POLL: What backlink methods are actually providing rankings boosts for you?

I've been doing SEO for 10+ years, and I'm noticing it's getting harder to increase the rank of local businesses like roofers, HVAC, etc.

I used to get good results from PBN rentals on high-quality networks, but I'm noticing the results are no longer good.
I won't name names, but I'm giving up paying monthly to a high-quality vendor on here that I've been doing business with for 3-4 years because his links no longer move the needle. Maybe his network got hit or maybe Google has gotten smarter.

I'm making this poll to see what you guys are doing that's working right now.

To me it looks like sites with high link velocity are winning. It doesnt matter if their backlink profile is low/medium quality, but if they get a consistent amount of backlinks per day vs me over here paying $150-200 per link getting 1-3 per month + renting $400/mo in PBNs they are better me in the rankings.

I just want to find something that works.

Well timed homepage link moves the needle the most for me, always.

murkr said:

To me it looks like sites with high link velocity are winning. It doesnt matter if their backlink profile is low/medium quality, but if they get a consistent amount of backlinks per day vs me over here paying $150-200 per link getting 1-3 per month + renting $400/mo in PBNs they are better me in the rankings.

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That's because search engines apply thresholds to everything.
And they were not met with just 1-3 links. No matter how strong they are.

Let's say 10 links might have done the trick and make search engines to re-evaluate and re-rank the site.

Focus should be on quality always but quantity is a factor too.

what you’re noticing with velocity is not just volume it’s consistency + freshness signals.

I feel this. A lot of those old PBN setups just don’t hit like they used to.

What’s been working for me lately is consistency over “perfect” links. Sites pushing steady link velocity, even with mid-tier links, are definitely winning more often than the slow, expensive approach.

I’ve shifted more towards niche edits, solid guest posts on real sites, and mixing in local citations + basic PR mentions. Nothing fancy, just keeping the flow natural and consistent.

PBNs still work in some cases, but they’re way more risky now and not worth heavy monthly spend unless the network is really clean.

Right now, it’s less about one powerful link and more about building momentum.

murkr said:

I've been doing SEO for 10+ years, and I'm noticing it's getting harder to increase the rank of local businesses like roofers, HVAC, etc.

Click to expand...

Seriously? I don't do SEO too much but I work with a lot of local companies (mostly services). Didn't hear about it getting harder, I remember it always being fairly easy to rank locally.

I have a strong belief over Digital PR nowadays. You could see that these types of links are gem for search engine to cite and AI engine also takes good care of it.

Another thing is niche edits from niche relevant sites also get cited in AI engine as well.