White-Hat Link Building: Definition, Rules, and Examples

Last Updated on 22/09/2025

One of the top Google ranking factors is building backlinks, and the term ‘link building’ is becoming very popular in the marketing industry. People are desperate to build their brand’s backlink profile with whitehat link-building tactics, and they will do anything to get a link.

But what matters is the approach you are using to get those links, as it can affect your search engine rankings. Google allows the whitehat SEO approach as per their standard guidelines.

Let’s find out more about White-hat Link Building! 

What is WhiteHat Link Building?

Whitehat link building is an approach that aligns with Google’s webmaster guidelines. It focuses on long-term search engine optimization results and involves creating high-quality content, followed by outreach to external websites to secure an inbound link from them.

Whitehat SEO links are responsible for increasing traffic and organic search rankings instead of manipulating the algorithm of Google.

What is a Whitehat Link Building SEO Approach as per Google’s guidelines and why is it important?

If you are using a White Hat SEO approach by following Google’s guidelines, it will help Google find, index, and rank your site. If you do not follow quality guidelines, then your site will completely disappear from the Google index. The quality guidelines give an overview of how to avoid tricky and manipulative ways to get links. If an approach doesn’t comply with quality guidelines, then it doesn’t mean that Google approves it.

The basic principles that Google asks website users to adapt in order to build links using a whitehat technique:

• Create a webpage that belongs to users and not search engines.
• Don’t trick your users. Create content that gives value to the users.
• Avoid spamming tactics and aim at improving search engine rankings.
• Make your content unique and engaging.

Techniques you should avoid:

• Generating content automatically for the sake of search rankings.
• Building links using link schemes.
• Creating web pages with little or no original content.
• Cloaking, scraped content, doorway pages, hidden links.
• Stuffing irrelevant keywords in your web pages.

If the above guidelines are violated by any site, then Google takes action against it.

WhiteHat Link Building Techniques :

Below are some of the whitehat strategies that you can follow to build authoritative links:

Guest Posting:

Guest blogging or guest posting is an amazing whitehat link-building technique. Although it is a slow process and you get a lower number of links, they are worth the extra effort.

For guest blogging, you contact websites that have a blog and pitch a topic to write for them. If they accept your offer, you will have your blog post published on their website, which in turn drives links, traffic, and improves your rankings on SERPs, as well as enhances brand awareness.

The links that you place through guest posting allow you to control the context around your brand and include suitable related keywords. The primary objective of this approach is to produce high-quality content. You can reach out to online media outlets, bloggers, and other websites related to your niche and ask to write an article for them. This will assist in building your brand as a reliable source of information and authority in your industry.

Content Promotion:

Guest blogging is a very low-volume approach; however, content promotion is the contrary. Content promotion can bring you many links in a short amount of time and quickly expand your brand awareness.

If you have written an appealing blog post that covers your organization’s key messages and is backed by facts and figures, but the blog post doesn’t reach the relevant target audience, it is useless, and your hard work is wasted! Therefore, it is important to reach out to online media outlets to promote your content.

There is still a lack of understanding regarding content promotion, as 12% of marketing professionals think that their content is targeting the right audience with relevant content.

Utility link building:

If your organization is selling local services like TV, internet, etc, then utility link building is helpful as it requires less effort on our part. There is no need to write articles or create interesting content, but you can send a quick email.

You can look for utility and resource pages on local government sites or real estate sites, reach out to them and ask them to include your website as a resource. It is an easy way to target local, engaged audiences that are already looking for the services you provide.

Link Reclamation:

Link reclamation is a straightforward way to convert unlinked brand mentions into links or repair broken links that should direct users to your site but don’t. It is an integral part of an effective SEO strategy and it is important to understand its value.

Building links is not an easy task and when your hard-earned links suddenly disappear or when you find a broken backlink, it is very frustrating. It is essential to maintain your rankings, as 18% of backlinks result in a 404 or redirect to an irrelevant page.

• Reclaiming Unlinked Brand Mentions:

Using Google search queries or off-page SEO tools, find instances online where your brand name is mentioned but doesn’t link back to your site.

You can generate new backlinks from online mentions, citations, images, or other references to your brand or company. You can email those sites and ask them to include a link to your site.

• Broken link reclamation:

Broken links are previously existing backlinks that are now lost or broken and need to be found and reclaimed. You can use your off-page SEO tools to find these broken links that should lead back to your site and email the sites to let them know the link is broken. Ask them to replace the old links with the new ones and regain link value.

Connectively formerly HARO

Connectively, formerly HARO is a service that lets you submit your content to journalists and receive free press, traffic, and links.

It offers an easy-to-use platform for submitting your content to media outlets like Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., The Huffington Post, Mashable and more.

The platform is the leading resource for finding new sources of traffic, leads and customers.

You can use Connectively as a way to get in front of journalists who write about topics you’re interested in – like entrepreneurship or mobile apps – but be sure to keep it useful by providing them with valuable information they can use.

Conclusion:

Building links using a whitehat approach is a long-term, sustainable strategy. This helps to maintain your rankings and position in SERPs over time.

You should never attempt to deceive Google by using black hat tactics, as Google will take strict action against such behavior. So it’s better to stick to the guidelines by Google and use White-hat link-building strategies to build backlinks.

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