Relationship Based Link Building: Our Smart Tips

Isn’t link building all about websites linking to each other? 

No, successful backlink campaigns heavily rely on what kind of relationships you have with link building partners.

At SayNine, we have a pretty great experience with relationship based link building. So, it makes sense that we decided to create the whole article on this.

What our team shares is pure gold: insights, helpful tips, and lifehacks on how to start and keep real collaborations.

So, let’s not wait a minute and get started.

Why Relationship Based Link Building Pays Off

You don’t believe one of the common myths about link building that backlinks don’t matter anymore, right? Instead, you definitely believe credible and relevant backlinks can boost your website performance.

Actually, facts prove that the number of referring domains is one of Google’s most important ranking factors and can really skyrocket your website’s performance.

So, we need to build and maintain positive partnerships and prioritize relationship-based link building. And here is why.

Thanks to solid relationships, you can:

• Build trust with link building partners

The most important thing effective partnerships bring to the table is trust and authority. Website owners with whom you have trustful relationships will be more likely to agree on link collaboration than ones with whom you didn’t have a prior connection.

• Establish long-term partnerships

By maintaining effective relationships for links, you create a strong basis for long-term collaboration. Later, by nurturing these relationships, you can get valuable backlinks and improve your website’s visibility.

This way, you don’t need to constantly find new link building prospects and start new outreach campaigns. Instead, you can develop relationships with existing partners to reach your link building goals.

• Get valuable backlinks

When you focus on creating positive relationships instead of simply asking for links, you increase the chances of getting links from relevant and authoritative websites. And it wouldn’t be a discovery to say that backlinks from authoritative websites significantly improve your backlink profile.

Now, we can all agree that one of the main skills that link builders should have is building strong relationships with their partners. But the real question is how to reach that goal and prioritize relationship-based link building. Don’t worry- we’ve got you covered.

How to Build Lasting Relationships for Backlinks։ Our Best Tips

We’ve learned a lot from experience. Here’s what our team recommends for building strong, lasting link building partnerships.

Offer Value

Relationship based link building is really a two-way street. If you want to start valuable collaborations, you need to provide some value.

One of the first things that our link building specialist Areg mentions is.

“The relationships you have with your partners are the most important aspect. Without having connections with them, you can’t reach your link building goals”.

Here are other tips our link building team suggests:

• Offer them good backlinks from reputable websites: ones with good link building metrics and open for SaaS link exchanges.
• Make it easy for them: suggest relevant link insertions for their target pages and send them over for quick approval.

But wait, we need to speak about this communication part a little bit more.

Communicate Like a Pro

In link building, communication is really key.

Link builder specialist Martin believes:

“A good link builder needs to be a great communicator and love connecting with other people.”

He believes that when you put people first, you will definitely have incredible link building results in the end. He also sees an interesting connection between communication and trust:

“Make communication a priority, never ignore their messages. This will help to build trusting and friendly relationships, which is the core of successful relationship based link building”.

Link building specialist Susanna shares her tips:

“This is how I think you can ensure effective communication with your link building partners:

• Answer messages as quickly as possible.
• Give detailed responses that show you care about their questions.
• If they have any issues, do your best to help solve them
• Put yourself in their shoes to understand their perspective. “

Siranush adds։

“People are different, so your link building partners. Everyone has a unique work style, so learn them and give each person special attention and treat them individually․ But the main thing is your link building partners should know you are always around and will never ignore their messages”.

Stay Connected Using Different Channels

If you want to take your communication to the next level, you need to be active on different channels. Here’s where we’ve seen the most success:

• Email
• LinkedIn
• Slack

We keep a dedicated spreadsheet for every partner we work with. We record at least two channels there to reach them, which is usually a mix like email and LinkedIn, or email and Slack.

That way, if someone stops checking their work email, we’re not left with nothing. Instead, we can easily follow up through another channel. Sending LinkedIn messages has proven very effective for reconnecting with partners who don’t respond to email.

In some cases, your good link building partners who change their company or work position will reach out to you to suggest continuing to work together.

Further reading
Slack Link Building Communities
How to Use LinkedIn For Link Building

Track Link Exchanges to Avoid Misunderstandings

Keeping track of link exchanges helps avoid confusion and keeps partnerships running smoothly. Here’s how to stay on top of it:

Our link building team uses Google spreadsheets when working with link building specialists with whom they have agreed to do link exchanges. They make collaboration smoother, more effective, and more organized.

Let’s break down each column:

• Domain – The domain where the partner wants a backlink from
• Link From – The specific blog post URL where the link will be placed.
• Link To – The partner’s target page that will be linked to
• Anchor – The anchor text they want us to use for link insertion
• Text Edits – The text edit with the anchor text naturally placed in it
• Status – The progress of the link request (e.g., “Pending” or “Live”)
• Notes – A space for comments

This is a simple way for us to learn what stage each link request is, when and how to follow up with partners.

Link building specialist Martin gives this advice on this topic:

• Be strategic about when to follow up.
• If your link building partner sets a TAT (Turnaround Time) of three days, wait patiently if the backlink is placed within that time.
• Avoid being annoying by following up too early.

Being patient shows your professionalism and earns respect.”

Be Supportive

Being helpful while staying professional isn’t just a habit but a choice our link building team makes every day.

At the end of the day, we’re not just exchanging links. We’re communicating with real people. Even though AI takes over different industries, the relationship side of link building still depends on human connection.

Here are a few simple steps to help your partners feel valued and build loyalty in your collaborations:

• Start conversations by asking simple questions like how their weekend was, how they’re feeling, or how their day went to show genuine interest.
• If they mention having a hard time, be sure to offer your support to strengthen your relationship.

Link building specialist Ani adds։

“If you have quality relationships with your link building partners and have supported them, they will always help you as well. They will be interested in your deadlines and will help you meet them”. 

Without a doubt, these tips will help build friendly and lasting relationships that deliver results for both parties involved.

A Few Extra Gems From Our Team

Here are some bonus tips we couldn’t leave out.

• Take time to get to know your partners and their working style. Build the relationship gradually.
• If you need to reject a backlink request, explain why (e.g., irrelevant context). Let them know you tried to make it work.
• Always respond to messages—even if there’s no update. Silence kills trust.
• Don’t wait to be asked for help. Check in and offer help.
• Share useful communities or channels on Slack where they can find more link exchange opportunities.
• Never give promises you can’t make. It’s better to stay honest no matter what.
• Engage with their updates on LinkedIn (e.g., work promotion). Celebrate their wins and milestones.
• Enjoy the cultural side of link building. Learn and share beyond work.

These small actions might seem minor, but they can help create real connections that benefit both sides over time.

Key Takeaways

Relationship based link building isn’t just a strategy but more of a mindset.

If you focus on people first, relevant and valuable backlinks follow naturally. Real connections lead to smoother collaborations, better results, and long-term success.

But if all this sounds overwhelming or you’re more of an introvert, no worries. You can leave the communication stuff to us. We’ve built a huge network by keeping link building human.

Contact us today, and our team will take care of the outreach and nurturing strong relationships while you focus on other aspects of your business.

FAQ about relationship based link building