TL;DR
In 2025, link building is no longer just an SEO checkbox. For e-commerce brands, it’s a strategic pathway to build authority, visibility, and trust in both human and AI-driven search environments. This post explores 7 advanced link building strategies plus new ways to leverage AI and data to future-proof your digital presence.
Why E-commerce Link Building in 2025 is About Authority, Not Just Links
In a world where 95% of pages earn zero backlinks, securing high-quality links remains one of the most powerful competitive advantages in SEO. But in 2025, the game has changed… well, it’s been changing for a while. Link building isn’t just about ranking higher in Google, although that’s part of it, but it’s more about earning your brand a spot in the digital conversations that shape AI-generated answers, shopping recommendations, and user trust.
Today’s emphasis is on authority, not volume. Google and large language models (LLMs) prioritize content and brands they see repeatedly in authoritative contexts. This includes not just backlinks, but co-citations (mentions alongside other trusted sources) and entity visibility in AI-generated content.
To thrive, your e-commerce brand must be perceived as a thought leader, a reliable source, and a frequently cited source within your niche. That’s the goal of our modern-day link-building efforts.
The Modern Playbook: 7 Advanced Link Building Strategies for E-commerce
So what does this playbook look like? How do you start tackling this?
Below are seven high-impact strategies that combine content, outreach, and AI to help your brand earn the right kind of links in 2025.
1. Create ‘Link Magnets’ with Proprietary Data & Tools
Some of the content you produce will earn attention effortlessly because it’s inherently valuable. These are your link magnets. Some of the ways you can develop link magnets include:
- Proprietary data: Run a niche-specific survey or publish anonymized customer insights. Think “2025 Trends in Vegan Beauty Purchases” or “Sustainability in Outdoor Gear”.
- Free tools or calculators: A shipping time estimator or a material durability comparison tool becomes a go-to resource across your entire industry.
- Visual breakdowns: Charts, maps, and interactive visuals are heavily cited by bloggers and journalists.
Pro Tip: If you build and host these assets on standalone URLs, you make them easier to link to and crawlable by AI models, which is the end goal, right?
2. Become a Go-To Source for Reporters and Bloggers
Earn authoritative media mentions by becoming an expert source. Services like HARO (yes… it’s back!), Featured.com, and Help a B2B Writer connect you with journalists and bloggers actively seeking expert insights.
How should you tackle your outreach efforts? Here’s a step-by-step outreach guide:
- Sign up for one or all of these services.
- Scan daily queries related to your niche.
- Craft a clear, concise response that adds original insight (yes, you can use ChatGPT to help with this and create scale)
- Include a one-line bio and link to your homepage or relevant blog post.
Example: A DTC skincare brand could offer insights on ingredient sourcing, fulfillment challenges, or sustainability trends.
3. Master Strategic Guest Posting for Brand Placement
Traditional “guest blogging” has been dead for years. If you haven’t already, STOP posting guest posts on generic blogs that have nothing to do with your niche. Instead, focus on contextual brand placement in high-quality, topically aligned blogs and resources. Here’s what you should do.
- Identify sites that align with your audience and values.
- Check to see if they have Google keyword rankings and drive organic website traffic.
- Pitch articles that naturally reference your brand.
- Focus on useful, educational content that elevates your brand as an authority.
Pro Tip: Guest post content shouldn’t scream “self-promotion.” Instead, it should offer real value to the readers, which in turn positions your brand positively.
4. Leverage Partnerships with Influencers and Complementary Brands
Collaborations are huge right now. They not only generate tons of brand awareness and sales, but they also build organic backlinks and citations. Here are some of the more popular ways to do this:
- Partner with micro-influencers to create review content or product guides.
- Team up with complementary brands (e.g., a pet food brand with a pet grooming tool company) for co-branded blog content or resource pages.
- Make it easy to link to your shared content with media kits and visual assets.
These partnerships should be more than promotional. They should be what fuels new content creation, earned media, and LLM-recognized authority.
5. Use Strategic Outreach To Capitalize on Outdated Resources
There are probably hundreds of thousands… maybe even millions of outdated web pages, blogs, and other resources online. By finding these and pitching the authors on new, updated data or resources, you can claim some of these links as your own. Here’s how this might work for your brand:
- Find outdated resources (e.g., guides from previous years (2024, 2023, etc., shut-down brands, old URLs, discontinued tools).
- Use Ahrefs to identify who still links to them.
- Reach out to those site owners with a helpful note and suggest your resource as a replacement.
Sample Script: Hi [Name], I hope you are well today. I noticed you link to [old resource] on this post: [URL]. I’m sure you didn’t know that this site is now offline. We just published a more current version here: [Your URL]. Feel free to add it to your post. Let me know if you have any questions.
6. Reclaim Unlinked Brand Mentions
Many times when working with new clients, we find that their brands may already be getting mentioned without being linked to. That’s a huge missed opportunity.
Here’s how to tackle this:
- Use Google: intext:”Your Brand” -yourbrand.com
- Or use tools like Semrush Brand Monitoring or BuzzSumo.
Then, reach out:
- Thank the publisher for mentioning your brand.
- Ask if they’d be willing to add a link for their readers’ convenience.
- Use the moment to suggest a value-rich page as the link destination (not just your homepage, category, or product page).
Bonus: Use this opportunity to update the context around the mention to better represent your brand and support your LLM presence. Asking them to change a sentence is just as easy as asking them to hyperlink a keyword.
7. Launch An Affiliate Program to Build Relevance
Affiliate marketing was big in the early 2000’s and is kind of making a comeback. A properly built and nurtured affiliate program will drive a high volume of consistent brand mentions and links from the following:
- Review blogs
- YouTube creators
- Product listicles
- Social-first sites like Pinterest or TikTok
Here’s what you should focus on when working with affiliates:
- Focus on partnerships with creators already ranking in your space.
- Equip them with unique visuals, product insights, and data to enrich their content.
- Focus on evergreen value, not just launch-time hype.
You should be thinking of affiliates not just as sales generators, but as brand amplifiers.
The AI Revolution: Future-Proofing Your Link Building Strategy
With Google’s AI Overviews and LLMs reshaping search, brand authority signals must extend beyond links alone.
Using AI for Predictive Outreach and Link Prospecting
AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini will now:
- Analyze millions of pages to identify top link targets.
- Predict which content formats and topics are likely to earn backlinks.
- Personalize outreach emails at scale.
Human strategy (this is key) + AI assistance = high-performance outreach at scale, so don’t ignore it!
Creating LLM-Cited Content: How to Get Featured in AI Answers
Want to show up in AI-generated responses across all of the most popular platforms?
Here’s how you can start:
- Build content that is clear and factual: No fluff. No vague claims.
- Structure content with lists, headings, and short paragraphs.
- Include citable elements: original research and expert quotes.
- Use co-citation tactics: ensure you’re mentioned alongside trusted entities.
The LLMs don’t just count links. They associate your brand with concepts, categories, and credibility.
Build Your E-commerce Authority, Not Just Your Backlink Profile
The landscape of link building in 2025 has matured. It’s no longer about chasing hundreds of backlinks; it’s about engineering authority that fuels your SEO, enhances your AI visibility, and builds real trust with your audience.
Your goal isn’t just SEO anymore. It’s optimizing for and where your audience spends time online.
That means showing up where it matters, when it matters, whether that be on Google, in AI-generated responses, across listicles, product reviews, and niche communities.
Build links that last. Build authority that compounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is advanced link building?
Advanced link building refers to high-level strategies that go beyond basic outreach or directory submissions. These include tactics like earning links through data-driven content, strategic partnerships, predictive AI prospecting, and creating resources tailored for LLMs.
What is the future of link building?
Link building is evolving to prioritize quality, relevance, and authority. With spammy tactics being penalized, the future lies in earned media, AI-driven visibility, and co-citation strategies that influence both humans and machines.
Is link building still important in 2025?
Absolutely. Top-ranking pages still have 3.8x more backlinks on average. But it’s not just about numbers anymore. Authority, trust, and strategic visibility across platforms are the new keys to SEO success.
How can AI help with link building?
AI helps by identifying link prospects, personalizing outreach, analyzing content gaps, and even forecasting what content will earn the most links. It boosts efficiency, but human insight still drives strategy.
How do I get backlinks without guest posting?
You can earn links by:
- Publishing proprietary data
- Reclaiming unlinked mentions
- Building free tools or calculators
- Using affiliate and influencer partnerships
- Becoming a quoted source in the media
Greg is the founder and CEO of Stryde and a seasoned digital marketer who has worked with thousands of businesses, large and small, to generate more revenue via online marketing strategy and execution. Greg has written hundreds of blog posts as well as spoken at many events about online marketing strategy. You can follow Greg on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.