile.
Time investment: Low. Browse, buy, done.
Reality check: Quality varies wildly. Cheap links are usually worthless. Expensive links aren’t always worth it either. You need to evaluate relevance, not just metrics. (This is literally why we built Search Royals – to cut through the marketplace bullshit with actual transparency.)
Pick 2-3 of these based on your situation:
- New site, tight budget: HARO + relationship outreach
- Established site, decent budget: Guest posting + marketplace + linkable assets
- Competitive niche, real budget: All of the above, executed well
Don’t spread yourself thin trying every tactic. Master a couple first.
Step 5: Build Your Outreach System
If you’re doing any manual outreach (HARO, guest posting, relationship building), you need a system or you’ll drown.
Minimum viable outreach stack:
- Spreadsheet or CRM to track prospects, outreach status, and responses
- Email templates (but personalized – more on this in a second)
- Follow-up schedule (most links happen after the 2nd or 3rd email)
- Response tracking (know what works so you can do more of it)
Outreach that doesn’t suck:
Generic templates get ignored. “Hi, I found your blog and thought…” – delete. Everyone knows you’re copy-pasting.
Good outreach shows you actually read their content. Reference a specific article. Offer something useful first. Make it about them, not you.
Example of garbage outreach: “Hi, I love your blog! I have a great article about X that would be perfect for your audience. Let me know if you’re interested!”
Example of outreach that might work: “Hey [Name], read your piece on [specific topic]. The section on [specific detail] made me rethink [thing].
I’ve been testing [related thing] with clients and found [interesting insight]. Wrote it up here: [link]. Might be worth a mention if you update that article, but either way, thought you’d find it interesting given your focus on [their thing].”
See the difference? One is asking. The other is giving first.
Step 6: Set Up Tracking That Actually Tells You Something
Vanity metrics are worthless. “We built 50 links!” Cool. Did they do anything?
Track what matters:
- Keyword rankings for your target pages (weekly)
- Organic traffic to linked pages (monthly)
- Referring domain growth (monthly)
- Conversions from organic traffic (monthly)
If you’re not tracking conversions, you’re just playing an SEO game for rankings sake. Rankings don’t pay bills. Customers do.
Use Google Search Console for ranking and traffic data. Use your SEO tool for backlink monitoring. Use Google Analytics for conversion tracking.
Set up a monthly review where you assess: What worked? What didn’t? Where should we double down? What should we kill?
Most people track links acquired and call it done. That’s not measurement. That’s just counting.
Common Mistakes That Kill Link Building Plans
Chasing metrics instead of relevance.
A link from a DR 70 site in a completely unrelated niche is worse than a DR 30 site that’s perfectly relevant. Google’s not stupid. Relevance matters more than authority scores.
Building links too fast.
Zero to 50 links in a month looks unnatural, especially for new sites. Pace yourself. Consistency beats sprints.
Ignoring anchor text distribution.
If every link to your page uses the exact keyword you’re targeting, that’s a red flag. Mix it up. Branded anchors, generic anchors, natural variations.
Not diversifying link types.
All guest posts? All directory links? All marketplace buys? Real link profiles have variety. Mix your tactics.
Giving up too early.
Link building takes months to show results. If you’re expecting rankings after two weeks, you’re going to be disappointed and quit before anything happens.
Putting It All Together: Your Link Building Plan Template
Here’s what your actual plan document should look like:
Target Pages & Priority
- Page URL, target keywords, current rankings, current referring domains, priority level
Monthly Link Goals
- Total referring domains to acquire
- Breakdown by tactic (e.g., 5 from HARO, 3 from guest posts, 2 from marketplace)
- Target anchor text distribution
Budget Allocation
- Content creation: $X
- Link acquisition: $X
- Tools/systems: $X
- Total monthly: $X
Tactics & Responsibilities
- Who’s doing what, how much time per tactic, expected output
Success Metrics
- Keyword ranking improvements
- Organic traffic growth
- Conversion rate from organic traffic
- ROI calculation
Review monthly. Adjust quarterly. Don’t set it and forget it.
When to Outsource vs. DIY
You should DIY if:
- You have more time than money
- You’re in a less competitive niche
- You enjoy the work (some people do)
- You want to learn the skills
You should outsource if:
- Your time is worth more than the cost of hiring
- You’re in a competitive niche that requires scale
- You’ve tried DIY and it’s not working
- You need consistent results without the learning curve
Search Royals exists because manual outreach is painful and most marketplaces are full of garbage links. We built it to be what we wished existed when we were doing client work. Transparent pricing, vetted publishers, links that actually work.
But I’m not here to hard-sell you. If you can execute this plan yourself, do it. If you need help, we’re here. Simple as that.
The Reality Check Nobody Gives You
Link building is hard. It’s time-consuming. It’s often frustrating. Results take months, not weeks.
But it’s also one of the few SEO tactics that compounds. Good links keep working for you. They don’t expire. That article linking to you from six months ago? Still passing value.
The sites that win at SEO don’t have secret tactics. They have consistent execution. They show up. They build relationships. They create things worth linking to. Month after month.
Your plan won’t be perfect. You’ll waste time on tactics that don’t work for your niche. You’ll get rejected more than accepted. That’s normal.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress. Build a plan, execute consistently, measure what works, do more of that. Repeat.
Most competitors won’t do this. They’ll keep buying random Fiverr gigs and wondering why nothing happens. Your consistency is your competitive advantage.
Now go build your plan. And actually follow it.
