For years, marketers have been told that backlinks are the holy grail of SEO—and they’re not wrong. But the way most businesses go about link building is completely backward.
If you’ve been told to send thousands of cold emails begging for backlinks, or to wait around hoping other sites will “naturally” link to you, you’ve been given outdated advice. These strategies don’t work at scale, and they keep small businesses stuck in SEO limbo.
At All Great Things, we’re changing how link building is done. Instead of waiting for backlinks, you create them yourself. Our platform gives businesses and bloggers a real way to build high-quality, authoritative links without the frustration of outreach or the risks of black-hat tactics.
The Different Types of Link Building (and Why Most Don’t Work for Small Businesses)
There are many ways to build backlinks, but not all of them are realistic for most businesses. Let’s break them down.
1. Natural Backlinks (AKA: The SEO Fairy Tale)
This is the method SEO agencies love to push:
• Write amazing content.
• Wait for people to discover it.
• Get backlinks automatically.
Sounds great in theory, right? The problem? It almost never happens. Unless you’re already a major authority or you have a built-in audience, your content will sit unnoticed in the depths of the internet.
Reality: This is not a scalable link-building strategy for businesses that actually want to grow.
2. Outreach-Based Link Building (Time-Consuming & Low Success Rate)
Another popular method is email outreach:
• Find other websites in your industry.
• Send hundreds or thousands of emails asking them to link to your content.
• Hope for a response.
The truth? Outreach link building has an extremely low success rate. Even if you hire an agency to do this for you, you’re lucky if 5% of your emails get a reply—let alone an actual link. And the links you do get? They often come with a price tag.
Reality: Outreach can work, but it’s expensive, time-consuming, and often leads to low-quality links.
3. Guest Posting (A Good Strategy, But Hard to Scale)
Guest posting is a legitimate way to build backlinks:
• Write high-quality articles for other websites.
• Include a link back to your site within the content.
• Get exposure + a backlink.
The problem? It’s time-intensive—most sites require well-written, original content, and getting approved can be difficult.
Reality: A good method if you have time to write for other websites, but not an efficient way to build multiple links quickly.
How All Great Things Helps You Build Backlinks the Right Way
Instead of waiting for backlinks, begging for them, or risking penalties, All Great Things lets you take control.
Here’s how:
• Create content on a high-quality, SEO-friendly platform.
• Add backlinks to your own website naturally within your articles.
• Build authority over time by consistently publishing content with links back to your site.
• Leverage AI-optimized content to ensure your posts are structured for search engines and AI-driven results.
Our approach makes link building scalable, natural, and effective. No outreach, no begging, no waiting around for strangers to link to you. Just real, actionable backlinks that actually move the needle.
Why Most Link-Building Strategies Fail
• Relying on “natural” backlinks – If you don’t already have authority, this won’t work.
• Cold outreach is exhausting – You’re either ignored or asked to pay for links.
• Buying links can backfire – If Google detects paid links, your rankings can drop overnight.
Who Needs a Smarter Link-Building Strategy?
• Small businesses who need backlinks without the hassle.
• Bloggers and content creators who want to rank faster.
• Startups and entrepreneurs who don’t have time for outdated outreach tactics.
• Anyone tired of SEO advice that doesn’t work in the real world.
The Bottom Line
Backlinks are the foundation of SEO—but how you build them matters. Instead of wasting time on outreach, waiting for links to appear, or risking penalties with shady tactics, All Great Things gives you a direct way to build backlinks on a high-quality platform.
With All Great Things, you don’t just write content—you build authority, improve search rankings, and take control of your SEO strategy.
Want to take control of your link-building strategy? See our plans here.
Need expert help? I work directly with businesses and brands to create SEO strategies that actually work. Hire me here.