Authority and backlinks
Link building.
Quality over quantity, every time.
Link building is the work of earning links from other websites to yours. Relevant links from trusted sites remain one of the strongest signals search engines use to judge authority.
- Covers
- Backlink audits, gap analysis, outreach
- Principle
- Relevant and trusted beats numerous
- Audit output
- A written report and an overview video
- Pricing
- Scoped and priced before work starts
Is this for you?
Is Link Building Right for You?
Link building suits sites whose content and technical health are sound, but which lack the authority to outrank competitors.
- Your pages are as good as the competition’s but rank below them
- Competitors have far more sites linking to them than you do
- You do not know what links you have, or whether any are harmful
- A previous agency built links you are not confident about
- Your most important pages have few or no links pointing at them
Sound familiar? Request a proposal
What Is Link Building?
Link building is the process of acquiring links from other websites, which search engines treat as votes of confidence in your content.
Not all votes are equal. A link from a respected site in your own sector carries far more weight than dozens from unrelated or low-quality ones, and poor links can do harm.
So the work is about earning the right links, to the right pages, at a natural pace.
What we do
What Does Our Link Building Service Include?
We audit the links you have, identify the ones you are missing, and earn new ones through foundational work, outreach and digital PR.
- 01
Backlink audit
A full review of your existing links: which help, which do nothing, and which may be holding you back.
- 02
Link gap analysis
The sites that link to your competitors but not to you, ranked by relevance and value.
- 03
Foundational links
Citations, profiles and directory listings that establish your business as a real, consistent entity.
- 04
Outreach
Guest articles and resources placed on relevant industry sites, pitched individually.
- 05
Digital PR
Stories and expert comment that earn editorial links. See digital PR.
- 06
Internal links
Making sure the authority you earn reaches the pages that need to rank.
What you get
What Will You Receive?
You receive a backlink audit, a list of target sites, the links themselves and a full record of what was earned.
Backlink audit report
A written report on your existing links, with an overview video talking you through it.
Link gap analysis
The sites linking to competitors and not to you, in priority order.
Target list
The pages that need authority and the sites worth approaching, agreed with you.
Earned links
Links on relevant, trusted sites, pointing at the pages that need them.
Actionable steps
A plan you can act on yourself, or ask us to carry out.
Link report
Every link earned, where it points and the effect on your rankings.
How it works
How Does Our Link Building Process Work?
We audit, set targets, earn the links and report on every one.
- 1
Audit
We review your backlink profile and compare it with the competitors outranking you.
- 2
Target
We agree which pages need authority and which sites are worth approaching.
- 3
Earn
We build foundational links and run outreach and PR to earn editorial ones.
- 4
Report
You see every link earned, where it points, and the effect on your rankings.
In depth
What Makes a Link Worth Having?
A link is worth having when it comes from a relevant, trusted site, was given editorially, and sends real visitors.
Search engines look at far more than whether a link exists. They weigh where it comes from, why it was given and what it says. Six signals do most of the work.
- 1RelevanceThe linking site covers your subject or sector.
- 2AuthorityThe site is itself trusted and well linked.
- 3Editorial placementSomeone chose to link, within real content.
- 4Anchor textThe words of the link describe your page naturally.
- 5Real audiencePeople actually read the page and click through.
- 6FreshnessNew links show a site is still earning attention.
In depth
Which Links Help and Which Can Harm?
Links earned from relevant sites at a natural pace help. Links bought in bulk from unrelated or low-quality sites can hold a site back.
Search engines have become good at spotting manipulation. A backlink audit separates the links working for you from the ones that are not, and is the first step in any link building we do.
| Links that help | Links that can harm | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Relevant sites in or near your sector | Unrelated or low-quality sites and networks |
| How earned | Editorially, for content worth citing | Bought in bulk or auto-generated |
| Anchor text | Varied and natural | The same keyword repeated |
| Pace | Steady, matching real attention | Sudden spikes with no cause |
Reporting
What Do We Measure and Report?
We report on outcomes you can check for yourself, not activity.
Referring domains
The number of distinct sites linking to you.
Link quality
The relevance and authority of each source.
Gap to competitors
How your profile compares with theirs.
Rankings
Movement for the pages the links support.
Which Link Signals Matter Most?
Search engines weigh the authority of the linking site, its relevance to your topic, the anchor text, how trusted it is, and how recent the link is.
A site linked to by many respected sources passes on more trust. Links from within your own sector count for more than links from unrelated ones. The words used in the link tell search engines what the page is about, and fresh links show that a site is still earning attention.
We use those signals to decide where effort is worth spending. If you are unsure about the links you already have, start with a backlink audit: you receive a written report and an overview video, with steps you can act on yourself or ask us to carry out.
Why Utterly Digital
No guesswork, just great results.
Specialists since 2018
Utterly Digital has focused on search since 2018, from our base in Cheltenham.
Tested, not guessed
Changes are measured. What works is kept and rolled out. What does not is dropped.
Sector depth
Deep experience in energy, insurance, debt, tech and SaaS, where trust is hardest to earn.
Clear scope and price
You know what you are getting, and what it costs, before any work starts.
Proof
The work, and what it achieved.
- Software development
Software Development UK
A new domain in a fiercely competitive sector that reached third place on google.co.uk for ‘software development company’.
Read the case study - Manufacturing
Selmach Machinery
An SEO audit for a machinery supplier. When the client asked for a re-audit later, it found very few concerns.
Read the case study
FAQs
Link Building: your questions answered
How many links do I need?
There is no fixed number. It depends on the gap between your site and the competitors outranking you. A link gap analysis shows what that gap is.
Can bad links harm my site?
Yes. Search engines focus on quality, and a profile full of low-quality or manipulative links can hold a site back. A backlink audit identifies them.
How is link building different from digital PR?
Digital PR is one way of earning links, through stories and expert comment in the media. Link building is the wider discipline, which also covers audits, foundational links and outreach.
How long before links make a difference?
It varies. Search engines need to find and assess each link, so the effect usually builds over weeks and months, not days.
Do you report on the links you build?
Yes. You receive a record of every link earned, where it points and the change in rankings for the pages it supports.
Link building
Request a link building proposal
Tell us about your site and the competitors you want to outrank. We will start with the gap between you.
We reply
A specialist reads your enquiry and comes back to you, not a sales script.
We agree the scope
A short call to confirm what you need, what is included and the price.
Work starts
Only once you are happy with the scope and have given the go-ahead.
Prefer to talk? 01242 323 543
Link building
Request a proposal