What Backlinko does

Backlinko is an SEO and content marketing educational platform that provides free, practitioner-led guidance on technical SEO, link building, content marketing, and increasingly AI-driven search strategies. The platform publishes a library of 300+ articles (as of H1 2024), maintains structured resource hubs across SEO Basics, Link Building, Content Marketing, and Video Marketing, and distributes weekly educational content via a newsletter to 185,436+ subscribers. It also offers a suite of free online SEO analysis tools — including SEO Checker, Backlink Checker, Website Authority Checker, Keyword Research Tool, Website Traffic Checker, Keyword Rank Checker, Schema Markup Generator, and a new category of AI visibility tools — built on top of Semrush's underlying data infrastructure.

The platform's core product is its free educational content and tools, which generate audience reach and trust within the digital marketing community. Backlinko's content is authored by experienced practitioners and includes original research and frameworks (e.g., the Skyscraper Technique, YouTube ranking factors study, LLM Seeding framework). Founder Brian Dean maintains a personal YouTube channel with 555K subscribers that distributes video content on YouTube SEO and channel growth, serving as a parallel distribution channel.

Backlinko is owned by Semrush Inc, and its primary commercial function within the Semrush ecosystem is as a content marketing and affiliate channel. The platform does not sell its own products directly; instead, it monetizes through affiliate commissions earned when readers sign up for Semrush or other affiliate-partnered software and services. Backlinko readers receive a 14-day free trial for Semrush premium features plus a 17% discount on annual plans, and the platform promotes affiliate programs across 90+ niches. The business model is asset-light, content-led, and reliant on converting organic traffic and newsletter subscribers into Semrush subscriptions.

Name

Backlinko

Legal name

Backlinko (Trademark of Semrush Inc)

Website

https://backlinko.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backlinko is an SEO education platform that publishes free practitioner-led content and tools while earning affiliate commissions by funneling its audience to its parent company, Semrush Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheyenne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Affiliate Marketing - Semrush: Backlinko earns commissions by promoting Semrush SEO software through affiliate links. The site features Semrush promotional content, free trial offers, and discount codes. Backlinko readers receive a 14-day trial for premium features with 55+ tools. Commission is earned when users sign up for Semrush through Backlinko referral links.
2. Educational Content and Newsletter: Backlinko generates value through content marketing that drives traffic and engagement. The newsletter has 185,436+ subscribers receiving weekly SEO and marketing tips. While the core educational content is free, it drives affiliate and potentially sponsored content revenue.
3. Affiliate Marketing Programs: The site promotes various affiliate marketing programs across 90+ niches including software (SaaS), health & wellness, personal finance, travel, education, and more. Backlinko earns commissions by referring users to affiliate programs for software tools, courses, and services relevant to digital marketers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Backlinko is an SEO and AI search education platform that publishes free in-depth guides, research, and resource hubs on technical SEO, link building, content marketing, and AI search optimization. It offers a suite of free browser-based SEO and AI visibility tools (SEO Checker, Backlink Checker, Keyword Research, AI Visibility Checker, Schema Markup Generator, etc.) and a weekly newsletter. The business is monetized primarily through affiliate commissions earned by referring users to Semrush and other partner tools.

Product overview

Backlinko is an SEO and content marketing educational platform that provides a suite of free SEO tools integrated with Semrush technology. The product portfolio includes free SEO analysis tools (SEO Checker, Website Authority Checker, Backlink Checker, Website Traffic Checker, Keyword Research Tool, Rank Checker), AI-focused visibility tools (AI Brand Visibility Checker, AI Agent Readiness Checker, Agentic Browsing Readiness Checker), and content optimization utilities (Schema Markup Generator). The platform also offers comprehensive resource hubs covering SEO Basics, Link Building, Content Marketing, and YouTube Marketing, along with educational blog content. Backlinko is owned by Semrush and promotes Semrush as its primary commercial SEO tool offering while providing these complementary free tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEO Checker Analyzes 32 on-page SEO signals and provides prioritized fixes for any webpage. Targeted at webmasters, SEO professionals, and content marketers who want a quick, free audit of any page.
• AI Brand Visibility Checker Checks whether ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity recommend and mention the user's brand. Built for marketers and brand managers who want to monitor their presence in AI-generated answers.
• Website Authority Checker Evaluates a domain's overall quality and SEO performance, checking Authority Score, backlinks, rankings, and competitors. Used by SEO professionals and agencies to benchmark domains.
• Keyword Research Tool Discovers new keywords and performance data including volume, difficulty, CPC, intent, and trends for site content. Used by content marketers and SEOs planning content calendars.
• Backlink Checker Checks referring domains, anchor text, and link quality for any website. Built for link builders and SEOs auditing backlink profiles.
• Website Traffic Checker Estimates any site's traffic and benchmarks it against competitors. Used by marketers and analysts for competitive research.
• Competitor Analysis Tool Uncovers top pages, keywords, and backlinks for competitor websites. Built for SEO professionals planning competitive content strategies.
• Schema Markup Generator Creates JSON-LD structured data for any page to earn rich results in Google. Used by SEOs and developers implementing structured data.
• AI Agent Readiness Checker Checks whether AI systems can access, understand, and cite the user's site. Targeted at marketers optimizing for AI-driven discovery.
• Agentic Browsing Readiness Checker See if AI agents can reach, read, and interact with any page on the website. Used by technical SEOs and web teams preparing for agentic browsing.
• Keyword Rank Checker Identifies top traffic-driving keywords by entering a domain. Used by SEOs monitoring organic keyword performance.
• Keyword Generator Generates keyword ideas for content optimization. Built for content marketers and SEOs planning new articles.
• Backlinko Newsletter Free weekly email newsletter delivering exclusive SEO tips, strategies, and case studies to 185,436+ subscribers. Targeted at digital marketers and SEO professionals.
• Backlinko SEO Resource Hubs Organized content libraries covering SEO Basics, Link Building, Content Marketing, and AI Search topics with structured learning paths. A free educational resource for digital marketers, SEO professionals, and content creators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 185,436+ newsletter subscribers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SemrushcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBacklinko is owned by Semrush Inc. The partnership involves Backlinko serving as a content marketing and affiliate channel for Semrush SEO tools. Backlinko readers receive exclusive access to 14-day free trials for premium features and 17% discounts on annual plans. Backlinko promotes Semrush through content, tools, and affiliate links throughout the site.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Copyblogger: Copyblogger is a long-running content marketing, copywriting, and SEO education site. It compares to Backlinko in operating model (educational content for digital marketers) and audience overlap (content writers, SEO professionals, SMB marketers).
• Search Engine Journal: Search Engine Journal is a major SEO and digital marketing news and education publication covering SEO, PPC, content, and link building. It targets the same SEO professional and content marketer audience and competes for organic traffic on overlapping topics.
• Moz: Moz is a pioneering SEO software company with the Moz Blog, a long-standing educational resource on SEO, link building, and content strategy. It competes directly for the same digital marketer and SEO professional audience that Backlinko targets.
• Content Marketing Institute: Content Marketing Institute is a leading content marketing education and training publisher with articles, guides, and events. It squarely overlaps Backlinko's content marketing pillar and addresses the same content marketer audience.
• Neil Patel (NeilPatel.com): Neil Patel's site is a personal-brand-driven SEO, content marketing, and digital marketing education platform with free tools (Ubersuggest, etc.) and a content library. It mirrors Backlinko's founder-led, content + free tools model in the same audience.
• Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a leading SEO tool suite that also publishes a high-traffic educational blog (Ahrefs Blog) with link building, keyword research, and content marketing guides. It directly competes with Backlinko for SEO education eyeballs and reader trust, and even publishes a Semrush comparison piece that Backlinko reviews.
• Ahrefs Blog: The Ahrefs Blog is the content marketing arm of Ahrefs, publishing SEO, link building, and content strategy tutorials by practitioners. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Backlinko's educational content library and free tools strategy.
• Search Engine Land: Search Engine Land is a long-running SEO and SEM industry publication with news, guides, and columns for digital marketers. It serves the same SEO practitioner audience and competes for high-intent search traffic on SEO topics.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot Academy: HubSpot Academy is a free inbound marketing, SEO, and content marketing education platform with certifications, courses, and a large engaged audience. It targets overlapping content marketing and SEO personas and competes for educational mind-share.
• Semrush: Semrush is Backlinko's parent company and the broader incumbent SEO, content, and competitive intelligence SaaS platform. It is comparable because Backlinko is essentially its content marketing arm; Semrush's own blog and academy compete for the same organic SEO education traffic at a wider scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/backlinko
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BacklinkoTeam
• Instagraminstagram.com/briandean
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backlinko

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Backlinko