Legitimate question about doing TONS of backlinks on fiver..

So, I highlighted some important parts from your post, and here's the thing: You have actually hit the nail on the HEAD what GOOD SEO is all about! You just need to DO IT!

Stay as ethical as possible - Google penalties happen because people 'bend' ethical guidelines (and try OH SO HARD to rationalize their use of B.H. methods)... If you don't USE those methods, then (mostly) you won't be penalized.

And, your top competitor IS your top competitor for a good reason: They have been building links for years, they have multiple sites (probably, I'm guessing, with good, relevant content) and they have strategically linked all of those sites together. And, guess what? This WORKS. (of course, being careful of "too much, too fast" which is un-natural, and overkill, quite frankly).

"Plus they have a website that is about 60 times larger than mine."
- A larger, relevant website that provides good content is typically referred to as an authority site. If they happen to have a good, non-spammy backlink strategy to deeplink those multiple pages, it probably helps them greatly.

Here's the thing: You can easily emulate this by setting up some sort of FAQ. Each "page" is a focused answer on a specific topic. I am sure as a basement waterproofer, you can EASILY answer these questions for me: "How do I keep my basement waterproofed?" "Why should I care about waterproofing my basement". "How often should I consider checking my basement for waterproofing" : "What can happen if I don't waterproof my basement? "Is it possible to do some basic waterproofing for my basement by myself?" "I live in a drier climate... is basement waterproofing still important??" "How can I tell it's a good time to get my basement checked for waterproofing?" Your answers can be as little as a short paragraph where warranted, or hell, a college essay if you'd like... just make them GOOD answers, and make them useful to ME

Now: Don't answer these questions here friend (hehehe). PUT 'em on your WEBSITE! I'm just giving you some ideas... the point is, you are doing SO many things by having multiple relevant pages. You are broadening your keyword reach and probably introducing mini/micro niche topics that WILL GET YOU BUSINESS organically through search.


And finally:

This week I got to see how well natural backlinking actually works

There's a VERY good reason for this.

I know what shortcuts usually lead to in life so let me just drop it, I'll figure this out on my own at some point.

THANK you Maybe to put this into perspective for you, sir: (and, yes, this is a slightly rhetorical question). I have problems with basement waterproofing that I want to fix myself. You see, I did a little bit of reading at "cheapo-waterproofing" forums, and they suggested a VERY quick and immediately effective way to waterproof my whole basement is to just spray a latex primer (like, for painting) over any cracks... Hopefully (if you're truly a good waterproofer) you are GROANING at this suggestion... BECAUSE: it might stop a small problem NOW, but it can even lead to BIGGER problems in the future.

In short: it's a shortcut that YOU (as a professional waterproofer) knows will never work long-term. And, for ME (as a customer in "pain" or some sort of need), I would hope that you would give ME the same advice that WE would give you:

Aim for the long term solutions. They are somewhat more painful short term, and YES, it requires more work. BUT, you won't have to keep "patching those cracks" every year (or: every time google does another algorithm change). Your LONG TERM benefits will only get better with time.

And... embarassingly this ended up a little longer than I hoped, but I like stories sometimes too hehe. I honestly hope that it is a little helpful for you, and wish you the best of luck!