The basic idea
Tier one is your money layer: editorial links pointing at your site. Tier two points at those links — or at supporting properties — to speed up their indexation and strengthen equity flow. Tier three, if anyone goes that deep, supports tier two.
The mechanic is real: crawled, indexed first-tier links pass more value than orphaned ones, and second-tier links help make that happen.
Where tiers make sense
Supporting web 2.0 properties, boosting fresh niche edits that need crawl attention, and powering PBN-style assets if you run them (their risk is their own). In each case the target is a link, never your money page.
What doesn't make sense: pointing tiers at your homepage because it feels like 'more SEO'. Tier two links to your site are just low-quality links to your site.
Sane volumes
Tiers are a volume game — hundreds of links for modest prices — because per-link quality requirements are lower when the target is a link rather than a landing page.
Keep the anchors pointing at tier one natural too. The pattern discipline applies at every level; sloppy tier-two anchors are still a footprint.
Who should skip tiers entirely
If your first tier is thin or weak, fix that first. Tiers amplify what exists — they can't manufacture authority from nothing.
Conservative brands in scrutinized niches (finance, health) often skip tiers on principle. That's a defensible choice; nothing about tiers is mandatory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pointed at other links rather than your site, the risk is low. The classic penalty fears come from old spammy implementations aimed at money pages.
Ratios of 5–20:1 are typical. More brings diminishing returns fast.