Search engine optimization (SEO) professionals say content creation and outreach is the most effective tactic for link building, according to recent research from LinkDoctor.io.

The report was based on data from a survey conducted in 2020 among hundreds of SEO professionals from around the world.

SEO pros use a wide variety of tactics for link building, including content creation and outreach (83% say so), guest posts (75%), broken-link building (48%), and traditional methods such as directories (43%).

If they had to choose only one tactic for link-building, half of SEO pros say they would pick content creation and outreach, and 23% say they would pick guest posts.

The most popular link-building tools/platforms with SEO professionals are Ahrefs (87% have used it in the previous 12 months), SEMRush (76%), and Google Sheets (65%).

About the research: The report was based on data from a survey conducted in 2020 among hundreds of SEO professionals from around the world.