If you want more visitors and better rankings, you’ve probably heard of link building vs content marketing. But which one should you focus on?

Some say getting backlinks is the fastest way to improve rankings. Others believe that creating valuable content is the best way to grow a website.

So, what’s the right approach?

This guide breaks down both strategies in simple terms so you can understand:

✔ What each strategy does
✔ How they impact SEO
✔ When to use one over the other
✔ Why a balanced approach works best

By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of how to grow your website the right way. Let’s get started! 🚀

What is Link Building?

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link back to your website. These links, called backlinks, help improve your site’s authority and visibility in search results.

Search engines like Google consider backlinks as a sign of trust. When a website links to yours, it signals that your content is useful and relevant. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the better your chances of ranking higher in search results.

Not all backlinks are equal. Links from reputable, high-authority websites carry more weight than links from unknown or low-quality sites. The goal is to earn natural and relevant backlinks that help your website grow.

Types Of Link Building

There are a number of methods of creating backlinks, and they differ in efficiency. Here are some simple and efficient link-building strategies that improve your site’s SEO:

1. Guest Posting

You write an article for another website, and in return, they allow you to add a link to your site. This helps bring in traffic and boosts SEO link building.

2. Niche Edits (Link Insertions)

Instead of writing new content, you find an existing article and request to add your link. This works well because the content is already ranked on search engines.

3. Broken Link Building

Websites often have outdated or broken links. You can find these and suggest your own relevant content as a replacement. This benefits both you and the website owner.

4. PR Link Building

Whenever your company gets quoted in business portals, blogs, or news coverage, it connects you with great backlinks. Effective content marketing can get you noticed by bloggers and writers.

5. Business Listings & Directories

Listing your site in web directories like Google My Business increases local SEO and increases your chances of being found by potential customers.

Pros and Cons of Link Building

Link building helps with SEO but comes with both benefits and challenges. Let’s break it down.

✅ Pros of Link Building

1. Brings More Visitors – When websites link to yours, people can click and find your content.
2. Makes Your Site Look Trustworthy – If big or well-known sites link to you, it helps build your reputation.
3. Helps with SEO – Search engines see backlinks as a sign that your site is valuable, which can help improve rankings.
4. Creates Business Opportunities – Connecting with other site owners for backlinks can lead to partnerships and collaborations.
5. Increases Brand Awareness – The more your site is mentioned, the more people recognize and trust your brand.

❌ Cons of Link Building

1. Takes Time and Effort – You need to reach out, create good content, and sometimes wait before getting quality backlinks.
2. Bad Links Can Hurt – Getting links from spammy or unrelated sites can damage your website’s reputation.
3. No Full Control – Once someone links to you, they can remove or change the link anytime.
4. Results Are Slow – Unlike paid ads, backlinks don’t bring instant traffic. It takes time to see improvements.
5. Some Strategies Are Expensive – Some backlinks require content creation, outreach, or paid placements, which can cost money.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is simply producing valuable content to bring and retain people. Rather than selling, it provides people with something valuable—such as sound advice, interesting information, or solution guides.

Nobody wants to be sold to all the time. They want to learn, discover, and make up their own minds. When you provide them with content that is good for them, they start to trust your brand. And so, how does it work:

✅ Educate & Inform – Share blog posts, how-to guides, and videos that answer common questions.
✅ Entertain & Inspire – Create engaging content that people enjoy and want to share.
✅ Solve Problems – Offer practical solutions that make life easier for your audience.

Let’s Understand this with an example!

If you own a skincare business, you don’t just tell them, “Buy our face cream,” but you educate them on skincare routines, homemade face masks, and tips for good skin. That builds trust, and when they’re ready to make that buy, your business will be remembered.”.

Content marketing is about helping first and selling later. When done right, it attracts loyal customers, improves brand awareness, and boosts SEO—without being pushy.

Types of Content Marketing

Content marketing comes in different formats, each helping businesses connect with their audience in unique ways. Here are some of the most common types:

1. Blog Posts

Blogs are great for sharing helpful information and answering common questions. They help websites rank on search engines and bring in visitors over time. A business can write blogs on SEO link-building strategies to educate readers and build trust.

2. Videos

Videos are convenient and interactive. Whether a short tutorial video or product demonstration, video content is interactive. Brands use YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to provide useful content. A personal trainer, for instance, can upload exercise videos to gain followers.

3. Infographics

Infographics display complex information in an easy-to-observe visual layout. Infographics are simple to share and best suited to explain processes. An infographic can be created by a marketing agency to dissect SEO tactics in an easy-to-understand format.

4. Podcasts

Podcasts allow businesses to share insights in an audio format. People can listen while working or commuting. A finance company could start a weekly podcast on smart investing, helping listeners while promoting its services.

5. Social Media Content

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn help brands reach and engage their audience quickly. Travel companies, for example, share destination tips and customer photos to inspire people.

6. Ebooks & Whitepapers

Ebooks and whitepapers provide in-depth knowledge on a topic. Businesses use them to educate their audience and generate leads. A cybersecurity firm might offer a free ebook on online safety to attract potential clients.

7. Case Studies

Case studies show real-life success stories. They prove how a product or service helped a customer. A software company could share a case study on how its tool boosted sales, giving potential buyers confidence.

Each format serves a different purpose. Blogs and ebooks educate, videos and social media engage, while case studies and infographics build trust. A strong content strategy includes a mix of these to keep the audience interested and coming back for more.

Pros and Cons of Content Marketing

Content marketing is a great way to attract people to your website and build trust with them. But like any strategy, it has both benefits and challenges:

✅ Pros of Content Marketing

1. Bring Long-Term Traffic: Unlike ads, content doesn’t stop working when you stop paying. A well-written blog or video can keep bringing visitors for months or years.
2. Helps SEO and Link Building: Good content gets shared and linked to, which helps your website rank higher on Google. It also makes SEO link-building easier, as people naturally link to helpful content.
3. Engages Your Audience: Content like blogs, videos, and social media posts keep people interested and connected to your brand.
4. Supports Different Marketing Goals: Content marketing can help educate new visitors, nurture leads, or convert them into customers.

❌ Cons of Content Marketing

1. Takes Time to Work: Unlike ads, content marketing doesn’t bring instant results. It can take weeks or months before a blog post ranks on Google.
2. Needs Regular Effort: Posting once in a while won’t work. You need to create fresh, valuable content consistently.
3. Competitive in Many Niches: There’s already a lot of content online. To stand out, yours must be unique and high-quality.
4. Can Be Expensive: High-quality content like professional videos or in-depth research articles can cost a lot if you hire experts.
5. Hard to Measure Success Quickly: Unlike ads, where you can track clicks and conversions immediately, content marketing takes longer to show clear results.

Link Building vs Content Marketing: What’s the Difference?

Both link building and content marketing help with SEO, but they work in different ways. Here’s how they compare:

🛠️ Purpose

The objective of link building is to get other sites to link back to your site so that your site is more credible to search engines like Google. The backlinks cause your site to rank higher on search engine results pages, driving more traffic to your site. The focus is on finding sites that will link to your site, either by outreach, guest blogging, or otherwise.

Content marketing is merely creating useful and interesting content to drive people to your website. Instead of requesting links, you’re providing value—via blog posts, social media, videos, or infographics. You need to inform, entertain, and build trust with your audience so they come back.

Main Difference

• Link building is about getting outside websites to link to yours to improve SEO.
• Content marketing is about creating quality content that brings people to your site naturally.

Both are important for SEO. Good content makes link building easier, and backlinks help good content get noticed.

⚡ Effectiveness in Driving Traffic

Link building brings new visitors to your websites. When high authority and quality websites link to your content, people trusting that site may click the link and visit your site. This will bring immediate traffic to your site, especially if the linking website has a large audience.

However, link building alone won’t keep traffic growing forever. If your content isn’t valuable, people might not stay on your site for long, and the traffic may not be consistent over time.

Content Marketing: Slow Start, But Lasting Growth

Content marketing relies on attracting visitors naturally. Producing useful and interesting content in the form of blog posts, videos, or guides, will have people finding it through search engines, social media, and direct visits. Unlike link building, which is based on the sending of traffic by other websites, content marketing builds a readership by releasing useful information that people are interested in.

The biggest advantage? It keeps working over time. A well-written article or an informative video can bring traffic for months or even years after it’s published. The downside is that it takes time to gain traction. You won’t see instant results like with link building, but the long-term benefits are huge.

Which One Works Better?

• Link building gives faster results because it helps improve search rankings and brings referral traffic from other websites.
• Content marketing takes time but keeps bringing in visitors long after the content is published.

For the best results, a mix of both is ideal—strong content attracts visitors, and link building helps it rank higher.

📈 Impact on Search Engine Rankings

Search engines rank websites based on credibility. Getting backlinks from well-known websites signals to Google that your content is trustworthy and useful. If multiple relevant and high-authority websites link to yours, your site can move up the rankings.

However, low-quality or irrelevant links won’t help. Google can even penalize sites for bad backlinks. The focus should be on earning links naturally from sites that matter in your industry.

Google prefers websites that offer valuable, well-organized content. The more useful your content is, the better it ranks. When people spend time reading, sharing, or returning to your site, Google sees it as a sign of quality.

Unlike link building, content marketing takes longer to show results. But once content ranks, it can keep bringing traffic for months or even years without extra effort.

Which One Matters More?

• Link building speeds up rankings, but only if done correctly.
• Content marketing keeps your site strong for the long run.

For the best results, use both together—valuable content attracts links, and good links help your content rank faster.

⏳ Longevity of Results

Link building can improve rankings quickly, but it doesn’t last forever. If backlinks are removed or lose value over time, rankings can drop. To keep results stable, new links need to be built consistently.

Content marketing works differently. A well-written blog, guide, or video can attract visitors for years. But to stay relevant, content should be updated when needed.

Which One is More Reliable?

• Link building needs regular maintenance to keep rankings steady.
• Content marketing can bring long-term traffic with minor updates.

For best SEO results, combining link building strategies with content marketing techniques ensures both quick boosts and lasting traffic growth.

🔍 Control Over Strategy

With link building, you have more control over the process. You decide where to get backlinks, which websites to reach out to, and how to structure your link-building strategy. However, search engines decide how valuable those links are, and websites can remove them at any time.

Content marketing depends on how people react to your content. You can create high-quality articles, videos, or guides, but you can’t force people to read, share, or link to them. However, good content naturally attracts links, builds trust, and improves SEO over time.

Which One Puts You in Charge?

• Link building gives you more direct control because you actively reach out and secure backlinks.
• Content marketing takes longer but builds a strong foundation for long-term results.

For the best results, use both. Build links to gain authority quickly while creating valuable content that earns links over time.

💰 Cost & Effort

Getting quality backlinks isn’t easy. You need to find the right websites, reach out, and sometimes pay for placements or guest posts. If you’re using a link-building service, the cost can add up. It also requires consistent effort to maintain and monitor links.

Writing blog posts, making videos, or creating guides takes time and skill. You might need writers, designers, or video editors, but once content is published, it keeps working for you. No need to keep paying for each visitor.

Which One is More Budget-Friendly?

• Link building costs more upfront but brings results faster.
• Content marketing takes time but keeps bringing traffic without ongoing costs.

A smart SEO plan balances both. Invest in content that naturally attracts links while using strategic link building to speed up your growth.

Can You Do One Without the Other?

Some businesses focus only on link building, while others rely just on content marketing. But can one work without the other?

What Happens If You Only Build Links?

If you only focus on getting backlinks but don’t have useful content, visitors may click on your link but leave quickly. Without valuable content, there’s no real reason for people to stay on your site, which can hurt rankings over time. Search engines also check content quality, so having just links won’t be enough for long-term success.

What Happens If You Only Create Content?

Publishing great content is important, but it doesn’t guarantee traffic. Even the best blog posts or videos can go unnoticed if no one links to them. Without backlinks, it may take a long time to rank on search engines, making it harder to attract visitors.

Both methods have strengths, but neither works well alone. To see real results, it’s better to use both link building and content marketing together.

When to Focus More on Link Building?

There are times when getting backlinks should be your main focus. Here’s when link building can make a real difference:

1️⃣ Your Website is New

New websites often struggle to rank because search engines don’t trust them yet. Backlinks from established sites help build that trust and improve visibility.

2️⃣ You Want Faster SEO Results

Content marketing takes time to show results. If you need quicker improvements, backlinks can help boost your rankings and bring in traffic from other sites.

3️⃣ Your Competitors Have Strong Backlink Profiles

If competitors outrank you, check their backlinks. If they have more high-quality links, you might need to build stronger backlinks to compete.

4️⃣ Your Content is Not Ranking

Even well-written content can struggle without enough authority. Backlinks signal trust to search engines, helping your content move up in rankings.

If your site is new, struggling to rank, or facing strong competition, link building can give you the boost you need.

When to Focus More on Content Marketing?

Sometimes, creating content should be the top priority instead of building links. Here’s when content marketing is the smarter choice:

1️⃣ You Need Steady, Long-Term Traffic

If you want consistent visitors without relying on paid ads or constant outreach, focus on content. Blog posts, guides, and videos can attract traffic for months or even years.

2️⃣ Your Brand Needs More Visibility

High-quality content helps people recognize and trust your brand. If you want to become an authority in your industry, share useful information that keeps people coming back.

3️⃣ Your Audience Needs to Be Educated

Some topics need more explanation before people make a decision. If you sell complex products or offer specialized services, content helps educate potential customers.

4️⃣ You Want More Engagement

Content marketing keeps people on your site longer and encourages them to interact. Useful and engaging content can turn visitors into loyal followers or customers.

If your focus is long-term growth and building relationships with your audience, content marketing is the way to go.

The Ideal Strategy: Using Both Together

Choosing between link building and content marketing isn’t the best approach. Instead, using both together creates a stronger and more effective SEO strategy.

A smart strategy involves creating high-quality content that naturally attracts backlinks while also reaching out to other websites to earn more links. This way, your content gains more exposure, improves rankings, and brings in steady traffic over time.

We Build Links, You Grow Faster!

Building backlinks the right way takes time and effort. This is where Outreach Monks comes in. We specialize in guest posting, blogger outreach, and niche edits, helping businesses gain high-quality, natural backlinks from trusted websites.

If you want to improve your SEO and grow your website, Outreach Monks is here to help. Get in touch today and start building strong, lasting links! 🚀

Conclusion

Link building and content marketing work best together. One helps your site get authority, while the other builds trust and engages your audience.

If you only focus on link building, you might get traffic, but if your content isn’t valuable, visitors won’t stay. If you only focus on content marketing, your site may struggle to rank because search engines consider backlinks as a sign of credibility.

The best approach? Create great content that people want to link to, and use smart link-building strategies to boost visibility.

SEO success takes time. Keep improving your content, earning valuable links, and focusing on what helps your audience. With consistency, your site will grow—not just in rankings, but in trust, traffic, and long-term success. 🚀

FAQs on Link Building vs Content Marketing