Top Free Ways to Get Backlinks for a New Website

Backlinks-also known as inbound links-are among the most important ranking factors for search engines. For a new website, getting backlinks can be a challenge, especially without a big budget. But the good news is that there are many effective ways to get high-quality backlinks for free.

In this guide, we'll walk through top free backlink strategies to help boost your SEO and domain authority, along with practical platforms where you can implement them.

Why Backlinks Matter for SEO

Search engines like Google use backlinks as a trust signal. When a reputable site links to your content, it's like a vote of confidence. More backlinks = more credibility in Google’s eyes, which can lead to better rankings.

Benefits of backlinks:

• Improve your site's authority and trust

• Drive referral traffic

• Help index your pages faster

• Boost search rankings for target keywords

Now, let’s explore top free ways to get backlinks for your new website.

1. Social Bookmarking Sites

Social bookmarking sites let users save and share links. Submitting your website or blog content to these platforms helps in:

• Driving instant referral traffic

• Creating quality backlinks

• Indexing your pages faster

🧷 Try these free social bookmarking platforms: 👉 Free Social Bookmarking Sites List

Examples: Reddit, Mix, Diigo, Folkd, Scoop.it

Tips:

• Use a catchy title and relevant tags

• Submit only quality content

• Avoid spamming-contribute genuinely to the community

2. Ping Submission Sites

Ping submission tools help notify search engines and directories when your content has been updated or published. These are especially useful for new websites looking to get indexed quickly.

🚀 Submit your URL here: 👉 Free Ping Submission Sites

Benefits:

• Fast indexing

• Notifies multiple search engines

• Can improve crawling of deeper pages

Popular Ping Tools: Pingomatic, Pingler, Totalping

3. Business Listing Sites

Adding your site to online business directories gives you credible backlinks and improves local SEO. These platforms usually allow you to enter your business name, website, and description-all valuable for search engines.

📍 Explore this curated resource: 👉 Top Business Listing Sites List

Examples: Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, Foursquare

Best Practices:

• Use consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across all listings

• Include your website link

• Add business categories and a compelling description

4. Article Submission Sites

Writing and submitting informative articles to reputable directories is a classic white-hat link-building method. You can include links back to your website within the content or author bio.

✍️ Start submitting here: 👉 Free Article Submission Sites List

Examples: Medium, EzineArticles, Sooper Articles, ArticleCube

Tips:

• Write high-quality, original articles

• Use relevant keywords naturally

• Avoid keyword stuffing and promotional content

5. Guest Blogging

Find blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. Reach out with content ideas and provide value to their readers. In return, you can include a backlink to your website in your author bio or content.

How to find opportunities: Search Google using queries like:

• “Write for us” + your niche

• “Guest post guidelines” + topic

Example: If you're in digital marketing, search: "Write for us digital marketing" or "Submit guest post SEO"

6. Blog Comments (With Caution)

Engaging with blogs in your niche by commenting thoughtfully can lead to traffic and backlinks. Make sure your comments are relevant and add value-not spammy.

Look for blogs with:

• High domain authority (DA)

• DoFollow comment sections (optional)

• Active communities

Note: Many blog comments are “NoFollow,” but they still offer SEO and referral benefits when done correctly.

7. Forum Submissions & Q&A Sites

Answering questions on platforms like Quora, Reddit, or niche forums can drive traffic and generate backlinks when you link relevant content from your site.

Tips:

• Don't spam your link-focus on solving problems

• Link only when it adds value to the answer

• Choose forums relevant to your niche

8. Directory Submissions

Web directories offer another reliable source of backlinks. While not as powerful as they once were, high-quality directories can still provide SEO value.

Look for directories with:

• Good domain authority

• Manual approval

• Niche relevance

You can also find several directories listed under: 👉 Top Business Listing Sites

9. Press Releases (Free Distribution)

Some free PR distribution sites allow startups and bloggers to share updates or product launches. These often include anchor links back to your site.

Free PR sites:

• OnlinePRNews

• PRLog

• PR.com (basic account)

Use it when:

• You’re launching a product or service

• Publishing a case study or major update

• Rebranding or changing domains

10. Internal Linking and Outreach

Don’t forget that internal links between your own pages improve link equity. Additionally, reach out to influencers or bloggers who’ve shared similar content and ask them to consider your resource as well.

Tools to help:

• Hunter.io (for finding emails)

• Ahrefs Content Explorer (to find link targets)

• BuzzSumo (to find top-performing content)

Final Thoughts

Building backlinks for a new website doesn’t require a massive budget-just time, consistency, and strategy.