How to Get High-Quality Backlinks for Free: 5 Proven Strategies That Actually Work

If you want to rank on Google, you're going to need backlinks. They're one of the biggest ranking factors, and it's almost impossible to rank without them.

But here's the problem: most people don't know where to start or how to even get a backlink.

This guide provides a simple roadmap for getting high-quality backlinks for free, so you don't have to spend time guessing what to do. These are five strategies you can put into action right away and start building links naturally.

What Is a Backlink (And Why It Matters)

A backlink is simply a link from another website back to yours. Google looks at these links like votes. The more votes you have, the more credible your site is, and the higher you're going to rank.

But not all votes are created equal. This is not a democracy.

Certain websites have more credibility than others, so their votes count for more.

Think of it this way: If you overheard someone on the street say, "This plumber is excellent," you might think, "Okay, who is that person?" But if you heard a trusted consumer advocate or industry expert say the same thing, you're more likely to believe them because they're known and trusted.

The same goes with websites. A backlink from a respected industry publication carries far more weight than one from a random blog.

Strategy #1: Guest Posting

The first strategy is the classic guest post—writing a blog post for another website that includes a link back to your website.

But here's the thing: not every website accepts guest posts. Here's exactly how to find websites in your specific industry looking for contributors.

How to Find Guest Posting Opportunities

Go to Google and type this in exactly:

[your industry] intitle:"write for us"

So if you're in fitness, you'd type:

fitness intitle:"write for us"

This pulls up all the sites in your niche that openly accept guest posts.

What to do next:

1. Review their submission guidelines
2. Pitch a relevant topic that hasn't been covered recently
3. Write a quality post (800-1,500 words typically)
4. Include a natural link back to your site in the author bio or within the content
5. Provide genuine value to their audience

Tips for Successful Guest Posts

Make it valuable: Don't just write for the link. Create content their audience will genuinely appreciate. Publishers can spot self-serving content immediately.

Follow their guidelines: Every site has different requirements. Read and follow them carefully.

Build relationships: Don't just submit once and disappear. Engage with their content, share their posts, and think long-term.

This technique involves emailing sites and writing content, which can be time-consuming. Let's make things easier with the next strategy.

Strategy #2: Competitor Backlink Audit

This is one of the most effective strategies because it saves you a ton of time. Instead of guessing where you can get backlinks, you can literally see exactly where your competitors are getting theirs, then go get the same ones for yourself.

If someone was willing to link to them, they're probably open to linking to you too.

How to Do It

1. Use a tool like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest
2. Go to backlink analytics
3. Type in your competitor's domain
4. Click "referring domains"
5. You'll see every single website linking to them

The Magic Part

A lot of those links will be free directories, associations, or industry listings that will happily list your business too.

Instead of starting from scratch, you're following a proven roadmap of what's already working in your niche. It's a shortcut—you don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just put yourself everywhere your competitors already are.

Australian Context

For Australian businesses, look for:

• Industry-specific Australian directories
• Local Business and Council listings
• Australian Business Register
• State-based business directories
• Industry association websites
• Local council business listings

This strategy helps you get as many of the same backlinks your competitors have, which puts you on an even playing field. The next three strategies will tilt that playing field in your favor.

Strategy #3: Brand Mentions Without Links

This is one of the easiest wins because the hard work is already done for you.

Think about it: if a website has already mentioned your brand or business, they clearly know who you are and probably like what you do. The only problem is that sometimes they forget to actually link back to your website even though they're mentioning your brand.

How to Find These Opportunities

Go to Google and type this in exactly: 

"your brand name" -site:yourwebsite.com.au

So if your brand is "Melbourne Plumbing Services," you'd type:

"Melbourne Plumbing Services" -site:melbourneplumbing.com.au

What this does: It shows you all the pages on the internet that mention your brand name (the thing in quotes), but excludes your own website (because of the minus sign).

What to Do Next

1. Scroll through the results
2. Look for places where you're mentioned but there's no link
3. Reach out to that website owner
4. Politely ask if they can make your name clickable back to your website

Email template:

Hi [Name],

I noticed you mentioned [Your Business] in your article about [Topic] at [URL]. Thank you for the mention!

I wondered if you'd be willing to add a link to our website ([yourwebsite.com.au]) where you mention us? It would help readers learn more about our services.

Either way, thanks for featuring us in your article.

Cheers, [Your Name]

Most of the time, they'll say yes because they were already talking about you anyway. Just like that, you've turned a simple mention into a powerful backlink with almost zero effort.

Strategy #4: The Reverse Outreach Strategy

This strategy is the easiest way to get backlinks for free with the least amount of effort. No cold emailing or outreach is needed.

The only caveat? You can't force this one. You need to wait for people to reach out to you.

How It Works

Eventually, you'll get people emailing you out of the blue asking for a backlink. They'll either start with "I love your content" or "I've been following your blog for a while" or "Let's collaborate."

They just want a link.

Most people either ignore these emails or just say no. But here's how to turn them into a win-win.

The Response Template

Hey [Name],

Happy to consider adding a link, but I'll need a link from a third-party site in return (not a reciprocal link from your site).

If you can arrange that, I'm happy to discuss further.

Cheers, [Your Name]

These people are emailing hundreds, if not thousands, of other websites. If they can get a link on your website for their client, they'll usually happily give you a link for free. And they'll do all the guest posting and writing for you.

Why This Works

Google doesn't like when websites just link to each other. That's called reciprocal linking, and it looks unnatural—you're just swapping links at that point.

But if the link is coming from a third-party website, it's not suspicious. Now both of you walk away with more backlinks.

As you get more traffic and become more popular, you'll get more of these emails, which helps you grow exponentially. It's basically how the rich get richer.

So the next time you get an email asking to collaborate or for a backlink, don't ignore it. Flip it into an opportunity to get a free high-quality backlink for yourself.

Strategy #5: Create Link-Worthy Content

This strategy is the most powerful of them all, but it's also the one most people overlook: creating content that's so helpful that people want to link to it automatically.

We're talking about:

• In-depth guides (2,000+ words)
• Original research or surveys
• Comprehensive tutorials
• Downloadable checklists or templates
• Industry resources that answer exact questions your audience is asking

When you put something like that out into the world, it naturally attracts backlinks without needing to send a single outreach email.

Examples of Link-Worthy Content

For a plumbing business:

• "Complete Guide to Preventing Burst Pipes in Australian Winters"
• "Cost Breakdown: What Every Plumbing Job Should Actually Cost"
• "DIY Plumbing Checklist: What You Can Fix Yourself (And When to Call a Pro)"

For a marketing business:

• "The Complete Digital Marketing Budget Calculator for Australian Small Businesses"
• "2025 Australian Social Media Demographics: Original Research"
• "SEO Checklist: 127 Points to Audit Your Website"

For a retail store:

• "The Ultimate Buying Guide to [Your Product Category]"
• "How to Choose the Right [Product] for Australian Conditions"
• "Product Comparison: We Tested 15 Options So You Don't Have To"

Why This Works

This isn't a quick hack. It takes time and patience, but once that content gets out there, it keeps working for you 24/7.

Quality content naturally attracts backlinks as people:

• Cite it as a source in their own articles
• Share it with their audience
• Reference it in social media posts
• Bookmark it as a resource

The ultimate long game: One piece of content can continue earning links for months or even years, and those backlinks compound over time.

If you focus on just one strategy from this guide, make it this one. Create genuinely helpful content, and the links will come to you.

Your Implementation Plan

Don't try to do all five strategies at once. Here's a realistic approach:

Month 1: Low-Hanging Fruit

• Week 1: Search for brand mentions without links (Strategy #3)
• Week 2: Reach out to 5-10 sites to request links
• Week 3: Audit competitor backlinks (Strategy #2)
• Week 4: Submit to 5 easy directories your competitors use

Month 2: Guest Posting

• Week 1: Find 10 guest posting opportunities (Strategy #1)
• Week 2: Pitch 5 sites with specific topic ideas
• Week 3: Write your first guest post
• Week 4: Write your second guest post

Month 3: Content Creation

• Week 1-2: Plan your link-worthy content piece (Strategy #5)
• Week 3-4: Create and publish that cornerstone content

Ongoing: Reverse Outreach

• Respond to collaboration emails as they come in (Strategy #4)
• Keep this as a passive ongoing strategy

Why Backlinks Matter for Australian Businesses

The Australian market is competitive, especially in major cities. Backlinks from other Australian websites carry particular weight for local search rankings.

Google looks at where your backlinks come from geographically. If you're a Melbourne-based business, backlinks from other Melbourne or Victorian websites send stronger local signals than backlinks from overseas sites.

Focus on:

• Local news publications
• Australian industry associations
• State-based business directories
• Local blogs and community websites
• Australian chambers of commerce

These local backlinks not only help your overall domain authority but also reinforce your local relevance to Google.

Want to Learn More About SEO?

Backlinks are just one component of a comprehensive SEO strategy. At 20 Minute Marketing, we offer digital marketing courses specifically designed for Australian small businesses that cover everything from technical SEO to content marketing and link building strategies.

Our courses are practical, actionable, and designed for business owners who need results, not theory. Learn the complete SEO framework that helps businesses dominate their local markets.

The Bottom Line

Backlinks aren't optional if you want to rank on Google. But getting them doesn't have to be complicated or expensive.

Start with one strategy this week:

• Find brand mentions without links
• Audit a competitor's backlinks
• Pitch one guest post
• Plan one piece of link-worthy content
• Respond strategically to the next collaboration email

Each backlink you earn compounds. The site with 100 quality backlinks isn't just slightly better than the site with 10—it's exponentially more authoritative in Google's eyes.

Your competitors are either ignoring this entirely or doing it wrong. That's your opportunity.

Ready to master SEO and build a comprehensive digital marketing strategy? Explore our digital marketing courses at 20 Minute Marketing designed for Australian small businesses.