Who is Backlinko for?

DIY founders learning SEO Solo marketers and bloggers Content teams wanting link-building playbooks Beginners needing structured checklists

Who is Backlinko not for?

Teams needing actual backlink data or rank tracking Anyone wanting software support, SLAs, or onboarding Buyers seeking a tool to replace Ahrefs or Semrush Enterprises needing audited, SOC2-style vendors

shouldiuse.io

Backlinko Review

Worth it

Should I use Backlinko?

It's time to get backlinks that make a difference. Backlinko is the place for next-level SEO training and link building strategies. - backlinko.com

Analyzed September 18, 2026 · 1 month ago

Use it if you want to learn SEO and link building — the guides, checklists, and free tools cost nothing and are widely respected. Don't treat it as software: no backlink database or reporting, so you'll still need Semrush, Ahrefs, or similar.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; pricing details thin, review quotes truncated in evidence.

Ratings

Value for money
Ease of use
Feature depth
Support qualityNo support evidence for a content site
Security postureNo findings either way; no security page

Pricing

Content & free tools

ModelNot disclosed

Monthly fees500K+

HardwareNot disclosed

Free tierYes

Paid training (legacy)Unknown

Best for

DIY founders learning SEO
Solo marketers and bloggers
Content teams wanting link-building playbooks
Beginners needing structured checklists

Not for

Teams needing actual backlink data or rank tracking
Anyone wanting software support, SLAs, or onboarding
Buyers seeking a tool to replace Ahrefs or Semrush
Enterprises needing audited, SOC2-style vendors

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Guides funnel you toward paid Semrush plans; budget for that separately

medium

Legacy 'SEO That Works' paid course may no longer be sold — verify before paying

low

No security page; treat the free tools as input-only

low

Minimal independent review footprint; the business itself is thinly reviewed

Pros

Deep, free SEO guides including a 48-point checklist
Free tools like the Reddit SEO opportunity finder
500K monthly readers at sale; proven, tested playbooks
Current coverage of AI search strategy
Backed by Semrush since January 2022

Cons

Not software — no backlink database, crawls, or reports
Founder sold in 2022; original voice and courses moved on
No published security page
Content now doubles as a Semrush marketing channel

Sources & method

Analyzed September 18, 2026 - 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x3security x2news x2

Key stats

Value for money: 5/5
Rating
$0
Starting price
10
Sources
September 18, 2026
Analyzed

Value for money: 5/5. Flagship SEO education, entirely free
Ease of use: 4/5. Guides and 48-point checklist well organized
Feature depth: 2/5. Content site; only a couple free tools
Support quality. No support evidence for a content site
Security posture. No findings either way; no security page

500K+ Monthly readers at the 2022 sale
Jan 2022 Owned by Semrush since acquired, founder exited
$0 Cost guides, checklist, free tools
77/100 Foglift site scan third-party website report

Pricing

Content & free tools

Blog guides, checklists, stats reports
Reddit SEO opportunity tool
SEO checker

Paid training (legacy)

Unknown

Former 'SEO That Works' course
Private community; availability unclear

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Practitioners on Reddit and Quora have long treated Backlinko as required-reading SEO material, with recent chatter noting its Semrush ownership.

Alternatives

Compare Backlinko with each alternative.

Ahrefs
Real backlink data; the blog is free too
Backlinko vs Ahrefs
Semrush Academy
Free structured courses from the same owner
Backlinko vs Semrush Academy
Moz Learn SEO
Classic free SEO curriculum and Beginner's Guide
Backlinko vs Moz Learn SEO

Google Search Central
Straight-from-the-source technical SEO documentation
Backlinko vs Google Search Central

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; pricing details thin, review quotes truncated in evidence.

Free, high-quality SEO training content — not a tool. Great to learn from, but you'll still need real SEO software.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; pricing details thin, review quotes truncated in evidence.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

Backlinko homepagebacklinko.com
official
The Complete SEO Checklistbacklinko.com
official
Free Reddit SEO Opportunity Toolbacklinko.com
official
How Brian Dean sold Backlinko, with 500K monthly visitorstheygotacquired.com
news
Backlinko is acquired by SEMRush (Reddit)reddit.com
news
Trustpilot reviews of backlinko.comtrustpilot.com
review
Who here reads Backlinko.com? (Reddit r/bigseo)reddit.com
review
Backlinko security pagebacklinko.com
security
Foglift website report: backlinko.com scored 77/100foglift.io
security
I'm Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko and Exploding Topics (AMA)reddit.com
review

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