Every site starts at zero backlinks, and that’s normal — the question is what to do about it without resorting to shortcuts that put your new domain at risk before it’s even established.
Start with the free, low-effort tier
Before chasing guest posts or outreach, claim the easy wins: a Google Business Profile if you’re a local business, relevant profile pages, and a handful of well-matched directories. None of these move rankings much on their own, but they establish a baseline footprint and are worth doing in an afternoon. Our Free Backlink Sites List is a good place to work through this tier.
Then move to earned links
- Guest posts on sites your actual audience reads — see our Guest Posting Sites list.
- Resource page outreach — many niches have curated “useful tools/resources” pages that accept suggestions.
- Journalist and blogger requests — sites that connect sources with writers looking for quotes are a legitimate, often-overlooked source of high-authority links.
Set realistic expectations
A brand-new site typically needs weeks to months of consistent, legitimate link building before it shows up meaningfully in competitive searches. There’s no shortcut that skips this without risk — automated or bulk-purchased links on a new domain are one of the more obvious spam signals to search engines.
If you’d rather not manage this yourself while everything else about launching a site competes for your time, take a look at our backlink packages.