11 Link Building Service Success Stories [2025]
Building links is necessary as it helps businesses improve the site’s visibility. However, link building can be overwhelming, so business owners hire experts.
If you are interested in starting an SEO business, anything along with link building can be a profitable venture. To become a link-building expert, embrace learning new SEO techniques, focus on producing valuable content, and network with other content creators.
In this list, you'll find real-world link building service success stories and very profitable examples of starting a link building service that makes money.
1. SearchEye ($1.14M/year)
Chris Porteous, the founder of SearchEye, came up with the idea for his SEO platform after witnessing the low quality and standards of the industry. After working with clients who were dissatisfied with previous SEO providers, Chris saw an opportunity to create a better solution and deliver on product expectations. He funded the business out of pocket and through consulting services, and is now focused on driving faster turnaround times, low prices, and consistent product quality for his customers.
How much money it makes: $1.14M/year
How much did it cost to start: $600K
How many people on the team: 16
SearchEye is an SEO platform company that has bootstrapped its way to making $1 million a year, with a goal of hitting $100k per month by December 2021 and $500k per month by December 2022, and currently has around 20 active agency users of the platform.
2. Hubbub Labs ($720K/year)
George Chilton, the co-founder and Creative Director of Hubbub Labs, had a background in teaching and editing. He realized that startups and companies struggle with communications and decided to start a content marketing agency to help them express their ideas and brand clearly. With a mission to provide value through journalistic-quality content, Hubbub Labs has grown to a 10+ person team and is profitable, experiencing a 40% year-on-year growth rate.
How much money it makes: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 8
Find out how a creative content marketing agency grew from a team of two with only €500 in the bank, to a 10+ person team generating €720k a year, by prioritizing a niche market, providing excellent service, word of mouth, and consistent quality work.
3. Novus Digital Ltd ($600K/year)
Alex, the founder of Novus Digital, came up with the idea for his SEO agency when a former client reached out to him seeking help. With six years of experience in SEO, Alex wanted to create a company that focused on delivering measurable return on investment to clients, rather than just buzzwords and rankings. Despite initially launching with a shoestring budget, Novus has grown to attract clients ranging from small local businesses to international household names, generating $20,000 per month and with ambitious growth plans for 2022.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 19
Novus Digital, an SEO agency based in the UK and US, provides measurable ROI for clients, with a team of 8 and $20,000 monthly revenue, while transitioning to targeting SME service-based brands and e-commerce stores with a $1-10mil turnover and setting up a registered company in India.
4. Linkifi ($600K/year)
of technical issues or human error. Having redundant systems in place ensures that our operations can continue seamlessly even in the event of a problem. Additionally, we've learned the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. By constantly testing and refining our ideas, soliciting feedback, and making adjustments, we are able to stay ahead of the competition and deliver the best possible service to our clients.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 6
Linkifi.io, a turnkey link-building agency, has seen substantial growth over the past six to eight months with monthly revenues consistently exceeding $50K through a successful customer acquisition strategy, email marketing, and offering a valuable free opt-in tool.
5. Justas Markus ($540K/year)
Justas Markus, the co-founder of GetFound XL, originally started the company as a content marketing agency. They quickly found success, acquiring three clients within the first month. After a year, they made the decision to focus solely on building links, which has allowed them to optimize their processes and deliver high-quality services to their 40+ clients.
How much money it makes: $540K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 5
A link building company co-founded by Justas Markus has grown to make an average of $35k per month in recurring revenue with a focus on delivering high-quality services through manual processes and focusing on fewer markets.
6. SheerSEO ($360K/year)
Ayal Aldema, the founder of SheerSEO, saw a gap in the market for online SEO tools when he couldn't find any reliable options and all he found were scammy desktop applications. With 10 years of software engineering experience and a previous successful website, he launched SheerSEO for free and relied on SEO skills to gain customers. Today, the business generates $30,000/month by selling its SaaS service to webmasters and SEO professionals.
How much money it makes: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 1
Founder Ayal Aldema built SheerSEO, an online SEO software, to fill a gap in the SEO market, offering a free service to help clients optimize their sites, which now makes $30,000/month by selling SaaS service to both webmasters and SEO professionals.
7. Paper Box SEO ($336K/year)
Russell Michelson, the founder of Paper Box SEO, originally began as a freelance web designer. However, after clients consistently asked him for help with driving traffic to their websites, he transitioned into the world of SEO. Through teaching himself about digital marketing and experimenting with different methods, he developed a passion for SEO and eventually started his own boutique SEO agency, Paper Box SEO. Today, the company brings in $20k/month in revenue and focuses solely on providing comprehensive SEO services to small to medium-sized businesses.
How much money it makes: $336K/year
How many people on the team: 2
This case study describes the journey of Russell Michelson who, after leaving his corporate job, turned his WordPress skills into a thriving boutique SEO agency earning $20k/month, thanks to client referrals and Upwork.
8. The Links Guy ($300K/year)
Amit, the founder of The Links Guy, stumbled upon the world of SEO and link building while working as a pharmacist. Frustrated with the lack of opportunities in the pharmacy industry, he decided to pursue his passion for digital marketing and started offering custom-built link-building campaigns. Through hard work, determination, and a focus on exceptional quality and customer service, The Links Guy has attracted and retained clients, landing links on major media outlets like MIT and Business Insider.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 10
How the founder of a digital PR agency honed his link-building skills to build a stable and fruitful business, attracting clients from tech-focused industries, expanding in size, and working with huge publications like Business Insider and The Kitchn.
9. Growth Gorilla ($300K/year)
Alan Silvestri, the founder of Growth Gorilla, came up with the idea for his link building service for SaaS companies after realizing that many software companies were publishing great content but didn't have the time or resources to promote it and build backlinks. He conducted customer interviews to understand the pain points of his target audience and decided to focus on providing high-quality outreach link building for SaaS companies, which has led to impressive growth with $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue in just 7 months.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How many people on the team: 6
Italian electrical engineer turned entrepreneur grows manual outreach link building service for profitable software companies and startups from zero to $10k in monthly recurring revenue in less than a year.
10. MagicSpace SEO ($240K/year)
Ilias Ism and his co-founder Sasha launched MagicSpace SEO, leveraging their skills as ex-SaaS founders to help startups save on ballooning ad budgets. In just six months, they grew to $20K MRR, showing the power of targeted SEO and growth marketing.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
MagicSpace SEO, an SEO agency founded by Ilias Ism and Sasha, has grown to $20K MRR in just 6 months, primarily through affiliate partnerships and growth partnerships, while focusing on pay-per-lead models or revenue-share agreements, rather than charging for time or using poor-quality spammy backlinks.
11. Lead Comet ($96K/year)
James De Roche, the founder of Lead Comet, came up with the idea for his SEO agency after working at a PPC agency and realizing the gulf between what SEOs talk about and what they deliver. He wanted to provide high-quality SEO strategies that actually delivered results for B2B organizations, and decided to start Lead Comet with a focus on rapid results through sprints instead of the traditional retainer model. With projected annual revenue of $120,000 in its first year and expected growth in year two, Lead Comet offers its clients the freedom to test its services before committing to long-term contracts.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
How many people on the team: 2
Lead Comet is a successful B2B SEO agency that uses sprints instead of retainers to rapidly deliver results for their clients, generating $120,000 in annual revenue for their first year and projected to double their profits in year two, with a focus on creating systems and processes to deliver the highest quality SEO strategies.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
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