The internet is a connected world. If you have a website or blog, building links for traffic and SEO is important. We see website owners and SEOs using different tools to improve online visibility. Below are 10 of the best link building tools (free and paid) you must use in 2024.
Before using any of these tools, you must align with the current link building trends to get the desired results you want. Read these few valuable lines for your link building success:
- Google’s algorithms are always getting smarter. You should build links with highly relevant sources and offer genuine value to the user.
- Consider Google’s E.A.T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), create top-notch content, and build relationships with websites seen as experts in your field.
- Use newsworthy stories, thought leadership pieces, and expert commentary to gain coverage and links from authoritative publications.
- Use AI-powered tools to assist with finding your outreach targets, crafting personalized email pitches, and even generating content ideas to earn backlinks.
- Create infographics, videos, and interactive content that are highly shareable and tend to attract links naturally. Consider them as a bigger part of your strategy.
With that knowledge in hand, you can leverage these timeless link-building techniques – guest blogging, broken link building, resource page link building, unlinked mentions, and more. Consider quality over quantity and a user-centric approach. And link building takes consistent effort, so you should have patience.
According to an article at Search Engine Roundtable, links are no longer a top three ranking signal. It means that, despite that, you still need to build links to improve your site authority and increase organic traffic.
These top link building software tools have three main features for searching for link-building opportunities, analyzing, and reaching out to create backlinks for your website. These tools will save tons of hours and effort. They help to sort out each link prospect based on quality SEO metrics such as domain authority, page authority, social signals, etc. Then, you have to reach them.
However, if you are an absolute beginner, I suggest learning how to build links to avoid potential mistakes regarding search engine guidelines. If so, I recommend some books to read from this link:
The Best Link Building Tools You Must Use
1. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is an all-one SEO suite. With it, you can track all opportunities to start building links. It is a link building powerhouse because of its massive backlink index. This index is constructed by continuously crawling the web, allowing Ahrefs to provide in-depth analysis of backlinks. Ahrefs goes beyond just showing you the links pointing to a website. It offers metrics that help you assess the value of those links, such as Domain Rating (DR), referring domains, traffic estimations, and anchor text data.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Site Explorer:The heart of link analysis. Enter any website or URL and get a deep dive into:
- Backlink Profile:See all inbound links, filter by type, and find newly acquired or lost links. Ideal for competitor analysis.
- Organic Keywords:See the search terms the site ranks for – reveal where content similar to yours might earn links.
- Content Explorer:A searchable database of content. Use it to:
- Find Link Prospects:Search topics in your niche to see who has linked to similar articles.
- Topic Analysis:Identify articles with tons of backlinks, highlighting the type of content attractive to linkers.
- Alerts:Similar to Google Alerts, but with SEO-focused filters. Track mentions of your brand, competitors, or keywords to discover new opportunities.
Why Choose Ahrefs
Ahrefs stands out because of its massive and comprehensive backlink data. This allows you to unearth highly granular link-building opportunities that other tools might miss. Additionally, Ahrefs provides exceptional competitor intelligence. By analyzing the link profiles of successful competitors in your niche, you can glean valuable insights into their strategies and identify link-building targets that will likely be valuable for your website. Finally, Ahrefs is surprisingly user-friendly for such a powerful tool. The interface is well-designed, and the data is presented in a way that’s easy to understand, even for beginners.
Ahrefs Monthly Plans & Pricing
Lite:$99/month
Standard:$199/month
Advanced: $399/month
*Subscribe to an annual plan and get 2 months free.
2. SEMrush
SEMrush, like Ahrefs, excels in gathering and analyzing backlink data. It has a strong backlink database that fuels its suite of link building features. Beyond just listing backlinks, SEMrush lets you assess a link’s potential value through metrics like the linking domain’s authority and estimated traffic.
Specific Tools for Your Link Building Campaigns
- Backlink Analytics: The starting point for in-depth backlink analysis of your site or competitors. This includes:
- Backlink Overview:A high-level look at the backlinks to your site and growth trends.
- Competitor Comparison:Compare your link profile against rivals, identifying gaps.
- Anchor Text Analysis:See the words people are using to link to you, helpful for strategizing.
- Link Building Tool: A dedicated project-based workspace for managing link building efforts. Inside, you’ll find:
- Prospect Identification:Suggests potential link partners based on your keywords and competitors.
- Outreach Facilitation: This helps find email contacts and lets you draft and send outreach messages from within the tool.
- Monitoring:Track the status of each link target (e.g., contacted, pending, earned).
Top Reasons to Use SEMrush
SEMrush is an all-in-one SEO suite that goes beyond link building. This makes it a particularly attractive option if you’re already using it for other SEO tasks like keyword research, site audits, and competitor analysis. Having your link building efforts integrated within the same platform can streamline your workflow and keep everything organized. SEMrush’s Link Building Tool also offers a user-friendly and intuitive process, guiding you from finding high-potential prospects to crafting and sending outreach messages.
Finally, with SEMrush, it’s easy to gain valuable competitor insights. You can quickly compare your backlink profile to those of successful competitors in your niche and discover the sources of their links. This allows you to replicate these tactics and target similar websites for link-building opportunities.
SEMrush is also a paid tool. While a basic free account exists, its link-building capabilities are unlocked with the paid subscriptions.
SEMRush Plans & Pricing
Pro: $129.95/month
Guru: $249.95/month
Business: $499.95/month
*Annual plan can save up to 17%.
Looking for affordable lifetime deals on link building tools?
AppSumo offers you affordable lifetime deals on various software tools. Check and try link building tools from there.
3. Respona
Respona focuses on simplifying and automating outreach – the crucial step where many link-building campaigns falter. It aims to connect you with the right people for collaborations or potential links at the right websites. Respona does this through a combination of prospect-finding tools and email outreach streamlining.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Search Engine:Respona’s search engine helps you find relevant websites and blogs with these key features:
- Multiple Search Sources:Pull up potential targets from regular Google searches, SEO tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz), Podcasts, or even import your lists.
- Customization:Use keywords, competitor analysis, and other filters to find the best prospects.
- Contact Discovery:Once you have a site, Respona helps to:
- Find Emails:Attempts to locate the right person’s verified email.
- Social Profiles:Locates LinkedIn profiles for additional contact and research options.
- Outreach Templates & Automation:The core of Respona. This is where you:
- Select a Template:Choose from pre-made link-building email templates you can customize.
- Automate Follow-Ups:Schedule emails to gently remind prospects, increasing the chance of getting a response.
Top Reasons to Use Respona
Respona is one of the best outreach tools. Building backlinks isn’t just about finding opportunities; it’s about following up and closing the deal. If you struggle with a low success rate in outreach for link building, Respona’s strengths can make a difference. It also has a strong built-in search engine. This means you may not need to rely on other tools as much for the initial stages of identifying potential websites to target. Finally, Respona integrates with HARO (Help a Reporter Out), making it a good choice for anyone leveraging that platform for links and media exposure.
Note:Respona is an outreach-focused platform. It is a valuable addition to tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, which specialize in backlink analysis.
Respona Plans & Pricing
Pro: $399/month
Unlimited: $799/month
*14-day free trial
4. Linkody
Linkody’s primary focus is clear and simple: backlink tracking and competitor analysis. It aims to give you continuous insight into the links pointing toward your site and those of your competitors. This makes it a budget-friendly alternative to costly tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Backlink Monitoring:Linkody is all about tracking your links. You’ll see:
- New and Lost Links:Get alerts for these, letting you react (thank the website or investigate broken links).
- Metrics:Linkody tracks metrics like Domain Authority and whether a link is “dofollow” or “nofollow”.
- Link Disavowal:Create a disavow file directly within Linkody to tell Google about spammy links hurting your site.
- Competitor Analysis:Enter any competitor, and Linkody lets you:
- Examine Their Backlinks:Analyze the quality and sources of your rivals’ backlinks.
- Track Over Time:See if their backlink profile is growing, revealing possible avenues for your campaigns.
Top Reasons to Use Linkody
If you’re looking for a simple and affordable way to stay on top of your backlinks and analyze your competitors’ link-building strategies, then Linkody is a great option. Its user-friendly interface makes navigating easy, even for those new to SEO. Plus, the competitive pricing makes it a budget-conscious choice for businesses of all sizes.
Keep in Mind:Linkody is primarily a monitoring and analysis tool. You’ll still need other platforms to find initial link prospects and handle the outreach aspect. It’s a great complementary tool for those on a budget or who prefer less complex SEO solutions.
Linkody Plans & Pricing
Webmaster: $14.90/month
Advanced: $24.90/month
Pro: $49.90/month
Agency: $99.90/month
Agency XL: $153.90/month
*3 months free on the yearly plan
5. Pitchbox
Pitchbox is built from the ground up for outreach-focused link builders. Unlike general SEO suites, it zeroes in on streamlining the process of finding potential partners, contacting them with personalized pitches, and following up effectively.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Prospecting:Pitchbox provides multiple ways to find relevant targets:
- Search Operators:Enter keywords and filters to pinpoint relevant bloggers, websites, and publications.
- Partner Finder:Identify sites linked to your competitors, revealing likely targets for your content.
- Advanced Filtering:Filter by metrics, social media presence, and more to find the perfect fit.
- Contact Discovery:
- Email Hunter:Attempts to pull verified email addresses for target websites and their authors.
- Social Media Integration:Find LinkedIn profiles and other potential contact points.
- Outreach Sequences:Pitchbox helps you:
- Craft Compelling Pitches:Use pre-built templates or create your own to ensure they’re personalized.
- Automate Follow-ups:Set a drip sequence to gently nudge those who haven’t responded, which is crucial for maximizing success.
- Relationship Management: Maintain notes and communications history and track the status of each lead.
Top Reasons to Use Pitchbox
Pitchbox’s strength lies in simplifying the often chaotic process of link building outreach. If the volume of emails, follow-ups, and managing relationships during link-building campaigns feels overwhelming, Pitchbox will streamline things significantly. In addition, its prospecting features can help uncover hidden link-building opportunities you might miss with manual searching. Finally, its reporting lets you track campaign performance over time and identify which tactics and personalized pitch styles work best for you.
Note:Pitchbox is dedicated to outreach, not in-depth backlink analysis. Integrate it with tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush for a complete link-building solution.
PitchBox Plans & Pricing
Professional: $495/month
Enterprise: $1350/month
6. Hunter
Hunter’s core function is to find verified email addresses from specific websites. In link building, this is crucial since reaching the right person directly dramatically increases your chances of building a relationship and earning a link.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Email Finder:The Heart of Hunter. It has two modes:
- Domain Search:Enter the company domain (e.g., example.com), and Hunter will find all publicly associated email addresses, including the contact most likely to meet your needs.
- Individual Search:Enter someone’s full name and domain to pinpoint their address.
- Bulk Email Finder:Upload a list (.CSV or . TXT) of company domains and get batches of email addresses. Ideal for large campaigns.
- Email Verifier:Checks whether a found email address is valid, preventing bounces that hurt your email reputation.
- Chrome Extension:They have an extension for your browser for on-the-fly email discovery.
Top Reasons to Use Hunter
Hunter solves the frustrating problem of outdated or incorrect contact information. When your outreach relies on cold emails, sending messages to the wrong inbox can completely derail your link building efforts. Therefore, consider Hunter if your pitches frequently go unanswered or bounce. Also, its Bulk Email Finder makes scaling up your outreach campaign a breeze, saving you substantial time. Hunter offers a generous free plan, allowing you to test its functionality before committing to a paid plan.
Note:Hunter focuses solely on finding email addresses. You’ll still need to use other tools like competitor research, prospect discovery, and outreach.
Hunter Plans & Pricing
Free: $0/year
Starter: $34/year
Growth: $104/year
Business: $349/year
7. BuzzStream
BuzzStream focuses on managing link-building projects and streamlining the often messy outreach process. The goal is to help you build relationships with the people behind websites, ultimately leading to more backlinks (and collaborations) for your site.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Prospect Discovery:This includes:
- Search: Find blogs, websites, and people to reach using keywords, filters, and website performance metrics.
- Imports: Upload your lists of prospects from other sources (.CSV files supported).
- Buzzmarker:A browser extension to quickly add discovered prospects to your project.
- Contact Finding:BuzzStream helps you locate the right person to reach out to by:
- Researching websites:Pulls contact information automatically
- Social profiles:Uncover authors’ social media for additional contact options.
- Email Outreach:
- Templates:Built-in templates (or create your own) to personalize outreach emails, including merge fields for faster customization.
- Email Sequences:Schedule automatic follow-up emails to increase your chances of a response.
- Relationship Management:
- Notes and Tagging: Use to keep track of each contact, their status, and communications history.
- Track Link Status: See when links go live and other key information to stay organized.
Top Reasons to Use BuzzStream
BuzzStream excels at simplifying complex link-building campaigns, particularly for teams. It brings order to the prospect research, outreach, and relationship-tracking process. If you often feel your link building efforts are scattered and disorganized, BuzzStream’s project management approach could be exactly what you need. Also, relationship-building is vital for sustainable, long-term link building success.
Important: BuzzStream works best alongside other tools for tasks like in-depth backlink analysis (Ahrefs, SEMrush) and identifying trending content ideas (BuzzSumo).
BuzzStream Plans & Pricing
Starter: $124/month
Growth: $24/month
Professional: $299/month
8. NinjaOutreach
NinjaOutreach brands itself as a CRM for digital marketers and bloggers focused on outreach and influencer marketing. It aims to streamline the process of finding qualified leads for link building, reaching out to these prospects at scale, and managing the ongoing process.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Prospecting:Discover websites, bloggers, and key influencers using:
- Massive Database:NinjaOutreach has pre-populated lists of bloggers, journalists, and social media influencers sorted by categories.
- Search:Enter keywords or niche terms and filter leads by social activity, SEO metrics, and more.
- Contact Discovery:Once you’ve identified targets, NinjaOutreach helps you:
- Extract Email Addresses:Find verified emails from websites.
- Social Media Integration:Find profiles on major platforms for additional contact options.
- Outreach Facilitation:This is where NinjaOutreach shines:
- Template Library:Select from a large set of pre-made link building templates or customize your own.
- Automated Follow-Ups:Schedule sequences for unanswered emails to increase response rates.
- Reporting & Analytics:Track campaign performance and monitor open rates, replies, and link successes.
Top Reasons to Use NinjaOutreach
NinjaOutreach is a great choice if you prioritize streamlined lead generation and efficient email outreach for link building. Its vast database of potential contacts across various niches can save you substantial time in the early stages of outreach campaigns. Plus, the automation features help you focus on crafting compelling pitches and building relationships, rather than manually chasing responses. Finally, if you’re involved in influencer marketing alongside link building, NinjaOutreach offers a convenient solution for handling both.
Remember: NinjaOutreach is primarily an outreach tool. It works best alongside dedicated platforms for things like backlink analysis (SEMrush, Ahrefs) and content inspiration (BuzzSumo).
NinjaOutreach Plans & Pricing
Bronze Ninja: $49/month
Silver Ninja: $99/month
Gold Ninja: $199/month
*Save 66% off on annual plan
9. Majestic
Majestic specializes in backlink analysis. Its primary competitor is Ahrefs, and the two often go head-to-head as leading choices for in-depth backlink data. Majestic boasts an immense backlink index fueled by its proprietary web crawlers.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Site Explorer:The central tool for analyzing backlinks. Enter any domain or specific URL to see:
- Backlink Overview: See summary metrics – the number of backlinks and referring domains.
- Topical Trust Flow: Majestic’s system for categorizing sites by topic is valuable for finding relevant link partners.
- New vs. Lost Links:Track backlink growth or losses over time.
- Bulk Backlink Checker:Efficiently analyze backlinks for multiple domains at once. Great for batch competitor comparisons.
- Clique Hunter: An advanced tool to help you find groups of websites frequently linking to each other and your competitors. Reveals new potential sites to target that you may not have found otherwise.
Top Reasons to Use Majestic
Majestic stands out for the scale of its backlink index. The massive amount of data can reveal niche opportunities less visible on other platforms. Additionally, it offers several unique metrics such as Topical Trust Flow and Citation Flow (similar to Domain Authority) which give different perspectives when assessing a link opportunity’s value. Finally, Majestic’s pricing is generally a little more accessible than Ahrefs, making it attractive for budget-conscious link builders.
Note: While powerful, Majestic can have a slightly steeper learning curve with its unique metrics and interface. If you’re accustomed to Ahrefs, some adjustments might be needed.
Majestic Plans & Pricing
Lite: $49.99/month
Pro: $99.99/month
API: $399.99/month
*Save more on the annual plan
10. BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo stands apart by focusing on content analysis for social media and SEO. This makes it particularly good at identifying what resonates with audiences within your niche, helping you tailor your linkable content and outreach.
Key Tools for Link Building
- Content Analyzer:BuzzSumo’s flagship tool. Find out:
- Trending Content:See what’s being shared most across social platforms in your niche, revealing topics for link-worthy assets.
- Backlinks:Enter any page or domain to see where it’s acquired backlinks, uncovering potential link partners.
- Influencers:This section lets you find:
- Key Sharers:See who has shared similar content, making them prime targets for outreach.
- Journalists:BuzzSumo identifies writers and publications relevant to your area, a goldmine for pitching linkable assets.
- Monitoring:
- Brand Mentions:See who’s talking about you to find unlinked mentions that could be turned into links.
- Competitor Tracking:Get alerts for new content by rivals, letting you identify which of their pieces earn lots of links.
Top Reasons to Use BuzzSumo
This tool isn’t a backlink analysis tool in the same sense as Ahrefs or SEMrush. Its strength is understanding content trends, social signals, and who the major players in your niche are. This makes it great for the brainstorming process in link building. If you find yourself stuck on what type of content to create to attract backlinks or struggle to discover the right influencers for outreach, then BuzzSumo will prove valuable. Finally, BuzzSumo’s influencer identification tools are helpful for guest blogging opportunities and other collaboration types that can indirectly lead to links.
Keep in Mind: BuzzSumo works best alongside other tools for tasks like in-depth backlink analysis or crafting the perfect email pitch.
BuzzSumo Plans & Pricing
Content creation: $199/month
PR & Comms: $299/month
Suite: $499/month
Enterprise: $999/month
*20% off on annual plan
Free Link Building Tools
The above-paid tools are top selections for smooth link building process. However, if you want to start with free tools, see the following options:
Backlink Analysis
1. Google Search Console: It is a free tool that provides valuable insights into the backlinks pointing to your website. With it, you can see the type of sites linking to your website and which pages earn the most links. This reveals what type of content resonates for link building. Use the “Links” report with a search query of your brand to potentially find places where you’re mentioned without a link.
2. Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker & SE Ranking Backlink Checker: They are free options from the paid tools. If you want competitor analysis, you can see where your direct competitors are getting their backlinks. This reveals potential opportunities for you to target as well. Analyzing your competitors helps you spot what they regularly publish content and link out within your niche.
Finding Opportunities
3. Google Alerts: It is a free tool you can set for email notifications when your brand, products, or relevant keywords are mentioned online. Use it to track sites mentioning about you, then pitch for guest posts or collaborations. The mentions reveal pain points and trending topics in your industry that you could address and natural links.
4. Help a Reporter Out (HARO): HARO is a tool to connect journalists with sources. By providing valuable answers to journalist queries relevant to your industry, you can earn authoritative backlinks and brand visibility.
5. Hunter.io: A free limited version of the paid option mentioned above. Once you find a website that looks like a good link prospect, Hunter helps you discover the right person to contact.
Browser Extensions
6. Detailed SEO Extension: It is a Chrome browser extension that you can use to identify if a website uses “nofollow” links, which are less valuable for link building purposes.
7. Check My Links: It is a broken link building tool. This Chrome extension can find pages on relevant sites with broken links, offering an excellent opportunity to suggest your content for replacing it.
8. Ahrefs SEO Toolbar: It allows you to see a website’s Ahrefs metrics immediately, helping you judge the potential value of a backlink.
These free tools offer a fantastic starting point. Begin with them to get a feel for link opportunities and then upgrade to paid versions when your budget allows for the expanded functionality.
Valuable Resources
Many link building sites offer paid services. However, if you are looking for low-budget options, check them out from the link below:
| Affordable link building services
If you want to learn link building through video courses, click the link below:
|View link building courses on Udemy
Most all-in-one SEO tools come with backlink tools. If you want to use one of them, click the link below:
| Top SEO software tools
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Ibochouba Singh is a content writer and reviewer with a passion for writing about digital marketing and tech gadgets, including software tools and new tech gadgets. He has over 15 years of experience writing for several consumers and clients, including tech startups, marketing agencies, and software companies. He is writing many articles and product reviews for many websites, including nigcworld.com, buywin.in, medium.com, and quora.com.
