Why the First 10-20 Backlinks Produce the Biggest Ranking Lift (and How to Make Them Count)

https://stateofseo.com/why-seo-managers-who-bought-backlinks-but-saw-flat-rankings-keep-hitting-walls-with-stakeholders/

How initial backlinks drove 30-60% of early ranking gains in recent campaigns The data suggests a clear pattern: the first 10-20 high-quality backlinks aimed at a target page often produce the largest share of ranking improvement