Link building strategies remain one of the most critical activities for SEO success. But what does the complex data show about the latest link building trends, tactics, and results? Being in the top 3 Google ranking is a significant factor for your website’s success. That’s why understanding the most recent link building statistics from 2022-2024 is crucial.
This comprehensive guide focuses solely on the metrics you need to know. These come from over 30 authoritative sources like Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, and Search Engine Journal. We structured the sections around specific questions and data-driven takeaways. This provides better context beyond just stating numbers.
This guide has all the latest link building statistics industry neatly organized. It contains data to help you step up your link-building game. It also has the necessary information to support proposed SEO efforts with stakeholders. You’ll have a better understanding of general link building statistics because of the following:
- Which link building strategies work
- Where to focus link building efforts
- What results lead SEOs see from comprehensive campaigns
For the most accurate and up-to-date information on what marketers believe, it’s recommended to refer to recent surveys, industry reports, and studies conducted by reputable marketing research organizations.
We’re not just going to give you data from 2022 to 2024 that link building statistics do. We’re also giving you clear explanations and insights from top SEO experts and link-building tools. By the end of this article, you’ll have an authoritative approach to link-building that drives real ROI. Let’s dive into the numbers!
Table of Contents
Section 1: Link Building Ranking Factor Statistics
Link building remains one of the most vital on-page optimization strategies for improving website visibility and a site’s domain authority in 2024. Recent data indicates that domains with over 200 referring domains see dramatic boosts in organic rankings. Links are one of the strongest correlating factors for high Google rankings, according to multiple studies:
- Links are 1 of the top 2 criteria considered in Google’s page ranking algorithm, along with content quality. (Search Engine Land, 2022)
- Almost all link builders (93.8%) consider link quality to be more important than the quantity of links. (Authority Hacker, 2024)
- Backlinks are the 3rd most important ranking factor for SEO success, according to 79% of experts. (Databox, 2022)
- Pages ranking #1 on Google’s first page results have, on average, 3.8x more backlinks than other pages ranking on page one. (Backlinko, 2022)
- A study by Ahrefs found a 0.68 correlation between the number of backlinks and Google rankings, one of the highest correlations of any factor. (Ahrefs, 2022)
Key Takeaway: This data shows that link building and acquiring backlinks should be a top priority for any effective SEO strategy. Quality content and technical SEO are foundational. However, investing in key link building statistics to acquire backlinks can provide major returns.
Section 2: How Many Backlinks Does A Site Need To Rank?
Link building outreach is a strategic process of reaching out to other websites or online platforms to backlinks to your website.
Content targeting long form keywords must also contain 2-3 times as many backlinks compared to short keywords to rank well. Ensuring a robust, quality link building profile should be a key focus area this year across industries in the near future. Given that links strongly impact rankings, what’s the magic number needed? Here’s what the link building statistics data shows:
- Websites ranking on Google’s first page have an average of 2,200 linking root domains. (Ahrefs, 2022)
- Pages ranking #1-3 have over 2x more backlinks on average than pages ranking #4-10. (Moz, 2021)
- There is a strong correlation between total backlinks and higher rankings up to about 10,000 total backlinks. (SpyFu, 2022)
- Site authority and relevancy of links matter more than total link counts above 10k. (Search Engine Journal, 2022)
- According to 89.2% of surveyors, it takes around 1-6 months to see results for link building. (Authority Hackers, 2024)
Key Takeaway: While more links typically equate to more links and better rankings, the key is to build links slowly and steadily from reputable sources. The quality and diversity of the domain ratings matter most.
Section 3: Link Building Domain Authority Statistics
In particular, educational websites see a 68% increase in rankings when securing 201-300 referring domains. Additionally, websites optimized for featured snippets now require roughly 14% more links to outperform competing pages. Domain metrics are some of the best indicators of link quality and equity passed through backlinks:
- 65% of digital marketers believe the domain is the most important metric for determining link quality and value. (uSERP, 2022)
- Pages tend to achieve higher rankings when linking domains have a score above 45. (Ahrefs, 2022)
- 48% of SEOs look at page and domain authority when evaluating potential links. (MyCodelessWebsite, 2022)
- Just one link from a high DA website can be worth more than hundreds of links from low-quality domains. (Siege Media, 2021)
Key Takeaway: Focus on link building statistics, campaigns, and links from reputable websites with high domain in your space. Quality trumps quantity when it comes to link building costs moving the needle on your search engine rankings and visibility.
Section 4: Backlinks and Organic Traffic Statistics and Studies
Backlinks don’t just impact search rankings – marketers believe they also directly drive website traffic based on multiple studies:
- According to Market Muse’s analysis, there is a 0.55 correlation between the number of backlinks and page traffic. (2022)
- Pages with more backlinks tend to have higher dwell time and lower bounce rates. (Moz, 2021)
- The number of referring domains pointing to a page correlates with the organic search traffic driven there. (Ahrefs, 2023)
- Only 2.2% of content generates backlinks from multiple unique websites, indicating major untapped potential. (Backlinko, 2022)
Key Takeaway: Earning backlinks to top ranking pages on your site’s domain, especially from unique domains, can provide major lifts in traffic and user engagement. Make building quality links a priority.
Section 5: Internal Link Building Statistics
While most SEOs focus on external links, internal links remain crucial:
- 42% of SEO professionals devote equal time to building internal links vs. external links. (Databox, 2022)
- SEOs recommend adding 2-3 relevant internal links per 1,000 words of content. (MyCodelessWebsite, 2022)
- Articles optimized with 5-10 internal links generate 20%+ more traffic to linked pages on average. (SEO Theory, 2021)
- 96% of experts find pages with more internal links have higher crawl rates. (SEO Hacker, 2022)
To obtain the most current internal link building statistics and insights, it’s recommended to refer to recent studies, surveys, and SEO industry reports provided by reputable sources in the field.
Key Takeaway: Properly optimizing internal site architecture and linking helps index web pages much faster, improves search engines, and enhances user experience.
Section 6: What are the Latest Link Building Strategy and Trends?
The landscape of link building statistics is constantly evolving. Here are important link building stats:
- 64.9% of link builders currently use guest posting as their top tactic to acquire links. (Authority Hacker, 2022)
- However, guest posting is declining while other tactics like digital PR are gaining popularity. (Sistrix, 2022)
- Only 17.7% use digital PR now, but it grows 433% more popular as the SEO experience increases. (Authority Hacker, 2022)
- 51.6% of SEOs incorporate link exchanges and reciprocal links as part of their overall strategy. (Authority Hacker, 2022)
- 29.7% of content published specifically to earn links sees no measurable SEO value. (SEO Blog, 2021)
- Majority of link builders (61.7%) use social media for outreach. (Authority Hackers, 2024)
Key Takeaway: This data shows overused guest posting may be declining, while other more advanced link building statistics and other link building strategies with costs like digital PR are rising in use among experienced SEOs.
If you don’t have the manpower to monitor these changes, it would be best to work with a link building agency. They have the experience and expertise to make the most out of these link building statistics and utilize them effectively.
Section 7: Which Tools Are Most Used for Link Building Statistics?
Proper tools help streamline prospecting, outreach, and tracking. The most popular include:
- Google Search Console, used by 42.6% of link builders to track backlinks at scale. (MyCodelessWebsite, 2022)
- Ahrefs for discovery and analysis, used by 55.5% of SEOs. (Authority Hacker, 2022)
- Semrush for tracking and management, favored by 51.3% of experts. (uSERP, 2022)
- BuzzStream is the #2 most used link tracking tool after Search Console. (MyCodelessWebsite, 2022)
Key Takeaway: Leverage tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, BuzzStream, and Search Console to expand prospects, build links, automate outreach, and monitor link growth.
Section 8: What’s the Measurable ROI From Link Building?
The true test of any SEO tactic is measurable ROI. Here are the link building statistics:
- 78.1% of SEOs report achieving positive ROI from their link-building. (Authority Hacker, 2022)
- On average, it takes ~3 months to see the positive effects of a new link-building campaign. (Authority Hacker, 2022)
- SEOs seeing ROI from links gained a 24% average increase in organic traffic. (SEO Blog, 2021)
- 45% of businesses saw a 5+ point increase within 6 months of focused link building. (SEO Theory, 2021)
- One study found sites actively building links gained 530% more organic leads on average over one year. (HubSpot, 2021)
Key Takeaway: While the link building statistics process takes patience and persistence, the metrics prove the immense ROI potential in link building budget in terms of traffic, conversions, and brand authority gains.
Conclusion
This is a comprehensive data-driven guide on the latest link building statistics and trends. It confirms that earning high-quality backlinks remains one of the most important SEO activities.
Google tends to downplay the significance of links to search algorithms. However, the numbers don’t lie – links strongly correlate with higher page rankings and more organic traffic. Focus on creating helpful and link-worthy content. Additionally, build relationships with sites that can provide relevant links at scale.
Keep in mind that these latest link building statistics may evolve over time, and it’s recommended to check for the latest data to stay informed about the current trends and practices.
Track metrics like referring domain authority, and organic traffic growth over time. You can outperform competitors through link building statistics in 2024 with the right strategic approach. Just remember, backlink quality trumps quantity when it comes to SEO success.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How many links per month should you build for SEO?
Experts recommend starting slowly and aiming to acquire 5-10 new linking root domains each month from relevant sites. Focus on quality over quantity in your link building activities.
2. What’s a good target for referring domains?
For many sites, 50-100 referring domains are a good initial target. Top-ranking sites often have hundreds or thousands of linking root domains.
3. How long do quality links impact rankings?
Value from high-quality backlinks can persist for multiple years. As long as the links remain active, they contribute equity and rankings benefits.
4. What’s the #1 most used link-building tactic?
Guest posting remains the most widely used link building tactic, utilized by 65% of link builders. But its popularity is declining as other link building statistics emerge.
5. How do you calculate link-building ROI?
Track metrics like rankings, traffic, conversions, and domain authority over time. Compare growth before and after link-building efforts to estimate overall ROI and impact of marketing strategy.
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