How to build backlinks for a new website, within Google's rules
By Jean Luc Poitier, SEO and growth marketing strategist · BabyLoveGrowth Reviews · Updated October 5, 2026
Disclosure: this site reviews BabyLoveGrowth and earns a commission if you sign up for it through our links. BabyLoveGrowth is one option below, and we say where it isn't the right fix.
A new site has no backlinks, so Google has little reason to trust its pages over older ones. The fix is slow: links from relevant sites, earned one at a time. This guide covers the methods that work for a small business or a new blog without a budget for an agency, the shortcuts Google's spam policies rule out, and where an automated backlink exchange such as BabyLoveGrowth's fits.
Seven ways to earn backlinks by hand
1. Claim the links you're owed
Start with the easy ones: your Google Business Profile, the industry and local directories your customers use (Google lists low-quality directory links as spam, so skip the rest), partner and supplier pages that list who they work with, and associations you belong to. Search your brand name for mentions that don't link and ask the author to add one.
2. Answer journalists' requests
Services such as Qwoted, Featured.com, and Help a B2B Writer send requests from writers looking for expert quotes. Answer only where you have real expertise, keep it short and specific, and reply fast. A few accepted answers a month can bring links from sites you couldn't pitch cold.
3. Publish one thing worth citing
Original data, a free tool, a template, or a clear guide gives other writers a reason to link. One page built for that purpose usually earns more links than ten routine blog posts.
4. Write guest posts for sites your customers read
Pitch an article idea that fits the host's audience, not a link request. Skip sites whose 'write for us' page is a price list: those are link sellers, and Google's spam policies count paid links, and guest posts stuffed with keyword-rich anchor text, as link spam.
5. Get onto resource pages and roundups
Search for '[your topic] resources', 'best [your category] tools', or '[city] [service] guide', and ask to be considered where you'd help the list. Lead with what the reader gets.
6. Reclaim broken and lost links
A backlink tool shows links pointing to pages on your site that now 404. Redirect them to the right page. You can also offer your page as a replacement when a site links to a dead resource on your topic.
7. Show up where your industry talks
Podcasts, webinars, local events, and community forums lead to profile and show-notes links, and to mentions that turn into links later. They take time, but they also bring customers.
What Google's spam policies rule out
Google's spam policies (last updated August 2026) define link spam as links made "primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings." The examples new sites run into most often:
- "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes."
- "Excessive link exchanges ('Link to me and I'll link to you') or partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking."
- "Using automated programs or services to create links to your site."
- Requiring a link in terms of service or a contract without letting the other site choose how to mark it.
Google says sites that break these policies "may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all." That doesn't mean every link from a network gets a site penalized, but it's the risk you take on.
Manual link building vs an automated backlink exchange
| Compared on | Manual outreach | Automated exchange |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Hours a week, ongoing | Minutes to set up |
| Cost | Your time, or an agency fee | A subscription (e.g. $99/mo for BabyLoveGrowth Grow) |
| Link quality | As good as the sites you earn | Other customers' blogs, matched by niche; quality varies |
| Control | You choose every site | The system chooses; you can review the list |
| Google policy risk | Low if links are earned | Excessive link exchanges are named in Google's link spam policy |
| Speed | Slow | Users report first links within days |
Figures checked against each company's published pages and review-platform listings as of 2026-10-05. “Not published” means the company does not publish that figure.
When an automated exchange makes sense
If you have no time for outreach, a site that isn't your only source of income, and a niche the exchange accepts, a tool like BabyLoveGrowth can take the first months off your plate. It publishes articles to your blog and places links to you inside other customers' new articles, matched by niche. Users in our review set report first links within days and Domain Rating gains over a few months; others waited weeks for a single link. Rival tools such as Outrank and RankYak run similar exchanges.
Keep doing the manual work alongside it. Earned links from real sites are the ones that last, and they lower your dependence on any one network. If you try an exchange, review the list of sites linking to you every month, and read our look at the trade-offs first.
Backlinks for a new website FAQ
How many backlinks does a new website need?+
There is no fixed number. What matters is links from relevant sites that real readers use, compared with what the pages ranking for your keywords have. Check a few competing pages in a backlink tool and aim to close that gap over months, not days.
Are backlink exchanges against Google's rules?+
Google's spam policies list "Excessive link exchanges ('Link to me and I'll link to you') or partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking" as an example of link spam. Occasional links between related sites are normal; a system built to trade links at scale is the kind of thing that policy describes, so treat it as a risk to weigh.
Should I buy backlinks?+
Google's spam policies list "Buying or selling links for ranking purposes" as link spam. Paid placements are common in the industry, but they carry that risk, and cheap packages often come from sites built only to sell links.
How long until new backlinks help rankings?+
Google has to find and recrawl the linking page first, which can take days to weeks, and the effect builds over months. Domain Rating in tools like Ahrefs often moves sooner, but it's a third-party metric, not a Google ranking factor.