title: 'Manual Link Building in 2025: Still Worth It?' author: 'illyism' publishDate: '2025-09-01' description: 'Manual link building takes 40+ hours per week. Here's the exact process that works, and when to automate it instead.' thumbnail: '/_static/blog/manual-link-building.webp'

You just Googled "manual link building" because you want backlinks that actually improve your rankings.

Here's the reality: Manual link building works, but it's painfully slow. You're about to spend 40+ hours per week on a process that could be automated.

Let me show you exactly what manual link building looks like, then you can decide if it's worth your time.

What People Actually Mean by "Manual Link Building"

When someone searches "manual link building," they're usually trying to figure out:

• "How do I find websites that will link to me?"
• "What email should I send to get a backlink?"
• "How long does this actually take?"
• "Is there a faster way to do this?"

The answer to all of these is simpler than you think.

The Manual Link Building Process (Step by Step)

Here's exactly what you'd do manually:

Step 1: Find Your Competitors' Backlinks

Let's say you run a project management SaaS. You'd:

1. Google "best project management software"
2. Open the top 10-20 results
3. Run each URL through a backlink checker (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz)
4. Export all their backlinks to a spreadsheet
5. Filter for relevant, high-authority sites (DR 40+)

Time investment: 3-4 hours Output: 200-500 potential prospects

Step 2: Find Contact Information

For each website on your list:

1. Visit their "Contact" or "About" page
2. Look for an email address (usually editor@, contact@, or a personal email)
3. If no email is visible, use Hunter.io or similar tools
4. Add the email to your spreadsheet

Time investment: 5-10 hours for 200 prospects Output: 150-200 valid email addresses

Step 3: Write Personalized Outreach Emails

Here's where it gets tedious. For each prospect:

1. Read their recent articles to find something specific to mention
2. Craft a personalized opening line
3. Explain why your content would be valuable to their audience
4. Keep it under 150 words

Example email:

Subject: Quick question about your [Topic] article

Hi [Name],

I noticed your article on project management tools ranks well for "best PM software." I run [YourSaaS] and we just published a comparison guide that includes tools you mentioned plus some newer options.

Would you be open to adding it as a resource? Here's the link: [URL]

Either way, great article — the section on integration features was really helpful.

Thanks, [Your Name]

Time investment: 10-15 hours for 200 personalized emails Output: 200 outreach emails ready to send

Step 4: Send Emails and Follow Up

1. Send your first batch (20-30 emails per day to avoid spam filters)
2. Wait 3-4 days
3. Send a follow-up to non-responders
4. Track responses in your spreadsheet
5. Negotiate placement details with interested sites

Time investment: 2-3 hours per week for 4-6 weeks Expected response rate: 2-8% Expected link placements: 4-16 links from 200 emails

The Reality Check

Let's do the math:

• Total time: 25-35 hours of work
• Result: 4-16 backlinks
• Cost per link (if you value your time at $50/hr): $78-437 per link

And that's assuming everything goes smoothly. In reality:

• 30% of emails bounce or go to spam
• 50% of responses are "no thanks" or pricing negotiations
• Some sites take weeks to actually place the link
• You need to track everything manually

The Faster Alternative

Once you understand the workflow, you realize 90% of it can be automated:

• Finding prospects: Tools can scan competitors and extract backlinks in minutes
• Finding emails: Email finders do this instantly
• Outreach: AI can personalize emails at scale
• Follow-ups: Automated sequences handle this

This is exactly what LinkDR does. Instead of spending 35 hours per campaign, you:

1. Enter your website and competitors
2. Review the AI-generated prospect list
3. Approve the outreach strategy
4. Let the system handle everything else

You only pay when a link actually gets placed ($100 per link), and the AI handles all the tedious work — finding sites, writing emails, following up, and negotiating placements.

The bottom line: Manual link building teaches you the process, but once you know how it works, automation makes way more sense.