We started this because link building had a trust problem
Backlinkse was founded in 2019 by a small team of SEOs who were tired of buying links they wouldn't want their own clients to see. Seven years later, that's still the whole pitch: links you can point to without flinching.
From a spreadsheet of "safe" sites to a full agency
Backlinkse began as an internal vetting spreadsheet, shared between three in-house SEOs who kept getting burned by link vendors selling placements on sites with no real readers. When other marketers started asking to use it, the spreadsheet became a service.
Today that same manual-review standard governs every publisher relationship we maintain — now numbering in the thousands — and every placement we report back to a client.
2019
Founded as an internal vetting tool between three SEO consultants.
2021
Opened digital PR & HARO as a standalone service line.
2023
Crossed 10,000 cumulative placements across active clients.
2026
340+ active growth teams, average 4.9/5 client rating.
Four rules we don't bend on
Transparency by default
You see the target list, the draft, and the live URL — every time, no exceptions.
Relevance over metrics
A high domain rating on an off-topic site isn't a placement we'll recommend.
Slow is sometimes right
We'll tell you when a faster option carries more risk than it's worth.
Reporting that ties to results
A link count means nothing without the ranking and traffic movement behind it.
The people behind the process
Renata Cole
Co-founder & CEO
Eleven years in technical SEO before starting Backlinkse with the original vetting spreadsheet.
Omar Adeyemi
Co-founder & Head of Publisher Relations
Manages the publisher network and personally reviews new site applications.
Sasha Lin
Director of Digital PR
Former business journalist who now leads media strategy and HARO response.
Devon Park
Head of Client Strategy
Leads onboarding and quarterly strategy reviews for Growth and Authority clients.