There is no unique link building strategy, as everything depends on the website’s topic (“white,” “gray,” or “black” niche). The key to success is analyzing the top search results for the most competitive queries, where hints lie about which links search engines consider “correct.”
Competitor analysis in top search results
As an example, let’s consider the commercial “white” query “buy tablet” and analyze the top 5 websites:
rozetka.com.ua/tablets/c130309/ —minimum commercial keywords in anchors.
comfy.ua/plane-table-computer/ — similar situation.
allo.ua/products/internet-planshety/ —anchor profile with commercial queries.
www.ctrs.com.ua/ru/planshety/ — practically without link building.
f.ua/shop/planshety/ —also without commercial anchors.
For each niche, it is necessary to study the competitors in the top results and identify recurring features of their backlink profiles.
Conclusions from the analysis and recommendations
Based on the analysis of various niches, we have identified key recommendations for effective and safe link building.
1. Frequency of purchasing commercial anchors
For promoting commercial queries:
➤ We purchase no more than one commercial anchor per page every 3–6 months.
➤ It is acceptable to acquire a large number of non-anchor links along with a commercial anchor link, which also helps improve rankings for commercial queries.
2. Diversity of anchor profile
A natural anchor profile requires variety. Purchasing 80% exact-match anchors (for example, “горящие туры” — “hot tours”) is ineffective. Diversify anchors using the following methods:
➤ “Hot tours”
➤ “Hot tours on site” (brand pairing works great)
➤ “Hot tours on site.ua”
➤ “Hot tours in Kyiv” (low-frequency anchors support the main query and diversify the link profile)
➤ “Hot tours here”
Examples of non-anchor links:
https://site.ua/hottours/
http://site.ua/hottours/
https://site.ua/hottours (without redirect!)
site.ua/hottours
here https://site.ua/hottours/
Important: links are meaningless if the target page does not contain the corresponding keywords. For example, an anchor like “hot tours with discounts” is useless if the word “discounts” is missing from the content. Core keywords should dominate the anchor list in terms of quantity. In the example below, we highlighted non-anchor links in red; the rest are anchor links.
3. Anchor/non-anchor ratio
There is no universal percentage ratio between anchor and non-anchor links. The key is to have all types of links present to create a natural-looking backlink profile.
4. Choosing platforms for backlinks
For non-anchor links, inexpensive platforms like forums (crowd marketing) are suitable. For direct commercial anchors, it's better to use:
➤ niche-specific websites;
➤ high-cost traffic-generating news platforms.
For effective link placement, we recommend using exchanges such as Collaborator.pro. This platform offers a convenient filtering system that can be customized to your needs, including topic relevance, regional targeting, and site quality.
The optimal approach is outreach, which allows you to find unique platforms and negotiate placement on individual terms. With outreach, you can gain access to high-quality donors and agree on a price that fits your budget.
Here is a literal English translation of your outreach email template: Subject: Collaboration on Article Placement
Hello, [Name or "Dear Editorial Team"]!
My name is [Your Name] from [Project Name]. We would like to publish a unique article on your website [Website Name] related to [Topic]. The article will be valuable for your audience and will include a link to our project.
We’re open to discussing the format, budget, and deadlines. Please let us know your placement terms or share your media kit.
You can contact me via: [email or Telegram: @your_handle].
Thank you, and I look forward to your response! Best regards, [Your Name]
5. Anchor text relevance
Placing unrelated anchors linking to different topics (e.g., "ugg boots" and "ballet flats") across various pages is less effective. It’s better to:
➤ Write a niche-specific article and place a link to a single page (e.g., anchor "ugg" and non-anchor to the same page).
➤ Link to the homepage to strengthen it, but do not purchase links only for the homepage, as this is not always advisable.
6. Surrounding (anchor-adjacent) text
In non-anchor (anchorless) links, use keywords in the surrounding text to aid promotion, since the link itself only passes the general page authority.
Rules for Choosing Sites for Link Buying
For effective promotion, it is important to select donors correctly. The main criteria:
1. Topical relevance
Links from thematically related sites are the most effective. For example:
➤ A link to a clothing website from a fashion or style platform works best.
➤ News websites or women's magazines are less niche-specific but acceptable.
Put yourself in the donor’s reader’s shoes: would you be interested in an article with such a link?
2. Quality and traffic of the donor
The donor’s traffic should be:
➤ Organic: a predominance of referral traffic indicates its low quality.
➤ Niche-specific: traffic should come from relevant queries.
➤ Regional: for Ukrainian websites, donors with traffic from Ukraine are preferred.
Use the SimilarWeb plugin to analyze traffic. Example for the automotive niche:
➤ High traffic.
➤ Predominance of organic traffic.
➤ Traffic from CIS countries, including Ukraine.
➤ Traffic from niche-specific queries.
➤ Such a donor is suitable for purchasing links.
3. Regional focus
For Ukrainian websites, Ukrainian donors or Russian-speaking donors with traffic from Ukraine are preferred. Regional focus is especially important for local topics (e.g., "suitcase repair") but less critical for universal topics (e.g., automotive products).
4. Placement verification
Avoid donors where:
➤ Articles are placed in hidden sections without links from the homepage.
➤ There is no pagination, causing articles to fall out of the index.
➤ The link is formatted as plain text without highlighting.
➤ The donor places their own links above yours.
The higher your link appears in the content (ideally — above the fold), the better. Strengthening with a link at the end of the article also helps.
5. Donor content requirements
If the donor writes the text, specify in the brief:
➤ Unique content with illustrations
➤ Content should be interesting for readers, not just for placing a link
➤ Use of the keyword in the headline and meta tag Title
6. Permanent vs. rented links
Permanent links are preferable since rented links carry the risk of removal if payment is missed.
7. Insurance and link boosting
These methods are ineffective and a waste of budget.
Google’s conclusions on link naturalness
Google has provided the following recommendations:
➤ Links added to already indexed pages are not considered natural.
➤ Links within the main content are more valuable than those in footer blocks.
➤ The presence of nofollow links increases the naturalness of the link profile.
➤ The link should not be the only one in the article — it's better to place it alongside other relevant links.
➤ The donor page should have its own external link authority.
Google no longer penalizes for low-quality links but rather ignores them, opening opportunities for experimentation.
Conclusion
Create high-quality and engaging projects, and the need to buy links will disappear. Share your opinions, suggestions, or well-reasoned disagreements in the comments — we will update the article accordingly!
