Money Site

linking intermediate

Definition

The money site is the primary website designed to generate revenue, toward which backlinks from a link building strategy are directed.

In SEO and link building jargon, the money site is the primary website whose objective is to generate revenue (sales, leads, affiliate income). It is the site that the SEO professional seeks to rank in Google. All link building efforts aim to strengthen this site's authority. In a tiered linking strategy, the money site sits at the top of the pyramid and receives only high-quality links (Tier 1). PBNs, Web 2.0 links, and other techniques reinforce intermediate sites that point to the money site, rather than pointing directly to it.

Main site Revenue site Primary website

Key Points

  • The money site is the site that directly generates revenue
  • Only high-quality links should point directly to the money site
  • Aggressive link building techniques are reserved for intermediate tiers

Practical Examples

Link building structure

An e-commerce business has its online store as its money site. It creates guest articles on quality blogs that point to its money site, while lower-quality links reinforce these intermediate blogs.

Money site protection

To protect the money site from a penalty, an SEO professional only sends clean links (guest posts, editorial mentions) to it and reserves more aggressive techniques for Tier 2 sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Only direct high-quality, natural, and relevant links to your money site. Use a tiered linking strategy so lower-quality links point to intermediate sites rather than directly to your primary site.

Yes, some SEO professionals manage multiple money sites in different niches. Each money site has its own link building strategy and monetization objectives.

Go Further with LemmiLink

Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.

Last updated: 2026-02-07