07-05-2025
How to Manage Link Building for a New Website on a Budget
Starting a new website can feel exciting, but also a little overwhelming. You've got your site up and running, maybe you've written a few blog posts, and now you're wondering: 'How do I actually get people to find this thing?'
That's where link building comes in. It's one of the most important ways to help your site show up in Google. But when you're just starting out, you probably don't have a lot of money to spend on SEO. The good news? You don't need a huge budget to build links. You just need the right approach.
In this post, I'll walk you through how to manage link building for a new website without spending a ton. Everything here is simple, doable, and budget-friendly. Let's get into it.
1. Start With Good, Useful Content
Before you even think about links, take a look at your content. Is it helpful? Is it answering real questions people might have?
If you're just throwing up blog posts without much thought, it's going to be harder to get people to link to them. But if you write something useful like a how-to guide, a list of tips, or a beginner's guide to something, other websites are more likely to link to it naturally.
Examples of easy-to-create content:
● Step-by-step guides (like 'How to Fix a Slow WordPress Site')
● Lists ('10 Free Tools for Social Media Marketing')
● Beginner guides ('SEO Basics for Small Business Owners')
● Checklists or templates (people love saving these!)
You don't need to be a writing expert. Just write the way you talk, and focus on being helpful.
2. Use Free Link Building Methods First
There are a bunch of ways to get backlinks without spending any money. They take time, but they're worth it, especially when your budget is tight.
HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
HARO is a free service where journalists ask for sources. You sign up, check your email for requests, and if you have something useful to say, you send it in. If they use your quote, they'll often link to your site.
Business directories
These include sites like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, and industry-specific directories. Even if the links are no-follow, they still help build trust and visibility.
Forums and communities
Find forums, Facebook groups, or subreddits related to your topic. Be helpful, answer questions, and drop your link only when it actually adds value. Don't spam.
Quora and Reddit
These platforms have tons of traffic. If you write helpful answers and include a link to your site (when it makes sense), you can get both traffic and backlinks over time.
3. Use a Link Building Platform (Quick, Scalable, and Budget-Friendly)
If you don't have time for outreach or just want a faster option, link building platforms can help. They've already done the hard work of finding real websites that accept backlinks or guest posts. Platforms like Link Publishers connect you with trusted site owners, bloggers, niche publishers, and editors - who regularly publish paid content. It saves you the hassle of cold emails and negotiations, while still getting you links from credible, relevant websites.
Here's how it works:
1. Select your niche: Whether you're in tech, finance, health, travel, or another industry, you can filter websites based on relevance.
2. Set your budget: Most platforms list websites with prices ranging from $20 to several hundred dollars, depending on the site's authority, traffic, and backlink quality.
3. Review metrics: You can often see important SEO data like Domain Authority (DA), organic traffic, spam score, and link placement type (contextual, sidebar, bio, etc.).
4. Choose a site and submit your content: Some platforms let you provide your own article, while others offer content writing services as part of the package.
5. Place your order and track results: Once your link is published, many platforms give you live URLs and even basic performance tracking.
That's it. No emails, no outreach, no guessing. It's a great way to get quality links even if you're not an SEO expert. And since you can sort by price, it's easy to stay within your budget.
4. Try Guest Posting Without Going Overboard
Guest posting means writing a blog post for someone else's website, usually with a link back to your site. It's still one of the most reliable ways to build links, even today.
You don't have to pay for it either. Just find blogs in your niche and email them something simple like:
'Hey [Name], I really enjoy your blog. I was wondering if you're open to guest posts? I'd love to write something useful for your readers. Let me know!'
Start small, maybe one or two guest posts a month. It adds up.
5. Don't Forget Internal Links
Internal links are the links you add within your own site like linking one blog post to another related one. A lot of people skip this, but it's actually a smart move.
Why it helps:
● It spreads link value across your pages
● It helps Google understand your site structure
● It keeps visitors on your site longer
The best part? It costs nothing and takes just a few minutes to do.
6. Repurpose Your Content to Get More Reach
Let's say you wrote a blog post. Instead of stopping there, turn it into other things:
● A quick video (post it on YouTube)
● A LinkedIn post or Twitter thread
● A graphic or mini infographic
● A PDF or checklist for sharing
These give you more chances to get shared or linked. And if someone finds your repurposed content helpful, they might link back to the original blog post.
7. Keep Track of What's Working
You don't need fancy tools to track your progress. Just keep things simple.
Free tools to use:
● Google Search Console: See what keywords your site is showing up for.
● Dofollow/Nofollow Link Checker – Use this tool to check if backlinks are dofollow or nofollow.
● Ubersuggest (free version): Get backlink data and keyword ideas.
● Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (free): Great for checking backlinks and site health.
Check once a week or once a month. If you notice certain pages are getting more links, maybe focus more on that type of content.
8. Stay Consistent - Even if It's Slow
Link building doesn't give overnight results. Especially for new websites, it can take a few months before things really start moving.
But if you stay consistent, even if that means building just 2 or 3 links a month. You'll see progress. And once your site starts ranking, the traffic you get can make all that effort totally worth it.
Final Thoughts
You don't need a big budget to build backlinks. What you really need is a bit of time, some patience, and a smart approach. Start with the free stuff: write helpful content, do some outreach, try HARO and business listings. It's all about building slowly and staying consistent. Even with a small budget, your website can grow one good link at a time.
