Crypto and Web3 link building on publishers that still vet

Why crypto is a difficult link building market

Years of aggressive promotion have left crypto with a damaged link ecosystem. Many reputable publications decline crypto content outright, and the space is crowded with private blog networks, expired domains rebuilt as "news" sites and paid press release distribution that offers little editorial value. A profile built from that inventory can be devalued or attract a manual action, and it can also damage how users and partners perceive the project.

The crypto publisher landscape

• Specialist crypto and blockchain publications with real editorial teams, which respond to market analysis, protocol developments and data.
• Technology media with crypto coverage, which tend to want the technology or infrastructure angle.
• Finance and fintech publications with varying appetite for crypto, usually interested in regulation, adoption and the overlap with traditional finance.
• Developer and community resources, relevant for infrastructure, wallets and developer tools.

Each accepts different angles, which is why a single "crypto guest post" list rarely produces relevant placements.

Project legitimacy comes first

Credible publishers ask whether a project is real before they mention it, and so do we. Before taking on a campaign we look for an identifiable team or company, a working product, and claims that can be supported. We don't run campaigns for projects we can't verify, and we don't work on promotions built around guaranteed returns.

Compliance and claims

Crypto marketing is regulated in a growing number of markets. In the UK, since 8 October 2023, cryptoasset promotions capable of having an effect in the UK fall within the FCA’s financial promotions regime and must be fair, clear and not misleading, even when the firm is based overseas. Content we place avoids return promises, price predictions and anything resembling investment advice, and drafts come to you for approval so your legal or compliance advisers can review them. This is general information, not legal advice.

Volatility and timing

Editorial appetite for crypto rises and falls with the market. Bull markets bring more coverage and more competition for attention; downturns bring fewer publications willing to engage but a stronger preference for substance. Evergreen assets such as guides, explainers and research hold value through those cycles better than announcements tied to price movements, so we usually build campaigns around them.

Link priorities by type of crypto business

"Crypto" covers businesses with very different audiences and risk profiles, and the right publishers differ accordingly:

Data and listing sites are useful for visibility, but their outbound links are often nofollowed, so they are not a substitute for editorial coverage.

How we vet crypto publishers

Every candidate goes through 10-point publisher vetting with stricter attention to site history (to catch repurposed domains), indexation (to catch devalued sites), and outbound links (to exclude sites linking to every exchange and casino that pays). In crypto, the failure rate at the vetting stage is higher than in any other industry we work in.

Common mistakes

• Relying on press release distribution. Syndicated releases rarely earn editorial links, and optimised links in them are treated as a link scheme.
• Buying "crypto news" placements in bulk. Many are on networks of rebuilt domains with no real readership.
• Tying content to price action. Placements built around a price move date quickly and can raise compliance concerns.

Our crypto affiliate case study describes a campaign built on vetted publishers only. For finance-adjacent projects, see also fintech and finance.

Questions