The Right Way to Approach Tiered Link-Building in 2025

Don’t you wish you could make your most authoritative backlinks even stronger? Well, with tiered link-building, you can.  It involves setting up a tiered structure where you build backlinks that point to your other backlinks.  This is beneficial because it drives more link juice, also called ranking power, to your existing backlinks.  Tier 1 backlinks are the most authoritative links that you’ve built to your site, such as a link insertion on a major news outlet.  The second layer, tier 2, involves building backlinks to point at your tier 1 backlinks, thus pumping more link juice into the system. You then continue this process with a third tier of links that point at your second tier links.  Tiered link-building is a secret weapon you can use whenever you’re struggling to outrank competitors, despite already having a strong base of authoritative links. It’ll help you even the odds by building links at scale, and natural-looking ones to boot.  In this article, you’ll learn:

1. Tiered link-building strategies 
2. The main benefits of tiered link-building 
3. Potential risks of building tiered links 

If you’re ready to learn how to leverage this powerful technique in your favor, stay tuned to learn more! 

What is Tiered Link-Building?

Tiered link-building is all about building backlinks in a hierarchical structure to boost your website’s authority and keyword rankings.  You can visualize the tiered system as a pyramid. 

Tier 1 backlinks: The summit 

Tier 1 backlinks are at the top of the pyramid, and they’re your most valuable backlinks that point to your most important pages (product pages, high-converting blogs, etc.).  They should have high-DA (domain authority) scores and come from trusted domains that generate lots of traffic on their own. It’s imperative to use extremely strong backlinks for tier 1, so if you haven’t built any yet, check out this guide to learn some effective techniques.  As an example, let’s say you build a valuable guest post on a high-DA site:  www.relevantwebsite.com/your-fantastic-guest-post < www.yoursite.com/high-converting-product-page  For the purposes of these examples, the ‘<’ symbol represents a backlink.  So far, the valuable backlink from the guest post is funneling link juice to your product page, but the pipeline ends there.  As a rule of thumb, you should have approximately 2 - 5 tier 1 backlinks. 

Tier 2 backlinks: The middle layer 

Tier 2 backlinks are in the middle of the pyramid, and they exist to funnel link juice to your tier 1 links. This means these backlinks should NOT point directly to your website. Instead, they must direct to your tier 1 backlinks.  Also, these backlinks should be less authoritative than your tier 1 links, so they should come from things like:

• Reddit and Quora posts 
• Free tools 
• Article directories (Hubpages, eHow, ArticleBiz) 

For instance, you could post a Reddit comment on a relevant thread that includes a link to your tier 1 guest post: www.reddit.com/relevant-thread < www.relevantwebsite.com/your-fantastic-guest post < www.yoursite.com/high-converting-product page  At this point, the Reddit link is funneling link juice to the guest post, which in turn funnels even more link juice to your product page.  It’s best to have at least 5 - 10 tier 2 backlinks for every tier 1 backlink you have.  We don’t have to stop here, though. Let’s continue with a third tier to keep the link juice flowing. 

Tier 3 backlinks: The foundation 

Tier 3 backlinks will direct to your tier 2 backlinks, and they need to be even less authoritative.  Why is that? It’s because for tiered link-building to work, each layer must have less authority than the one prior. Doing so actually helps you build a more natural-looking backlink profile, so it’s a good thing.  A natural backlink profile contains links from a variety of sources, including from lower quality websites. That’s because it’s normal for a high-quality website to accrue a diverse array of links due to the quality of its content (i.e., a lot of people want to share good stuff).  Google knows this, which is why they look for diversity in backlink profiles. If your profile only contains highly authoritative tier 1 links, Google may feel that you’re attempting to manipulate the search results and issue a penalty.  That’s why building tier 3 links is a good idea.  Tier 3 backlinks should come from sources like:

• Forum comments 
• Sites with average to low DA scores 
• Blog comments 
• Press release backlinks
• Links from lower-quality directories 

While these are undoubtedly low-value backlinks, they still support your tier 2 backlinks and pump more link juice into the overall system.  For instance, you could build a tier 3 link in a blog comments section that directs to your tier 2 Reddit comment: www.blogsite.com/post-relevant-to-your-business > www.reddit.com/relevant-thread > www.relevantwebsite.com/your-fantastic-guest-post > www.yoursite.com/high-converting product page Now, your original product page is receiving link juice that’s 3 layers deep.  Here’s where it gets crazy.  You need to build MASSIVE amounts of tier 3 backlinks for your tier 2 backlinks. In general, you should aim for around 1,000 tier 3 backlinks for every tier 2 backlink, which may seem excessive, but it’s necessary.  This is because:

1. Only some of these backlinks will get indexed by Google, and many others will disappear over time. 
2. Tier 3 links only pass a very tiny amount of link juice, so you’ll need tons of them to see an impact. 

The good news is it’s fairly easy to build tier 3 backlinks, like auto-generating comments containing backlinks on forums (more on this later).   

What are the Benefits of a Tiered Link-Building System?

Is it really worth taking the time to set up a tiered backlink system? After all, backlinks take time, effort, and sometimes money to produce, so the perks better be worth it.  When done right, the benefits of tiered link-building far outweigh the costs. You’ll be able to improve your search rankings and generate more traffic, all while building a natural-looking profile.  Here’s a look at the main advantages of setting up tiered link-building. 

Benefit #1: More organic traffic 

The increased authority you’ll receive from all that link juice will make it easier to outrank your competitors for crucial ‘money’ keywords.  If your niche is especially crowded and competitive, tiered link-building can help give you an edge over established domains that have long dominated the top search results.   As a result, you’ll generate more organic visitors to your website, granting you plenty of opportunities to convert them into leads and customers. 

Benefit #2: It’s cost-effective 

Next, you can actually save money by engaging in tiered link-building.  How is that possible? It’s because tier 1 backlinks are the most time-intensive and expensive to build. With tiered link-building, you only need a handful of tier 1 backlinks (2 - 5).  Tier 2 and tier 3 backlinks are much easier and much quicker to build since they typically involve leaving a comment or adding your business’s information to a directory.  You don’t have to mess with pitching guest posts, conducting tons of outreach, or trying to fix broken links.  Also, the link juice you accrue from using a tiered system will enable you to build just as much (if not more) authority than if you stick with tier 1 links only, as they’re more difficult to generate. 

Benefit #3: It helps you build a natural backlink profile 

Whether you engage in tiered link-building or not, you still need to create a diverse backlink portfolio to avoid raising suspicion from Google.  That means you’ll need to build the types of backlinks found in tier 2 and tier 3, but they’ll direct to your main website instead of lower tiers.  This isn’t good, because tier 3 links tend to be on the spammy side, so it’s better to point those links at your tier 2 links instead of directly at your main pages. With tiered link-building, you build a natural backlink profile without putting your website at risk with spammy, low-quality backlinks. While low-quality links are a necessity for appearing natural, it’s better to funnel them toward tier 2 web pages instead of pages on your actual website. 

Benefit #4: Higher domain authority 

Domain authority is akin to ranking power on search engines, so you’ll need as much authority as you can muster.  Tiered link-building is great because it’s basically an authority-generating machine.  It takes your tier 1 links and supercharges them with link juice coming from your tier 2 and tier 3 links, thus building more authority.  In fact, the main reason tiered link-building took off in the first place is because of how much authority the technique builds. 

How to Implement Tiered Link-Building 

Okay, now it’s time to learn how to put this powerful tactic into practice.  In this section, we’ll teach you the best ways to build backlinks for tiers 1, 2, and 3.  Let’s get started. 

Building tier 1 backlinks 

First, we’ll start with the most difficult backlinks to build, which are tier 1 links. These are highly authoritative backlinks that should come from top-level techniques like:

• Guest posting. This tactic involves reaching out to relevant sites that accept guest posts. From there, you pitch an idea for a new article. If accepted, you get to write a guest post and include a backlink to your website. This guide has more information on how to target guest posting opportunities.  
• Link insertions. Also called niche edits, a link insertion is where you request that a site owner add one of your backlinks to an existing post. This tactic tends to involve less outreach than guest posting, and it also leads to quicker results.  
• Broken link-building. Links break all the time, and you can leverage that fact to your advantage by targeting broken links on relevant websites. Truly valuable targets are broken blog posts that cover the same topics you do, as the chances are high that you’ll already have a replacement ready.  
• Creating linkable assets. If you’re able to create valuable assets like infographics, original research, and helpful free tools – you’ll attract lots of backlinks without having to draft a single outreach email.  
• Digital PR. Digital public relations involves a lot of link-building, such as distributing press releases on media sites. These can attract journalists who may follow up for exclusive pieces, which tend to be top-tier link placements. 
• Creating outstanding content. Lastly, you can attract valuable backlinks by creating great content like how-to’s, ultimate guides, eBooks, whitepapers, podcasts, and video tutorials. Just make sure every piece you create is backed up by recent keyword research. 

Also, these backlinks should come from domains with extremely high authority scores. We’re talking the 75 - 100 range here, so you’ll need to be on your A-game to build them. The first step is to identify high-DA websites in your industry/niche to target for link-building opportunities.  You can use our free domain authority checker tool to view the DA score of any website online. In general, you’ll likely find that the highest DA scores belong to the top news and media outlets in your field, but some lesser-known sites will surprise you, too.  After you have suitable targets, you need to determine which web pages you need to build links to the most.  Do some digging in your website’s data (Semrush and Google Analytics 4 are both good tools for this) to find out which pages:

1. Generate the most traffic
2. Lead to the most conversions 
3. Generate the most leads

Once you have 2 - 5 extremely solid backlinks, you can start working on the next tier. 

Building tier 2 backlinks 

Tier 2 backlinks are one step removed from your website (i.e., they’ll link to the web pages containing your tier 1 links), and they involve lower-quality techniques.  Tier 2 backlinks are by no means spammy, but they definitely aren’t outstanding backlinks. That doesn’t really matter, though, since their only purpose is to prop up your tier 1 backlinks. As a bonus, they aren’t directly pointing at your website.  Platforms with UGC (user-generated content) like Reddit, Quora, and Medium should be your go-to for tier 2 backlinks. You can leverage their comment sections and create original posts to start building links to your tier 1 pages.  Article directories are also fair game, such as Hubpages and eHow. Anyone can submit articles and post comments on these sites, so they’re quick and easy ways to pick up tier 2 links.  ‘Nofollow’ press releases are another good source of tier 2 backlinks  Also, don’t forget about social media, as inserting links to your tier 1 pages in posts and comments on LinkedIn can be valuable. The same is true for other platforms like Facebook, X, and even Instagram.   Remember, these links carry less clout than tier 1 backlinks, so you’ll need to build more of them to provide ample link juice. That’s why it’s recommended to build 5 - 10 tier 2 links for every tier 1 link. 

Building tier 3 backlinks 

We’ve reached the bottom of the pyramid, as tier 3 backlinks will serve as the backbone for the entire system.  They’re also the weakest backlinks that come from the lowest quality sources, but that’s how the system has to work. Tier 3 backlinks come from sources like:

• Low-authority, generic websites 
• Forum comments 
• Blog section comments 
• Low-quality article directories 

At this tier, it’s all about quantity over quality. As mentioned before, you need thousands of tier 3 backlinks for the strategy to work. Since you need such a mass quantity of links, it is okay to use automated tools to get your tier 3 backlinks. However, tiers 1 and 2 should feature manual link-building only.  While many of these sources are spammy and can cause suspicion from Google, you have the added bonus of them pointing at tier 2 pages instead of your actual website.  However, that’s not to say that there aren’t risks involved, which brings us to the next section. 

The Risks of Tiered Link-Building 

If you aren’t careful, tiered link-building can backfire. However, this is pretty much true for all link-building techniques, so you shouldn’t completely rule it out.  The primary risks involved include:

• Penalties from Google. If Google determines that your lower-tier backlinks are manipulative or spammy, it could lead to a penalty. The best way to ensure this doesn’t happen is to avoid building links from obvious spam sites, such as link farms and private blog networks (PBNs). Also, you may incur a penalty if your backlinks appear all at once, so you should release your backlinks gradually. 

• A steep maintenance and time investment. It takes quite a bit of upkeep to maintain a tiered link-building system, especially with the vast number of tier 3 links you need to build. Links break all the time for a variety of reasons, and a broken link in the chain can cause large amounts of link juice to funnel down the drain until fixed. 

• It can be resource-intensive if you aren’t careful. Tiered link-building can put a strain on your resources if you don’t plan accordingly, especially when building tier 1 links. It takes a lot of effort to obtain high-DA backlinks, and they cost the most if you intend to buy them. Ensure that you have a large enough budget before taking on the endeavor. 

The good news is that you can avoid most of these risks with proper implementation. As long as you:

1. Don’t release your backlinks at all at once 
2. Don’t generate too many backlinks from the same source 
3. Don’t build links from obvious spam sites

You should be fine. 

Build a Tiered Backlink System for Better Rankings 

Here’s a quick recap of the main points we’ve covered so far:

• Tiered link-building involves building backlinks in a hierarchical structure where each tier links to the one above it. 
• It’s a time and cost-effective way to boost your most authoritative backlinks so that you can achieve higher rankings. 
• Tier 1 backlinks are the highest quality, while tier 2 backlinks are subpar, and tier 3 links are low-quality. 
• There are several risks involved with the process, such as receiving manual actions and eating up lots of time. 

Do you need help building backlinks for each of your tiers? Our link-building experts are here to do the heavy lifting for you. Don’t wait to check out our renowned Link Outreach and Link Insertion services now!