Link Velocity
Link velocity is the rate at which your website gets new backlinks over time. It measures how quickly you're gaining or losing links, and we typically track it on a weekly or monthly basis.
Why does link velocity matter for fitness businesses?
Link velocity helps you understand whether your link-building efforts are gaining momentum or stalling. If your workout app was earning 10 new backlinks per month and suddenly drops to two, it signals your content strategy or outreach efforts need adjustment.
On the other hand, an excessive link velocity can signal spammy links. If you're averaging 10 new links a month and you suddenly get 50, that's very suspicious. You could get penalized if the links are:
- Low quality: From a low Domain Rating site
- Irrelevant: From sites that have nothing to do with your business area
- Paid for / link swaps: Where there's obvious evidence that the links were a tit-for-tat arrangement
Google monitors link velocity as part of evaluating your site's growth.
What does link velocity look like in practice?
A gym CRM platform publishes an industry report on retention trends. In the month following publication, they earn 35 new backlinks from fitness blogs, SaaS review sites, and gym owner forums. The next month, they earn 20 more as the report continues circulating. This positive link velocity signals the content is valuable and worth referencing, strengthening their domain authority over time.
How do you track link velocity?
Use SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to monitor new and lost backlinks over time. Most tools provide graphs showing link acquisition trends, making it easy to spot changes in velocity.
Track both total backlinks and referring domains. A spike in total links from one domain isn't as valuable as steady growth in unique referring domains.
Pay attention to the quality of new links, not just quantity. Earning five backlinks from high-authority fitness publications in a month is more valuable than 50 links from low-quality directories.
What affects your link velocity?
Content publishing frequency impacts link velocity. Regularly publishing valuable resources gives other sites more opportunities to discover and link to your content. Long gaps between content releases often slow link acquisition.
Outreach and promotion also have a weighting on your velocity. Actively pitching content to journalists, bloggers, and industry publications accelerates link building compared to waiting for organic discovery.
Industry trends and seasonality also play a role. Fitness and wellness content often sees increased backlinks in January when interest in fitness peaks, while summer months may see slower link growth.
How do you improve link velocity naturally?
Wen have a full guide on linkbuilding for fitness businesses. But here are some tips to start with:
- Publish linkable content consistently rather than in sporadic bursts, giving your site regular opportunities to earn new backlinks
- Create timely, newsworthy content around industry trends, original research, or data that journalists and bloggers want to reference
- Build relationships with fitness publications, SaaS reviewers, and industry influencers who can amplify your content and link to it
- Promote your best content through outreach, social sharing, and community engagement to increase visibility and discovery
- Monitor what's earning links and double down on similar content formats or topics that resonate with your audience
- Track competitor link velocity to identify when they're gaining momentum and adjust your strategy to stay competitive
How to talk to your agency about this
"What's our current link velocity compared to the past six months, and is it trending upward or downward? Are the new backlinks we're earning coming from quality, relevant sites in our industry? What's driving our recent link growth, and how can we replicate that success?"