shouldiuse.io

Report

Should I Use Backlinko?

backlinko.com·Analyzed 1 day ago··Based on 10 sources

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

Worth it

Worth it

Use it if you want to learn SEO and link building — the guides, checklists, and free tools cost nothing and are widely respected.

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

Confidence: Medium

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

Value for money5

Flagship SEO education, entirely free

Ease of use4

Guides and 48-point checklist well organized

Feature depth2

Content site; only a couple free tools

Pros

  • Deep, free SEO guides including a 48-point checklist²
  • Free tools like the Reddit SEO opportunity finder³
  • 500K monthly readers at sale; proven, tested playbooks⁴
  • Current coverage of AI search strategy
  • Backed by Semrush since January 2022¹

Cons

  • Not software — no backlink database, crawls, or reports¹
  • Founder sold in 2022; original voice and courses moved on⁴
  • No published security page⁸
  • Content now doubles as a Semrush marketing channel

Gotchas

  • mediumGuides funnel you toward paid Semrush plans; budget for that separately
  • mediumLegacy 'SEO That Works' paid course may no longer be sold — verify before paying
  • lowNo security page; treat the free tools as input-only⁸
  • lowMinimal independent review footprint; the business itself is thinly reviewed⁶

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

Pricing

Content & free tools

$0

  • 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 public 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.

Full analysis

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

Sources

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

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