A resource page is a page a site publishes for one purpose: to link out to useful tools, guides, and other resources on a specific topic, think a university’s list of industry resources, a nonprofit’s compiled reading list, or a niche blog’s roundup of favorite tools. Resource page link building means finding these pages, confirming your resource genuinely belongs there, and asking the owner to add it. It stays approachable because the page’s stated purpose is to link out; unlike a guest post or a digital PR pitch, you are not asking an editor to make an exception. According to Ahrefs’ review of Aira’s 2022 State of Link Building Report, 24% of SEOs use the tactic, and Backlinko cites a Search Engine Land survey that ranked it the second most popular link building strategy among the SEOs polled.
How to Tell a Real Resource Page from a Random Link Dump
Not every page with “resources” in the URL is worth your time. A resource page worth pursuing links out to external sites (not just to the site’s own content), stays on-topic for its niche, and shows signs that someone still maintains it: recent additions, working outbound links, no pile of dead 2019 references. Those are the same three checks Ahrefs recommends running before you invest outreach time in any prospect.
A page that fails the “actively maintained” check is not necessarily a dead end. If half its outbound links 404, that page is a broken link building opportunity in disguise, you can open with “I noticed a few dead links” instead of a cold ask, which tends to land better than a request with nothing in it for the page owner. Resource pages and broken-link outreach also come up repeatedly as the tactics that still work in what Reddit says about how to get backlinks.
Search Operators That Surface Resource Pages Fast
Resource pages use predictable naming conventions, which makes them unusually searchable. Combine your topic with the operators Ahrefs and Backlinko both recommend:
| Search pattern | Example (topic: “email marketing”) | What it tends to surface |
|---|---|---|
topic intitle:resources | email marketing intitle:resources | Dedicated pages with “resources” in the title |
topic inurl:resources | email marketing inurl:resources | Pages with a /resources/ URL path |
topic intitle:links inurl:resources.html | email marketing intitle:links inurl:resources.html | Older static link/resource pages |
topic "best resources" OR "useful resources" | email marketing "best resources" | Curated “best of” roundups |
topic "further reading" OR "other resources" | email marketing "further reading" | In-article resource sections buried inside blog posts |
Run each pattern, then go past the first page of results, the best-fit prospects are rarely the ones ranking on top for a generic search. If you already have an Ahrefs or Semrush subscription for something else, pulling a close competitor’s referring domains and filtering the URL column for “resources” or “links” finds prospects the search operators miss, since not every resource page announces itself in its title or URL.
Qualifying Prospects Before You Send a Single Email
A list of 200 URLs that match your search operators is not a prospect list yet. Filter it first.
Ahrefs suggests a Domain Rating of at least 10 and roughly 5,000 monthly organic visits as a starting floor, not a target. A page below that bar rarely sends meaningful referral traffic or passes much authority, so it is usually not worth an email. Above the floor, check topical fit directly: does the page’s overall subject match your resource, not just a single keyword in passing. A “best productivity apps” list is a poor fit for a backlink-monitoring guide even though both pages might rank for some overlapping term.
For the underlying signals that separate a link worth pursuing from one that is not, see What Makes a High-Quality Backlink: 7 Signals to Check.
Writing a Pitch That Gets You Added, Not Ignored
Once you have a qualified list, the email itself decides whether you get added. Keep it short, address the person who actually manages the page rather than a generic inbox, and reference the specific page by name so the recipient knows immediately this is not a mass blast. State what you are suggesting and, in one sentence, why it fits the page’s existing list. If you spotted a broken link on the way in, mention it, you are now doing the page owner a favor rather than only asking for one.
Give the recipient a week or two before a single, polite follow-up. Most owners willing to add your resource do so on the first reply or not at all. For a fuller outreach process, including subject line variations and a library of templates for different pitch scenarios, see Link Building Outreach: A Process and Email Templates That Get Replies.
After You Land the Placement: Confirm the Link Actually Works
A friendly reply is not the same as a live, functioning link. Once a page owner says yes, check the live page directly: confirm the link points to the correct URL, and check its rel attribute. Google’s own documentation states that “links marked with these rel attributes will generally not be followed,” and reserves nofollow, sponsored, and ugc for links the owner does not want to vouch for, paid placements, and user-submitted content, respectively. A genuine editorial mention on a resource page is none of those, so a plain dofollow link is the expected outcome. Confirm it rather than assume it.
That confirmation does not end the job either. Resource pages get redesigned, pruned, or handed off to a new site owner who tightens outbound linking policy, sometimes converting long-standing dofollow mentions to nofollow without any notice. A placement worth earning is worth periodically re-checking. BacklinkTower’s per-link status and attribute checks work from an export you already have, an outreach spreadsheet, a GSC links export, or an Ahrefs/Semrush pull, and report back whether each earned link is still live and what rel value it currently carries, so a resource page campaign does not quietly decay months after you stopped watching it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a resource page in link building?
A resource page is a page a site publishes specifically to link out to useful external tools, guides, or resources on a topic, rather than to rank for a keyword itself. Resource page link building is the practice of finding these pages and getting your own resource added to the list.
How do I find resource pages without a paid SEO tool?
Google search operators are free and effective: combine your topic with intitle:resources, inurl:resources, or phrases like “best resources” and “further reading” to surface both dedicated resource pages and in-article resource sections. Paid backlink tools speed this up by letting you pull a competitor’s referring domains and filter for the same URL patterns, but they are not required to start.
What should I check before pitching a resource page?
Confirm the page links out to external sites rather than only its own content, stays on topic for your niche, and shows signs of active maintenance, recent additions or working outbound links rather than a graveyard of dead ones. Ahrefs also recommends a minimum Domain Rating of 10 and roughly 5,000 monthly organic visits as a starting filter, though these are floors, not the whole picture.
Do resource pages typically use dofollow or nofollow links?
Most genuine editorial resource pages link out as plain dofollow, since Google reserves nofollow for links the owner does not want to vouch for and sponsored or ugc for paid or user-submitted links. A resource page is neither, it is an editorial recommendation, so nofollow is the exception rather than the rule. Confirm the actual attribute after your link goes live rather than assuming it matches expectations.
How long should I wait before following up on a pitch?
Give the site owner a week or two before sending a single, polite follow-up. Most curators willing to add your resource do so within the first reply or two; a second follow-up rarely changes the outcome.
Is resource page link building still worth doing in 2026?
Yes, though it is not a volume play. Because a resource page’s stated purpose is to link out, a well-qualified, well-pitched resource tends to see a higher acceptance rate than cold outreach for a guest post or a mention in existing content. Few resource pages exist for any given niche, though, so it works best combined with other link-building tactics rather than as the only source of new links.
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