Link velocity and natural growth, what it looks like in real life
Link velocity is the rate at which your site earns new links over time. People treat it like a magic number. It is not. A natural-looking link profile comes from the mix of link types, the mix of anchors, and whether the links point to the right URLs. You can go faster when you have real demand and content that earns citations. You should go slower when you are rebuilding trust or fixing messy anchors.
What actually shapes link velocity
“Natural” is not one speed. A brand getting press can earn dozens of links in a week and still look normal. A fresh site with thin pages can earn ten links in a week and look forced. Here are the levers that matter.
Trust baseline
New domains, expired domains, or domains with a messy backlink profile should move slower. Sites with steady branded searches and clean link history can handle more.
Referring domain diversity
Ten links from ten unique sites looks cleaner than fifty links from one sitewide template. This is why we track new referring domains month to month.
Anchor text ratios
If your plan is mostly exact match anchors, you have to slow down or the pattern gets obvious. Brand, URL, and topical anchors help pacing feel normal.
Target URL mix
A natural profile points to the homepage, a few core pages, and content assets. Every link going to one money page can look like a paid footprint.
Crawl and index timing
Links only help after the linking page is crawled and indexed. Velocity is not just “links built”. It is also how fast the web sees them.
Risk control
If you are cleaning up spammy links, fixing a traffic drop, or changing site structure, a slower pace with higher topical fit is safer.
A simple pacing planner (start here, then adjust)
These ranges are not promises. They are a starting point to keep link growth looking normal for your situation. We adjust once we see your backlink profile, your niche competition, and what pages you are pushing.
| Situation | Suggested pace | Link types that usually fit | Anchor mix direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| New domain or new service page | 2 to 6 new referring domains per month | Guest posts, niche edits on relevant pages, a few resource links | Mostly brand + URL, then topical anchors |
| Local business with map pack goals | 4 to 10 new referring domains per month | Local citations, niche directories, local PR, a few guest posts | Brand + URL, location-modified topical anchors |
| Competitive niche (SaaS, finance, law) | 8 to 20 new referring domains per month | Manual outreach, editorial links, digital PR, guest posts | Brand heavy, topical, then careful partial match |
| Cleanup mode after spam or a drop | 2 to 8 new referring domains per month | Higher-trust placements, fewer links, better relevance | Brand + URL first, avoid exact match streaks |
Patterns that make velocity look forced
Most penalties and ranking drops do not come from a single link. They come from patterns. These are the patterns we try to prevent when we plan link velocity.
Sudden exact match streaks
Ten links in a row using the same keyword anchor is a red flag. It reads like a paid footprint. A clean plan rotates brand, URL, topical, and partial match anchors.
Only one target URL
If every link points to your money page, velocity will look off even at low volume. We spread links across the homepage, service pages, supporting pages, and linkable assets.
Too many repeats from one domain
Fifty backlinks from the same site does not equal fifty votes. You usually want more unique referring domains, not more repetition.
Off-topic link context
A “strong” domain is not helpful if the page topic is unrelated. Topical relevance is part of natural-looking growth.
Thin pages being pushed hard
Links can highlight weaknesses. If the page is thin, unclear, or mismatched to intent, scaling link velocity can waste money.
Link bursts with no follow-up
A burst and then silence can look weird in some niches. A steady, predictable pace is easier to maintain, and it keeps anchor distribution cleaner.
Pages that pair well with link velocity
If you are building a plan, these are the pages most people read next.
Anchor text strategy
Plan brand, URL, topical, partial match, and careful exact match. Keep ratios readable.
Anchor textReferring domains vs backlinks
Learn why unique domains usually matter more than raw backlink counts.
Compare metricsManual outreach link building
Often the cleanest way to add new referring domains without weird patterns.
Manual outreach