Link Building Services To Boost Visibility & Reverse Google Penalties

If your website has disappeared from search results or been hit by a Google penalty, you’re not alone. Every year, thousands of businesses quietly lose visibility after algorithm updates, spam policy changes, or simply because their sites lack authority signals.

The good news? Strategic link building and authoritative backlinks can bring your website back to life.

At RiSEO Link Building Agency, we help brands recover rankings, rebuild trust, and boost visibility through ethical, data-driven link building services. In this guide, we’ll explore:

• Why backlinks remain a top ranking factor in 2025 (even with AI search)

• How smart link building helps sites that are “invisible” or penalised

• Proven strategies for earning high-authority links safely

• Real statistics and insights from Google, Ahrefs, Backlinko, and others

• A step-by-step recovery plan for penalised sites

Whether you’re starting from zero or trying to bounce back from a penalty, this is your playbook for using link building to recover rankings and dominate AI-powered search.

Why Links Still Matter in 2025 (Even with AI Search)

Despite the rise of AI Overviews and zero-click searches, backlinks remain a core trust and authority signal for Google. Studies consistently show strong correlations between the number and quality of backlinks and higher rankings.

• A Backlinko/Ahrefs study of 11.8 million search results found the #1 ranking page has 3.8× more backlinks than positions #2–10.

• Ahrefs reports that 96.55% of all pages get zero organic traffic — and one of the biggest differentiators is whether a page has quality referring domains.

• Google continues to dominate global search with a 90.4% market share (September 2025). Visibility here still drives the lion’s share of digital growth.

What AI Changes — And What It Doesn’t

Google’s AI Overviews now appear for a huge portion of informational queries. According to Ahrefs, when an AI Overview is shown, click-through rates to the #1 organic result drop by 34.5%.

However, the sites that rank well organically are also the ones AI cites most often. Ahrefs’ June 2025 study across Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity showed that websites with strong backlink profiles and organic traffic earn more AI mentions.

👉 Translation: If your site has authority and quality backlinks, you’re more likely to be quoted inside AI summaries and keep your organic visibility.

“Invisible” vs. “Penalised”: Know What’s Holding You Back

Before you build a single link, you need to understand what’s really wrong:

1. Invisible / Under-Indexed Content

Your site simply lacks backlinks, authority, or crawl prioritisation. Most pages on the web fall here — 96.55% get no traffic.

2. Algorithmic Suppression

Traffic dips after Google’s core or spam updates. In 2024, Google launched major policy changes to target scaled content abuse and spammy link patterns.

3. Manual Actions (Penalties)

Google flags your site for violating spam policies. You’ll see this in Search Console → Manual Actions. Recovery requires removal of bad links, a reconsideration request, and a rebuild of your backlink profile.

What Google Actually Says About Links

Google hasn’t declared backlinks obsolete — but it has sharpened its spam detection.

• March 2024 Spam Policy Updates targeted scaled content abuse, expired domains, and site reputation abuse.

• Buying links that pass PageRank, guest post farms, automated link placement, or mass widget/template links still violate Google policy.

• The Disavow Tool is still available for cleaning up toxic links, especially for sites facing manual actions. But Google recommends prioritising removal first, not disavow as a blanket solution.

Link Building by the Numbers

Here are the latest data points that prove why link building works:

• #1 organic result = 3.8× more backlinks than positions #2–10.

• 96.55% of pages get no traffic, often due to lack of backlinks and topical authority.

• Brands with strong link profiles get more AI mentions across Google and ChatGPT.

• AI Overviews cause 34.5% lower CTR for organic #1 results, so earning citations inside AI answers is crucial.

Penalised Site Recovery: The Link Clean-Up Playbook

If you’ve been hit with a manual action for unnatural links, follow this process carefully:

1. Audit Your Link Profile

Export links from Search Console. Flag spammy networks, paid links, exact-match anchors, and irrelevant placements.

2. Remove What You Can, Disavow What You Can’t

Reach out to webmasters to remove or nofollow bad links. Use Disavow sparingly, for truly unremovable toxic links.

3. Submit a Reconsideration Request

Log your cleanup work and submit through Search Console. Google says reconsideration can take days or weeks, sometimes longer for link-related penalties.

4. Rebuild Authority with Quality Links

Once the penalty is lifted, start fresh with editorial, relevant backlinks. Recovery typically takes several months as Google reevaluates trust.

Not Penalised, Just Invisible? Build Authority the Right Way

You don’t need hundreds of spammy links — you need the right few:

• ✅ Digital PR Over Directory Dumps - Create story-worthy assets: original data, research, tools, or thought leadership. Pitch journalists and niche publications for editorial placements.

• 🧠 Build “Citation Gravity” for AI Overviews - Earn unlinked brand mentions alongside backlinks — AI Overviews often cite sites that are widely referenced online.

• 🌐 Focus on Referring Domains, Not Just Link Count - Links from many unique, high-authority domains beat lots of links from one site.

• 🚀 Target Pages with Real Traffic - Links from high-traffic pages have more impact. Ahrefs found this correlates more strongly with ranking improvements than sheer dofollow counts.

Your 8-Week Link Building Recovery Plan

Week 1–2: Diagnosis & Risk Cleanup

• Audit links, fix spam signals, align with Google policies.

Week 3–4: Create Link-Worthy Assets

• Launch data studies, tools, surveys or reports.

Week 5–6: Digital PR & Outreach

• Target relevant, traffic-rich publications with story pitches.

Week 7–8: Internal Linking & Amplification

• Funnel earned authority to key pages; update cornerstone content.

Track results via Search Console, AI Overview citations, and Visibility Index.

How Many Links Do You Really Need?

There’s no magic number, but data gives clues:

• #1 result has 3.8× more backlinks than #2–10.

• Many ranking pages have as few as 5–15 quality referring domains — if the links are relevant and authoritative.

Focus on quality + diversity + relevance over quantity.

Track the Right Signals

To measure recovery accurately:

• ✅ Impressions & Average Position – early indicators in Google Search Console

• 🌐 Referring Domains – diversity & authority matter

• 📈 Visibility Index (e.g. SISTRIX) – shows domain strength trends

• 🧠 AI Overview Citations – see if your site starts appearing in AI answers

Ethical Link Earning That Scales

• 📊 Original data journalists want to cite

• 🛠️ Tools or calculators that attract embeds

• 📝 Expert commentary programs for media coverage

• 🤝 Partnerships & co-marketing with reputable brands

• ⚡ Timely content tied to trends or news

All of these are white-hat, sustainable and align with Google’s 2024 spam policies.

Final Takeaway: Links Are Still Your Strongest “Signal Amplifier”

In 2025, AI search hasn’t killed link building — it’s made high-quality backlinks more powerful than ever.

They help Google rediscover and trust your content, increase your chances of being cited in AI Overviews, and remain one of the most reliable levers for reversing ranking drops and penalties.

👉 If your website isn’t getting found or has been penalised, a smart, ethical link building strategy is your fastest way back to visibility.

🚀 Riseo: Expert Link Building Services That Deliver

At RiSEO, we specialise in helping UK and international brands:

• Recover from Google penalties

• Boost rankings for competitive keywords

• Earn editorial links and AI citations that stick

• Future-proof their SEO strategies in an AI-driven world

📩 Get in touch today to discuss a tailored link building and recovery strategy for your website.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (SEO FAQ)

What is link building and why is it important?

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link back to yours. High-quality backlinks signal to Google that your site is trustworthy and authoritative, helping it rank higher in search results.

Can link building fix a Google penalty?

Yes — if the penalty is link-related, cleaning up toxic backlinks and earning new, relevant ones can help restore rankings. This process involves auditing, removal/disavow, reconsideration, and rebuilding authority.

How long does it take to recover from a Google penalty?

Manual actions typically take days or weeks to review, but full traffic recovery can take several months as Google reprocesses your site’s trust and link signals.

Do AI search results make link building less important?

No. AI Overviews rely on trusted sources to generate answers. Strong backlinks improve your chances of both ranking well and being cited inside AI results.

How many backlinks do I need to rank?

There’s no fixed number, but top-ranking pages often have significantly more high-quality referring domains than their competitors. Quality, relevance, and diversity matter more than sheer volume.