Tiered link building is a link structure in which Tier 1 links point to your site and Tier 2 links point to those Tier 1 pages. This page defines each tier, states the exposure under Google’s spam policies, and sets out a five-step build that keeps the structure editorial. Tier 3 and deeper layers receive a clear verdict.
What is tiered link building?
Tiered link building is a structure in which Tier 1 links point to your money page, Tier 2 links point to the Tier 1 pages, and an optional Tier 3 points to Tier 2. Support flows to the pages that carry your link.
The idea rests on link discovery: Google finds pages by following links from pages it already knows, so a link pointing at a Tier 1 page gives Google another route to that page. A Tier 1 page is any page that holds a link to your site, such as a guest post, a niche edit or a Web 2.0 article. A Tier 2 link points at that page, not at your domain. The structure is one of several methods in the guide to earning links, and it adds work on top of a direct link, not instead of one. The link building basics guide places it among the other methods.
What does each tier do?
Tier 1 links deliver credit to your site, Tier 2 links strengthen the Tier 1 pages, and Tier 3 links strengthen Tier 2. Exposure rises with each layer, because the farther a link sits from your site, the less editorial review it receives.
| Tier | Points to | Purpose | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Your website | Pass credit to your pages | Set by the host: low on real editorial sites, high on networks |
| Tier 2 | The Tier 1 page | Help the Tier 1 page get discovered and indexed | Moderate: acceptable in small numbers, risky in bulk |
| Tier 3 | The Tier 2 page | Strengthen the Tier 2 layer | High: no editorial review and no independent value |
The rating words in the table are our working judgment, not a Google classification. Google’s link spam definition turns on purpose, not on tier label.
Is tiered link building safe?
Tiered link building carries more exposure than direct editorial links. Google’s spam policies define link spam as links created primarily to manipulate rankings and list automated link creation as a violation, and bulk Tier 2 and Tier 3 links match both descriptions.
Safety depends on how each tier is built. A Tier 2 layer of a few contextual links on real, indexed pages supports discovery and carries a small footprint. A Tier 2 or Tier 3 layer of thousands of automated links is the pattern the policy describes. Google’s SpamBrain system neutralizes unnatural links at scale, so credit from links it classifies as unnatural is lost, and a bulk layer adds risk. The page on PBN risk covers the extreme case in which every tier belongs to one owner.
How do you build a tiered structure?
Build a tiered structure in five steps: secure Tier 1 placements first, confirm indexation, add a small Tier 2 layer, vary anchors and monitor each layer. The order matters, because Tier 2 support to an unindexed Tier 1 page wastes the work.
- Secure Tier 1 placements on real sites through guest posts, niche edits or Web 2.0 articles.
- Confirm that each Tier 1 page appears in Google’s index before adding anything beneath it.
- Add a small number of Tier 2 links per Tier 1 page, drawn from relevant, indexed hosts.
- Vary the anchor text across Tier 2 links and prefer branded and URL anchors.
- Review each layer monthly and stop supporting any Tier 1 page that stays unindexed.
Screen Tier 2 hosts before buying. The guide to Moz spam score explains how to read that metric when a host list is long.
Which pages receive Tier 2 support?
Tier 2 support goes to Tier 1 pages that sit in Google’s index and carry a contextual link to your target, such as guest posts and niche edits. Pages that fall outside the index receive nothing, because a link from an unindexed page passes no credit.
Direct editorial placements on high-traffic sites need no Tier 2 layer: the host already earns its own links and traffic. Web 2.0 articles benefit most, because a new article on a free platform starts with no inbound links at all. Our working rule gives each Tier 1 page a single support batch, because stacking several batches on one page produces a repeated footprint.
Where does a tiered structure fit in a campaign?
A tiered structure fits at the foundation of a new site’s campaign, beneath placements that carry the main link equity. Established sites with earned links put the budget into direct editorial placements instead of additional support layers, and review each Tier 1 page before adding support.
The foundation link packages pair Web 2.0 articles with Tier-2 support, and each delivered link is built by hand. The planned daily off-page work of a campaign schedules the supporting layers across the month so growth stays steady. The 30-day index guarantee covers the indexation of delivered links, and the 7-day money-back guarantee covers non-delivery. Neither guarantee covers an action by Google.
Related: support links for store pages and Tier 1 link packages.