Dutch backlinks don’t pop up overnight, especially when your business is not located in the Netherlands. You need to actively build Dutch backlinks. This starters guide will navigate you through the best practices of building backlinks in the Netherlands, for free and paid.

Laying the foundation with basic links – 7 steps

Any existing business will have basic links, or so Google expects. These are very quick to set up yourself and are part of running your business:

1. Social media profile links. Every profile should have a bio on your company with a link to your homepage. Consider Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok.
2. Social media posting links. Don’t leave your social media profiles uncared for. Post your blogs and key product pages for both your social audience and for Google.
3. Your business partners. This one counts most for B2B companies. Do you have partners or suppliers? Ask them to post a link to your website and add your logo. Your offline partnership should also show online.
4. Directories based on city. Located in a big city like Rotterdam or Utrecht? Then there are many directories specifically for that city listing business, like 010.goedbegin.nl or 030.startkabel.nl. Contact the webmaster with a friendly mail to be included. Often, your link is placed without much ado.
5. Directories pages based on profession. Carpenters, cleaners and lawyers will also be presented in specific directories pages. Be sure to use the Dutch when searching for these directories: timmermannen, schoonmakers, advocaten. These webmasters may be more commercial and may ask for a link back.
6. Create a partner page. To list your partners, and to place links in return for links to your site. When doing a link exchange, ensure it is always A->B for C->D, instead of A->B and B->A, which holds little value.
7. Google My Business. Add your business to Google my Business. First, Google your own company name. Google might have already created a profile which you need to claim. Fill out all the details including your website URL, and use Google Posts for extra Google Post Links.

Sounds basic? Most Dutch businesses can’t check off these seven first steps. Since you are reading this on a website for quality Dutch backlinks, you are looking for the next step.

Diversifying your Dutch backlink profile – 11 advanced SEO techniques

So far, all that was required to build these links was a little bit of effort. The next steps are not meant to be done all at once – a sudden leap in backlinks is suspicious to Google. Use these steps to continuously grow and diversify your Dutch backlink profile.

1. Belgium directories. Did you know that the Belgian Vlamish and Dutch are very similar? If the Netherlands are your number one source for SEO traffic, Belgium is likely your second (and former colony Suriname a possible third!). Contact Belgian directories that cover your niche.
2. All the Dutch directories. There are tens of thousands of domains that have directories that can be interesting for your business. Contacting these manually takes time, so go a level higher. Most domains are part of a network, like Goedbegin.nl. You can register as an advertiser and order a multitude of interesting backlinks.
3. Build your own directories. Have a very specific keyword you want to be found on? Build your own directory around it! Register it for free, add 20 links (exclude or nofollow your competitors) in 10 categories. If possible, add some text and images. You can then place up to four different backlinks to your site. For example, see https://webshop-starten.frisbegin.nl/.
4. Social profiles and posts. Web 2.0 is all about interacting via a personalized profile, which often allows you to add a link to your business and post links. From Medium, Quora, Pinterest, and Reddit to YouTube, create a business profile and use it.
5. Social sharing. Make sure to include buttons on your posts and key pages for sharing on social media. Every share is a link.
6. Press release. Don’t wait for it to break! Make your own news. Create a compelling press release with relevant backlinks that are rollable, add a copyright-free image (from Pexels, Pixabay or Unsplash if you can’t provide one yourself) and send it out to your own list, a free list or a paid list.
7. Attribution. Got good pictures or images that specify a concept? Or even an infographic? Share it for use on other websites, asking only for a backlink for attribution.
8. Guest blogs in niche sites. Look for the few sites that totally cover your business and check out the options for guest blogging. Typically, there are only a few, either run by an amateur or run professionally by a publisher.
9. Buy backlinks on Fiverr. Cheap, but not always good for your SEO. Focus on those sellers that are actually from the Netherlands, check the reviews, and ask for examples. Stay away from crappy directories that are not specialized or from bad domains. Check the spam score. Try 10 backlinks, and see how it works for you. For comparison, here’s my gig for directory links.
10. Do a Backlink exchange. When your website gets some traction in Google or if it covers an interesting topic, you will quickly get a copy/paste mail complimenting your website and suggesting a link exchange. This is typical SEO outreach, and you don’t have to do much to be getting these mails from linkbuilders. Ask for all the options. It pays to have more options yourself. Agree on the total amount of backlinks and the value. Typically, 1 partnerpage link = 2 directory links, and 1 HQ link, startpagina.nl link or guest post = 2 partnerpage links. So one HQ link equals 4 directory links.
11. Give interviews. Are you a specialist in your field? Share your knowledge in an interview, either by phone or video. Make sure to ask for a backlink. Getting interviews requires relationship-building skills: you need to be known as ‘available’ and knowledgeable. Include details on your contact page and inform anyone worth knowing that you can give an expert view.

Go for quality Dutch links – 6 expert SEO tips

The above steps are for marketers or small business owners with a keen interest in SEO, and perhaps some budget. The next steps are when its clear SEO is either making or breaking your business:

1. Buy partnerpage links. Check out our selection of partnerlinks. Focus on the categories more than on the SEO metrics, since relevance is most important.
2. Do interviews. Find knowledgeable people, interview them and ask them to promote the blog post. Ideally, find several people that can offer an over-arching view on an interesting subject, like “the future of content marketing”.
3. Approach others for backlink exchange. This is real outreach: contact owners of interesting websites and offer to exchange backlinks. By now, you have received many such requests yourself and you should have a clear idea of how to do it correctly. Even so, be prepared to receive little response.
4. Set up backlink exchange partnerships. From these emails for backlink exchange, you will find some people who do ‘get it’ and are ready to exchange more. Now it’s turning into a partnership, where you can turn to every month or so for new fresh links for building your money sites and linkbuilding sites. Having your own portfolio of interesting directories or websites is essential now. When you are both creating backlinks for a number of different sites, it becomes easy to keep coming back. Be sure to track all the links you’ve exchanged.
5. Buy backlinks on other platforms. Vettted.com for example, is a Portuguese SEO platform that offers various backlink building services. It has a far smaller reach than Fiverr.com, meaning your competitors likely haven’t found it yet. Also here, be sharp on getting quality that helps your website.
6. Buy sponsored content. If you’ve tried guest posting by now, you know how to get quality content. Either write it yourself or ask a professional SEO writer to write you exactly what you need. Check out our selection of options for Dutch sponsored content excluding content. Be sure to match the website subject and criteria before ordering. Prefer to have content that is 100% matching with the website? Check out our selection of options for Dutch sponsored content including content.

By no means is this list complete or extensive. You can Google every step to find ‘the ultimate guide’ on that particular approach alone. As you work your way down the list, costs and efforts will increase, but also the gain for your online presence. Did you miss a step? Be sure to let us know!

Are you wondering why we use the famous Dutch wooden clogs for illustrations on this page? Because they enable you to move across sodden ground with ease. Everybody thinks they know clogs to be cumbersome and a relic, but they are still being used by farmers because they are easy, efficient and actually quite comfortable. Just like our tips for Dutch linkbuilding.