The SEO industry is divided: some swear by mass link building, others by a few high-quality backlinks. The truth lies – as so often – in the right balance. But what does 'quality' actually mean when it comes to backlinks?
What Makes a High-Quality Backlink?
Not every link is worth the same. Several factors determine how strongly a backlink actually influences your ranking. Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR) are the best-known metrics: high values signal to Google that a domain itself is considered trustworthy – and this trust is transferred to linked pages.
Equally important is topical relevance: a link from a topically related portal is worth far more than a link from an unrelated website with high DA. Google evaluates the context of a link – and links that fit thematically appear more authentic and are weighted more strongly. Websites with real visitor traffic also signal naturalness: they exist for people, not just search engines. Editorially embedded links in real articles – rather than sidebar or footer links – are the most valuable. Additionally, Majestic metrics such as Trust Flow and Citation Flow provide a differentiated assessment of link quality.
The Risks of Link Quantity
Those who rely on quantity rather than quality take considerable risks. Spam links can lead to manual penalties from Google's webspam team – or to algorithmic penalties that destroy rankings overnight. Unnatural link profiles attract Google's attention: a sudden surge of hundreds of links within a short period is a clear warning signal.
Particularly risky are Private Blog Networks (PBNs) and content farms: these networks consist of pages that exist solely for the purpose of selling links. Google is increasingly reliably recognising these patterns and not only devalues such links but actively penalises the linked pages. Anchor text over-optimisation – too many exact match anchor texts with the target keyword – is also a classic warning signal that is algorithmically penalised.
Anchor Text Diversity: Often Underestimated
A natural anchor text profile is one of the most commonly underestimated factors in link building. Overly optimised anchor texts – meaning a high proportion of exact match anchor texts with the precise target keyword – have been a risk signal for years. Google's Penguin algorithm was developed specifically to identify unnatural anchor text patterns.
A natural mix is recommended: brand anchors (your company name), generic texts (such as 'here' or 'learn more'), URL anchors and partial keyword matches should make up the majority of your profile. A good rule of thumb: keep exact keyword anchors limited to a maximum of 20–30% of your total anchor text profile – and distribute these across different sources.
A single link from an authoritative, topically relevant domain can achieve more than a hundred links from weak sources.
Finding the Right Balance
There is no blanket answer to the question of how many links you should build per month. The right balance depends on your industry, competition in your niche and the current strength of your link profile. A young company in a highly competitive industry needs a different strategy than an established brand that simply wants to consolidate its profile.
The first step is always a careful competitor analysis: what are the top 3 rankings in your niche doing? How many links do they have, from which domains, with which anchor texts? This data provides a realistic benchmark. The second step is a link profile audit: analyse your existing backlinks, identify toxic links and check whether a disavow makes sense. Consistency is also more important than bursts: natural, steady link growth convinces Google far more than sporadic mass campaigns.
Practical Tip: Conduct regular backlink audits. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush or Google Search Console show you which links are toxic – and whether a disavow makes sense.
Conclusion
Quality beats quantity – almost always. But even a few high-quality links need to be built regularly and consistently. Those who consider both build a link profile that holds up for years. Sustainable link building means: ten excellent links per month rather than a hundred worthless ones – and that consistently over a long period.
Would you like to strategically expand your link profile? Working Digital supports you with over 15 years of experience and an international partner network.
