How to get your first links for a new website
Updated
A new website has no links pointing to it yet, so search engines barely know it exists and visitors cannot stumble upon it. Your first links do not have to be many; they need to be real. Here is how to get them, step by step.
1. Get the basics right first
Before you ask anyone for a link, make sure there is something to link to: a clear homepage, an about page, a contact page and a few pages of real content. People are much more willing to link to a site that looks finished. Also add your site to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, so the search engines know about it from day one.
2. Claim the links that are yours
- Your own social media profiles and your profiles on sites where you are already active.
- For a local business: Google Business Profile, Bing Places and the main local directories in your country.
- Your suppliers, clubs, associations and partners: many have a members or partners page.
3. Get listed in a few good directories
Pick directories that real people use and that are about your field or your region, not hundreds of anonymous lists. On Linkorado you list your site for free in the category that fits it, which also makes it easy for related sites to find you.
4. Exchange links with a few close partners
Look for sites that serve the same visitors as you, without competing directly, and agree a link exchange with a handful of them. Choose well: How to choose a good link partner has a checklist, and How to place an exchanged link shows how to do it properly.
5. Make something worth linking to
The links that last longest are the ones people give without being asked. A useful guide, a checklist, a calculator, local information or honest reviews in your field give other sites a reason to link to you. One good page can bring more links than months of asking.
6. Be patient, and keep it natural
Links build up over months, not days. A new site that suddenly gets hundreds of links looks suspicious; one that gains a few good ones every month looks healthy. Stay away from offers to buy links in bulk: they cost money and can harm your site.