Which Pages Should You Build Backlinks To?

Where a link points matters as much as where it comes from. The same budget spread across the wrong pages barely moves anything; aimed at pages that are close to ranking and valuable to the business, it can make a visible difference.

In this guide: Choosing Which Pages to Build Links To

Look for pages that are close

In Search Console, find pages ranking in positions 5–20 for keywords with real value. These pages already satisfy search engines enough to rank. Often a few relevant links, plus internal linking, is what pushes them onto page one or into the top three.

Pages sitting on page five usually have a bigger problem — intent mismatch, thin content, strong competitors — and links alone rarely fix it.

Weigh commercial value

Page	Current position	Search volume	Business value	Priority
Category page	8	High	High	Top
Buying guide	12	Medium	Medium	High
Glossary term	6	Low	Low	Low

A simple score — position gap × volume × value — is enough to rank candidates.

Check intent before you spend

Search the keyword and look at what ranks. If the top results are guides and your page is a product listing, links won’t overcome the mismatch. Fix the page or target a different keyword, and confirm the page satisfies search intent before spending anything on links to it.

Where to source the list from

Pull candidate pages from three places: Search Console’s performance report filtered to positions 5–20, your analytics for pages with meaningful traffic potential but flat growth, and any pages a recent competitor research pass flagged as close but behind. Combining all three avoids the common trap of only ever working from one report and missing pages that would show up in another.

Rule out technical blockers first

A page stuck at position 15 despite good content sometimes has a technical cause rather than a links problem: a weak title tag, competing pages on your own site targeting the same term, or crawl issues. Run through technical SEO fixes to make before you buy links and check for keyword cannibalisation before assuming the fix is more backlinks.

How many pages to target at once

Trying to support twenty pages at once with a modest budget usually means each one gets too thin a push to matter. It’s generally more effective to concentrate effort on a handful of pages until they move, then rotate the list, rather than spreading the same total budget evenly across every candidate on the list from month one.

Use informational pages as stepping stones

Commercial pages are hard to earn links to directly, and paid links pointing only at money pages form a visible pattern. A common structure:

Build links to a strong, genuinely useful informational page.
From that page, link internally to the related commercial pages.

This spreads value naturally and keeps your profile balanced. See internal linking for how to set it up.

Don’t forget the homepage

Branded links and PR coverage usually point to your homepage, and a strong homepage lifts the whole site through navigation. It rarely needs paid links; let earned links handle it, and put paid budget into the pages that don’t attract that kind of attention naturally.

Build a simple target list

A working target list doesn’t need to be complicated. A spreadsheet with the page URL, current position, target keyword, search volume, business value and a one-line note on intent fit is usually enough to run a quarter’s planning. Rank candidates by the position-gap score above, and don’t be afraid to leave weaker candidates off the list entirely rather than spreading a thin budget across too many pages.

How this connects to internal linking

Once a target page is chosen, check what already links to it internally before ordering anything external. A page with no internal links pointing to it is starting from behind, however many external links it eventually receives — see internal linking and backlinks for the fix, which is often faster and cheaper than the external campaign itself.

A worked example

Take a category page ranking eighth for a term with solid search volume and clear commercial value. It scores highest on the priority table above, so it gets the next round of placements: two or three relevant guest posts pointing to a linked informational guide, with the guide then linking down to the category page internally. A glossary term at position six with low search volume and no commercial value stays untouched, even though its position looks better on paper, because moving it wouldn’t change anything that matters to the business.

Revisit targets regularly

Once a page reaches its goal, move budget to the next candidate. Keep a short list of targets and review monthly alongside rankings (measuring results), and re-run the intent check periodically, since search results reshuffle and a page that fit its keyword a year ago may no longer match what’s ranking. When you’re ready, choose placements relevant to each target from the matching niche in the marketplace.

More SEO strategy guides

Frequently asked questions

Should I build links to my homepage?

Usually not with paid placements. Homepages tend to earn branded and PR links naturally.

Is it bad to only build links to product pages?

It creates an unnatural pattern and is harder to justify editorially. Support product pages through informational content and internal links.

How many target pages should I focus on?

A small set you can support consistently, often five to twenty depending on budget.

Put it into practice

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Choosing Which Pages to Build Links To