3 free backlinks from high-authority websites (DR 76–91)

Domain Ratings as shown in Ahrefs at the time of research. Numbers change, so check the current figure before you quote it.

Backlinks in 60 seconds

A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Google reads it as a vote of trust, and links from big, trusted websites carry more weight than links from small, unknown ones.

• Domain Rating (DR) — Ahrefs' 0–100 score for how strong a website's backlink profile is. DR 70+ counts as high authority.
• Dofollow link — a normal link that passes ranking value (“link juice”) to your site.
• Nofollow link — a link with rel="nofollow" or rel="ugc". Google treats it as a hint, not a vote. Still useful for traffic and brand mentions.
• Profile / platform link — a link you place yourself on a page you own inside a big platform: a profile, an affiliate page, a business listing. All three methods here are this type.
• Indexing — Google has to find and store the page with your link before it can count. That takes days to weeks.

Why these three work

Each platform has a very high Domain Rating and lets you create your own public page on its domain. You add your website to that page, and the platform's authority links to you.

What you need ready

• Your website URL — the exact version you want to rank (https, with or without www)
• A short business description (2–3 lines) and a logo or profile photo
• Business name, email and city, written the same way everywhere
• An X (Twitter) account, for method 3
• Optional: a free Ahrefs Webmaster Tools or backlink-checker account to track results

Method 1 — Bookshop.org affiliate page (DR 91)

Bookshop.org is an online bookstore that supports independent bookshops. Approved affiliates get a public page on bookshop.org where you can add a description and your website link. About 15 minutes, plus 24–48 hours for approval.

1. Go to the affiliate programme. Visit bookshop.org and open “Become an Affiliate” (usually linked in the site footer).
2. Sign up as an affiliate. Fill in your name, website URL and a short description of your site or audience. Use the exact URL you want to rank.
3. Wait for approval. It usually comes within 24–48 hours by email.
4. Set up your public affiliate page. In your affiliate dashboard, edit your shop/profile page. Add a profile photo and a 2–3 line bio.
5. Add your link. Put your website URL in the website field and, where allowed, a natural link in the description (e.g. “Read more growth tips at yoursite.com”).
6. Make it real. Create one or two book lists that fit your niche (“Best books on marketing”). A real, useful page is less likely to be removed — and may earn affiliate income too.
7. Publish and check. Open your public page while logged out and confirm the link is visible and clickable.

Method 2 — ProvenExpert business profile (DR 91)

ProvenExpert is a reviews and ratings platform for businesses. Register a business and you get a public profile page with a slot for your website. About 10 minutes, on the free plan.

1. Register your business. Go to provenexpert.com and create a free business account.
2. Fill in your profile completely. Business name, category, short description, address/city, phone and logo. Complete profiles look trustworthy and are less likely to be flagged.
3. Add your website. Enter your URL in the profile's “Website” field.
4. Publish the profile. Make sure the public business page is live, not just saved as a draft.
5. Collect 2–3 reviews. Use ProvenExpert's review link to ask happy clients for feedback. A profile with reviews is a stronger page, and doubles as social proof for your own site.
6. Verify the link. Open the public profile in a private / incognito window and check your website link appears.

Method 3 — Thread Reader App, via X (DR 76)

Thread Reader App turns X threads into readable web pages on threadreaderapp.com. If your thread links to your site, the unrolled page does too. About 10 minutes, free.

1. Write a useful thread on X. 4–8 posts on a topic in your niche — a tip list, a case study, lessons learned. Real value makes the page worth reading.
2. Include your website link. Add your URL naturally in one of the posts, ideally the first or last (“Full guide here: yoursite.com/guide”).
3. Publish the thread.
4. Ask Thread Reader to unroll it. Reply to your own thread with: @threadreaderapp unroll
5. Get your page. The bot replies with a link to the unrolled thread on threadreaderapp.com. Open it and confirm your website link is there.
6. Repeat for new content. Each new thread with a link can make a new page. Link to different pages of your site — blog posts, services — to spread the value.

Check if a link is dofollow — 2 minutes

1. Open the page with your link, logged out or in incognito.
2. Right-click your link → Inspect.
3. Look at the <a href="…"> tag. No rel attribute, or no “nofollow”, “ugc” or “sponsored” in it, means it's dofollow. If it says nofollow, it still helps with traffic and brand signals.

Platforms can change their link settings at any time, so check once when you create the link and again every few months.

Track your links, and help Google find them

• Search Google for site: plus your page URL to see if it's indexed.
• Share each new page once on your socials so it gets visits.
• Link to your profiles from your own website — an “As seen on” or “Reviews” section.
• Give it 2–6 weeks, then check a backlink tool (Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, or Google Search Console → Links) to see the links appear.

Quick-start checklist

• Apply as a Bookshop.org affiliate today (approval takes 24–48 hours)
• Create and fill in your ProvenExpert business profile
• Post one X thread with your link and reply “@threadreaderapp unroll”
• Check all three links in incognito and log them in the table above

More backlink hacks are coming in the series. Follow growth_by_cc on Instagram so you don't miss the next one.