Tiered link building, at the outset, feels like a lot of work. And it is to some extent. But if done with the right strategies in place, you can get some link juice to your primary website.

At its core, tiered link building involves creating a structured network of backlinks, often in multiple tiers (read: levels), to boost authority and website relevance in the eyes of search engines.

In this guide, we will cover what it takes to drive effective tier link building. Let’s go!

What is Tiered Link Building?

Tiered link building, a type of search engine optimization strategy, happens when you build backlinks from your backlinks. 

You do this to pass on link juice from lower tiers to the top (aka your website). Here’s how it works:

You have tier 1 backlinks that point to your main website. Consequently, a few tier 2 backlinks that point toward a tier 1 backlink, and some tier 3 backlinks that point toward each tier 2 backlink, as demonstrated below:

Source

5 Benefits of Tiered Link Building

Tiered link building seems like a complicated idea with tier 2 backlinks and tier 3 backlinks. 

Instead, pointing all your backlinks to your website seems like a simpler idea.

 However, a tiered link building strategy can have the following benefits:

1. Cheaper link juice: Unless you have hundreds of dollars and plenty of time to spend on creating high-quality backlinks, tier link building is a better idea. You can create a greater number of lower-quality backlinks to your original content (which are relatively more affordable and faster to build) and augment the effect of your original backlinks.
2. Easier risk management: If you think that a few tier 2 backlinks are hurting your website, you can just move one tier up and get rid of the backlink that points towards your website.
3. Lower chances of penalty, greater room for experimenting: Since your tier 2 link building and tier 3 backlinks don’t have the same effect as your primary backlinks, Google won’t penalize you in case you violate its guidelines—at least not immediately. You can play with your tiered link building strategy—try different tools for building backlinks or creating profiles, for instance.
4. Discreet self-promotion: Self-promotion within online forums and communities is a no-go. Plus, with paid guest posting, there’s a cap on the number of backlinks to your website. This is where adding vetted tier 1 backlinks can help get some link juice, albeit indirectly.
5. Sophisticated backlink profile: A tiered link building strategy can get you diverse links, which includes a mix of dofollow and nofollow links, high-quality and low-quality links, and links from social media, communities, blogs, and more.

💡 Pro tip:

Tiered link campaigns unlock broader link building benefits through sustainable link equity and compounding impact.

How to Build First, Second, and Third-tier Links? 

Let’s understand the actual process of tier link building: 

1. First-Tier Links: For a Rock-Solid Base

Tier 1 backlinks are the very foundation of your tiered link building strategy—as they point directly to your website. The true mark of vetted tier 1 backlinks include: trustworthiness, high quality, and instant visibility.

The biggest advantage of using them is that they boost website credibility and positively affect your search engine rankings, particularly in the eyes of Google.

Here’s an example of a tier 1 backlink earned by Adzooma, a digital marketing platform:

Source

Best Practices to Build Tier 1 Backlinks:

• Create informative, original, and engaging content that will want other websites to backlink to yours.
  
• Opt for guest blogging, sponsored posts, press releases, organic directory listings, etc., to earn high-quality tier 1 backlinks.
  
• Make sure that the websites that link to you are industry- or niche-relevant and that there’s some kind of target audience overlap between the two platforms.
  
• Opt for links from reputable and authoritative websites—they carry more weightage and can help drive the organic growth of links.
• Try your hand at guest blogging for credible websites.
• Focus on building a strong backlink profile and getting plenty of organic website traffic.

2. Second-Tier Links: For Layered Support

Tier 2 link building is all about using links that point to tier 1 backlinks with the end goal of strengthening the latter and making tier 1 backlinks trustworthy.

These links generally come from hosted services such as Google Maps, web applications, social media platforms, Wikis, WordPress blogs, podcasts, and more.

Here’s an example of a tier 2 backlink earned by Mayple via 99firms:

Source

Best Practices to Build Tier 2 Backlinks:

• Use varied phrases and terms for your anchor text for tier 2 backlinks. Plus, do not use the keywords repeatedly.
• Get links from different platforms and websites—including user-generated backlinks from forums, communities, and Q&A sites.
• Ensure that your tier 2 content is relevant to your website’s topic to reinforce tier 1 backlinks.
• Don’t hurry with your tier 2 link building process, or else you risk raising eyebrows.
• Share tier 2 backlinks across contextual social media platforms for higher reach.

3. Third-Tier Links: For Wider Reach

Tier 3 backlinks link to your tier 2 backlinks to give the latter more credibility and create a trickle-down effect that ultimately benefits your primary website. These links basically support your tier 1 and tier 2 links, working endlessly in the background:

Source

Best Practices to Build Tier 3 Backlinks:

• Leverage the right automation or virtual assistant to take over some of the grunt work of backlink building. That said, do not engage in any kind of article spinning or unnatural comment/forum linking.
• Keep monitoring how your tier 3 backlinks are performing so that you can change your strategy if needed.
• Like tier 2 backlinks, tier 3 links should be built slowly. Do not include spammy links or engage in black hat link building.

Why is Structure Important in Tiered Link Building?

An organized tiered link building is important for many reasons:

One, an organized backlink profile can boost your search engine rankings as these engines can navigate your site intuitively.

Two, it can help distribute link power equitably and improve your website’s ranking in the process.

Three, it can help your website earn a badge of trust.

Four, it lowers your chances of building a poor backlink profile.

Five, it prevents Google from penalizing your site for a disorganized layout and a confusing user experience.

Here are some important questions to ask when setting up your tiered link building structure:

• What are your SEO objectives? Do you want to increase organic traffic? Or maybe you wish to improve search engine rankings. Either way, your goals can shape your tiered link building strategy.
• How will you identify relevant websites and platforms for acquiring links? Do these sites map to your relevant niche and target audience?
• What are your top tier 1 sources? Do they include high-authority websites?
• How will you build on tier 2 and tier 3 backlinks?
• How will you diversify your anchor text to avoid over-optimization and maintain a natural link profile?
• How often will you build backlinks?

5 Common Tiered Link Building Mistakes to Avoid

Tiered link building is not something you undertake without the right help, knowledge, and resources by your side.

While creating tiered links, mistakes are commonplace. Some of the most common ones include:

• Mistake #1: Solely Focusing on Tier Link Building – You should leverage tiered link building as a part of your comprehensive SEO strategy. If you practice tier link building along with white hat SEO practices, you can build a strong backlink profile.
• Mistake #2: Creating Low-Quality Content – Earning tiered links via poorly-researched and plagiarized content will only harm your link-building efforts. Whether you contribute to guest posts, social media posts, etc., make sure that your content is easy to read, value-driven, and sensible.
• Mistake #3: Posting on Low Target Sites – Your tiered link building strategy will only be as effective as the target sites you choose. If the target site is marred with low traffic and poor rankings and is irrelevant to your topic, industry, or niche, your tier linking strategy will never get off the ground. Getting link juice from low-quality websites will get your SEO rankings down—link juice works both ways.
• Mistake #4: Using Too Much Automation – Getting carried away with using automation to create tiered links happens more often than you’d think. And there is such a thing as earning backlinks way too quickly—algorithms will brand it as spammy or unethical, bringing down your SEO ranking in the process. Your tiered linking strategy must be rooted in organic content marketing.
• Mistake #5: Taking on Too Much By Yourself – Losing track of your tiers as the campaigns scale is a reality most brands fail to notice. This leaves immense room for error. Instead, you must leverage an expert or an SEO agency’s link building service to manage your tiered link building efforts scalably and effectively. 

Other White Hat Tactics Worth Trying

In addition to your tiered link building strategy, leverage the following by-the-book white hat tactics to give your SEO a boost:

• Niche edits: Make contextual niche edits to an existing content piece that is ranking well. The edits must add value and include the latest links you wish to promote.
• Brand mentions: Look for your brand mentions on the internet that do not have any links to it—yet. You can use tools like Google Alerts and Mention to identify the mentions and add a link for free, that too organically! Add to the mix quality outreach, and you’ll find yourself ‘earning’ backlinks in no time!
• Link bait: Create fresh, original, and educative content that people want to link to. You can create visually appealing infographics, use in-depth research, and add interactive videos to make your content ‘link-worthy.’
• HARO link building: Help a Reporter Out or HARO is a platform journalists and news outlets use to get original, trustworthy sources. Imagine if you could contribute to the platform and answer queries; you can earn a backlink easily. For this to work, keep monitoring queries on the platform in real-time.   

Tiered Link Building is Achievable—With the Right Expert By Your Side

Creating tiered backlinks is a tricky affair. You need all the tools and expertise by your side to earn high-quality backlinks with this strategy. 

As we saw, the tiers can create a lot of room for error if not tracked properly. Whether you want to try white hat SEO tactics or engage in organic outreach to supercharge your link-building efforts, an expert’s knowledge can make all the difference. 

Let me help you find relevant, ROI-driven, and contextual link building opportunities. Climb the SEO ladder with me steadily and stably. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are some examples of tiered backlinks?

Some examples of tiered backlinks include:

• Editorial links and contextual links on high domain authority websites
  
• .EDU backlinks from reputed colleges, schools, etc.
  
• .GOV backlinks from state, local, and federal government websites

2. What types of websites can benefit from tiered link building services?

Websites of all forms and types can benefit from tiered link building services:

• E-commerce websites can compete in a competitive space and boost product pages
  
• Blogs and content websites can improve their authority and reach
  
• Small and local businesses can strengthen their online presence and attract more high-value customers within more targeted geographical areas
  
• Affiliate marketing sites can promote affiliate products and generate more affiliate sales thanks to higher search engine rankings
  
• Niche websites, particularly those with specialized content, can  enhance visibility within their specific industry/topic area
  
• Nonprofit organizations can increase awareness of their cause, attract more volunteers, and raise donations
  
• Educational institutions such as schools, colleges, etc., can enhance their online presence and attract more students as well as faculty
  

You see, tiered linking can benefit nearly every type of website and improve its search engine rankings as well as authority, if done correctly.

3. How do I determine the ideal number of tiers for my link building strategy?

The ideal number of tiers depends on diverse factors such as:

• The website’s current authority and age
  
• Your link-building goals
  
• Quality of tier 1 links
• Content and on-page SEO
• Link diversity
• Competitiveness within your niche

Remember, there isn’t a definite answer to this. The right number depends on the factors mentioned above. That said, as a general guideline, you can start with three tiers and work your way from there.

4. Can I use tiered link building with other SEO strategies?

Yes, you must! Your tiered link building should be a bigger part of your SEO strategy. Make sure to use it in tandem with content marketing, local SEO, technical SEO, link earning, social media marketing, email marketing, and on-page optimization initiatives.

5. What are the best tools for tiered link building in 2024?

Some of the best tools for tiered link building in 2024 include:

1. GSA Search Engine Ranker helps identify CMS-based websites, automate link-building tasks, and index URLs effectively.
2. ZennoPoster allows you to create templates for solving a wide range of complex tasks.
3. SEO Autopilot helps automate the link-building process, streamline your efforts and improve efficiency within your tiered backlink structure.
4. XEvil enables you to recognize and solve captcha challenges.
5. Xrumer helps automate the process of creating backlinks using high-quality backlinks.