Source: Freepik
Hey… want to hear a secret?
I know some really great link-building techniques to help you rank better in search engines. And yes, they actually work!
Don’t worry, I only follow white hat practices so you don’t have to worry about landing on Google’s wrong side.
Why am I so confident they do?
Because I’ve implemented them several times over with successful results. My link-building techniques have helped me get a boatload of links to my site. And not any ordinary link. I’m not talking about getting good backlinks from high-quality websites that have helpful information about the same niche as mine.
The best part is that I’ve been able to get big players in the industry to link back to me, helping me gain greater online authority and recognition.
So let’s not waste any more time on introductions and dig right in.
But first, I want to recap the benefits of link building for your brand quickly.
What benefits can link-building bring to the table?
Getting other sites to link back to you has substantial perks. It can help:
- increase the online visibility of your business.
- drive more traffic to your site.
- build better recognition in the industry.
- stand out as a voice of authority.
- give your site more credibility
- boost your SEO campaigns.
- acquire better rankings in SERPs.
- build more business relationships.
- harness more social shares.
I think you get the idea. Link-building is crucial. But surprisingly, 95% of all pages online have zero backlinks pointing to their website.
Source: uSERP
So what does this mean for you?
There’s a huge opportunity for you to outrank your competitors. If you work on getting more backlinks, you can rank higher than your competitors who don’t have a link-building strategy in place.
But wait.
If backlinks are so awesome, why do so many businesses not use them?
I’ll be brutally honest. (you want to sit down for this)
It’s not all sunshine and roses. Businesses often struggle to get links that lead to their websites. A white hat link building is hard work. It requires commitment and consistency to drive results.
And there are no shortcuts.
In short, effective link-building is an ongoing process. You need to focus on creating, promoting, and maintaining a steady stream of content that is:
- Relevant
- Authoritative
- Useful
Further Read: 7 SEO Tools For Building Better Website Content
Now let’s get back to the task at hand – creating backlinks.
Tried and Tested Link-building Techniques to Rank Better On Search Engines
Link building is time-consuming. That’s why some businesses outsource this task to digital agencies that provide white hat link-building services. But if you’re planning to explore link-building on your own or don’t have the budget to hire professional services, here are some tips to help you get started in the right direction.
- Create Valuable Content
You want to start off by producing useful and relevant content that people will want to share.
The key is to create high-quality content that interests your community and put it in front of them. When you do this consistently over time, you’ll establish your brand as an authoritative figure in your industry. And that will make it easier to get backlinks.
So invest time crafting long-form content that motivates others to link to it. Some ways to do this successfully include:
- cover a topic in detail
- share comprehensive advice
- answer common questions
Doing this regularly shows that you’re an expert, not an amateur just scratching the surface. Plus, it’ll build a positive brand image, boosting your site’s SEO.
- Produce Linkable Assets
This one’s relatively straightforward. Create shareable content that other sites will want to use, such as:
- Original data and statistics
Surveys, quizzes, and polls demand time and resources to conduct and analyze. Many people simply can’t do this on their own. This naturally means that when you publish your in-depth analysis in a captivating industry report, other sites will be more than happy to use the data and stats you’ve gathered about the industry trends. Why else do we love to quote stats from places like HubSpot, Moz, Oberlo, and Forrester?
- Infographics and charts
Breaking down numbers and text into bite-sized visual content in the form of infographics and charts is another great way to get backlinks.
- Videos and podcasts
Videos are more engaging while podcasts are convenient for on-the-go content, so they’re both the preferred choice among many users today.
Remember to diversify the types of content you create so that you have a good collection of linkable content, including how-to’s, tutorials, ebooks, downloadable content, etc.
- Share Case Studies
Have a success story you want to share?
Great!
People are more than happy to learn from your personal experiences and share your findings.
In order to make your case study link-worthy:
- Make sure it’s structured properly.
- Highlight the problem and the steps you took to resolve the issue.
- Remember to include stats and screenshots as well.
The good news is once you’ve compiled several case studies, your brand will gain authority in the industry and more people will link back to your case studies.
- Templates and Tools
Develop templates, tools, industry-specific calculators, or other online resources that other sites will want to use. Think of them as invitations that attract links. Offering a ready-to-use linkable online resource allows other sites to link to it so their audience doesn’t have to worry about making one from scratch. For instance, Ahrefs claims to get lots of links because of the tools they create, not their articles. They’ve gotten over 4K links from their Keywords Explorer tool alone.
Source: Ahrefs
- Research Sites to LInk to
Ideally, you want to look for quality websites that align with or complement your brand offerings. Think of getting backlinks as a way to create a relationship with another website. You can expand your search to include directories, blogs, newsletters, etc.
A good place to start is influential sites in your industry. If you regularly comment or promote their content, they’re more likely to link to yours too. So it’s a win-win situation for both sites.
- Outreach
Outreach simply means to reach out to others in your niche and inform them how your content can be useful to them. Ideally, you need to approach sites that have used the same keywords as yours or those who have expertly written about similar topics. This could include blog posts, videos, tools, templates, infographics, or any linkable asset you’ve produced.
You can also request links from people you already have long-term relationships with. For instance, if your partners, suppliers, or distributors have their own blog, try soliciting links to your website.
- Find brand mentions
An easy way to get backlinks is to find sites that have mentioned your brand without linking to it. Sure this technique is time-consuming, but it’s a great way to snag high-quality backlinks with minimum effort. But services like Google Alerts can make this task easier. You’ll receive emails when new results for your brand name surface in search results.
So when you find someone mentioning your name, get in touch with them and kindly request them to add a link to your site. Often website owners will happily link to your brand, paving the way for future professional relationships.
- Seek out guest posts
This is my personal favorite link-building strategy. When done right, you can get high-quality backlinks – for free. Find sites that support guest posting by doing a quick search for “your niche” + “write for us”. Since these sites regularly accept guest posts, you’ll find submission guidelines on their website. They’re sure to get back to you if you provide high-quality content.
So yes, guest posting is another example of a win-win situation. You get a high-quality backlink while the website where you guest post receives useful content for its audience.
- Leverage social media
In this era, this is an obvious strategy for all businesses. The key is to promote good content on social media sites where others are active. For example, Twitter is a good platform where you can share other publishers’ content and engage with followers.
However, don’t limit your activities to social media platforms. You can also get backlinks by placing social sharing buttons on your blog posts. This encourages people to share your content.
Source: StanVentures
- Use link-building tools
If all else fails, you can use link-building tools to get the job done. Numerous tools can help you find, sort, and manage potential link sources. Popular ones include:
It’s a wrap
With the right strategy and unwavering dedication, you can get websites to link back to your site. By now, I bet you’re probably all geared up to implement these actionable link-building tips. Getting quality links can improve your SEO campaigns and influence your online visibility. In fact, it can even make you more discoverable than your competitors and help reel in more customers.
I’m not going to say that white hat link-building is a piece of cake. So I know some of you may be wondering why not just buy the backlinks. You can, but it’s risky and I wouldn’t advise it. Buying backlinks goes against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and infringes on black-hat SEO practices. You could land yourself a Google penalty if caught. So it’s better not to go that route.
I think that’s enough material for now. Do tell me about your link-building adventures in the comments section below.
