Is link building still relevant in 2024? How important are backlinks for SEO nowadays? What are the most effective link building strategies and tools?
To answer these burning questions, we‘ve compiled the latest link building statistics from studies, surveys, and industry reports. We‘ll look at data around the general state of link building, popular tactics and best practices, and tools used by SEO professionals.
Whether you‘re an experienced SEO or just getting started with link building, these statistics will give you insights into what‘s working in 2024. Let‘s dive in!
Key Link Building Statistics for 2024
1. 65% of web pages still have zero backlinks
Not much has changed since 2020 – the majority of web pages out there don‘t have any backlinks pointing to them. A recent study by Ahrefs analyzed over 1 billion pages and found that 65% had no referring domains linking to them.
27% of pages had between 1-3 referring domains, while only 0.1% had over 100 referring domains. This shows that earning quality backlinks is still difficult and the top-linked sites are in the minority.
If your site has even a handful of high-quality, relevant backlinks, you‘re already ahead of most of your competition. On the other hand, there‘s clearly still a lot of opportunity out there to build links to the billions of unlinked pages.
2. The average cost of buying a backlink increased to $425
While buying backlinks is generally considered a risky "black hat" SEO tactic, many sites still do it. And the costs have been rising.
In 2024, the average cost to buy a backlink was $425 according to data from Ahrefs and Siege Media. Links from higher Domain Rating (DR) sites cost significantly more. The average cost for a DR 50+ link was $850, while a DR 60+ link averaged over $1,100 per link.
Buying links may get expensive, especially for more established, authoritative websites. For this reason and the risks involved, most SEOs focus on earning editorial links through tactics like content marketing, digital PR and email outreach.
3. 59% of SEO professionals spend at least $5,000/month on link building
SEO is a major investment for most companies, and a big chunk of that budget often goes towards link building. In a 2024 survey of 1000 SEO professionals by Aira, 59% said they spend at least $5,000 per month on link building activities.
28% spend between $1,000 – $5,000 per month, while 13% have monthly link building budgets exceeding $10,000. Clearly, businesses are willing to invest heavily in this area.
The majority of those surveyed (56%) worked for agencies, while 23% were freelancers/consultants and 19% worked in-house for brands. This lines up with the fact that agencies tend to have the largest budgets for link building.
4. 78% of SEOs believe backlinks have a big impact on search rankings
Despite all the algorithm changes over the years, backlinks remain one of Google‘s top ranking factors. SEOs overwhelmingly agree that link building should be a priority.
When polled, 78% of SEO professionals said backlinks have a "big impact" on search engine rankings. 20% said they have a "moderate impact", while only 2% believed backlinks have a low impact on SEO.
In Google‘s own "How Search Works" document, they highlight backlinks as one of the key signals used to rank results: "One of several factors we use to help determine [expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness] is understanding who links to a site."
While link building may not be the only ranking factor, it‘s still one of the most important ones for SEO success. As one respondent put it, "Without quality backlinks in sufficient qualities, you‘ll always struggle to rank for anything worthwhile."
5. Websites with over 50 referring domains get 10X more organic traffic
There‘s a clear positive correlation between the number of referring domains (unique sites linking to you) and organic search traffic.
Ahrefs‘ 2024 study found that websites with over 50 referring domains get an average of 100,000 monthly search visits. Sites with 5 or fewer referring domains only get around 10,000 monthly visits on average.
In other words, sites with a strong backlink profile tend to get about 10X more search traffic compared to those with minimal backlinks. While correlation doesn‘t necessarily imply causation, it‘s evident that backlinks and SEO success tend to go hand-in-hand.
Link Building Strategies & Best Practices
6. 51% of SEOs say link quality and quantity are equally important
The age-old question in link building is whether you should prioritize link quality or quantity. Which is better – a handful of links from high-authority websites, or a larger number of links from decent but lower-tier sites?
According to a survey by Aira, 51% of SEO professionals believe link quality and quantity are equally important. 41% said quality is more important, while only 8% prioritized quantity over quality.
As one respondent explained, "I believe the two work hand in hand. You should not only aim at having many backlinks but also ensure the backlinks come from authoritative websites. Quality backlinks will yield better link juice to your website while the quantity will solidify your site‘s authority."
In practice, most SEOs aim for a balance – building a diverse backlink profile that includes both quality and quantity.
7. On average, it takes 3-6 months to see results from link building
SEO is a long-term strategy, and link building is no exception. According to Aira‘s survey, 49% of marketers said it typically takes 3-6 months to start seeing results from a link building campaign.
22% see results within 1-3 months, while 29% said it takes longer than 6 months. No one reported seeing results in less than a month.
This lines up with Google‘s John Mueller saying it can take "several months, maybe up to a year" for links to affect rankings. He explained that this is because Google needs to first discover the link, then crawl the linking page, process the content and anchor text, and factor the link into the source site‘s reputation and authority.
Bottom line – link building shouldn‘t be seen as a quick fix, but rather an ongoing investment that will pay off over time.
8. 65% of SEOs believe the topical relevance of the linking page is the most important factor
Not all links are created equal, and relevance is a key factor in determining a link‘s quality and impact. Google wants to see links from pages and sites that are topically related to your page.
65% of SEO professionals said the topic/theme of the linking page is the #1 factor they look at when evaluating the relevance of a potential link. 42% also look at the overall topic of the linking domain.
Other factors like the surrounding link text (25%), page the link is placed on (24%), and anchor text (17%) were seen as less important than overall topic.
As Google explains in their link scheme guidelines, "Creating links that weren‘t editorially placed or vouched for by the site‘s owner on a page, otherwise known as unnatural links, can be considered a violation of our guidelines."
In other words, the most valuable links are those that are earned naturally from relevant, authoritative websites in your industry.
9. Guest posting is the most popular link building strategy
While there are countless link building tactics, guest posting remains one of the most popular and effective strategies.
In a 2024 survey by uSERP, 21% of respondents said guest posting was their primary link building strategy. Other popular tactics included broken link building (17%), digital PR (13%), and resource link building (9%).
Guest posting involves writing content for another website in your industry, and including a link back to your site within the content. It‘s a win-win – they get free content, while you get a high-quality backlink and exposure to their audience.
Of course, guest posting at scale comes with challenges like finding opportunities, creating content, and conducting outreach. But many SEOs find the effort is worth it for the consistent link building results.
10. 62% of SEOs say nofollow links are still valuable
Since 2019, Google has treated the "nofollow" link attribute as a "hint" rather than a directive. This means nofollow links may still influence search rankings, albeit to a lesser degree than dofollow links.
SEOs seem to agree that nofollow links still have value. In the State of Link Building Report, 62% of respondents said they believe nofollow links provide SEO value and authority, even if they don‘t directly pass PageRank.
As one SEO explained, "I think any mention or link that sends traffic and/or helps build the authority and awareness of your brand is valuable, whether it directly impacts ‘SEO‘ or not."
Rather than obsessing over dofollow vs. nofollow, focus on getting links from relevant, high-traffic pages. The referral traffic and brand exposure alone can be hugely valuable.
Link Building Tools & Software
11. The SEO software market is worth over $2 billion
SEO is big business, and software is a huge part of the industry. The global SEO software market is projected to reach $2.2 billion by the end of 2024, up from $1.6 billion in 2027.
Much of this software is focused on link building activities like link research, outreach, and tracking. As the data shows, backlinks remain a key focus for SEOs and brands are investing in tools to streamline and scale the process.
12. 82% of SEOs use backlink analysis tools for link building
Speaking of tools, the vast majority of SEOs rely on specialized software for their link building campaigns.
When asked what tools they use for link building, 82% of respondents said they use backlink analysis tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Majestic to analyze the link profiles of their own sites and competitors.
Other popular tools included outreach platforms like Pitchbox and BuzzStream (used by 43%), and link prospecting tools like Scrapebox (31%).
Interestingly, 45% also said they use Google Search Console for link building, likely to keep track of new links and identify any low-quality or spammy links to disavow.
13. Ahrefs is the most popular link building tool
Among the many link building tools available, Ahrefs stands out as the clear favorite among SEO professionals.
In a survey by Search Engine Journal, 60% of respondents named Ahrefs as their most-used tool for link building. Other popular choices included Google Search Console (35%), Semrush (29%), Moz (19%) and Majestic (13%).
Ahrefs is known for having the largest backlink database in the industry, with over 43 trillion links indexed. Its powerful Link Explorer tool lets you analyze the link profile of any website or URL, see which pages are linking to them, and get actionable insights to inform your own link building strategy.
While Ahrefs is one of the pricier SEO tools, starting at $99/month, many SEOs find it to be well worth the investment for the depth of backlink data and features it provides.
Conclusion & Key Takeaways
By looking at the latest data and insights from SEO experts, we can see that link building remains a critical component of search engine optimization in 2024 and beyond.
Some key takeaways:
- The majority of web pages still have no backlinks, representing a huge opportunity for those investing in link building
- SEOs overwhelmingly believe that backlinks have a big impact on search rankings, and are willing to invest significant budget into earning them
- Both link quality and quantity matter, with most SEOs aiming for authoritative links from relevant pages and websites in their niche
- Guest posting, broken link building, and digital PR are among the most popular and effective link acquisition strategies
- SEOs rely heavily on tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Pitchbox to streamline their link research and outreach
Of course, link building is just one piece of the larger SEO puzzle. But by tracking these key trends and statistics, staying up-to-date on best practices, and investing in the right tools and tactics, you can build links that will drive lasting results for your website.
