How fast is too fast when getting links

From PPC to SEO

[jkwilson78]

I'm looking to start investing serious time and effort into SEO as I have used pay per click exclusively over the past several years and figure I have ignored (or feared) SEO for long enough.

My question is when it comes to building links to s site that has relatively few links right now how fast is too fast when it comes to building links?

20/month? 50/month? 100/month?

Obviously there is no set number but surely I don't have to get just 5-10 links a month in fear of creating a un-natural "linking profile"

I mean sure going out and buying 1000 links in one day is stupid but I don't want to live in fear either.

The way I look at it is that I have nothing to lose as no SEO has been done anyway but don't want to harm my efforts from the start.

Any general rules of thumb?

[wheel]

I've never worried about this nor had any issues.

However, if I was to play it safe, I'd say this. If you're bulk building links, keep the volume steady. If you're building them by hand, one at a time, I wouldn't expect any issue.

I build links in bursts. I buil a calculator or something, then build links like crazy. Then nothing. Then I get an idea and off I go building links again 3 or 4 months later. But since they're all one up, 'building links' for me might be in the 10's at a time.

Automate link building doing something like directory submission might be a bit different.

[tootricky]

I've built links for clients that have tens of thousands of links and some who have started with (literally) zero. My only rule is to diversify the links as much as possible to limit the liability. Also try to build links that not only build PR but also traffic: Link traffic always converts better than SERPs traffic in my experience.

[pbradish]

I've never worried about this nor had any issues.

Same here. I just try to stay consistent and build as many quality links as I can.

[WL Marketing]

It depends a bit on your other backlinks, so depending on how new the site is, you should vary the amount of links you build.