Semrush Link Building Tool: How To Find & Win Backlinks

Backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking signals Google uses. But finding quality link opportunities and actually winning those placements? That's where most SEO efforts stall. The Semrush Link Building Tool aims to solve this by combining prospecting, outreach, and tracking into one workflow, giving you a structured way to build authority without drowning in spreadsheets.

This guide walks you through how to set up and use the tool effectively. You'll learn how to find relevant prospects, manage outreach campaigns, monitor your progress, and avoid common mistakes that waste time. Whether you're new to link building or looking to streamline an existing process, this breakdown covers the practical steps you need.

At RankYak, we automate SEO content and include a backlink exchange network as part of our platform. But we also recognize that many teams use dedicated tools like Semrush for targeted outreach campaigns. Understanding how these tools work helps you decide what fits your workflow, and where automation can fill the gaps that manual processes leave behind.

What the Semrush Link Building Tool does

The Semrush Link Building Tool centralizes your entire backlink acquisition workflow in one place. You start by adding your target domain, and the tool generates a list of potential link prospects based on competitor analysis, industry connections, and domain authority metrics. Instead of manually researching sites one by one, you get a structured database of opportunities that you can filter, prioritize, and contact directly through the platform.

Once you have prospects, the tool lets you manage outreach campaigns without switching between email clients, spreadsheets, and tracking systems. You can send personalized pitches, schedule follow-ups, and monitor reply rates all within Semrush. The system tracks which prospects you've contacted, which ones responded, and which ones actually gave you a link. This keeps your pipeline organized and prevents you from accidentally contacting the same site twice or losing track of conversations.

The tool removes the friction between finding opportunities and actually securing placements.

Core prospecting features

Semrush pulls prospects from several sources to build your list. The competitor backlink method analyzes where your competitors have links and suggests similar sites that might link to you. You enter a competitor's domain, and the tool shows you their backlink profile, highlighting sites that link to multiple competitors but not to you. This gives you a clear advantage because those sites already cover your topic and have a history of linking to similar content.

Another method uses keyword-based prospecting, where you search for sites that rank for terms related to your content. If you wrote a guide on email marketing, you can find blogs, resource pages, and directories that target those keywords. The tool filters results by domain authority, traffic estimates, and contact availability, so you spend less time on dead ends. You can also upload your own list of prospects if you already have contacts or found opportunities through manual research.

Campaign management capabilities

You organize prospects into campaigns based on your outreach goals. One campaign might target resource pages for a specific guide, while another focuses on broken link opportunities or guest post pitches. Each campaign has its own email templates, follow-up sequences, and status tracking. You assign prospects to a campaign, and the tool moves them through stages like "In Progress," "Waiting for Reply," or "Link Acquired."

The email system integrates directly with your inbox through SMTP or Gmail connection. You write templates with personalization fields like site name, contact name, or specific article URLs. The tool auto-fills these fields for each prospect, so your outreach looks custom without manual editing. You can set follow-up intervals, and Semrush will automatically send a second or third email if the prospect doesn't respond. This automation saves hours compared to tracking replies in a spreadsheet and manually scheduling follow-ups.

Tracking and reporting functions

Every action you take gets logged in the tool. You see how many emails you sent, how many prospects opened them, and how many replied. The dashboard breaks down your success rate by campaign, so you can identify which angles work and which templates need adjustment. When a prospect agrees to link to you, you mark them as "Link Acquired," and the tool adds that backlink to your tracking list.

Semrush monitors whether those links stay live over time. If a link gets removed or changes to nofollow, you get an alert. This ongoing monitoring helps you maintain your backlink profile without manually checking every site each month. The reporting section also shows the cumulative impact of your link building efforts, including total referring domains gained and the estimated authority boost those links provide.

Integration with other Semrush features

The semrush link building tool connects directly to other modules in the platform. You can pull keyword data from the Keyword Magic Tool to find content gaps that need backlinks. The Backlink Analytics section feeds into your prospecting by showing you exactly where competitors are getting links. If you use the Position Tracking tool, you can correlate link acquisition with ranking improvements, giving you a clearer picture of what's moving the needle.

This integration means you don't need to export data, switch tools, or maintain separate workflows for research versus execution. Your entire SEO strategy stays connected, and you can make faster decisions based on real-time data instead of outdated spreadsheets.

Step 1. Set up your project and connect email

You need to configure your project settings and link your email account before you can start finding prospects or sending outreach. This setup takes about five minutes, but doing it correctly prevents delivery issues and keeps your campaigns organized. The semrush link building tool requires this connection to track replies, schedule follow-ups, and maintain your outreach history inside the platform.

Create a new link building project

Navigate to the Link Building Tool from your Semrush dashboard sidebar. Click "Create Project" and enter your target domain in the field provided. You'll select whether you want to build links to your homepage, specific pages, or multiple URLs across your site. Most campaigns work best when you focus on one strong piece of content at a time, like a pillar guide or research report that deserves authoritative backlinks.

After you add your domain, Semrush asks you to choose a project name and set your target market. The market selection affects which prospects the tool suggests, so pick the country where you want to rank. You can create multiple projects if you run campaigns for different pages or geographic regions, and each project maintains its own prospect list and outreach history.

Connect your email account

You connect your email through either SMTP settings or a direct Gmail integration. For Gmail, click "Connect Gmail" and authorize Semrush to access your account through OAuth. This method is faster and handles authentication automatically. If you use a custom domain email or prefer more control, choose the SMTP option and enter your server details manually.

Your SMTP configuration requires these specific fields:

• SMTP Server: smtp.yourprovider.com (example: smtp.gmail.com)
• Port: 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL
• Username: Your full email address
• Password: Your email password or app-specific password
• Encryption: TLS or SSL based on your provider

Always use an app-specific password instead of your main account password for better security.

Test the connection before proceeding. Semrush sends a verification email to confirm your setup works. If you get an error, double-check your port number and encryption settings, as these cause most connection failures.

Configure sender settings

Set your sender name and reply-to address in the project settings. Your sender name appears in the "From" field when prospects receive your emails, so use your real name or your company name depending on your outreach strategy. The reply-to address determines where responses land, and it should match the connected email account to avoid confusion.

You can also add a signature that automatically appends to every email template. Include your name, title, website URL, and any relevant credentials that establish authority. Keep signatures under four lines to avoid looking like spam, and test how they display on mobile devices before launching your first campaign.

Step 2. Generate and organize prospects

The semrush link building tool builds your prospect list automatically once you finish the setup phase. You can generate prospects through multiple methods depending on your content goals and competitive landscape. The platform analyzes your target domain and suggests sites based on relevance, authority, and likelihood of accepting your link. This automation replaces hours of manual research, but you still need to understand how to filter and organize these prospects effectively.

Run prospect discovery methods

You start by selecting a discovery method from the main project screen. The competitor backlink method works best when you already know which sites in your niche have strong authority. Enter up to five competitor domains, and Semrush extracts sites that link to them but not to you. This generates a list of prospects that already cover your topic and have a proven history of linking to similar content.

The keyword method targets sites that rank for specific terms related to your content. You enter a target keyword like "email marketing tools" and Semrush finds blogs, resource pages, and directories that mention those terms. This approach works when you need contextually relevant prospects rather than direct competitor analysis. You can also use the "Upload List" option if you already compiled contacts through manual research or other tools, which adds your custom prospects directly into the project.

Apply filters to narrow results

Semrush returns hundreds of prospects, so you filter them by authority score, traffic volume, and contact availability. Set a minimum Domain Authority threshold to eliminate low-quality sites that won't move your rankings. Most campaigns benefit from prospects with a DA above 30, though this varies by niche and competition level. You can also filter by country to focus on geographic markets that matter for your business.

Contact availability filters show you which prospects have verified email addresses already in the database. Sites without contact information require manual research before you can reach out, so prioritizing verified contacts speeds up your campaign launch. Apply these filters early to create a manageable list instead of overwhelming yourself with options you can't use immediately.

Filtering prospects before organizing them saves time and keeps your campaigns focused on sites that actually matter.

Organize prospects into campaign groups

Create separate campaigns for different outreach angles or content types. One campaign might focus on guest post opportunities, while another targets broken link replacements or resource page additions. You assign prospects to campaigns by selecting them from your list and clicking "Add to Campaign." Each campaign maintains its own email templates and tracking, so you can test different messaging approaches without mixing data.

Tag prospects with custom labels like "high priority," "requires follow-up," or "specific niche" to add another layer of organization. These tags help you segment your outreach and prioritize efforts when you have limited time. You can also remove prospects that don't fit your criteria or mark them as "Maybe Later" if they might become relevant for future campaigns.

Step 3. Qualify prospects and avoid bad links

You need to manually vet each prospect before sending outreach emails. The semrush link building tool generates hundreds of opportunities, but not every site deserves your time or a link back to your domain. Spending fifteen minutes qualifying prospects prevents you from wasting weeks chasing low-quality backlinks that hurt your rankings or never materialize. This step separates effective campaigns from ones that damage your authority.

Check domain quality metrics

Look at the Authority Score first, which Semrush calculates based on backlink quality, organic traffic, and search performance. Sites scoring below 20 typically lack the authority to move your rankings, while scores above 50 indicate established domains with real influence. You should also check the total number of referring domains pointing to each prospect, as sites with fewer than 50 backlinks often struggle to pass meaningful link equity.

Traffic data reveals whether real people visit the site. Open the prospect's traffic overview in Semrush and verify they receive at least 500 organic visits per month. Sites with zero traffic might be abandoned or exist only to sell links. Check if their traffic trends upward or downward over the past six months, because declining traffic signals potential penalties or outdated content that Google no longer values.

Identify spam signals and link farms

Click through to the prospect's website and scan their existing content. Sites that publish ten articles per day or host hundreds of unrelated topics in different languages often function as link farms. You want sites that focus on a specific niche with consistent publishing patterns, not databases that accept any content for payment. Check their outbound links by viewing several recent articles, and if every post contains 20+ external links to random sites, that's a red flag.

Spam sites damage your domain authority faster than good links can build it.

Review the prospect's backlink profile in Semrush to see where their links come from. If 80% of their referring domains have Authority Scores below 10, they participate in link schemes that Google actively penalizes. You also want to avoid sites that receive most backlinks from the same handful of domains, which indicates artificial link building rather than organic authority growth.

Review content relevance and context

Your prospect needs to cover topics related to your content. If you wrote a guide about email marketing and a prospect only publishes articles about construction equipment, that contextual mismatch weakens the link's value. Search their site for keywords related to your content using the site search function or Google's site: operator to confirm they've written about your topic before. Sites that already discuss your subject will find it easier to justify linking to your resource.

Check if they link out to external sources in their existing content. Sites that never link externally might have editorial policies against outbound links, making your outreach effort pointless. Look for resource pages, roundups, or guides where your content fits naturally, as these placements perform better than forced insertions into unrelated articles.

Step 4. Run outreach and follow-ups inside Semrush

You launch your outreach campaign directly from the semrush link building tool after qualifying your prospects. The platform handles email delivery, tracks opens and replies, and manages follow-up sequences without requiring you to switch between tools. You create templates with personalization variables, schedule when emails send, and monitor which messages convert prospects into confirmed backlinks. This centralized approach eliminates the spreadsheet tracking and manual follow-ups that slow down most campaigns.

Create personalized email templates

You write templates using merge fields that automatically insert prospect-specific details like site name, contact name, or specific URLs. Click "Create Template" from your campaign dashboard and write your pitch in the editor. Keep your initial email under 150 words to improve response rates, and focus on why your content benefits their audience rather than why you need a link. Include one clear call to action that asks them to review your resource or confirm interest.

Here's a template structure that converts:

Subject: Quick question about [their recent article title]

Hi [First Name],

I noticed your article on [specific topic] at [their site name]. You mentioned [specific point from their content].

I recently published a [content type] on [your topic] that covers [unique angle or data]. It includes [specific value proposition] that your readers might find useful.

Would you be open to checking it out? I think it could complement your piece on [their topic].

Thanks for your time,
[Your Name]

Replace the bracketed sections with your personalization fields in Semrush, and the tool fills them automatically for each prospect. You can create multiple templates to test different messaging angles, and the platform tracks which versions generate the most replies.

Schedule automated follow-up sequences

You set follow-up intervals in the campaign settings, typically spacing them 3-5 days apart. Semrush sends your second email automatically if a prospect doesn't reply to the first one. Your follow-ups should add new information rather than repeating the initial pitch, like mentioning additional data points or showing social proof from other sites that linked to your content. Most campaigns include two follow-ups before marking a prospect as unresponsive.

Follow-ups generate 40-60% of your total responses, so skipping this step cuts your success rate in half.

Track responses and manage conversations

The inbox panel shows all prospect replies in one feed, organized by campaign. You mark conversations as "In Progress" when negotiating placement details or "Link Acquired" when they confirm the link. Semrush threads all messages with each prospect, so you maintain context without searching through your regular email. You can reply directly from the platform, and your responses sync with your connected email account to keep everything accessible from both locations.

Step 5. Confirm links and measure impact

You verify each acquired backlink and track its performance after prospects confirm placement. The semrush link building tool doesn't automatically detect new links the moment they go live, so you manually mark them in your campaign tracker and add them to your monitoring list. This verification step prevents you from counting promised links that never materialize and helps you identify which outreach strategies convert promises into actual placements. Measuring impact shows you which campaigns justify continued investment and which ones waste resources on low-value links.

Verify live links and update campaign status

Check each prospect's website directly after they confirm placement to ensure the link appears where they promised. Copy your target URL into their site's search function or navigate to the specific article they mentioned. Look for your anchor text in the content, and click through to verify the link points to the correct page on your domain. Some prospects accidentally use nofollow attributes or link to your homepage instead of your target page, so catching these mistakes early lets you request corrections while the conversation is fresh.

Once you confirm the link is live and follows, update the prospect's status to "Link Acquired" in your campaign dashboard. Add the specific placement URL to your tracking notes, which creates a permanent record of where each backlink lives. You can also assign a value rating to each link based on the prospect's authority and traffic levels, helping you prioritize which relationships to maintain long term.

Verifying placement within 48 hours catches errors before prospects move on to other projects.

Monitor ranking changes and traffic patterns

Connect your Google Search Console data to track which pages gain visibility after acquiring new backlinks. Filter your performance report by the target page you promoted in your campaign, and compare impressions and clicks from the month before outreach started to the current period. You typically see measurable movement within 2-4 weeks of gaining quality backlinks, though competitive keywords take longer to respond.

Track your target page's position for primary keywords using Semrush's Position Tracking tool. Add a date marker when each major link goes live, which lets you correlate ranking jumps with specific placements. Sites that link from high-authority pages in your niche drive faster improvements than generic directory listings, so this tracking data shows you which prospect types deserve more effort in future campaigns.

Step 6. Fix common issues and speed up results

Your campaign might stall even after following all setup steps correctly. The semrush link building tool handles automation well, but you still encounter problems with email delivery, low response rates, or slow conversions that waste your time. These issues stem from fixable mistakes in your workflow or strategy, not limitations of the platform itself. You can resolve most problems by adjusting specific settings or refining how you target prospects.

Fix email deliverability problems

Your outreach emails land in spam folders when your sending domain lacks proper authentication. Check that your domain has SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records configured correctly through your DNS provider. These authentication protocols tell email servers that your messages come from a legitimate source rather than a spoofed address. You verify these records using free tools from Google's admin toolbox, and your hosting provider can add them if they're missing.

Sending too many emails in a short period triggers spam filters regardless of authentication. Limit your daily outreach to 50-75 emails when you first launch a campaign, then gradually increase volume over two weeks as your sending reputation improves. You should also warm up new email accounts by sending regular messages to contacts who reply positively before starting cold outreach. Most deliverability issues disappear once you establish this sending history and stick to reasonable volume limits.

Warming up your email account for two weeks before launching campaigns cuts spam folder placement by 60%.

Speed up response rates with better targeting

Generic templates kill your response rates even when prospects match your topic perfectly. You improve replies by adding specific references to their recent content in your opening line. Mention a statistic from their latest article, comment on a unique angle they took, or ask a question about their research methodology. This personalization takes 30 seconds per email but proves you actually read their work instead of blasting the same message to hundreds of sites.

Timing affects whether prospects open your emails or ignore them. Send outreach on Tuesday through Thursday between 9 AM and 11 AM in the prospect's time zone, as these windows generate the highest open rates. Avoid Mondays when inboxes overflow with weekend backlog, and skip Fridays when people focus on wrapping up weekly tasks instead of reviewing new requests.

Scale campaigns without losing quality

You maintain quality while increasing volume by creating campaign templates for different content types. Build separate workflows for guest posts, resource page additions, and broken link replacements, each with tested email templates and qualification criteria. You clone these templates when starting new campaigns instead of building from scratch, which reduces setup time from hours to minutes.

Batch similar tasks together rather than switching between prospecting, qualification, and outreach throughout the day. Dedicate Monday mornings to finding new prospects, Tuesday afternoons to qualifying them, and Wednesday through Friday to sending outreach. This focused approach prevents context switching that slows your workflow and lets you process more prospects in less time.

Next steps

You now have a complete workflow for using the semrush link building tool to find prospects, run outreach campaigns, and track results. Start by setting up one focused campaign targeting your best-performing content rather than trying to build links for your entire site at once. Run that campaign for 30 days, measure which templates convert, and refine your approach based on real response data.

The manual outreach process you learned here works, but it requires consistent effort every week to maintain momentum. If you want to scale your content and backlinks without hiring a team or spending hours on campaigns, RankYak automates your entire SEO workflow. We generate daily optimized content and include a backlink exchange network that builds authority while you focus on running your business. You get both the content and the links working together, not as separate tasks eating up your time.