You’ve done everything right—your content is solid, your on-page SEO is dialed in, and you’re targeting the right keywords. So why isn’t your website climbing the rankings?
Here’s the harsh reality: Google barely notices you without the right backlinks. And if your links aren’t placed strategically, even the ones you do have might not be helping.
That’s where contextual links come in. Unlike random backlinks stuffed into low-quality pages, contextual links are placed naturally within relevant, authoritative content—giving your site the credibility boost it needs to rank higher and get more traffic.
The problem? Earning these links isn’t easy. But with the right strategy, you can build high-quality contextual links that actually move the needle on your SEO. Let’s break down how it’s done.
Key Takeaways
- Contextual links are backlinks found in content that provide context for those links.
- You can build contextual links in a variety of ways, including offering guest posts and cross-promoting with partners in your industry.
- To boost your chances of gaining contextual links, be sure you create great content and position yourself as an authority.
What Are Contextual Links?
Contextual links are just what they sound like — links you find in a piece of content, like an article that provides context for that link. The more contextual links you have placed on high-quality web pages leading back to your site, the more authority and credibility you build.
And the more authority and credibility you build, the higher you’ll rank on SERPs.
Example: Imagine you’re reading an article about real estate trends in 2025 from Zillow. Within a paragraph of that content could be a link with the anchor “accessory dwelling units (ADUs).” If your business builds, renovates, or decorates ADUs, this would be an ideal contextual link for your website.
How to Look for Contextual Link Building Opportunities
But wait, you’ve only just started getting the hang of SEO, and now you have to figure out how to find contextual link building opportunities. Yes. Running a successful, high-ranking website is certainly not for the faint of heart. But you already know that.
Here’s how you can get started finding ideal contextual links:
Target Relevant Sites
Remember, context is the keyword here. If you’re renovating ADUs or working in real estate, you don’t want a link to your site from a website that sells tires. That is unless your ADU is on wheels. But the reality is that the site doesn’t have to be an exact match for your site. It doesn’t even have to be in the same industry. As long as there is a logical paragraph that mentions your industry, you can probably get a link in there.
Think about it. Back to running that ADU site, you could get a contextual link in pretty much any industry, as long as it is appropriately placed. Snowboarding gear could mention snowboarding while vacationing in “the cutest ADU.” Bookstores could refer to “decorating your ADU with a classy bookshelf.” A holistic health website could write about “including teas and tonics in your guest ADU.”
You get the idea.
As long as the paragraph provides logical context, your link could be right there.
Choose High-Quality Sites
What is critical is that the sites are of the highest quality. You’re going to get way more “link juice” from a high-quality, reputable site with authority and credibility that ranks highly on Google than from a dozen low-quality sites.
Aim high.
You can find a website’s Domain Authority here.
Avoid Paid Links
Don’t focus too much on paid links. You’re much more likely to get caught and harshly penalized for getting paid links, which are against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, than you are to get good results. Get your contextual links the right way.
Even if they have high domain authority, they might lose it at any time for offering paid links, and you don’t want your boat sinking with theirs.
Hire a Link Building Service to Help
If you feel like you could use some help finding these websites, you can hire a link-building service, like Reporter Outreach, that already has strong connections with high-quality websites with high editorial standards.
These services act as a kind of middleman between websites that need backlinks, like contextual links, and the authoritative websites happy to introduce their readers to experts in their fields or good, reliable products and services.
How to Build Contextual Links
Whether or not you’re working with a link-building service, there are several actions you can take now to help build relationships that offer contextual links. After all, you’ll need to link to… something. Here are some tips to get started:
Create Great Content
Right. That “something” needs to be something great. The foundation of ranking high and positioning your website as worthy of following, watching, buying from, and subscribing to is great content.
Remember, those high-quality sites you want linking to your website are essentially recommending you to their readers. You need to be worthy of that recommendation.
Your written content should be easy to read, engaging, and free of grammar and spelling errors. It should also be relevant to people’s lives and add some value.
For example:
- Free tools you can offer
- Expert advice or tips on current topics
- Ultimate guides on trending issues
- Data-driven articles
These are considered linkable assets or articles credible websites would be happy to link to.
Michelle Tansey, founder of Red Queen Marketing, says:
“A great way to build contextual links is to create a data led piece of content that other websites will reference like a statistics or cost of something page. Then you reach out to people who have content or write content on the topic and share the data with them.”
Position Yourself as a Leader
Everything you write, articles you link to, research you provide or support, and even images you include should all position you as a leader in your industry. If you’ve got degrees, credentials, or experience, you should have a page dedicated to your authority.
Your content should do one or more of the following:
- Solve problems
- Address pain points
- Save readers’ time
- Save readers money
- Reduce readers’ frustration
- Answer burning questions
- Inspire readers to act
Plus you should always be answering the question, “Why should anyone listen to me?” You can do this with original, thought-provoking content that your readers find useful and valuable to their lives in some way. This is what will build authority and credibility with your readers. Then, when you find opportunities to build contextual links, your content will be ready to link to.
Identify for Broken Links
One seemingly trivial task to boost link building is to find a broken page (404 error). Once you’ve done that, extract any domains that still link to it. Contact those domains to inform them of the broken link problem and offer your page instead.
If you’ve already got great content, and you’ve positioned yourself as an expert, how could they refuse?
Offer Guest Posts
A common way to get contextual links for your website is to provide them yourself through guest posts. Anyone running a website should be thinking about their competitors and potential vendors and clients, as well as industry colleagues.
For example, a company that builds ADUs should be connected to local realtors, contractors, plumbers, electricians, home goods stores, and more. You get it. They should also know their local competition.
Now, you can visit the websites of those businesses and see where you might have an opportunity for guest posting. You might write a guest post on your plumbing company’s site about the tricky nature of building a tiny bathroom. You could also write a guest post for Architectural Digest about why a tiny home on your property can add prestige and class.
Hot tip: Check out your competitors’ websites and see where they might be guest posting. You can do this for free with a backlink checker tool.
Create a list of dream websites you’d like to be featured on, and then start reaching out. Email or connect on social media and explain how you could write a post that will add value to their readers’ lives.
Also, be sure to let them know that you plan to include a backlink to your website, if it’s okay with them.
Hot tip: Choose only websites that are highly relevant to your business. This approach will all but guarantee that you have reader crossover, which will make those readers more likely to stay on your page, read, and make purchases. And purchases are, after all, the end game.
Get on Podcasts
Mastered guest posting? How about podcasting? Just like you would reach out to a website, reach out to podcasters that discuss topics relevant to your business and ask to be featured.
Offer yourself as an expert on subject material relevant to their podcast, send your credentials over, and show them how you can add value to their listeners’ lives.
Don’t worry about podcasts with fewer followers; they can grow quickly. Instead, look at their social presence, their website, and the domain authority of their website. If you vibe with that company and you believe in what they do, go for it.
On a podcast, your website will get a shoutout on air, and then you’re also likely to get a link to their site in the show notes.
That’s a double win.
Cross-Promote
You’ve heard it time and again — you gotta have friends. Make friends, network, and connect with people in your industry that you can turn into partners. Work together on a project, for a cause, or just to post something fun on social media.
Partnering with colleagues is a way to collaborate rather than competing. You’ll introduce each other to your followers and, ideally, gain some crossover.
You can cross-promote by posting a partner’s blog post in your email newsletter, doing a collab on social media, or even just sharing your partner’s Instagram post on your story with an @ mention.
The overriding theory is that there’s enough business to go around for everyone. We should be celebrating each other’s successes rather than begrudging them. This way, you’ll reveal yourself to be worthy of trust and respect to your followers.
Reporter Outreach Is Here to Help with Contextual Links
Not ready to go it alone? Or at least, not all alone? Good. You don’t have to. Reporter Outreach offers white-label link-building services that can help you get those contextual links in a fraction of the time it would take you to get them yourself.
We have established relationships with reputable websites, and we are excited to celebrate your success and share your expertise with their readers. We’re just the facilitators of your next beautiful relationship. And the next. And the next.
Want to see for yourself?
Book a meeting now, and we’ll show you how we can help.
FAQs
Should I pay for contextual links?
No. You can get penalized by Google for paying for links, as far as being de-indexed, and you’d end up losing everything. Stick to organic.
Can I get contextual links from any site?
You can. But you should focus on sites with high domain authority and relevance to your own site.
Should I offer contextual links to others?
Yes! It’s a wonderful way to collaborate and start partnering with others in your or adjacent industries. The more you’re able to help others, the more help you’ll get in return.
