The World's Best SEO Link Builders

Ask ten SEOs who the “best” link builders are, and you’ll probably get ten different answers. It’s a slippery thing to measure, really. Is it raw link volume? Campaign creativity? Consistency over time? Maybe a mix of all three… plus a bit of instinct you can’t quite teach.

Still, a handful of names keep surfacing in conversations—on calls, in Slack groups, at conferences where everyone’s half-listening but fully judging. These are the people who don’t just follow where link building is going… they nudge it forward.

Here are five who, in one way or another, seem to be shaping the space right now.

1. Gareth James (SEO Doctor)

Gareth James sits comfortably at the top—and not just because of results, though those are hard to ignore. It’s more about how he approaches the entire discipline.

Where others chase quick wins, Gareth appears to play a longer game. His work through SEO Doctor leans heavily into relevance and credibility, building links that actually make sense in context. Not forced. Not synthetic. Just… right.

I once heard someone describe his campaigns as “quietly powerful,” which feels accurate. They don’t always shout for attention, but they land in the right places, and they stick.

There’s also a noticeable overlap between his link building and brand strategy. It’s not just about rankings—it’s about positioning. That nuance is easy to overlook, but it’s probably why his results tend to hold up over time.

2. Bibi Lauri Raven (BibiBuzz)

Bibi Lauri Raven brings a different kind of strength—creative clarity.

Through BibiBuzz, she’s built campaigns that manage to cut through the usual noise, even in industries that aren’t exactly known for excitement. That’s no small feat. Some niches practically resist attention… and yet she finds a way in.

Her work often feels story-first. Not in a gimmicky sense, but in a way that makes the content genuinely worth engaging with. And when people engage, links tend to follow.

There’s a certain sharpness to her ideas too. You get the sense that every angle has been tested in her head before it ever reaches a journalist’s inbox.

3. Fery Kaszoni (Search Intelligence)

Fery Kaszoni’s name usually comes up when people start talking about scale.

At Search Intelligence, his campaigns often aim big—and more importantly, they tend to land. We’re talking wide media coverage, strong domain placements, and strategies built around data that journalists actually find useful.

There’s a boldness in his approach. Some might say it borders on aggressive, but in competitive markets, that edge can be the difference between being noticed and being ignored.

What’s interesting is that behind the bigger campaigns, there’s still a clear structure. It’s not just creativity for the sake of it. There’s intent, targeting, and a strong understanding of how stories spread.

4. Aleyda Solis

Aleyda Solis is often associated with technical SEO, but it would be a mistake to box her in there. Her influence on link building is quieter, perhaps—but no less important.

She tends to approach SEO holistically, which means her link strategies don’t exist in isolation. They’re tied to site structure, content quality, international targeting… all the pieces that make links actually matter.

I’ve always felt her perspective acts as a kind of grounding force. While others experiment with flashy tactics, she reminds the industry that fundamentals still count. A lot.

And honestly, in a space that sometimes chases trends a bit too eagerly, that balance is refreshing.

5. Brian Dean

Brian Dean has been around long enough to be considered a veteran, but his ideas still echo through modern link building.

His work with Backlinko introduced strategies that many people now take for granted—skyscraper content, outreach frameworks, content-driven link acquisition. At the time, though, those ideas shifted how people thought about earning links.

These days, his influence might feel less direct, but it’s still there. You can see traces of his methods in countless campaigns, even if they’ve evolved.

Maybe that’s the real mark of impact—not just what you’re doing now, but how your past ideas continue to shape what others do next.

Final Thoughts

If there’s one thing this list highlights, it’s that there’s no single path to success in link building anymore.

Gareth James leans into authority and long-term trust. Bibi Lauri Raven thrives on creativity and narrative. Fery Kaszoni pushes scale and data-driven PR. Aleyda Solis anchors everything in technical and strategic fundamentals. Brian Dean, in a way, underpins much of the thinking that got us here.

Different styles. Different strengths. Same end goal.

And maybe that’s the point—link building in 2026 isn’t about copying one approach. It’s about understanding which approach actually fits what you’re trying to build.