Link building for affiliate sites is hard because most site owners won't link to a page that earns commission from their readers. The fix is to build links to pages that don't sell: original tests, data, guides and tools. Then pass that strength to money pages with internal links. Disclose affiliate links clearly, since the FTC expects it.
You run a review site in a niche you know well. Your comparison posts are better researched than the ones ranking above you, but every outreach email gets the same silence, and the two replies you did get asked for $150 to "cover editorial costs". Meanwhile the big publishers in your niche seem to collect links without trying. The gap is not your writing. It is what you are asking people to link to.
Why other sites refuse to link to affiliate pages
Most refusals come down to one thing: linking to a page that sells sends the linker's readers to someone else's commission.
The page exists to send readers to a shop
A blogger linking to your "best running shoes" list is effectively handing their readers to your affiliate links. Unless your page offers something their readers can't get elsewhere, there is little reason to do it for free.
Affiliate pages look alike
Many affiliate pages in a niche cover the same products in the same order. Google's guidance on high-quality reviews asks for "evidence such as visuals, audio, or other links of your own experience" because so many reviews lack it. Pages without that evidence are hard to cite.
Most content earns no links at all
This isn't only an affiliate problem. Backlinko's analysis of 912 million blog posts found that 94% had zero external links. Affiliate pages start from the same baseline with an extra reason to be ignored.
Which pages on an affiliate site to build links to
Point outreach at pages people would cite, then move that value to your commercial pages through internal links.
Original test and research pages
A page showing how you tested 12 products, with your own photos, measurements and results, is something other writers can cite as evidence. Keep the method and data on a page without affiliate links if you can.
Guides that answer a question fully
"How to choose a road bike size" or "what the numbers on a sleeping bag rating mean" answers something other sites mention in passing. They link to save themselves the explanation.
Free tools and calculators
A size calculator, a cost comparison sheet or a compatibility checker gets linked because it is useful, not because it ranks products. See our list of linkable asset ideas.
Then link internally to the money pages
From those linked pages, add contextual internal links to your reviews and comparisons. Internal links are how authority earned by one page reaches the pages that make money.
Link building tactics that still work for affiliates
Some tactics fit affiliate sites better than standard outreach.
Citing your own data in your outreach
When you pitch, lead with the finding, not the page. "We measured how long 12 budget headphones last on one charge" gives a journalist or blogger a fact to use. The link comes with the fact.
Expert comments and journalist requests
Affiliate site owners often know a product category in depth. Answering journalists' requests for expert comment can earn links to your author page or homepage instead of a money page. Our list of HARO alternatives covers the current services.
Relevant link swaps
A swap with a non-competing site in the same topic, for example a hiking blog and a camping gear review site, is an ordinary editorial link when both pages genuinely help each other's readers. Keep the volume modest: Google's spam policies name "excessive link exchanges" as link spam. Backlinkster matches site owners for one-for-one swaps, and each swap is verified by API. See how swaps work.
Rules affiliate sites can't ignore
Affiliate sites are judged more strictly on disclosure and on how links are labelled.
Disclose affiliate links
The FTC's endorsement guidance says affiliate marketers should disclose their relationship to the retailer "clearly and conspicuously" on their site, and that "the closer the disclosure is to your recommendation, the better."
Don't buy links to money pages
Google's spam policies list "buying or selling links for ranking purposes" as link spam. Paid placements are the most common shortcut affiliate sites take, and the sites that sell them often sell to everyone in the niche.
Qualify paid outbound links
If you are paid to place a link, mark it rel="sponsored". Google's page on qualifying outbound links says to use it for "advertisements or paid placements". See dofollow vs nofollow links for when each value applies.
Frequently asked questions
Do affiliate sites need backlinks?
In competitive niches, yes. Affiliate keywords are commercial and contested, so pages without links rarely outrank established publishers. The links usually need to come to informational pages first.
Why won't websites link to my affiliate posts?
Because a link to a page that earns commission sends their readers to your revenue. Offer something they can cite instead, such as test results, data or a tool, and link from it to your affiliate posts yourself.
Should affiliate sites buy backlinks?
Google's spam policies treat buying links for rankings as link spam, so bought links put the whole site at risk. In affiliate niches, the same vendors often sell to many competing sites.
Can I build links directly to affiliate pages?
Some, when the page includes original testing or a comparison other writers want to cite. Most affiliate sites get better results building links to informational pages and moving value through internal links.
Related: What Is a Linkable Asset? · Is It Worth Paying for Backlinks? · Link Exchange for Bloggers · Link Building for Small Businesses