How to do link building in 2025: trends and best practices

Building (good) links is possible: we explain the best practices based on Publisuites’ annual study.

Link building is based on the creation of links, either external or internal, that aim to increase the authority of a website. It is, without a doubt, a basic foundation of web positioning (or SEO).

On other occasions, we have talked about internal linking or link building, where a link links to another page within the same website, but in today’s article we are going to focus on telling you how we do external link building so that you too can adopt the best practices and improve the positioning of your website.

How to do link building: the rise of niche websites

Publisuites, the advertising marketplace for buying and selling links and sponsored posts on websites, blogs or social networks, has published a new edition of its study on the use of link building, with the aim of providing users with real and valuable data and information, allowing them to improve the implementation of their future web positioning strategies.

Through the study of more than 32,480 sponsored posts and 10,603 written articles, the main conclusions are presented regarding the behavior of advertisers, the media used and best practices in SEO.

1. User profile and expanding Indian market

Publisuites’ clients are divided into 55.5% agencies and eCommerce and 44.5% independent professionals, consolidating the growth of freelancers in the sector. India remains the main market, followed by other countries, which shows a boom in SEO investment in India. Demand in India has grown significantly, consolidating it as the most important market for sponsored content. This reflects a greater commitment to SEO strategies in the country, with advertisers investing in quality links to improve their positioning and visibility.

2. Types of media and evolution of the sector

78 % of the media used in link building are niche or specialized, increasing their relevance in SEO strategies. There has also been a 10% growth in “Only for SEO” (OFS) media, which are websites that have good authority, but with
less traffic than niche ones, indicating that advertisers are looking for platforms with good authority even if they do not have a lot of traffic.

Sponsored Post Prices

• 59.3% of the contracted posts have a price under $100.
• An upward trend in prices is detected, with an increase in demand for more expensive and higher-quality media.

Media Location

Spain remains the country with the largest number of media outlets on the platform ( 52.3% ), followed by Mexico ( 12.2% ) and the US ( 6.5% ). France and Italy also appear in the top 5, indicating that advertisers are looking for international media outlets to diversify their strategies.

Most demanded categories

• News (19.5%) and Miscellaneous (14%) dominate the market.
• Mobile telephony and apps have gained relevance, displacing Cooking and Recipes, reflecting the growing interest in technology and digitalization.

3. Trends in link building

Increase in budget and average price

• The average annual budget of link-building advertisers has grown by 9%, reaching $1,670 per advertiser.
• The average price per sponsored post is $87.80, which represents a slight increase compared to 2023.

Number of links per post

• 51.6% of sponsored posts include a single link, while those with two links have decreased by 5%.
• In posts with three and four links, a slight growth is observed.

Types of links

• DoFollow links remain predominant, regardless of the number of links in the post. However, as
  more links are included, the profile of the links varies, with a slight decrease in DoFollow and an increase in NoFollow and Sponsored links.
• As the number of links in a single post increases, the use of NoFollow and Sponsored links becomes more balanced, suggesting a more diversified approach.

Anchor texts and link destinations

• Branded anchor texts increase by 14%, while keyword anchor texts lose relevance.
• Anchor texts of 2-3 words are preferred, as they appear more natural to search engines.
• 38.8% of the links point to the home page, marking a change in the strategy towards consolidating domain authority.

4. Content writing: higher demand, shorter length

In 2024, 10,603 articles were requested on Publisuites, with an average price of $41.52 per article and an average length of 692 words. This represents a reduction in the average length of articles compared to the 900 words of 2023.

• 62.6% of the articles have between 500 and 799 words.
• Texts of more than 1,000 words represent only 9.3%, marking a shift in demand for more concise content.

Editorial calendars

• 510 editorial calendars were contracted, with 2 articles per month and an average length of 1,600 words per article.
• 90.9% of calendars include content writing, reflecting the importance of having planned content strategies.

5. Conclusions and trends for 2025

• Demand for niche and specialized media is growing as they offer more SEO-relevant content.
• Nearly 20% of advertisers prioritize media with verified traffic, indicating the growing importance of trusted metrics like Google Analytics 4.
• Less use of exact keywords and more branded anchor texts for a more natural strategy that is less risky in the face of Google penalties.
• More focus on the Home page, rather than linking directly to category or blog pages.
• Shorter content (500-799 words) has become the standard, showing a preference for more direct and streamlined pieces.
• Increased interest in high-value content to gain authority and attract organic traffic.

6. Expert recommendations

• These are the best link-building tools for your website

The study includes best practices and advice from renowned SEO consultants such as Jordi Ordóñez, Álex Serrano, Peter Lead and Nuria Cámaras. Their recommendations include:

1. Avoid artificial link-building strategies and focus on quality links in relevant media.
2. Create content that serves as a reference source, which makes it easier to obtain natural backlinks.
3. Do not abuse DoFollow links, maintaining a balance of 70-80% between Follow and NoFollow.
4. Bet on strategic and well-structured content, adapted to the user’s search intention.

7. AI and the future of SEO

Experts also highlight the impact of artificial intelligence on SEO strategies:

• AI will transform SEO, but it won’t eliminate it. Tools like ChatGPT and Google SGE will change the way users search for information.
• SEO needs to adapt, incorporating structured data, brand strategies, and content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
• Links and mentions on UGC platforms (Reddit, Wikipedia, specialized forums) will become a competitive advantage.