<b>Steady 8 links/month beat a 48-link single-month burst by 2.4x on 12-month ranking retention</b>

<b>Steady 8 links/month beat a 48-link single-month burst by 2.4x on 12-month ranking retention</b>

Across 96 campaigns matched for total link count (n=96, ~96 links each over a year), pacing changed the outcome.

Steady cohort (6-10/month):

— 12-month net position gain: +7.1
— Gain retained at month 18: 89%

Burst cohort (one 40-50 link month, rest sparse):

— 12-month net position gain: +5.9
— Gain retained at month 18: 37%

The burst peaks higher short-term, then gives most of it back. Steady velocity compounds; bursts spike and fade. Matched totals, so this is pacing, not volume.

<b>Smooth your link velocity — the same budget retains 2.4x more when spread evenly.</b>

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Про link velocity penalties подробнее — @TooFastTooLinked