How Many Backlinks Do I Need To Rank? Here’s The Answer

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One question I get asked all the time is…

“How many backlinks do I need to rank this page in Google?”

Most website owners understand that backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors for Google.

The thing is…building backlinks is hard work and requires a lot of time, money and effort.

So how do you know how many backlinks you need to build?

Well I’m going to show you the 3 step process for working out exactly how many links you need to build to rank any page of your website for any keyword.

How Many Links Do I Need To Build?

An established website has around 40-50 backlinks to its homepage, and individual pages have 0-100 backlinks. Too few backlinks will make Google consider your site less relevant and too many will raise suspicion of manipulation.

The ideal number depends on your niche and competitors.

I wish there was a blanket answer to this question. But the truth is there isn’t.

Every single keyword, niche and search result is different.

You need to spend the time calculating the number of backlinks you actually need but thankfully it is much easier to do than it sounds!

Just follow these 3x steps:

Step 1: Determine Which Pages You Need To Build Backlinks To

Not every page is worth building backlinks to.

Surprising, isn’t it?

So, let me show you how to find those pages:

Step 2: Calculate The Backlink Gap Between You And Your Competitors

Now that you have your shortlist of target keywords, you can calculate the “link gap”.

The link gap is the number of backlinks you need to build to rank in the top 3 spots on Google for a given keyword.

This is ultimately where you want to be.

Think about it…

Once you know how many links you need, you can figure out:

1. How much it will cost.
2. How long it will take.

The process is pretty simple:

The next step?

Build the links you need!

Step 3: Start Building Your Backlinks

Link building is the trickiest part for many SEOs.

Some people feel comfortable enough to do it themselves (see method #1) while others prefer to outsource it (see method #2).

Depending on your own business needs, choose the best method for you.

Method #1: Replicate Your Competitors’ Best Backlinks

Backlink Analysis link building is my favourite link building strategy.

And it consistently brings me the best results in the shortest amount of time.

First, you want to find your top competitors in the search results. To do so, just do a quick Google search for your target keyword:

The top-ranking websites are your key competitors.

Take the top 5 competitor ranking for your target keyword and use Ahrefs to do a complete backlink analysis of those sites.

Read my Ahrefs review to learn how to do it.

This will help you identify their “best backlinks” (aka the backlinks you want to replicate).

Now you have all the data you need.

The last step is to see how they obtained the link. Was it a…

Whatever it was, you are trying to replicate it.

For example, if it was a guest post, just reach out to the website and pitch a guest post. Pretty simple, right?

Here’s why this works so well:

1. If a website linked to your competitor, they are more likely to link to you as well.
2. It allows you to get more high-quality links with much less effort.

Follow my complete backlink analysis link building tutorial to see the full process:

Method #2: Order The Links You Need To Rank

I said it before and I will say it again:

“Link building is hard work.”

Even with a great link building strategy, it takes time and dedication to see good results.

That’s why many business owners outsource their link building needs to reputable link building services.

The benefit is you can calculate the number of links you need to rank, and then simply go and buy them. It doesn’t get any easier than that, right?

The best link building service I can recommend is LinksThatRank (my own service).

LinksThatRank has the highest quality control process of any link building service around.

Each link we build is:

That’s how we are able to consistently get results like this for our clients:

Why Do I Need To Build Backlinks?

Link building has become an essential part of SEO.

Without building high-quality links, it will be difficult for you to rank for competitive keywords. Here are 3x big reasons you need to build more backlinks.

Backlinks Can Help You Move Your Rankings Up

Google views links like endorsements (or votes).

Think about it:

The more endorsements you have from other websites that Google trusts, the higher you will rank. Make sense, right?

The key is building links from other high authority sites.

Part of that authority is passed onto your website, which means Google is more likely to rank your site in the SERPs.

Backlinks Can Help You Get More Search Traffic

What happens when your website ranks higher?

Simple – you get more organic traffic.

And the best part?

This traffic is highly targeted.

When you rank for relevant and high-value keywords you can be confident that you are getting quality traffic.

Backlinks Can Help You Increase Your Authority

Authority is a measurement of how likely you are to rank in Google.

Higher number = More authority.

If you want to increase domain authority you need to build more backlinks. This is how you create a competitive advantage in the SERPs.

When you have a strong authority website, it will be:

Link building gives you an advantage that is not easily taken away.

That’s what makes it so powerful (and important).

Wrapping It Up

There you have it.

Now you know how to accurately calculate how many backlinks you need to build to rank any page for any keyword on Google.

The only thing you have to do is use the 3x step process above to consistently rank your high-value website pages for the right keywords.

Don’t have time to build backlinks?

Consider buying backlinks!