You’ve probably heard the saying, “Attention is the new currency.” But with everyone competing for attention on the digital front, how can you keep ranking with search engine optimization (SEO)?
Backlinks (or inbound links). Not run-of-the-mill, low-quality links that can get you penalized without you even knowing. But premium backlinks from highly authoritative websites that serve real users. When you secure these links, you’re not chasing rankings. You’re building relationships and, as a result, building digital authority.
Acquiring premium backlinks is part of our ranking and authority strategy. In this article, we break down our process of acquiring premium backlinks with four proven methods.
How we measure backlink quality
There are a lot of different ways to measure the quality of a backlink, but here’s the common-sense question we use to gauge quality. It’s ultimately the question that Google is trying to answer with its algorithm:
Is this link, content, page, and website created to serve real users?
With that question in mind, here’s how we categorize link quality.
Low-quality backlinks are links from websites created solely for the purpose of providing backlinks.
Mid-tier backlinks are links from websites that were originally made for a human audience but have drifted toward anti-user practices. Common examples include ad farms, paid link placements, and/or a large volume of link swaps, all of which hurt the user experience.
High-quality backlinks are links from websites that were initially designed for AND remain actively focused on real human users. These links are always helpful and contextually relevant to the user.
Premium backlinks are the same as high-quality backlinks but with the added feature of being placed on very high-authority websites. Backlinks from these websites provide a significantly higher lift in authority to the destination website compared to a high-quality link from an average website.
| Link Type | Percentage of Industry Backlinks | Average Value In 2020 | Average Value In 2025 | Average Price in 2020 | Average Price In 2025 |
| Low-quality backlinks | 45% | 1/10 | 0/10 | $50 | $100 |
| Mid-tier backlinks | 35% | 4/10 | 2/10 | $200 | $300 |
| High-quality backlinks | 14% | 7/10 | 8/10 | $600 | $800 |
| Premium backlinks | 1% | 9/10 | 10/10 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
But how do you measure the quality of a backlink?
We conducted a survey of 800 SEO marketers. 63.5% agree that domain authority and site traffic are the most vital metrics when choosing sites for backlink collaboration.
Premium backlink method #1: Recurring Columnist Contributions
Traditional guest blogging primarily involves writing guest pieces for as many sites as possible in exchange for a backlink. This approach is outdated because of the following:
- Diminishing returns: Today, guest posts are more transactional than authoritative. Websites that regularly accept one-off posts resemble link farms. As a result, this lowered the overall authenticity and SEO value of these backlinks.
- Inconsistencies: Even the most optimized single post cannot compete against recurring contributions. One-off posts do not increase authority, while recurring contributions build a deeper relationship between the publication and its audience.
- Spammy associations: Google noticed how the rise of paid guest posts and link networks led to the practice of writing low-quality content. Such content does not help search engine users. Instead, it tries to hack its way into the top SERP positions without any merit. As a result, Google’s algorithms are heavily penalizing low-quality content, regardless of how many backlinks it has.
In fact, a study by Ahrefs suggests that very few sites with a high domain rating ask for payment in exchange for guest posts. In the chart below, it’s clear that the sites exchanging payment for posts are mostly low authority.
However, since buying links goes against Google’s policies, risking getting penalized in exchange for links from potentially worthless sites doesn’t make much sense.
At uSERP, we build relationships with leading publications that enable us to get recurring columnist spots. This allows us to place our clients’ links in their niche’s top publications.
Here’s how we do this:
- High-quality content for real users: We create every piece with the sole focus of helping the target audience. Our content is informative, engaging, and valuable. We don’t practice keyword stuffing in the hopes of ranking first. As a result, the quality directly benefits both readers and search engines.
- Established expertise and authority: Regular columns strengthen an author’s or brand’s expertise. Over time, consistent contributions strengthen authority and signal to Google that our content is trustworthy and relevant.
- Consistent exposure and traffic: Recurring content generates referral traffic predictably and consistently. This not only improves search rankings but also increases user engagement. Readers come to expect and rely on these contributions. This increases their loyalty, making them more likely to share the articles organically because they trust the source.
- Opportunities for broader collaboration: One of the advantages of regular appearances on high-authority sites is becoming part of their inner circle. It opens the doors for partnerships, interviews, and other speaking arrangements. This type of collaboration boosts overall brand authority for these sites, our clients, and us, too.
Premium backlink method #2: Resource Addition Campaigns
Content is king, but only if it satisfies Google’s search signals (think E-E-A-T): experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. This is why creating certain types of content is a very effective way to acquire premium backlinks.
Resource addition campaigns are one way we do this. We develop and promote content on high-quality websites that other authority sites (and influencers) find extremely valuable. As a result, it becomes natural for them to link to our content.
It also gives us a chance to create long-form content. Resource addition campaigns are typically specific and newsworthy, so it’s easier to create long-form content that targets the reader’s needs. Having long-form content is crucial, as according to Search Engine Land, these pieces receive more backlinks and rank better in search engines than articles under 1000 words.
What makes a resource link-worthy content?
The secret behind a resource that receives backlinks is its inherent value to the audience. Here are several types of resources that tend to attract premium backlinks:
Original research
Data-driven research that provides the latest benchmarks or new insights can be extremely valuable. If you’re the first to develop these studies, other sites will link to your findings as a credible source. Plus, you get high spikes of other organic traffic (such as social media), with an opportunity to turn cold leads into close followers or customers.
Niche news and updates
Noticing or predicting trends in the industry and writing analysis pieces. This makes your piece of content a reference for others and adds to further discussion, increasing credibility and authority.
Expert commentary
Another way to get more noticeable in your niche is to write well-researched commentary and insights on current events and trends. Make sure to do it in a way that provides much more than plain, subjective opinions.
Industry statistics
Create high-quality datasets that others can rely on for accurate numbers. They can share this data, and your blog posts become the backbone of numerous external articles, all linking naturally to your website.
Curated content
This is content that highlights a brand’s strengths. It enhances the reputation of the creator and publisher while creating a stronger bond with the audience that matters.
Awards
Getting industry awards is another way of becoming link-worthy. It strengthens your authority and your brand. It also gets you noticed by other publishers in your niche who may have a higher authority and link back to you.
Inclusion in listicle content
Listicles can be the ultimate guides. Independent research by Anyword found that listicles can get 8X the click-through rate in comparison to non-listicle articles. Since SERP results from high-authority sites rank at the top, potential customers will likely click on those.
Making it to those “Top X” and “Best of” listicles earns solid backlinks that result in higher trustworthiness and potential revenue.
Premium visuals
Creating infographics, charts, and visual guides that simplify complex data in your niche, as you can see in the screenshot below. This makes it easier for other websites to use those images and link back to you as a reference.
Premium backlink method #3: Authority Ghostwriting Partners
According to Commerce Institute, the number of new business registrations yearly rose above 5 million. The more competition there is in an industry, the more difficult it becomes to earn recognition. Everyone ends up competing for the same target keywords and contextual links.
That’s why our Authority Ghostwriting Partners method focuses on bypassing the competition. Instead of just creating content that ranks better, we also leverage the established reputation of top industry experts to earn premium backlinks.
Here’s how we do this:
- We identify the experts in a niche and select those with proven expertise and a strong brand.
- We collaborate closely with these experts to create content under their name.
- We include relevant backlinks to our clients in the content. We maintain strict oversight throughout the process to ensure the content remains authentic, engaging, and fully aligned with the expert’s voice and our SEO objectives.
- We pitch the content in the expert’s name on high-authority sites. These sites are more receptive when the byline carries the expert’s name. This makes it easier for their editors to approve the content piece.
This method is a triple-win scenario.
- The expert is happy that we write content for them that they approve.
- The top-tier publications gain articles featured by the experts in the field, which brings them more organic traffic.
- Our clients gain natural backlinks from these top publications, which Google sees as trustworthy. The content also satisfies Google’s E-E-A-T. And since these contextual links become part of what the expert said, readers who trust the expert (and publication) are a lot more likely to trust our clients.
Premium backlink method #4: Link Reclamation Campaigns
Link Reclamation Campaigns are our approach to broken link building.
Broken links (or dead links) are hyperlinks on a website that no longer work. This usually happens because the destination page was moved or deleted.
Lost links are more common than you might think. A study by Ahrefs shows that 74.5% of SEO links are lost. The bigger the site, the more likely you have broken links.
Potential leads who click on a broken link typically land on a 404 error page. This can be frustrating and result in a poor user experience. It’s also an indication to search engines that the site owners are not properly maintaining the site. This can harm the site’s rankings.
Broken links mean both the source and destination sites lose equity. The destination site misses out on potential new leads as 404 pages discontinue the current conversation in the reader’s mind. Source sites miss out by directing visitors to invalid pages, potentially losing the reader. Any SEO value between the pages is also, of course, lost.
Fixing broken links via link reclamation campaigns has several benefits.
First, we restore lost link quality by replacing a broken link with newer resources. This adds new value for the users and improves the quality of the source page.
Secondly, we improve the user experience and signal to search engines that the site is reliable and actively managed. Over time, this increases organic traffic and overall SEO performance.
Here’s how we run these campaigns:
- Identify broken links: We use SEO tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to scan high-authority websites for broken or outdated links. These help us quickly identify opportunities for link reclamation campaigns.
- Create a high-quality replacement: Once we identify a broken link, we review the original content. Then, we create a better replacement piece that adds more value than the original one. We make sure to create a natural-sounding section that makes sense to be part of the article and links back to one of our clients’ sites.
- Outreach: Next, we contact the high-authority site. We send them proof of the broken link and show them how our replacement piece can add value to their page and their audience.
- Secure the link: After a successful conversation, the authority site replaces the broken link with our premium link. This results in immediate SEO benefits for our clients.
Final words
Low-quality links don’t work like they used to. That’s why we focus on building relationships and partnerships that result in premium backlinks for us and our clients, which, in turn, helps us deliver fantastic SEO results.
We have a tight system for checking every single link we get to ensure it’s top-notch. This includes considering things like whether the website linking back is relevant, how authoritative it is, and how the link fits into the bigger picture.
On top of that, we create high-quality content, and we’re always on the lookout for those valuable link opportunities that will really boost our clients’ rankings. This comprehensive approach helps us consistently deliver outstanding results, increasing our clients’ online visibility and bringing tons of organic traffic to their sites.
Ready to transform your digital presence? Book a consulting call with us today, and let’s take your SEO strategy to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions About Premium Link Building
Got more questions on link building? We’ve got answers!
1. What are the primary benefits of link building for SEO?
Link building is one of the most essential strategies for getting better search rankings. When quality websites link to your content, search engines see this as a signal that your site is trusted and valuable. This results in better organic search performance and higher referral traffic, which can lead to more conversions.
Quality link building also boosts your brand’s credibility by associating your site with authoritative sources. At uSERP, we focus on premium backlinks that serve real users and add lasting value to your digital presence. Feel free to revisit the section above about how we measure backlink quality.
2. How does link building boost organic search traffic?
Link building helps boost organic search traffic by establishing your site as a trusted authority. When high-authority websites link to your pages, search engines notice that your content is reliable, leading to higher rankings. As your rankings improve, more users will find your site via organic searches, resulting in a steady increase in traffic.
3. Why is acquiring high-quality backlinks important for my website?
Acquiring high-quality backlinks is crucial as they signal to search engines that your content is relevant and valuable. Links from trusted websites, especially premium backlinks, offer strong authority. Higher trust leads to better search rankings and visibility. This means there’s more organic traffic to your site.
In contrast, low-quality backlinks add little to no value to your authority rankings. They’re usually links from smaller sites that have little quality control. As we mentioned above in this article, Google has become a lot better at identifying low-quality links.
4. How do backlinks improve domain authority and search rankings?
Backlinks work like endorsements for your website. When reputable sites link to your content, search engines view your site as trustworthy and authoritative. This, in turn, improves your domain authority and helps your pages rank higher in search results. The quality of each backlink is essential, as premium backlinks from high-authority sources provide a significant lift.
Our process at uSERP ensures that every link we build is meaningful and serves real users, strengthening your site’s online profile. With better domain authority, your site earns higher visibility and more organic traffic. If you’d like to explore a personalized approach, consider booking a consulting call with uSERP.
5. What role does link building play in increasing online visibility?
Link building increases online visibility by connecting your site with other reputable sources in your industry. When respected websites link back to your website, it opens new channels for users to discover your brand. This higher visibility earns you direct referral traffic and improves search engine rankings.
The more high-quality links you earn, the more prominent your website will appear in search results. Our proven strategies, such as resource addition campaigns, boost visibility through consistent and quality link placements. Review our detailed article sections for further insights into these campaigns.
6. How can effective link building enhance brand credibility?
Effective link building enhances brand credibility by showing that reputable sites trust your content. When your content pages earn links from high-authority websites, this acts as an endorsement of your expertise and reliability. This boosts your reputation among both search engines and your target audience, making your brand appear more credible.
Our approach at uSERP ensures that every backlink is not only high-quality but also contextually relevant. This focus on premium backlinks builds long-term trust and positions your brand as a leader in your industry.
7. Can link building strategies lead to better conversion rates?
Yes, link building strategies can lead to better conversion rates by driving targeted traffic to your website. High-quality backlinks attract users who are already interested in your content, increasing the likelihood of converting visitors into customers. When reputable sources endorse your site, visitors are more likely to trust what you have to say.
Moreover, well-placed links improve search rankings and make it easier for visitors to interact with your content. Our premium backlink methods have been proven to enhance traffic and conversion rates over time. For more real-world examples, check out some of our case studies.
8. How long does it typically take to see measurable benefits from link building?
The benefits of link building are not always immediate, as it can take several months to see measurable changes in search rankings and organic traffic. Quality link building is a gradual process where every high-quality backlink builds authority over time. Many businesses begin to see initial improvements within three to six months, though the full impact often unfolds over a longer period.
Patience and consistency are crucial here. Methods like recurring columnist contributions and resource addition campaigns create lasting, cumulative benefits. But they also take time to work.
9. What are the risks of using poor-quality or spammy link building practices?
Using poor-quality or spammy link building practices can hurt your website’s SEO. Low-quality links, like those from irrelevant or spammy sites, can result in penalties from search engines and hurt your rankings. Our research (see section above How we measure backlink quality) shows that low-quality backlinks often score just 1/10 in value and add little to no benefit, making them risky to pursue.
Additionally, spammy practices can damage your brand’s reputation and erode trust among potential customers. At uSERP, we focus solely on ethical, user-focused link building strategies that build long-term value.
10. Which link building strategies offer the best long-term value for digital marketing?
Long-term value in digital marketing comes from strategies that focus on quality and genuine user engagement. Our premium backlink methods—such as recurring columnist contributions, resource addition campaigns, authority ghostwriting partners, and link reclamation campaigns—are designed to build sustained authority and trust.
These strategies deliver premium backlinks that improve search rankings and but also drive consistent referral traffic.
