How to Get Backlinks for a New Website (First 90 Days Plan)
A realistic 90-day plan to get backlinks for a new website: setup, discovery links, profiles, partners, linkable content and outreach, week by week.
A brand new website has two problems. Search engines may not know it exists yet, and nobody has a reason to link to it. The first 90 days should solve both, in that order: get discovered, then start earning links that build trust.
This plan is designed for small businesses, bloggers and startups working without a large budget. Adjust the pace to your time, but keep the order.
Before you build links: get the basics right
Links to a broken or empty site are wasted. Before day one of link building, make sure:
- Your site loads over HTTPS on one version of the domain
- Key pages exist: Home, About, Contact, your main services or products, and a few useful articles
- You have verified the site in Google Search Console and submitted an XML sitemap
- Pages are not blocked by robots.txt or noindex tags by mistake
Our new website SEO checklist covers this in detail.
Days 1 to 14: get discovered
The goal in the first two weeks is to give crawlers clear paths to your site.
- Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Run a discovery backlink scan. Backlink Generator submits your URL to public lookup pages such as site statistics, WHOIS and SEO analysis pages, which then mention your domain. Your first run of 100 backlinks is free with a free account (Pro after that), and you can export a CSV or TXT report. These are mostly nofollow discovery mentions; they help crawlers find a new domain but do not guarantee rankings.
- Claim brand profiles on the social networks your audience uses, plus LinkedIn, and link each to your site.
- Create your Google Business Profile if you serve customers locally.
For more on speeding up crawling, see how to get your website indexed faster.
Days 15 to 30: links from people who already know you
Your first real links usually come from existing relationships.
- Suppliers and manufacturers: ask to be listed on their stockist or partner pages.
- Clients and partners: a "who we work with" mention is natural for many businesses.
- Associations and memberships: trade bodies and local business groups often list members.
- Friends with relevant sites: only where the link genuinely makes sense for their readers.
- Directories: a small number of relevant, reputable listings for your industry and city.
Keep a simple spreadsheet of every request and its status.
Days 31 to 60: create something worth linking to
Most new sites have nothing that another site would naturally reference. Fix that with one or two linkable assets:
- A detailed guide that answers a common question in your niche better than existing pages
- A free template, checklist or calculator
- A page of original data from your business or a small survey
- A local resource, such as a guide to a service in your city
Publish it, link to it from your main pages, and share it with your network.
Days 61 to 90: start outreach
Now you have something to offer. Pick two tactics and do them consistently:
- Guest posting: one article for a relevant site in your field. See our guest posting guide.
- Resource page outreach: find pages that list helpful resources on your topic and suggest your asset.
- Broken link building: find dead links in your niche and offer your page as a replacement.
- Expert comments: respond to journalists covering your industry.
A short outreach template for your asset:
Hi [Name], I noticed your page on [topic] lists some helpful resources. We recently published [asset title], which [one-line benefit]. It might be useful for your readers: [URL]. Thanks either way, [Name]
What to expect after 90 days
Be realistic. After three months a new site might have a modest number of genuine editorial links, a set of profiles and listings, and discovery mentions. That is a healthy start. Rankings for competitive keywords usually take longer and depend on content quality as much as links.
Mistakes new sites make
- Buying cheap link packages to "kick start" rankings, which breaks Google's spam policies
- Building hundreds of links in week one and then nothing for months
- Using the same keyword-rich anchor text everywhere
- Building links to pages that are thin or not indexed
- Ignoring internal links between your own pages
90-day checklist
- Technical basics done and sitemap submitted
- Discovery backlink scan run and report saved
- Profiles and business listing created
- Partner and supplier links requested
- One or two linkable assets published
- Guest post and resource outreach started
- New links checked monthly with a free backlink checker
FAQ
How many backlinks does a new website need?
There is no fixed number. It depends on your niche and competitors. A few relevant, editorial links are worth more than many weak ones. See how many backlinks you need to rank.
Can a new website rank without backlinks?
It can rank for very specific, low-competition searches with strong content. For competitive keywords, earned links usually make a clear difference.
Is a backlink generator safe for a new site?
A generator that submits your URL to public lookup pages is low risk, because those pages exist for every domain. Treat it as a discovery step, not as your link building strategy.