James Dooley: Link building that actually works in 2026. Today I’m joined with Charles Flo, who does a lot of different blackout SEO strategies, parasite SEO strategies, but actually where a lot of people know him for that, he builds genuinely strong brands as well. He uses his understanding of how to manipulate the SERPs but applies it to build white hat brands that generate serious revenue.

But link building specifically. A lot of people chase do follow links on high DR websites. Is that still what works in 2026, or has the game changed? Are branded mentions now more important because people want visibility in LLMs, AI overviews and ChatGPT? So let’s jump straight in. What link building strategies are working for you right now in 2026, Charles?

Charles Flo: Link building for Google specifically right now, the number one tactic is consensus-based link building. Google has a link graph and treats domains the same way it treats documents. It groups them into topical clusters. You want as many domains within that topical cluster linking to you as possible, because that reinforces trust signals, expertise and authority.

That is essentially E-E-A-T. Most people misunderstand it, but E-E-A-T is almost entirely off page. Google looks for signals from sites it already trusts to validate your expertise within a topic.

James Dooley: Over the last couple of years, people spoke less about link building, but now it feels more important than ever. It is not just about a high DR link anymore. You need multiple domains repeating who you are, what you do, your reputation, awards, case studies and testimonials. You need that corroboration across third party sources. Would you agree that link building and mentions are now more important because of AI?

Charles Flo: One thousand per cent. I’ve spoken to Fortune 500 CMOs and COOs who are now prioritising SEO, link building and mentions more than ever. Previously SEO was often the first budget cut. Now companies are investing more into AI SEO, digital PR and link building than almost any other channel.

James Dooley: I think that’s because when people see ads now, they immediately research. They ask AI if a brand is legit, if it is trustworthy. AI gives a summary of reviews, pros and cons instantly. That directly impacts conversion rates.

Previously, people would research later in the funnel. Now AI influences decisions at the very start. So before someone even submits a lead or buys, they already have a perception of the brand. That is why third party corroboration and consensus building is critical.

Charles Flo: Exactly. And the ROI is massive because organic visibility and AI recommendations compound over time. Traffic is becoming more valuable, especially as ad costs rise.

James Dooley: Let’s break this down. I’ll list link building strategies and you tell me if they work in 2026. Digital PR. Newspapers and magazines.

Charles Flo: Yes, one hundred per cent. But the issue is relevance. Too many agencies run irrelevant campaigns just to get links. You need topical alignment so it builds entity relevance and co-occurrence around your brand.

James Dooley: Guest posts.

Charles Flo: Still very effective if done properly. Most people waste them by publishing low quality AI content. You should use guest posts to reinforce entity signals, rank for keywords and strengthen that link over time.

James Dooley: Niche edits or link insertions.

Charles Flo: Still powerful, but due diligence is critical. Most people do not analyse the page properly. If you choose strong, relevant pages and improve them, the impact is much higher. Poor placements get neutralised easily.

James Dooley: Press releases.

Charles Flo: Not great for pure ranking power, but excellent for entity stacking. They reinforce brand signals, citations and social profiles. Google is favouring them more recently, but I would not rely on them for authority alone.

James Dooley: Lower quality links. Blog comments, GSA, Money Robot.

Charles Flo: I would never point them directly at a money site. For tiered strategies, I would focus on contextual automated links instead. Non-contextual spam links get neutralised most of the time.

James Dooley: PBNs.

Charles Flo: They are making a comeback. Google has reduced some anti-spam filters, so homepage PBN links can be very effective. But public networks carry risk. Private, niche networks perform much better.

James Dooley: Homepage rentals or sitewide links.

Charles Flo: They work better in non-English markets. In English, they are less effective unless combined with more advanced strategies.

James Dooley: Aged domains.

Charles Flo: Still effective in certain markets, especially international. Less effective in English SERPs compared to before.

James Dooley: 301 redirects and canonicals.

Charles Flo: Very effective in competitive or aggressive niches. Less effective in clean, high trust industries. It depends on what the rest of the SERP is doing.

James Dooley: Local SEO links like directories and citations.

Charles Flo: They work well because competition is low. They also help build entity data for AI and improve local map pack visibility.

James Dooley: Final question. If someone wants to do link building properly in 2026, what should they focus on?

Charles Flo: Consensus is everything. You need multiple trusted domains reinforcing your entity, your brand and your expertise. Focus on relevance, quality content and distribution across trusted sources.

Also, PressWhiz is a platform we built to make this easier. It is a marketplace with over 38,000 publishers, growing daily. You can search by niche, analyse competitors, buy guest posts or link insertions and even scale tiered link building.

James Dooley: So users can log in, browse domains, see pricing and choose placements?

Charles Flo: Exactly. Full transparency. You can upload your own content or use our writing service. You can filter by niche and keyword relevance to find the best placements.

James Dooley: Perfect. Anyone watching this, check the links in the description for more advanced SEO strategies around AI, selection rate optimisation and link building. Charles, it’s been a pleasure.

Charles Flo: Appreciate it.