Resource page link building still works in 2026 — but only when you treat it as a suggestion to a curator, not a begging email to a stranger. A resource page is a page that already exists to list the best tools, guides, and references on one topic. If your content genuinely belongs on that list, getting listed is a normal, editorial decision. If it doesn’t belong, no pitch template will save you.
We still land resource page links every month, mostly for SaaS and iGaming clients. They are not the flashiest links we build. They are some of the steadiest: relevant pages, real traffic, and a very low chance of disappearing, because the page owner wanted the link there.
The mistake most people make is volume. They scrape 500 resource pages, blast the same email, and wonder why nobody replies. The method below is slower. It also answers.
What a resource page actually is
A resource page is a curated list. Universities keep them (“helpful resources for marketing students”). Industry blogs keep them (“our favourite SEO tools”). Local and niche sites keep them too. The common thread: a human chose every link, and that human cares about the list staying useful.
That is why resource page links age well. A guest post can get buried under newer posts. A resource page link sits on a page that is maintained, linked to from the site’s own navigation or guides, and visited by people who are actively looking for recommendations.
It is also why the pitch has to be different. You are not asking for a favour. You are telling a curator about something their readers would want, that they have missed.
Step 1: Find pages that are actually maintained
Search footprints still work, but use them with judgement. Try combinations like: intitle:resources + your topic; “helpful resources” + your topic; “recommended reading” + your topic; inurl:resources + your topic.
Then filter hard before you pitch anyone. Open the page and check three things: (1) Has it been updated recently? A page untouched since 2019 is probably abandoned. Move on. (2) Do the links still work? Click five. If two are dead, the curator is not maintaining it — or it is a perfect broken link opportunity, which is a different pitch (see our broken link building guide). (3) Would your content honestly improve it? If the page lists beginner guides and yours is an advanced technical breakdown, it does not belong. Relevance beats authority here.
A practitioner-only detail: the best resource pages we find are rarely on page one of Google for the footprint search. They are linked from a site’s own “start here” guide or footer. Follow a site’s internal links for ten minutes and you will find lists the scrapers miss.
Step 2: Pick the page your content deserves
Before you write a single pitch, match the content to the page honestly: A guide or tutorial fits a “learn more” or “further reading” list. A tool, calculator, or template fits a tools/resources list. A data study or original research fits a page that cites sources.
If you do not have a page that fits, do not pitch. Build the asset first. We have turned down resource page campaigns where the client only had thin product pages — no curator will list a sales page, and asking makes the next pitch from you harder.
One more check we run: read the page’s existing links and note their quality bar. If every link is a university, a government site, or a household brand, a brand-new blog post will not clear it. Aim at pages whose bar you can honestly meet.
Step 3: Find the curator, not the contact form
The person who maintains the list is usually a content manager, an editor, or the site owner. Find their name on the site’s about page, author byline, or LinkedIn. A pitch addressed to a name, mentioning the actual page, beats a form submission every time.
We keep a simple rule: if we cannot find a named person after five minutes, we skip the site. Anonymous pitches to info@ inboxes have the worst reply rate in our whole outreach, and they burn time we could spend on a curator who will actually read the email.
Step 4: Write the pitch that beats “add my link”
Most pitches say: “I found your resource page, please add my link.” The curator hears: more work for me, no benefit for my readers.
Our pitch does three things instead: (1) Names the exact page and one specific thing on it — proof we read it, not scraped it. (2) Points out a genuine gap — a topic their list covers thinly, or a link that is outdated. (3) Offers the specific page as the fix, in one line — what it covers, and why their readers would want it.
Example structure (adapt it, never copy it word for word): “Hi [Name], I was reading your [topic] resources page — the section on [specific section] is one of the most complete I’ve seen. One gap I noticed: there’s nothing on [specific subtopic]. We published a guide that covers exactly that, with [one concrete detail]. Would it be worth adding for your readers?”
Then stop. No three-paragraph sales story. No “this would be great for both of us”. Curators are busy, and a short, specific email respects that. For more on what makes outreach emails get replies, see our guide.
The reply pattern we see: about one in five well-targeted pitches gets a reply, and most replies are positive. Compare that with a blasted list, where one in fifty is a good day. Targeting is the whole tactic.
Step 5: Follow up once, then let it go
Follow up once, about a week later, with one new piece of value — a shorter line, or a note that the page has been updated since. Then stop. A second follow-up to a curator who maintains a free list just annoys the person you want a favour from.
If they say no, thank them and move on. We have had curators say no, then add a different client page six months later, because the first interaction was polite. Outreach is a reputation game, and resource page curators talk to other site owners. See examples of our work on our Portfolio page.
What to track
Keep a simple sheet: site, page URL, curator name, date pitched, reply, result. Two numbers matter: Reply rate — if it drops below 10%, your targeting is off, not your template. Placement rate — replies that turn into live links. Ours runs around half of replies, because we only pitch pages we genuinely fit.
Do not buy resource page link packages that promise 50 placements for a flat fee. In our experience, those lists are recycled, the pages are rarely maintained, and a chunk of the “placements” sit on pages Google barely crawls. One real curated link beats ten of those.
FAQ
Does resource page link building still work in 2026?
Yes, for the same reason it always has: curators want good lists, and a genuinely useful page is a good addition. What stopped working is mass-blasted pitching to unmaintained pages.
How long does it take to get a resource page link?
A reply usually comes within a week if it comes at all. The link itself can take days or weeks after a yes, because curators update lists in batches. Budget a month per campaign, not a week.
Do resource page links pass authority?
They are usually dofollow editorial links from relevant pages, so yes — but their real value is relevance plus steady referral traffic from people browsing the list.
Can I pitch a product or service page?
Almost never. Curators list resources, not sales pages. Pitch a guide, tool, study, or template, and let that page do the selling.
How is this different from broken link building?
Broken link building replaces a dead link; resource page link building adds a new one to a gap. They pair well — check a resource page for dead links before you pitch, and you can offer both in one honest email. Our broken link building guide covers that method in full.
About the author
Junaid Ashraf is the Founder & CEO of JD SEO Agency. He has spent years running outreach campaigns for SaaS and iGaming clients, placing guest posts and earning editorial links on real sites with real audiences. He writes about what actually works in link building — including the pitches that flop.
What is your experience with resource pages — have you ever landed one, or been ignored by every curator you emailed? Tell us in the comments; we read every one.