Resource link building: An effective strategy for the future or just an old-school play?

So, you are an organic search professional working for a brand/business. 

I have a scenario for you that might be a little too relatable!

You’ve just wrapped up a masterpiece, a comprehensive, well-researched, and beautifully designed guide on, say, “The Ultimate Mental Health Resource Toolkit” or “50 Free Templates to Streamline Your Marketing Operations.” 

You hit publish, share it on socials, and maybe even send it to your email list.

But after that initial burst of traffic? Crickets.

Source

It’s not that your content isn’t good; it’s that it’s invisible.

And in a world where Google rewards visibility earned through trust and authority, that invisibility hurts.

That’s where resource link building steps into the spotlight. Far from being some outdated tactic from SEO’s early days, it’s proving to be one of the most future-proof, ethical, and ROI-rich strategies you can invest in, especially in 2025 and beyond.

And at Mavlers, with over 13 years of experience and expertise in the SEO sphere, we’ve seen this firsthand. From health and wellness brands to SaaS players, our link-building team has turned resource link building into a reliable engine for authority and traffic growth.

So, is it still worth the effort? Well, the answer is an emphatic yes!

Let’s unpack the strategy, the why, the how, and the future of resource link building.

Understanding resource link building

Let’s explain this with an easy-to-understand analogy. You may think of the internet as one big city and resource pages akin to tourist information centers that are designed to help users find the best, most relevant resources on a topic.

You might want to peruse an instance of a resource page, such as Washington State University.

Simply said, resource link building is your way of getting your content on those “best of” lists.

Here’s the kicker: when you do it right, you’re not begging for a link. You’re adding genuine value to a page whose sole purpose is to be helpful.

Take one of our health niche clients as an example. They provide recovery support for substance use disorders (SUDs). To amplify their reach, we created authoritative, deeply helpful resources and then got them featured on trusted resource hubs like:

• Bellevue College’s Community Resources
  
• Virtue Recovery Center’s Support Group Guide
  
• City of Marietta’s Active Substance Support Page
  

These placements didn’t just bring backlinks; they brought high-intent referral traffic, users actively searching for support and information. 

And that’s the power of this strategy: it connects value to visibility in a way that feels natural and lasting. On that note, you might want to read ~ Link Building 101: A Guide to Effective Link Building Strategies With Examples.

Why resource link building still packs a punch

Over the years, Google’s core mission has echoed the same sentiment, which is to serve the most relevant and helpful results to users. Resource links fit that mission like a glove. 

Here’s why they continue to be a favorite for SEOs and marketers:

~ Signal authority and trust

A link from a respected site in your niche acts like a public endorsement. It feeds your site’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and trust me, those signals are pure SEO gold right now.

~  Drive qualified referral traffic

Visitors on resource pages aren’t passive scrollers; they’re actively seeking information. That makes the traffic highly targeted and more likely to engage, convert, or share.

~ Contextually relevant

Your link isn’t lost in a random list. It’s surrounded by related resources, which strengthens Google’s understanding of your content’s relevance and authority.

~ Evergreen

Guest posts and trending content may fade. However, well-maintained resource pages keep sending link equity and referral traffic for months, even years.

~  Speed up indexing

High-quality backlinks act like expressways for Googlebot. They help your new or updated content get discovered and indexed faster.

At Mavlers, we’ve seen this play out across industries. When one of our SaaS clients earned placements on curated industry tool lists, their traffic didn’t just spike; it stayed consistent, helping them dominate niche keywords and build trust with their audience.

Looking for industry-specific link-building strategies? Then you might be interested in exploring ~ Choosing the Right Link-Building Strategy: Why Industry-Specific Tactics Are Your Brand’s Best Bet.

Resource link building in 2025: Why it’s more relevant than ever

If you’re tempted to write off resource link building as an “old-school” tactic, we recommend that you don’t. The SEO landscape in 2025 is making it more valuable than ever. Here’s why:

1. Quality over quantity wins

Gone are the days of building hundreds of mediocre links to move the needle. Google is smarter, users are savvier, and one high-quality, niche-relevant resource link can outweigh dozens of generic backlinks. At this point, you might also want to read ~ Solving the ultimate dilemma in link building: quality vs. quantity. 

2. Contextual understanding is smarter

With AI and machine learning, Google doesn’t just see a link; it understands the context of that link. That makes placement on a curated, well-maintained resource page a powerful trust signal. Want to know how to deploy AI for smarter link building? Try reading ~ The AI Advantage: Transforming Link Building for Higher Rankings. 

3. E-E-A-T is the new SEO currency

As Google leans harder on E-E-A-T to judge content quality, resource links serve as third-party validation that you’re credible, authoritative, and trustworthy.

4. It’s human at the core

Yes, tools can help you find opportunities faster, but the outreach that lands the link? That’s human work, thoughtful, personal, and relationship-driven. And in a world increasingly crowded with automated spam, that human touch stands out.

Challenges you’ll face (and how to tackle them)

While resource link building is powerful, let’s be real, it’s not the easiest tactic in the book. Here are the most common hurdles and how to navigate them:

Want to delve deeper? You might be interested in exploring ~ Link Building Challenges and How to Overcome Them. 

Instances of resource links acquired by Mavlers

At Mavlers, we don’t just talk strategy, we step up and execute it.

One of our ongoing projects involves a client in the health niche, where the focus is on topics like substance abuse, mental health, substance use disorders (SUDs), drug addiction, and rehab centers. 

Our approach is to build genuinely helpful resources and position them on high-authority, well-curated pages where their audience is actively looking for support.

Here are some examples of the high-quality resource links we’ve secured for them:

• Bellevue College – Community Resources
  
• City of Marietta – Active Substance Support Intervention
  
• Virtue Recovery Center – Support Group Guide
  
• Dallas Voice – List of Substance Abuse and Recovery Centers (Use a VPN if the page doesn’t load)
  

These links don’t just improve search visibility; they deliver value where it matters most, connecting real people to real help while driving consistent, high-quality traffic for our client.

Wondering what KPIs we set up? Get all your tea here ~ Mavlers’ Link Building Success: What KPIs You Should Expect?

How to build a future-proof resource link strategy

Let’s be honest, building resource links isn’t about sending 500 cold emails and praying someone bites. It’s about playing the long game, creating something worth linking to, and approaching the right people the right way.

Here’s how we do it at Mavlers:

First, your content has to deserve that link. Non-negotiable. If you wouldn’t bookmark it or share it with a friend, neither will anyone else. The best-performing pieces are the ones that actually help people, such as original research, step-by-step guides, free templates or calculators, even curated lists that save someone hours of Googling.

Once your content is solid, you’ve got to find the right pages. This part’s equal parts strategy and detective work. We’re talking advanced Google searches, competitor backlink snooping, and yes, even broken link building, spotting dead links on resource pages, and swooping in with your fresh, valuable content. Tools like Pitchbox can make the hunt less of a headache, but the magic is in knowing where to look.

Now, here’s where most campaigns crash and burn, which is none other than the outreach. Sending a generic “Hey, I think this would be useful for your readers…” email isn’t going to cut it. 

We personalize every pitch, addressing the webmaster by name, mentioning something we genuinely like about their site, and clearly explaining why our resource is a perfect fit. 

We even suggest the anchor text and where it could sit to save them the extra effort. Make it easy for them to say yes, and they usually do.

And don’t just treat each link as a one-and-done win. Every placement is a relationship in the making. Some of our best links today are from editors and site owners we’ve nurtured for months. Build trust, be helpful, and they’ll think of you first the next time they need a quality resource.

Finally, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Resource links are powerful, but they work best alongside digital PR, guest posts, and branded mentions. That mix keeps your link profile looking natural and resilient, no matter how search algorithms shift.

You may think of it like building a house: your resource links are the strong foundation, but you still need the walls and roof that other link types provide.

The verdict ~ Well, it’s still a big, fat YES!

Resource link building isn’t just effective in 2025; it’s arguably one of the most sustainable and white-hat strategies in the SEO toolkit.

It ticks all the right boxes:

• Enhances E-E-A-T
  
• Earns long-term traffic and authority
  
• Aligns perfectly with Google’s mission
  
• Plays well with ethical SEO practices
  

Sure, it’s slower than cranking out PBN links or paying for shady placements, but the payoff? Massive, sustainable growth that doesn’t disappear with the next algorithm update.

You can think of resource link building as planting an orchard instead of a single tree. It takes time, care, and patience, but once those links start bearing fruit, they’ll keep feeding your organic growth for years to come.

The road ahead

Are you considering partnering with Mavlers for your link-building strategies? You might want to read “A Walk Down The Road of Link Building Endeavors At Mavlers.”