How We Vet Every Link Source
According to Ahrefs' 2020 study, 90.63 percent of all web pages get zero organic Google traffic. Backlinks remain a real lever anyway: Backlinko's analysis by Brian Dean (2020, 11.8 million SERPs) found that the number-1 result has on average 3.8 times more backlinks than results in positions 2 through 10. That is exactly why we publish how we vet every single link source before a request ever goes out.
"A source has to pass all seven checks, or no request goes out. No summary report, the first check that fails stops the process completely."
- 7 checks before every request
- No paid links, no PBNs
- Baseline public: 33 referring domains
The 7 Checks Before Every Request
Every backlink request runs through the same seven gates before it is allowed to be sent at all. There is no summary report: the first check that fails stops the request completely, with a machine-readable rejection reason.
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01
Role Mailbox + Source URL
Under German competition law (§7 UWG) we only write to published functional mailboxes (redaktion@, presse@, info@, kontakt@ and similar), never personal addresses. The source the address came from has to be publicly traceable and documented.
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02
ICP Exclusion
Domains that could themselves be one of our target customers get filtered out of the outreach list. We write to directories and publishers, not to potential clients.
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03
Editorial Dedupe
Every editorial or press address gets contacted at most once per quarter across all our projects, no matter which one. Nobody gets two pitches from us in the same window.
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04
Weekly & Daily Caps
Send velocity ramps up in a controlled way: 2 requests per week at the start, then 3, then 5 from week four, with a hard daily cap of 2. Sudden spikes are a known spam signal, we actively avoid them.
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05
Anchor Quota
Before every new request we calculate how it would shift the overall anchor-text mix. If that would exceed the quota below, the request is blocked, not just logged.
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06
Bounce & Suppression List
Addresses and domains that have hard-bounced before or complained are technically blocked. A system check prevents any repeat send to those targets.
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07
Owner Sign-Off on the List
Before a single request is even allowed into the queue, the entire target list is reviewed and approved by hand. Without that sign-off, no request leaves the system.
Natural Anchor Distribution
A healthy backlink profile doesn't read like a keyword list. We stick to fixed ceilings before a request is even allowed to go out.
Velocity: Controlled Growth, Not Spikes
We deliberately ramp send velocity up slowly: 2 requests in the first week, 3 in weeks two and three, 5 per week from week four on, with a hard daily ceiling of 2. Sudden backlink spikes are a known signal for bought or automated links, we never want to create that, not even by accident.
When a Source Gets Dropped
Four criteria are enough to get a source removed from the list, no matter how good the rest of the data looks:
- No imprint findable
- No measurable organic traffic
- Recognisable link-farm or PBN pattern
- Completely off-topic
A real case from our own research: an agency directory was technically clean, no elevated spam score, dofollow confirmed, a perfect topical fit. We still struck it, because no imprint could be found anywhere on the site. Technically clean is not enough for us if the source's legitimacy doesn't hold up.
What Counts as a Link, for Us
Counts
- Live and reachable long-term
- Dofollow
- Placed in the body content
- Actively verified by us
Doesn't count
- Footer or sidebar placement
- Nofollow
- Paid for
- Taken on without verification
Honestly: What You Can Expect
What We Don't Do
- No paid links
- No PBNs (private blog networks)
- No cold email outreach to unrelated companies
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you buy backlinks or use link networks?
No. No paid links, no PBNs, no comment spam. Every source has to pass the seven checks above before a request ever goes out.
Do you guarantee a better ranking?
No, nobody serious promises that. Backlinks are one of many ranking factors. Backlinko's analysis by Brian Dean (2020, 11.8 million SERPs) found that the number-1 result has on average 3.8 times more backlinks than results in positions 2 through 10, that is a broad correlation, not a guarantee for any single case.
What happens if a source has no imprint?
It gets dropped, no matter how good the rest of the data looks. A technically clean profile is not enough for us if the source's legitimacy does not hold up.
Does a footer link or a nofollow link count?
Not for us. We only count links that are live, dofollow, placed in the body content, and actively verified, not footer or sidebar placements.