If you’ve ever tried to build backlinks for your website, you know it’s NOT always easy to get results. That’s where the tiered link building strategy comes in. In this guide, I’ll walk you through what tiered link building is, how it works, and why it might be the approach you’ve been missing.

You’ll learn about the different tiers of links—what goes into Tier 1, Tier 2, and even Tier 3. I’ll also break down how to build them step by step, what tools can help, and how to avoid common mishaps that can potentially hurt your site if you’re not careful. 

I’m keeping this simple and practical, so if you’re just starting out or looking to improve your current strategy, you’re on the right page. Let’s take the guesswork out of tiered link building and break it down together!

What is Tiered Link Building?

Tiered link building is a strategy in which we build links to our links instead of just building links directly to our website.

Think of it as creating multiple layers of support for your main website. A tree has a trunk (your website), big branches coming off it (your first layer of links), and then smaller branches coming off those (your second layer).

I started using this approach years ago when I noticed that our direct backlinks weren’t getting the attention they deserved from search engines. By creating this multi-level structure, I passed more power to my main site and saw better rankings.

The concept is simple: instead of just focusing on getting links to your website (which can be challenging and expensive, trust me), you also work on getting links to the pages that link to you. This creates an SEO “link pyramid”—a” structure with your website at the top, supported by layers of links underneath.

At the base of your pyramid, you have lots of easy-to-get Tier 3 links. These aren’t very powerful on their own, but there are many of them. They point to your Tier 2 links, which are medium quality and moderate in number.

Finally, the Tier 2 links point to your Tier 1 links, which are your highest-quality backlinks that point directly to your website.

Why does this work?

When a certain page links to another relevant page, it conveys some of its authority or “link juice” to the specific pages it links to. So, if we get lots of links pointing to our Tier 1 backlinks, those Tier 1 links become stronger and pass more SEO authority to our main site.

The Tier Structure Explained

Let’s discuss the lowdown on each tier so you can understand exactly how to build tiered links.

Tier 1: Direct, High-Quality Backlinks

Tier 1 backlinks are the prime cut among the links because they take users straight to your website. I ensure they are always of top-notch quality because they directly impact your rankings.

For my Tier 1 links, I look for:

• Websites with high domain authority (typically DA 40+)
• Sites that are relevant to my niche
• Pages with low outbound links (ideally under 100)
• Sites that have real traffic and engagement
• Natural editorial links when possible

A good Tier 1 backlink structure might come from a guest post written on a respected industry blog, a feature in an online publication, or a resource page listing. Although difficult to obtain, these are worthwhile.

It’s crucial to remember that these links must appear entirely natural because they lead straight to your website. I never utilize exact match anchor text for greater than 5–10% of these links; instead, I use more natural variations, branding anchors, or naked URLs.

If you’re looking for expert help with building Tier 1 links, you might want to check out professional SEO agencies like The Blueprints, which specialize in safe and effective manual link building strategies.

Tier 2: Boosting Tier 1 Links

The true beauty of tiered link building emerges here. These links are directed to your Tier 1 links with the ultimate goal of boosting their power rather than your main website.

For my Tier 2 links, I typically use:

• Guest posts on medium authority blogs (DA 20-40)
• Niche edits (adding links to existing content)
• Web 2.0 properties (like Medium, Tumblr, or WordPress.com)
• Profile links from respected platforms
• Social bookmarking sites

The key with Tier 2 is volume and relevance. I get at least 5-10 Tier 2 links pointing to each of my Tier 1 links. This multiplies the power that gets passed to my main site.

Since these links don’t point directly to your money site, you can be slightly aggressive with anchor text. I might use exact match keywords about 20-30% of the time here, but I still try to keep things looking relatively natural.

Tier 3: Volume, Low Authority Links

At the bottom of our pyramid, we have Tier 3 links. These are the easiest to get but also the lowest in quality. Their job is simply to boost the power of your Tier 2 links.

For Tier 3, I use:

• Forum comments and signatures
• Blog comments
• Social media posts
• Social bookmarking sites
• Article directories
• Press releases
• Web 2.0 blogs with less content

With Tier 3, it’s all about quantity. You can create 50-100 links pointing to each Tier 2 property. Since they’re three steps from your main site, you can be more experimental with anchor text, though I still detest making my link profile look spammy.

The advantage of this approach is that if any of these lower-quality links were to be penalized, it wouldn’t have an immediate effect on your main website. It works similarly to a buffer that gives your main website an extra layer of security.

How the Tiers Work Together

Think of your link pyramid like a power grid. The electricity (link authority) starts at many small power stations (Tier 3 links), gets combined at regional substations (Tier 2 links), and then flows through major transmission lines (Tier 1 links) before finally reaching your home (your website).

Here’s a simple breakdown of how each tier typically looks:

Tier	Quantity	Quality	Target	Risk Level
Tier 1	10-20	Highest	Your website	Low (must be natural)
Tier 2	50-200	Medium	Tier 1 links	Medium
Tier 3	300-1000	Low	Tier 2 links	High

The power of this approach is that it creates a natural-looking link profile. When Google sees that your site has a few very high-quality backlinks and that those backlinks themselves have strong link profiles, it views your site as more trustworthy.

When done correctly, this technique—which I’ve been doing for years—can significantly improve your ranks without raising any red flags with search engines. Patience and balance are crucial; avoid building too many links too soon and always prioritize the quality of your Tier 1 links.

In the next section, we’ll look at why you might want to use this strategy and the benefits it can contribute to your website’s SEO performance.

Why Use Tiered Link Building?

Reason #1: Authority Stacking

The main reason I use tiered link building is simple: it multiplies the power of each backlink.

When I started with SEO, I spent weeks securing a single high-quality link only to see minimal ranking improvements. That’s when I realized I needed to make those hard-earned links work harder for me.

It is like this: getting one powerful link from a DA 70 site is excellent. But if that same site has dozens of quality links pointing to it, the authority it passes to you becomes much stronger. By building links to your links, you’re stacking layers of authority that all funnel toward your main site.

I’ve seen pages jump from page 3 to page 1 just by focusing on boosting my existing Tier 1 links rather than chasing new ones.

Reason #2: Improving Backlink ROI

Let’s be honest – getting top-tier backlinks is expensive and time-consuming.

Whether I pay for guest posts or spend hours on outreach, those Tier 1 links represent a significant investment. Tiered link building helps me get more value from that investment.

Instead of paying for another $500 guest posting for backlinks, I can spend $100 boosting an existing link and often see better results. It’s like choosing between buying a new car or upgrading your current one to make it perform better.

For every dollar I spend on Tier 2 and Tier 3 links, I’ve seen about a 3x return compared to spending that same amount on more Tier 1 links. This approach allows your SEO budget to stretch further.

Reason #3: Avoiding Direct Risk to Money Pages

One of the best benefits of tiered link building is risk management. Google updates have crushed many websites that built questionable links directly to their money pages. With tiered link building, I keep risky tactics at least one step behind my main site.

If I try some aggressive link building tactics at Tier 3 and they get penalized, the penalty will affect those pages, not my website. It’s like establishing a buffer zone that safeguards your most valuable asset.

Let me reiterate, though, that this doesn’t permit me to be reckless. However, it does give me room to test different strategies without putting my entire business at risk.

This added step of protection is crucial, especially for clients with stricter compliance requirements.

Tools & Platforms to Use

You’ll need the right tools to make tiered link building work efficiently. Here are the best ones I rely on daily:

Link Building Outreach Tools

For my Tier 1 links, quality outreach is essential. These automated backlink tools have saved me countless hours:

• Respona: Respons is my go-to for finding relevant sites and automating personalized outreach. The AI helps craft emails that get better responses.
• Pitchbox: Great for larger campaigns. Their follow-up sequences have increased my response rates by about 30%.
• Hunter.io: Hunter.io helps me find the correct contact information quickly.

I typically start with a list of 100 prospects to get 10 quality placements. These tools make managing that process much easier.

Web 2.0 Generators

For Tier 2 and 3 links, I need to create content across multiple platforms quickly:

• RankerX: RankerX is a more beginner-friendly tool that lets me build various Web 2.0 blogs and social profiles with content scheduling.
• WordAi: I use this to spin content for different platforms, so I don’t post identical articles everywhere.
• Medium, Tumblr, and WordPress: These are primary platforms for manual Tier 2 links.

A word of caution: QUALITY still matters here. I always review automated content before it goes live.

Indexing Tools

Getting your links indexed by Google is crucial – unindexed links provide NO value:

• IndexNow: Works well for getting Tier 1 and 2 links indexed quickly.
• Ping services: I use these for Tier 3 links to signal their existence to search engines.
• Google Search Console URL Inspection: For manually submitting important Tier 1 links.

About 30% of backlinks never get indexed without taking these extra steps.

Tracking & Analytics

You can’t improve what you don’t measure:

• Ahrefs: I check weekly to monitor new and lost backlinks across all tiers.
• Google Search Console: This helps me see the actual impact on search visibility.
• Linkody: Great for tracking link velocity and spotting patterns.
• Simple spreadsheets: I keep everything organized with dates, tiers, and status updates.

I set aside every Friday morning to review these metrics and adjust my strategy accordingly. This consistency has been key to my success.

How to Build Each Tier (Step-by-Step)

Tier 1: How to Earn or Build High-Quality Links

For Tier 1, focus on quality over quantity. Here’s my process:

1. Create linkable assets first
   • Develop comprehensive guides, original research, or useful tools
   • Make sure they genuinely provide value to your target audience

2. Identify relevant prospects
   • Look for sites with DA 30+ that have linked to similar content
   • Focus on sites where your content would be a natural fit

3. Personalized outreach
   • Study their site before reaching out
   • Reference specific articles they’ve written
   • Explain clearly why your content would benefit their readers

4. Follow up – but don’t be annoying
   • I send a maximum of 2-3 follow-ups spaced 3-7 days apart
   • My second email is usually shorter and includes a question

5. Nurture relationships
   • After a successful placement, stay in touch
   • Share their content and look for future opportunities

For my most recent campaign, I sent 87 personalized emails, got 23 responses, and secured 14 high-quality placements. The key was presenting them with content that genuinely added value to their site.

Tier 2: Strategies for Building Contextual Support Links

For Tier 2, I balance quality and quantity:

1. Create themed content clusters
   • Develop 5-10 articles around the same topic as your Tier 1 content
   • Each article should be 700-1000 words and provide useful information

2. Publish on medium-authority platforms
   • Medium, LinkedIn articles, and industry forums
   • Web 2.0 sites like WordPress.com, Blogger, and Tumblr
   • Niche-specific publishing platforms

3. Add contextual links naturally
   • Link to your Tier 1 content where it naturally adds value
   • Use varied anchor text (exact match, partial match, branded, naked URL)
   • Include other outbound links to authority sites for naturalness

4. Supplement with profile links
   • Create profiles on relevant industry sites
   • Add your Tier 1 links to author bios and profiles

5. Boost with social signals
   • Share each Tier 2 piece across social platforms
   • Use tools like Quuu Promote to get real social engagement

I typically create 5-10 Tier 2 links for each Tier 1 link, focusing on relevance and context. This natural approach helps avoid patterns that might trigger spam filters.

Tier 3: Automation and Volume-Based Tactics

For Tier 3, it’s all about volume and efficiency:

1. Prepare spun content
   • Create 3-5 base articles related to your Tier 2 content
   • Use spinning tools to generate unique variations
   • Keep readability in mind – I manually check samples

2. Set up automation
   • Use tools like SEnuke or GSA Search Engine Ranker
   • Start slowly and ramp up gradually (10-15 links per day)
   • Target forums, blog comments, and article directories

3. Focus on indexation
   • Submit links to ping services
   • Create sitemaps for Web 2.0 properties
   • Link Tier 3 properties together to improve crawlability

4. Monitor for issues
   • Check for spam flags or account shutdowns
   • Be ready to abandon platforms that show signs of trouble

5. Maintain proper ratios
   • I aim for roughly 10 Tier 3 links for each Tier 2 link
   • Keep the link velocity natural – sudden spikes look suspicious

The key to Tier 3 is consistency and patience. I spend 2-3 hours per week on this tier, mostly setting up automated processes and checking that everything runs smoothly.

Remember that even at Tier 3, extreme spam tactics can eventually harm your entire structure. I focus on creating content that might be thin but still serves some purpose beyond just hosting links.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

When I started with tiered link building, I made plenty of mistakes that cost me time and money. Here are the major ones you should avoid:

Mistake #1: Poor Quality Tier 1 Links

The biggest mistake I see is building a tiered structure on a weak foundation. I once tried to save money by using cheap, low-quality guest posts as my Tier 1 links. Even with hundreds of Tier 2 and 3 links supporting them, my rankings barely moved.

Your Tier 1 links are the backbone of your entire strategy. No amount of support links will make them effective if they’re on irrelevant sites, have thin content, or look spammy.

I’ve learned it’s better to have five amazing Tier 1 links than twenty mediocre ones.

Mistake #2: Over-Indexing

Another mistake I made was trying to get every single link indexed by Google. I spent hours submitting URLs, creating sitemaps, and building additional links to force Google to index low-quality Tier 3 content that wasn’t worth indexing in the first place.

Not only was this a waste of time, but it also created unnatural patterns. Search engines are designed to ignore certain types of low-value content. When you try too hard to force indexation, you draw attention to links that should stay under the radar.

Mistake #3: Not Tracking Link Performance

For months, I built links without proper tracking. I had no idea which backlink tiers or specific links were driving results. I was essentially working blind.

Now, I use a simple tracking system:

• Tag URLs with UTM parameters when possible
• Document when each link was built
• Check indexation status weekly
• Monitor how rankings change after new links

This tracking has shown me that about 60% of my links provide little value, while 20% drive most of my results. Without monitoring, I’d never know which was which.

Scaling Tiered Link Building

Once you’ve mastered tiered link building for one site, scaling it across multiple sites or for clients becomes the next challenge.

Here’s how I do it:

Systems for Agencies and Portfolio Owners

The key to scaling is having clear systems in place. I’ve developed a simple workflow:

1. Create templates for each tier (outreach emails, content frameworks, etc.)
2. Build a central dashboard tracking all sites and their link progress
3. Batch similar tasks across multiple sites (do all research, then all outreach)
4. Set realistic timelines; I allow 30-45 days for a full three-tier structure

When managing multiple sites, I focus on one tier at a time across all sites rather than completing all tiers for one site before moving to the next. This makes the process more efficient.

Smart Use of VAs and Automation

I couldn’t scale without help. Here’s how I divide the work:

Task	Who Handles It	Why
Tier 1 strategy & outreach	Me	Requires the most expertise
Content creation	Specialized writers	Quality matters here
Tier 2 publishing	Trained VA	Semi-skilled work
Tier 3 creation	Automation + general VA	Repetitive tasks
Monitoring & tracking	Me + tools	Critical for strategy

Having VAs specialize in specific parts of the process works better than having each VA manage entire campaigns. My content VA has become highly efficient at creating Web 2.0 articles. At the same time, my outreach VA has better response rates through specialization.

The most important thing is clear documentation. I have step-by-step guides with screenshots for every process, which makes training new team members much easier when someone leaves.

Final Thoughts

After years of using tiered link building, I can tell you it’s not a magic trick – it’s a strategy that works when done right.

Remember that your Tier 1 links are your foundation, your Tier 2 links amplify their power, and your Tier 3 links create volume while keeping risk at a distance.

This approach is worth the effort when:

• You already have some quality backlinks that need a boost
• You’re working in competitive niches where direct links are expensive
• You want to maximize your SEO budget

My best advice? Start small. Build a mini pyramid for one significant page, track everything carefully, and see what works for your specific situation. Every niche responds differently.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, but always keep an eye on your metrics. What matters isn’t how many links you build – it’s how much your traffic and rankings improve as a result.