15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
15 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

How to estimate how many backlinks to get and what type?

by Saito
13 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I am curious how to ballpark HOW MUCH backlinking and from what types of links is neccessary to get on Page 1 for, say, my top 5 keywords with most of their competitors being PR X or lower.

I know "it depends," but I'm sitting here writing up a business plan and do not intend to undermanage my pages or to pay too much for Fiverr gigs and linkbuilding services, or put in too much work to get the same result.

I know that someone who has experience ranking several sites on Page 1 should be able to make an informed guess, but people with such abilities seem to be very rare. I even posted a thread offering to pay such a person for their time with zero response.

The alternatives seem to be to pay $X/month for a service and hope, or haphazardly purchase a bunch of random Fiverr gigs with no master plan of what, when, and why, and also hope it will work.

I could go out and get tons and tons of 12 types of links and then when I finally reach my goal, still have no clue WHICH types made the most difference out of them all, or if I could have done only half and gotten the same results at half the cost.

Everyone says "4-6 months" but what about the number of links needed per month throughout those 6 months? Surely there is some way to estimate that in advance to plan your activities and budget accordingly.
#backlinks #estimate #type
  • Profile picture of the author linkvana
    Since your post is on the second page of this forum and no one's answered your question yet I'll help you out.

    The first thing you need to do is look at the backlinks of your top 10 competitors.

    Market Samurai is pretty good for this. You can also use a pro subscription of SEOmoz to see the backlinks of your competitors.

    Now take a look at the types of backlinks they are building. Look at the PR of each of the links, the percentage of exact match anchor text links etc. Really break down exactly what your competitor is doing.

    Once you have an in-depth understanding of exactly what types of links your competitors have built you'll know more about what types of links you should be building to beat them.

    I always try to look at my competitor and beat them on both quantity and quality.

    For example, if my competitor has 10 PR0 links, 15 PR1 links and 5 PR3 links, then I will try to make sure I build at least 30 links with at least a PR1-4. If your goal is to rank #1 in 4 months, then you know you need to build 7-8 links per month. Simple right?

    Is this an exact strategy? No, not at all. However, it gives you targets and it will certainly get you close. If it doesn't get you the exact ranking you wanted, then simply repeat the process and see how far away you are.

    If you ever find yourself beating a competitor on both quantity and quality then it's time to look into other factors such as on-page.

    Hope this helps and good luck!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5771656].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Stockypotty
      Originally Posted by linkvana View Post

      Since your post is on the second page of this forum and no one's answered your question yet I'll help you out.

      The first thing you need to do is look at the backlinks of your top 10 competitors.

      Market Samurai is pretty good for this. You can also use a pro subscription of SEOmoz to see the backlinks of your competitors.

      Now take a look at the types of backlinks they are building. Look at the PR of each of the links, the percentage of exact match anchor text links etc. Really break down exactly what your competitor is doing.

      Once you have an in-depth understanding of exactly what types of links your competitors have built you'll know more about what types of links you should be building to beat them.

      I always try to look at my competitor and beat them on both quantity and quality.

      For example, if my competitor has 10 PR0 links, 15 PR1 links and 5 PR3 links, then I will try to make sure I build at least 30 links with at least a PR1-4. If your goal is to rank #1 in 4 months, then you know you need to build 7-8 links per month. Simple right?

      Is this an exact strategy? No, not at all. However, it gives you targets and it will certainly get you close. If it doesn't get you the exact ranking you wanted, then simply repeat the process and see how far away you are.

      If you ever find yourself beating a competitor on both quantity and quality then it's time to look into other factors such as on-page.

      Hope this helps and good luck!
      How are you able to check the backlinks to competitors?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5773078].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author AskJon
        Originally Posted by Stockypotty View Post

        How are you able to check the backlinks to competitors?
        Just like linkvana said you can use seomoz, but there is other tool like majestic seo that does that too.

        Can't add more info than what linkvana already said... Killer post man but if it can helps don't get stuck in that plan. SEO is not an exact science so usually you'll start doing what you think will work (experience play a huge part here but linkvana pretty much explained the big lines, follow that and bank) and after a couple weeks/months you'll ajust if you are not where you want to be!

        So my final advice: don't get stuck for days on planning, but start doing!
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5773191].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MartinK8
      Originally Posted by linkvana View Post

      Since your post is on the second page of this forum and no one's answered your question yet I'll help you out.

      The first thing you need to do is look at the backlinks of your top 10 competitors.

      Market Samurai is pretty good for this. You can also use a pro subscription of SEOmoz to see the backlinks of your competitors.

      Now take a look at the types of backlinks they are building. Look at the PR of each of the links, the percentage of exact match anchor text links etc. Really break down exactly what your competitor is doing.

      Once you have an in-depth understanding of exactly what types of links your competitors have built you'll know more about what types of links you should be building to beat them.

      I always try to look at my competitor and beat them on both quantity and quality.

      For example, if my competitor has 10 PR0 links, 15 PR1 links and 5 PR3 links, then I will try to make sure I build at least 30 links with at least a PR1-4. If your goal is to rank #1 in 4 months, then you know you need to build 7-8 links per month. Simple right?

      Is this an exact strategy? No, not at all. However, it gives you targets and it will certainly get you close. If it doesn't get you the exact ranking you wanted, then simply repeat the process and see how far away you are.

      If you ever find yourself beating a competitor on both quantity and quality then it's time to look into other factors such as on-page.

      Hope this helps and good luck!
      Great post BTW, similar to what I' doing when analyzing the competition. Although I always look only at the top 3 sites, thats where I want my site to be. I use Majestic SEO and look at the pagerank of the backlinks they have, make an average and then I know the minimum that I have to aim for. Also the anchor text of the backlinks is super important, if like 90% of the backlinks have the anchor text I'm trying to rank for, then that is not a good sign.
      Signature
      [FREE WSO] Kick Ass Keyword Research...Rank #1 in Any Niche For Easy Passive Income!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5785864].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bill Cook
    The problem with looking at backlink reporting is that many backlinks don't show up, so it is difficult to say this will be a definitive answer.

    I agree that you should do more than your competition, the question is how much more. I think the answer is that you provide enough links to get what you are after, or are satisfied with your position.

    The bad thing is that this is a battle, and your competition gets a vote in the matter. They didn't get to the top on accident, and they will usually know how to respond. You just need to stay a few steps ahead of them all the time.

    Bill
    Signature
    1000 Free Links, No Credit Card, No Catch
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5772445].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Saito
    Thank you, Linkvana, that was exactly the kind of strategy/rule of thumb I was hoping to hear. This will give me enough to work with in making initial plans and goals, which are destined to change as all plans do. Glad to start with something to go off.
    Signature
    Do You Suffer From Incomplete Funnel Syndrome?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5773270].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AskJon
    Awesome man! Keep us updated and if you work hard at it you'll succeed!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5773280].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author C Rebecca
    The number of link required to be on page one depends on how much links your competitor have. You have to beat your competitors' strategy to be on top position. You may use 'Keyword Country' to spy their link building strategies so as to craft your own rugged campaign.
    Signature

    FREE 30 minutes of Ecommerce Marketing consultation. Consulted clients like Overstock.com, About.com, Lowe's and more...
    Book at: hello@techzui.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5776600].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BlackMetal
    "I am curious how to ballpark HOW MUCH backlinking and from what types of links is neccessary to get on Page 1 for, say, my top 5 keywords with most of their competitors being PR X or lower."

    Simple algebra, for "PR X" you will need around "X" backlinks.

    Get the same type of links as competitors, and then more and better quality, and you will rule.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5777170].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Saito
    Do you mean I will need "Y backlinks of PR X or greater?"

    I'm guessing experience with the different Fiverr gigs I'm trying will show how many links they each really get, and what PageRanks. Some will flat-out tell you in advance, so this should make planning and acting a little easier.
    Signature
    Do You Suffer From Incomplete Funnel Syndrome?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5777634].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PriceMaster
    Just take any chances you can get when backlinking. The slow and painful journey is definitely worth it in the end!

    Sometimes it can take a day and sometimes years of effort...
    Signature
    DoFollow Backlinking, SEO and Internet Marketing Forum - Discuss SEO, IM and everything else!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5779405].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author patco
    I don't think you can estimate how many backlinks you need. The simple reason is that nobody knows exactly how many of them will be indexed by Google
    Signature

    A blog that will show you How to Lose Weight with a cool Quick Weight Loss guide...
    Also enjoy some of my favorite Funny pictures and photos that will make you smile :)

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5779434].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Saito
    Then I can assume that some conservative percentage of them will be indexed by google. So if only 1 in 3 gets indexed on average, I will adjust my plans to get 3 times as many.

    Or find some way to get them indexed myself or through the service I use.
    Signature
    Do You Suffer From Incomplete Funnel Syndrome?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5785617].message }}

Trending Topics