Link-Making Statistics 2025: A survey from 100+ SEO experts

When we cross halfway by 2025, the digital marketing industry develops, and with it, SEO performs strategies. A practice that is basic sometimes changes a junction building. To understand how SEO professionals see Link Building in today’s environment, we conducted a comprehensive coupling survey by including more than 100 SEO experts in different industries, countries and levels of experience.

In this report, we will share the most important conclusions, statistics, trends and insights that define the junction building in 2025. Whether you are a digital marketer, material strategist or masters of small businesses, this date -driven guide will help you limit your strategy and keep in front of the curve.

Why Link Building still means something in 2025

Regardless of the emergence of AI-based materials, zero-click findings and changed algorithms, feedbacks are still one of the top-ranked characters on Google. According to our Link-Building Survey  89% SEO experts agree that high-quality feedbacks have direct and average effects on the ranking of search engines.

But the game has changed. Gone are the days of quantity of quality. In 2025, the emphasis is heavy on relevance, rights and faith.

“We focus less on volume and focus more on the reliability of sources that connect to us,” said a senior SEO strategist at Fintech Startup.

Main coupling data from our 2025 survey

1. What Types of Links are Most Important?

We asked the participants what kind of links gave the greatest value in their campaigns. Distribution is as follows:

Editorial link from top packed blog: 67%

Digital PR and link to news media: 54%

Guest Post Link at high authorship sites: 46%

Resource page or “best” lists: 32%

Catalog Presentations and Quotes: 19%

This indicates a clear preference for organic, relevant links that naturally fit the material, which strengthens the importance of relational and value operated search.

2. Top Link-Building Strategies in 2025

When asked to identify their most successful link-building strategies, SEO experts ranked the following at the top:

1. Content-led outreach (e.g., data studies, expert roundups): 62%
2. Digital PR and brand story pitching: 58%
3. Broken link building and resource replacements: 35%
4. HARO and expert commentary platforms: 28%
5. Guest posting (still alive, but more selective): 25%

One noticeable trend is the shift away from scalable, template-heavy methods to bespoke, highly personalized outreach.

3. How Much Do SEOs Spend on Link Building?

Budget plays a crucial role in a brand’s link acquisition capacity. Based on our data:

• 28% of respondents spend $1,000–$5,000/month
• 21% spend under $1,000/month
• 19% invest $5,000–$10,000/month
• 12% spend over $10,000/month
• The rest either handle it entirely in-house or blend it with content marketing spend
  Interestingly, higher spenders are not always seeing proportional returns. The key difference lies in strategy sophistication, not just the budget.

4. Biggest Challenges in Link Building Today

Link building remains one of the hardest parts of SEO—and the survey confirms it.

Here are the most common challenges reported:

• Low response rates to outreach: 64%
• Identifying link-worthy content angles: 53%
• Standing out amid mass email blasts: 49%
• Tracking ROI from specific backlinks: 38%
• Managing manual vs. automated approaches: 25%

The takeaway: Link building isn’t dying, but it’s getting harder. It demands creativity, consistency, and a clear value proposition.

5. AI and Link Building: Friend or Foe?

A hot topic in this year’s link-building survey was the role of AI tools in link acquisition.

• 71% of SEOs use AI tools for content creation or prospecting
• 39% have used AI to write outreach emails
• 22% reported higher reply rates with human-edited AI content
• However, 68% caution that AI-only outreach appears “robotic” and harms brand trust

The consensus? AI is a powerful assistant but not a replacement for human intuition and personalization.

What the Data Tells Us About the Future of Link Building

Here are some broader insights that emerged from the link-building survey:

1. Personalization is King: The days of mass outreach with the same email template are gone. Successful SEOs are taking the time to research, customize, and build rapport.
2. Content is Still the Backbone: Without genuinely useful or unique content, even the best outreach won’t earn you links. In fact, 73% of successful campaigns were anchored around data or expert insights.
3. Partnerships Over Pitches: Many experts are shifting toward building long-term partnerships with bloggers, journalists, and influencers rather than transactional exchanges.
4. SEO is Getting Smarter: Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Pitchbox are helping SEOs make more informed decisions—but the human touch remains irreplaceable.

Conclusion

The 2025 link-building survey reveals a landscape where link acquisition is more nuanced and strategic than ever before. It’s no longer about chasing every backlink opportunity—it’s about finding the right ones, in the right context, from trusted sources.

Link building remains a cornerstone of any serious SEO strategy, but success now requires patience, authenticity, and a commitment to quality. Whether you’re an agency, freelancer, or brand marketer, the data points one way: smart, ethical link building is here to stay—and it’s evolving fast.