Tier 2 Link Building Strategies That Actually Boost Your SEO

Tier 2 link building has become a powerful and usually underrated SEO strategy that can jump start your search engine rankings, if done right. While Tier 1 links (links to your money site) are the ones that get the most attention, Tier 2 backlinks (links to your Tier 1 links) can enhance the authority and reach of your overall backlink profile. In this guide from DXG Solution, we will take you through the mechanics, strategies, and evidenced value of Tier 2 link building that will actually improve your SEO performance.

What Is Tier 2 Link Building?

Tier 2 link building involves securing backlinks that point to the Tier 1 backlinks you’ve built, and not your main site. The goal is to create additional authority, and speed up the indexing time of your Tier 1 links, to enhance their ability to pass SEO juice onto your site. 

Let’s say you’ve earned a guest post on a quality blog (Tier 1). A Tier 2 backlink would be to create a forum post, social bookmark, or a Web 2.0 article that links to that guest post, not your site. The logic is simple: the more places and types of links that reference your Tier 1 links, and the more external sources linking to your Tier 1 links, the more important and valuable Google will see those Tier 1 links to be. Therefore, the Tier 1 links will become more powerful, and in turn provide more value back to your site.

Why Tier 2 Link Building Still Matters in 2025

In an era where Google’s algorithms are increasingly sophisticated, many marketers believe Tier 2 link building is outdated or ineffective. That’s far from the truth. In fact, Tier 2 link building in 2025 is more relevant than ever—if done strategically.

Here’s why:

• Indexation of Tier 1 Links: Not all backlinks get indexed. If your Tier 1 links remain unindexed, they don’t pass any value. Tier 2 links help force indexation of those critical Tier 1 links.

• Link Juice Amplification: By pointing backlinks to your Tier 1 links, you increase their authority, which means they pass more value to your main site.

• Natural Link Profile: Search engines value a natural link profile. Tier 2 links contribute to link diversity, making your backlink strategy appear more organic.

• Content Discovery & Referral Traffic: Some Tier 2 sources like forums and Web 2.0s can bring referral traffic and increase brand visibility—especially when branded with entities like DXG Solution.

Proven Tier 2 Link Building Strategies by DXG Solution

Welcome to DXG Solution, where we work hard to create layered link profiles that are resistant to algorithm updates and provide impactful results. Let’s take a look at some of the best Tier 2 link building strategies that are effective in 2025. 

Web 2.0 Backlinks – Blog Posts, Mini-Sites & Content Hubs

If you’re looking for prospects to create contextually relevant tier 2 backlinks to your guest posts or niche edits, then web 2.0 sites like WordPress, Blogger, and Medium offer the ability to create mini-sites or blog posts that you control the content of. 

The goal is to create semi-original relevant content that is value added, and have anchor text that naturally points to your business Tier 1 asset. When possible (and necessary) be sure to interlink your web 2.0s, and create a reasonable posting schedule that is natural. 

PRO TIP: DXG Solution uses branded web 2.0s with some partial match anchor text to create diversity and reduce footprint.

Forum Threads & Q&A Sites – Niche Specific Traffic

Forums and Q&A sites such as Reddit, Quora (quality answer), and niche boards can provide strong tier 2 links. These links are typically nofollow, however, a link is a link and these still provide trust signals and assist with indexation and traffic. 

The trick is engagement first, and not spamming your tier 2 links. Consider contributing something of value, and then linking back to your tier 1 asset when the situation warrants.

Social Bookmarking & Online Directories – Fast Indexing Boost

By submitting Tier 1 links to Bookmarking sites like Mix, Scoop.it, or Slashdot, you could possibly speed up your links getting indexed. Niche specific online directories could also provide Tier 2 citations while providing impact and visibility.

While the combined SEO value of online bookmarking, and online directories may not be strong, their advantage comes from forcing indexation, traffic, and trust signals. They can be a huge advantage when working on local SEO Tier 2 campaigns.

Low Authority Sites – When and How to Use Them Safely

Even though the authority of some low authority sites are pretty weak, many marketers ignore them all together. When used smartly it is completely smart and safe to use low authority sites in your Tier 2 strategy. Oftentimes the low authority sites allow guest posts, user generated content or article submissions.

The goal here is to avoid the spammy sites and find relevant, topical sites with DA between 10–30. They help to build a natural look link pyramid and offer a buffer that allows you to amplify the Tier 1 power without risking your main site.

Profile Links – Use to Amplify your Brand on the Web

Profile backlinks on About.me, Gravatar, Crunchbase, or other nondescript blogs can provide Tier 2 backlinks if you go back to a guest post, or citation. Disgracefully simple, but they can contribute to making a healthy diverse backlink profile.

Use these profiles to develop a brand entity, especially if branded

How to Implement Tier 2 Link Building the Right Way

Execution is at least as relevant as strategy. An effective Tier 2 link building campaign should be:

• Planned & Layered: Start by identifying some strong Tier 1 links you want to boost.
• Varied: Use multiple types of Tier 2 links (Web 2.0s, social, forums, etc.).
• Drip Fed: Try not to create 100 links on the same day, as natural link velocity is important.
• Contextual: Make sure links are placed in relevant content; not the sidebars or footers.
• Indexed: Use indexing services, pinging services, or RSS feeds to make sure Tier 2 assets are crawled by search engines.

At DXG Solution, we have a proprietary link mapping strategy that makes sure every Tier 2 link has a clear purpose and outcomes that we can report on.

Tier 2 Link Building Mistakes to Avoid

Tier 2 link building is powerful but can be contentious if not done correctly. Here are some mistakes you will want to avoid:

• • Over-optimized anchors:  If you use the exact match keywords too often, spam filters will trigger.
  • Low-quality spam sites:  Avoid link farms or PBNs as most PBNs are retired or de-indexed & Google is VERY clever these days detecting these types of links. 

• No indexing plan: If your Tier 2 links are not indexed then they won’t help your Tier 1. 

• Lack of relevance: Irrelevant content or irrelevant forums can play havoc with trust signals and branding. 

Remember, do not worry about quantity, focus on quality.  A handful of the highest quality Tier 2 backlinks can provide a lot more than hundreds of the lowest quality links.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Tier 2 Link Building

Is Tier 2 link building still relevant in 2025?

Absolutely, it is very powerful if done properly to build strength on your Tier 1 backlinks, and benefits to your overall seo.

Are Tier 2 backlinks safe for my website?

Of course, they do not link directly to your site so there is very minimal risk. You only need to be mindful of not pointing spam links at your Tier 1s.

How many Tier 2 to create?

There is no specific number. Start with 5 – 10 Tier 2 links of good quality for each Tier 1 then scale up slowly.

Can Tier 2 link building be automated?

It can be completed through automation, but doing it by hand will usually give you a better quality and outcomes. At DXG Solution, we have a managed Tier 2 link building that will give you the best outcomes.

Final Thoughts

Tier 2 link building isn’t just an auxiliary tactic – it’s simply another weapon in the SEO arsenal that can power up your Tier 1 links, enhance indexing rates, and boost domain authority. With Google evaluating websites based on quality and updated context, it’s essential to develop a smart, tiered backlink profile.

At DXG Solution, we’ve helped countless clients unlock better rankings using strategic Tier 2 SEO techniques tailored to their niche. If you’re ready to take your link building to the next level, it’s time to invest in a robust Tier 2 campaign that works with the algorithm, not against it.