Link building can be a bit like building a house of cards. One wrong move and the whole structure comes crashing down. It’s no surprise that some people find it tedious, painful, and a test of patience. But despite its challenges, link-building is an essential part of competing in today’s digital landscape.
If you want to thrive rather than just survive, you need to invest in link-building. Your website’s search engine ranking results are directly tied to the number and quality of external links pointing to your site. Each link from a trusted source reinforces your site’s credibility.
But how do you determine which websites are trustworthy? It all comes down to authority.
Tools like Moz can help you evaluate websites and assign them a domain authority score based on their inbound links. For example, Content Marketing Institute has a score of 77, HubSpot has a score of 92, and even Ferro, a coatings company, has a score of 49.
It’s worth noting that external links aren’t the only factor to consider. Your site’s domain authority is just as crucial. The higher your score, the better your chances of improving your search rankings and outpacing your competitors.
So, while building a house of cards can be a precarious endeavor, link building is a worthwhile investment in the long run. Just make sure your foundation is strong, and you’ll be on your way to a sturdy, successful online presence.
Be Proactive in Link Building
While it’s true that producing exceptional content can organically attract links without you even asking for them, relying solely on this approach can only take you so far. A successful link-building strategy requires deliberate action and a well-rounded approach.
Don’t get us wrong, noteworthy videos, studies, white papers, blog posts, interactive tools, and infographics can all be powerful tools to attract links through various channels such as direct traffic, natural search engine visitors, social media pushes, and more. But there’s a limit to how many external links you can acquire through passive means.
To truly mine the gold that is external links, you need to be proactive and strategic in your approach. It takes effort, time, and patience, but the rewards can be immense. Our guide offers valuable tips, tools, and reminders to help you navigate the complex world of link building. While you may encounter some dead ends along the way, you’re bound to make some triumphant discoveries that will pay dividends for years to come.
1) Make Great Use of Link Building Tools
Are you looking to boost your website’s visibility and drive more traffic? One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through link-building. But with so many link-building tools available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of top tools to consider:
- SEMrush
- Common Backlinks Tool
- Ahrefs
- Bulk URL Analyzer
- Majestic
- Moz PRO
- Ontolo
- Linkody
- Link Prospector
These tools can help you find and manage potential link sources, including influencer and competitor research. You’ll also be able to learn about the authority and trust scores of each link, which are influenced by the type, quality, and the number of backlinks.
Don’t forget to also explore other sources for potential links, such as:
- Journalists and news media,
- Bloggers and writers,
- Product and service review websites,
- Directories
- Trade associations.
By researching your competitors, you may even discover some “me-too” links that could benefit your site.
If you’re short on time, tools like Ahrefs and Moz have special features like Link Intersect that can help you compare your website to others and identify missed linking opportunities.
2) Super-Secret: Get Superb Backlinks by Writing Testimonials
Are you tired of spending hours scouring the internet for link-building opportunities? Well, here’s a much-overlooked strategy for you that almost seems too easy… Testimonial link building!
All you have to do is reach out to companies whose services or products you use and offer to write them a positive testimonial in exchange for a link back to your site. It’s like getting paid to say nice things – who wouldn’t love that?
Plus, you can use this strategy to build a treasure trove of external links with just a few minutes of work.
How?
a) The First Step – Create Your Target List
First things first, to use this strategy you need to find websites that you can provide testimonials for.
But not just any websites, they need to be relevant to your niche, have existing testimonials, and be products or services that you actually use. So, start by making a list of the tools, products, and services you already use in your business.
Now, if you’re struggling to come up with ideas, don’t worry! You can always cheat a little bit and look at what other tools and services people in your niche are using. Plus, you might even find a free trial to test out the tool before you write your testimonial.
b) The Next Step – Get The Correct Contact Person To Pitch To
So, you’ve got your list of potential targets for your testimonial – Congrats!
But hold up, before you can start raving about their amazing service, you need to find the right person to send it to.
Sure, some sites have contact forms or even a special testimonial submission page, but what if you need to go deeper? Fear not, my friend.
Try out extensions like Find That Lead and Hunter to track down those elusive email addresses. Add them to your spreadsheet and start reaching out to everyone on your list with your charming pitch.
c) The Third Step – Pitch Your Testimonial
So, you’ve got a list of contact persons for your testimonials. Now, it’s time to pitch them and get the ball rolling on those link-building opportunities. But, how do you pitch effectively? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Start with a friendly introduction.
- Explain how their product or service has helped you in your business.
- Include specific results to back up your claims.
- Ask them if you can create a testimonial for them.
- Keep your pitch short, simple, and sweet.
Remember, your goal is to establish a positive relationship and provide value to the website owner. A well-crafted pitch can go a long way toward building those links.
d) The Final Step: Craft the Perfect Testimonial
Writing a great testimonial doesn’t have to be hard. Here are some tips to help you craft the perfect one:
- Highlight what you liked most about the product/service
- Explain how the tool/service helped you achieve your goals
- Share specific results you’ve seen since using it
- Provide your personal recommendation
By including these key elements in your testimonial, you’ll not only help the company but also help others who are considering using the same product/service. So, take a few moments to share your positive experience and watch your testimonial help drive more business.
3) Get Powerful Backlinks by Fostering Growth for New Businesses
Make use of Crowdfunding – The Unknown Link Building Strategy!
Have you heard about the untapped potential of crowdfunding for link building? It’s one of the most underused tactics out there, but it can yield fantastic results.
When someone raises funds for their business through crowdfunding, they often include a link to every contributor. That’s where you come in! With donations ranging from a dollar to thousands of dollars, crowdfunding is a golden opportunity to get backlinks for your website.
Here are two ways to get those links:
- Donor links: These are links from pages that list all donors and include a link to their website.
- Package links: These links are offered as part of a donation package for a certain amount of money.
Easy, right? With all kinds of projects in every niche, crowdfunding is an excellent way to support new business growth and build links at the same time.
How can you use this crowdfunding link-building method?
Discover Crowdfunding Sites for Link Building: A Guide to Using Indiegogo
Indiegogo is one of the top crowdfunding sites that offer a convenient way to find projects that can help build your links. Here’s how to find them:
- Use specific keywords in your Google search like “site:[indiegogo.com] inurl:projects +“link to your” or site:[indiegogo.com] inurl:projects +”donor page” to narrow down your search results.
- Be prepared to sift through the results to find projects that either add donor’s details to their donor page or offer links in exchange for your donation.
- Don’t forget to check out the other perks that you may benefit from too.
With this simple guide, you can easily find affordable crowdfunding projects that can boost your website’s links and give you a chance to take advantage of other benefits.
4) Link Building Through Sponsoring Events
Events as a Link-Building Strategy – Events aren’t just a great way to socialize; they can also be a valuable asset to your link-building strategy.
Local, national, and international events can be used to build links.
There are two ways to do this – Hosting and Sponsoring
Hosting an Event:
- Create your own event
- Advertise it on third-party event sites
- Get high-quality links back to your website
Sponsoring an Event:
- Sponsor someone else’s event
- Get listed (and linked to) as a sponsor
- Build relationships with industry authorities
But wait, there’s more! You can still get all these benefits without hosting an event. Here’s how to find events to sponsor and start building links today.
Start by identifying what types of events are most relevant to your niche. These could be workshops, conferences, clubs, and more.
Make a list of online platforms where these events are likely to be hosted. While local events might be found on local sites, larger national or international events can typically be found on larger platforms like Eventful, MeetUp, and Events.org.
To find events to sponsor, try using the following Google searches on each hosting site:
- site:[website URL] inurl:events +“sponsors”
- site:[website URL] inurl:events +“link to your”
- site:[website URL] inurl:registration +“sponsors”
- site:[website URL] +“sponsors”
- site:[website URL] + “donation”
- site:[website URL] + “become a sponsor”
- site:[website URL] -inurl:support -inurl:blog +“link to your website”
Go through the search results and make a list of any events that are relevant to your niche.
Clean up the process and repeat for each event hosting site using each search term to pull in more specific results.
Once you’ve identified relevant events, set up sponsorships with them. If you’re sponsoring an event being hosted by someone else, make sure to get listed as a sponsor with a link back to your website.
Finally, set up Google alerts to find any new sponsorship opportunities as they arise.
By sponsoring relevant events, you can build high-quality links to your website and establish relationships with other authorities in your industry.
5) Have a Powerful Social Media Footprint
Are you aware that social media backlinks can actually benefit your website’s link profile? Although they are typically “nofollow” links and have limited SEO advantages, they still form a crucial foundation of links that any legitimate business should have.
It’s all about maintaining a healthy balance between follow and nofollow links in your link profile.
Here are five simple and effective ways to get quick wins from Facebook alone. And if you’re hungry for more, here are 23 additional strategies listed in this comprehensive guide to social media backlinks.
These tactics are accessible to all skill levels and can help boost your website’s visibility and authority. So why not give it a shot and see the positive impact it can have on your online presence?
a) Hook Visitors with your “About” page: Add Your Website URL to Your Facebook Profile”
Make sure to include your website URL in the ‘About’ section of your Facebook profile, and set it as public. This will help new visitors connect with your website and increase traffic.
b) Make better use of your “About” page description
Double your chances of sending traffic to your website by strategically placing your website URL in both the contact info and description sections of your “About” page.
Don’t miss out on this easy opportunity to make a lasting impression on new visitors!
c) Revamp your Social Media Game – Include website links in All Your Posts!
Are your social media posts failing to generate traffic to your website? Don’t worry, there’s a simple solution!
Even if your post isn’t directly related to your site, you can still include a link as a reference. It’s a smart move to work website links into all your social media posts, and it’s easier than you might think.
Make use of the potential traffic boost, and learn how to effortlessly incorporate website links into all your social media posts.
d) Use “Page Buttons” to drive traffic to your website!
Did you know that you can add clickable buttons to your Facebook page? These buttons can be optimized to send visitors straight to your website, making it easier than ever to direct traffic from your page.
With just a few clicks, you can add or edit your page buttons and input your website’s URL.
e) Add your URL to social media picture descriptions
Did you know that simply adding your website URL to the description of a social media image can significantly boost traffic to your website? Despite the potential benefits, most people fail to take advantage of this easy-to-implement tactic.
To maximize the impact, be sure to include your website URL in the description of your profile picture and cover photo. And don’t forget to update it every time you change your images.
Ready to take your social media game to the next level? Check out this comprehensive guide, “28 Social Media Backlinks To Increase Your Rankings.”
Learn how to use social media backlinks not only on Facebook, but also on other platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and Quora
6) Guest Blogging – The Powerful Link-Building Strategy You Can’t Afford to Ignore!
Let’s face it, guest blogging may seem boring at first glance. But the truth is, it’s one of the most popular, simplest, and most effective link-building strategies out there! Despite being labeled as a white hat strategy, guest posting has been the subject of multiple warnings from Google.
In fact, John Mueller, a Google Webmaster Trends Analyst, has advised webmasters to leverage “nofollow” guest post links.
But here’s the thing – all forms of link-building are technically against Google’s guidelines. What truly matters is feeding the algorithm certain metrics to improve your website’s ranking.
Guest posts are an excellent marketing function to build a target audience and feed the algorithm the metrics it needs. All you have to do is create a high-quality piece of content, add a few links pointing to your site, and get it published on another site – preferably one with a high domain authority.
Don’t let the term “guest blogging” deceive you. This is a powerful link-building strategy that can take your website’s ranking to new heights.
Give Google’s algorithm what it wants – specific metrics and a high-quality online presence!
Truth Be Told!
Guest blogging is no longer what it used to be a few years ago. In 2023, it has become much harder to earn a genuine link placement.
Nowadays, most site owners have caught on and often want payments to place your guest posts, which is nothing more than just a long-winded way to buy links, right? Some people are much more direct about it, which is a big no-no in the eyes of search engines.
However, that’s not to say that guest blogging isn’t worth doing. You just need to walk that line however you choose.
In summary, to get started with guest blogging, there are 5 essential steps you need to follow:
- Find your prospects – start by identifying potential sites where you can submit your guest posts.
- Qualify the right blogs – make sure that the sites you’ve found are high-quality, relevant to your niche, and have a good domain authority.
- Send outreach emails – craft a well-written outreach email to the site owner or editor, explaining who you are and why your content would be valuable to their readers.
- Create great content – this is where you showcase your writing skills and provide value to the readers of the site you’re submitting to.
- Build relationships – guest blogging is not a one-and-done deal. It’s important to build relationships with the site owners, editors, and readers. Engage with their content and respond to comments.
Let’s dig into each of these a little deeper.
a) Finding your prospects
This is the first step in mastering the art of guest blogging. This crucial step involves seeking out the perfect websites to publish your carefully crafted content.
The ideal scenario is to publish on websites with impressive domain authority (DA), high page authority, and a robust traffic flow. After all, you want your content to reach as many eyes as possible!
b) Qualifying the shortlisted blogs
Now that you have a list of potential sites for guest blogging, it’s time to sort out the wheat from the chaff. To make sure your content gets the attention it deserves, you need to qualify the blogs you’ve shortlisted.
One way to do this is by using Ahrefs, the best backlink checker in town. Simply take the first website on your list and run it through Ahrefs’ Site Explorer. Once you’re there, click on the orange loop icon and watch the magic happen.
You’ll be presented with a wealth of information, including the site’s Domain Rating (DR). Add this number to your list and move on to the next site, repeating the process until you have the DR of every site.
c) Reaching out to blogs owners/managers/editors
After compiling a list of websites that match your target audience, the next step is to contact the website owners, managers, or editors and gauge their interest in your guest post pitch. But how do you ensure that your outreach email stands out from the sea of requests in their inbox? Here are a few tips:
- Personalize your email by addressing the website manager by their name.
- Keep your email concise and to the point, highlighting the value that your guest post will bring to their readers.
- Showcase your expertise by including links to your previous guest posts or relevant work.
- Follow up with a polite reminder if you don’t hear back within a week.
Remember, the goal of your outreach is to build relationships and create value for both parties. So be respectful and professional in your interactions.
d) Creating amazing guest post pieces
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to write a guest post for a reputable website. Now, it’s time to get to work and create an exceptional piece of content that will captivate their readers. Keep these tips in mind:
- Know the target audience: Before writing, research the blog’s target audience to ensure your content will resonate with them.
- Do your homework: Take a deep dive into the blog’s previous articles and read through the comments to understand the audience’s interests and concerns.
- Share your expertise: Write everything you know about the subject and provide valuable insights that will benefit the readers.
- Add value: Make your content stand out by adding quotes, relevant links, images, and videos to make it engaging and shareable.
- Submit with confidence: Once you’re done, send your masterpiece their way and wait for the positive feedback to roll in!
e) Building powerful, mutually beneficial relationships
Guest blogging is not just about link building, it is also about building relationships!
Guest blogging allows you to connect with blog managers and build a network that can come in handy in the future. With a strong network of contacts, you can easily promote your content and publish regularly on high-authority sites.
These relationships can also lead to new opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships in your industry. So, don’t underestimate the power of relationship-building when it comes to guest blogging!
Engage Their Audience: A Bonus Tip for Guest Blogging Success
Guest blogging isn’t just about creating high-quality content and building backlinks to your website. It’s also about engaging with the audience of the website you’re guest blogging on.
By opening a direct conversation with someone else’s audience, you can reap several benefits, such as increasing your brand awareness and building relationships with potential customers.
Here are three things you should do to engage with the audience of your guest post:
- Respond to all of the comments on your guest post personally. This will help you build a relationship with the readers and show them that you care about their opinions.
- Monitor shares on social media and reply to say thanks. This will help you show your appreciation to those who share your post and also engage with potential customers who may have questions or comments.
- Set up Google Alerts for the URL to engage anywhere it gets shared. This will help you stay on top of any conversations happening around your guest post and allow you to participate in those conversations.
By doing these three things alongside your guest post, you can accelerate your results and achieve guest blogging success.
7) Get Quality Backlinks by Helping Clean Up The Internet
Links are an essential component of any website, both internal and external. However, they can easily break down for various reasons. This may cause problems for the user experience, reputation, and SEO performance of a website.
Unfortunately, most website owners may not even be aware that their links are broken. This is why it is crucial to regularly monitor and maintain the links on a website to ensure that they are functioning correctly.
You can get quality backlinks by helping people clean up their broken links.
Identifying broken links presents a wonderful opportunity for you to:
- Discover link-building opportunities (particularly for niche edits)
- Cultivate a relationship with the website owner
- Add value to the website owner
- And most critically, secure a high-quality link
The last item on the list is what makes this one of the most preferred link-building methods. Nikolay Stoyanov used broken link building as a tactic to obtain 15 links in a single day with a conversion rate of 15%.
This is one of the most underutilized link-building strategies. Here’s how to do it:
a) Pick the target website
The first step of this link-building strategy is to identify the website which you want to get a link from.
Now, don’t get too ambitious and aim for the stars. While it’s tempting to dream of getting a link from a giant like Inc or The New York Times, let’s be realistic. Your chances of success there are slim to none.
Instead, set your sights on personal blogs and small companies. Not only will you have a higher chance of success, but the site owners and managers will also be grateful for your help. They’re likely to reward you with a link, and who knows? This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.
b) Identify the broken links on the website
It’s time to start hunting for those elusive broken links on the website you’ve identified. But fear not, there are some handy SEO tools that can make this process a breeze.
One such tool is Check My Links, a nifty Chrome extension that scours a specific page for any broken links.
However, if you’re looking for a more comprehensive analysis of a website, Ahrefs is your go-to tool. This powerful tool can provide a list of all the broken links on a website, leaving no stone unturned.
c) Make contact with the site owner, manager, or editor
Compliments, you’ve finished analyzing all the website pages, and now it’s time to make your move. It’s time to reach out to the blog owner or manager and inform them about the broken link(s) you found.
This is not just about getting a link back to your site. Your primary goal here should be to create a meaningful relationship and establish trust with the website owner.
If you have a web page that’s relevant to the page where the broken link is, let them know about it. Share your knowledge and offer your expertise to help them improve their page for their readers.
And even if you don’t have something relevant to offer, don’t worry. Focus on fixing the broken link at hand, and more opportunities to ask for a link may arise later.
Trust the process, the responses you’ll receive from people might surprise you
8) Leverage Internal Link Building
There is a particular fondness by successful website owners for internal link building as a link-building strategy. One of the main reasons is that it offers full autonomy over where links are placed. Moreover, implementing this strategy is a breeze, and it poses little to no risk of penalization.
Let’s talk about internal links!
These are links that you place on one web page that direct the user to another web page on the same domain. Take a look at the following examples:
- This link directs you to another page within this very blog
- This link, on the other hand, takes you to a page on a completely different domain
But the beauty of internal links is that you have total control over where they go and what anchor text you use. That’s right – you get to call the shots!
Why are internal links so critical to SEO?
Here is some exciting news to share about internal links and their value for SEO. Brace yourself for this:
- First of all, internal links help Google discover new, high-quality content on your site.
- Not only that, but they also help Google better understand and rank your existing content.
- Want to control Google’s spiders and boost your site’s search visibility? Internal links can help you do just that.
- And let’s not forget about the power of directing traffic to important, high-converting pages through internal links.
Despite all of these incredible benefits, it’s shocking how underutilized internal link building is in the world of SEO. The best part? It’s incredibly easy to implement!
Let’s dive into one of the most effective methods of internal link building – the manual process.
To start, create a list of your website URLs and their corresponding target keywords.
Next, utilize Google to search for relevant blog posts on your site that would benefit from additional internal links.
Simply search “site:yourdomain.com keyword” and add your links (with exact match anchor text) for each URL/keyword pairing on your list.
Although it may take some time, the results will be worth it. And keep in mind, internal link-building requires ongoing effort. Be sure to add internal links from old content to new content every time you publish for optimal results!
You can take a peek at some other forms of internal link-building here.
9) Copy Your Competitors’ Backlink Strategies
Link building can be a daunting task, especially if you’re trying to compete with big-budget companies spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.
But what if we told you that you could get high-quality links without breaking the bank?
The secret lies in working smarter, not harder. And that means, spying on your competitors and stealing their best backlinks.
By doing this, you’re essentially drafting with your competitors. You let them do the hard work of getting links, and then you swoop in and grab the same ones. This strategy has proven to be highly effective in terms of win rate and overall time invested per earned link.
So, how do you do it? The process is simple. First, you need to spy on your competitors to find out where they’re getting their links.
Once you’ve identified those links, it’s time to start building your own. By following this strategy, you can level the playing field and compete with even the biggest companies in your niche.
Let us look into the process a little deeper:
a) List your major competitors
Begin by compiling a roster of five competing entities that are ranking for your desired keyword. Size doesn’t matter in this case, as each one can impart valuable insights.
b) Do a deep analysis of their backlink profile
After compiling a list of competitors, the next step is to analyze their backlink profiles.
The most preferred tool for this task is Ahrefs, although spreadsheets can also be used with SEMrush and SEO Powersuite.
However, if you prefer not to use spreadsheets, manual analysis is also possible.
To do so, go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer and enter a competitor’s link, then click the orange loop button. From the left-side menu, select the “Backlinks” option to see all the inbound links for that competitor.
For a more in-depth analysis, click on the “Link type” button in the bar above the results to categorize the links as “follow”, governmental, educational, or editorial (i.e., those that are linked naturally within a piece of content).
For example, to see only the educational links for a competitor, click on the “educational” option. These links can reveal the competitor’s level of respect within their industry and the types of content that are receiving attention from educational sites, such as recipes in this case.
c) Export all competitor links individually and develop a winning strategy
After compiling a list of inbound links for each competitor, it’s time to strategize. Open each link in a separate tab and start analyzing how your competitor obtained that link.
As you go through the list, pay attention to the strategies used by your competitors so you can easily replicate them.
This process will help you discover new opportunities, understand the preferences of your industry’s audience, and identify the types of content that receive the most links.
10) Get Featured in Link Roundups
Do you want to get your content seen by a wider audience? Then it’s time to tap into the power of Link Roundups! These blog posts are the perfect way to share amazing content and get it noticed by readers who are interested in your niche.
Link Roundups are typically published on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and feature a collection of links to top-notch content, often with a short write-up. The best part is that you can find them in nearly every niche, making it easy to reach your target audience.
So, how do you get your content included in these valuable roundups? It’s simple! Follow these two easy steps:
- Identify sites or blogs that regularly post Link Roundups
- Pitch your content idea for their next link roundup
That’s all there is to it! It’s an effortless and effective way to get your content in front of more eyes.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this link roundup method.
a) How to identify relevant link roundup sites
To find relevant Link Roundup sites, Google can be your best friend! Follow these simple steps:
- Use Google to search for the following:
- keyword +link roundup
- keyword +monthly roundup
- keyword +roundup
- keyword +weekly roundup
- Look through the results and add all suitable roundup sites to a spreadsheet.
By conducting these searches and compiling the results, you can create a go-to list of potential Link Roundup sites for your niche. This makes it easier to pitch your content for inclusion and expand your reach to a wider audience.
b) Reach out in an innovative non-pushy manner
Before you get started with your outreach, here are a few tips to help you stand out from the crowd.
First, you’ll need to find the contact email address for each site owner or manager. This can be done by following a simple email address lookup guide or using a tool like FindThatLead. Alternatively, you can search the site for an email address or contact form if you have the time.
But, here’s the thing – bloggers that publish these types of roundup posts receive countless similar outreach emails every day. So, if you want to get featured, you’ll need to do something a little bit different.
That’s where the 2-pronged approach comes in:
- First, send an initial outreach email that doesn’t ask for anything. This can be a simple introduction, complimenting the blogger on their work, or even sharing an article that you think they might find interesting.
- Once you receive a reply, then pivot to your pitch. This is where you can introduce your content and suggest that it might be a good fit for their next Link Roundup post.
By taking this approach, you’ll show that you value the blogger’s time and effort and that you’re not just looking to promote your content.
It is quite simple really.
To succeed in link roundup link building, all you need is some high-quality content and a bit of elbow grease to find the right roundups.
With this approach, not only will you get a valuable backlink, but you’ll also likely receive targeted traffic to your site.
11) Find Your Way to High-Quality Resource Lists
It’s common for websites to have a dedicated page that showcases the tools, guides, and articles they find most helpful.
These are what are referred to as resource lists.
Here is one of the resource lists that we have on this blog:
Resource lists are essentially just a curated list of links, complete with commentary and insights. And the best part? They’re a breeze to use!
All you need to do is find resource pages in your niche, reach out and ask for a link, and watch the magic happen.
How do you find and use resource lists for link building?
- Finding Resource Pages Made Easy
Follow these simple steps to find relevant resource pages and add them to a spreadsheet.
Step 1: Head over to Google and use the following search terms:
- Keyword +inurl:links
- Keyword +useful resources
- Keyword +helpful resources
- Keyword +inurl:useful links
- Keyword +useful links
Step 2: Look through the results and choose any that are relevant to your content. Add them to your spreadsheet and you’re ready for the next step.
Finding resource pages doesn’t have to be a headache. With a little bit of research, you can quickly identify the most relevant pages to reach out to for link placement.
- Pitching Your Content Like a Pro
So you’ve found some great resource pages to add your content to, but how do you actually get the link placement? Follow these tips to make the process easier.
Step 1: Send an initial outreach email to the website owner, introducing yourself and your content. Be friendly, and professional, and make it clear that you’re looking to contribute to their resource page.
Step 2: Once you’ve made contact, pivot to the link placement. Ask if they would be interested in adding your content to their page and provide them with the necessary information to do so.
It may take a few emails back and forth, but with persistence, you can secure the link placement you’re after. Remember, the more people you ask, the more links you’ll get!
Pitching your content may seem daunting, but with a little bit of effort and a friendly approach, you’ll be amazed at the results.
- Craft Unique Data-Driven Content
Creating content that grabs people’s attention is no easy task.
In today’s world, there is so much content out there that it’s hard to stand out. However, by incorporating unique data into your content, you can make it stand out from the crowd and attract the attention your website deserves.
Here are some ideas to help you make your content more data-driven:
- Conduct in-depth research on your industry to find unique insights and statistics
- Test and review tools or services in your niche, and use the data to back up your findings
- Find unique data and incorporate it into your content to provide valuable information
- Survey your email list subscribers, industry peers, or customers to gather data and insights
- Create eye-catching and unique graphics from your own or someone else’s data to make your content more engaging
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to incorporating data into your content. It’s a process that takes time and effort. But before you hit that “Publish” button, ask yourself: does this article have any unique data? If not, try to add some to give it more substance.
By using unique data to enrich your content, you can set yourself apart from the competition and create content that truly resonates with your audience.
- Listen and Pay Attention to The Internet
If your brand is well-respected in your industry or location, chances are that people are writing about you online. Whenever someone mentions your brand, it presents an opportunity to obtain a valuable backlink.
However, it’s not uncommon for people to forget to include a link to your site when they mention you. But fear not! You can easily fix this!
- Search for mentions of your brand or website
First, head over to Google and enter the following search term:
“yourwebsite.com” -inurl: yourwebsite.com
This search will return a list of results that mention your domain name but exclude any pages from your own blog.
But here’s a pro tip: get creative with your keywords! People may misspell your company’s name more often than you realize. So, try variations of your brand name, and you might just uncover some new mentions that you didn’t know existed.
2) Analyze your website or brand mentions
Create an inventory of all websites that have mentioned you, and ensure to verify for any of the following issues:
- Mentions that lack a hyperlink
- Hyperlinks that are broken
- Hyperlinks that are incorrect and lead to a 404 error page.
3) Reach out to the websites where your brand or website has been mentioned
After compiling the inventory of websites, locate the individual who oversees its management. If uncertain, refer to the “Contact” page, but it’s preferable to contact the individual who can effectively address the mention.
Once you have obtained the relevant email addresses, you may utilize this template. However, it’s critical to personalize it first.
Lastly, remember to follow up and not miss out on potential link opportunities.
4) Create Google Alerts for your brand or website name
Several individuals may not respond to your inquiry because it has been a significant amount of time since they posted the page where you were mentioned. As a result, promptly responding whenever you receive an unlinked mention is critical.
To accomplish this, it’s beneficial to learn how to configure Google Alerts so that you are always prepared. Essentially, each time you receive a notification for a new mention, ensure that it includes a link. If not, utilize the aforementioned template to contact the website’s writer or editor and request the link.
By doing so, you will be able to secure high-quality links for your website without any additional effort on your part.
- Reutilize Old Domain Names
Recycling expired domains has become a go-to link-building hack for website owners and bloggers alike. The allure of these domains lies in their fantastic backlink profiles, high levels of authority, and relevance to your niche.
Some of these expired domains even boast valuable backlinks from authoritative sources such as Wikipedia, BBC, and the New York Times.
Regardless of where you stand on the white hat/black hat debate, it’s hard to ignore the power these domains possess and the impact they can have on your business.
The best part? With the right approach, you can snag them for the same price as new domains! (Stay tuned to learn more a little later).
Unleashing the power of expired domains to boost your link-building efforts
When it comes to expired domains, you have several options to consider.
You can either build a brand-new site on the domain to gain instant authority, use the domain to link back to your website, or redirect the domain to pass on its valuable link juice.
It’s no wonder why so many people utilize this strategy – leveraging a highly authoritative and relevant expired domain can give your business a significant edge.
However, the real challenge lies in discovering expired domains that are not only authoritative but also relevant to your niche. Keep reading to learn more about finding the perfect expired domain to supercharge your SEO efforts.
Discovering Hidden Gems: A Summary Guide to Finding Expired Domains
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a newbie, searching for expired domains can be a breeze or a nightmare.
Tools like Domain Hunter Gatherer and Spamzilla are the best for this purpose. These tools simplify the process of discovering expired domains and provide you with valuable metrics to help you make informed decisions.
Once you’ve found the perfect expired domain, the ball is in your court – whether you decide to use it to build a new website, link back to your existing site, or redirect its link juice to boost your SEO, the choice is yours.
- Newsjacking: Use Current Events to Build Links
Creating standout content that resonates with your target audience is the cornerstone of any effective link-building campaign.
However, crafting viral-worthy content is easier said than done. Instead of struggling to generate new ideas, why not leverage current events to fuel your content creation efforts?
This technique is called “newsjacking,” and it involves using popular news topics as inspiration for your content.
Oreo’s infamous “POWER OUT? NO PROBLEM! YOU CAN STILL DUNK IN THE DARK” tweet during the 2013 Superbowl blackout is a classic example of newsjacking.
Their clever tweet garnered over 15,880 retweets and 6,200 favorites in just a few hours, generating a plethora of press coverage and valuable backlinks from reputable sources such as The Huffington Post, Wired, and CNET.
You too can harness the power of newsjacking to elevate your content and attract high-quality links to your website. The key is to stay abreast of current events, identify relevant news stories that align with your brand and audience, and quickly create content that adds value to the conversation.
By incorporating newsjacking into your content strategy, you can leverage the buzz surrounding trending topics to drive traffic, engagement, and backlinks to your site.
Discover Trending Topics
Utilize Google Trends to investigate current talking points.
Input your own concepts or note the topics displayed on the homepage.
For example. the topic of “Younger Royals” is an excellent choice for various articles, particularly in the design, beauty, and fashion sectors.
Cast a wide net when compiling your ideas; you can analyze them more thoroughly later.
Come up with engaging content ideas
Once you’ve researched popular topics, it’s time to brainstorm content ideas. The goal is to create a relationship between the two. For example, if you have a leadership blog, you could write articles like:
- “Leadership Lessons From Tim Cook: 5 Tips for Sales Managers”
- “The Power of Tim Cook’s Leadership Style: How It Can Transform Your Career”
- “Avoid These Leadership Mistakes: Lessons From Tim Cook’s Missteps”
By connecting your content to the trending topics, you can ensure that your content is not only relevant but also timely.
Act Fast: Create Timely Content
From your list of content ideas, select the most suitable one and get to work creating the content quickly. Keep in mind that the popularity of some topics fades fast, often lasting only a few weeks or even days.
Time is of the essence. Aim to have your article completed within a week of identifying the idea to ensure it remains relevant and timely.
Publish quickly and promote your content extensively
While discussing a trending topic can make promotion easier, it’s not a guaranteed method for creating viral content.
As with any content, focus on promotion. Don’t limit your promotion to social media; use it as an opportunity to reach people both within and beyond your industry.
Extending beyond your industry! Using the previous example, you might target blogs that cover technology, business, Apple, and Uber to promote your content.
Leverage Inflated Influencer Egos
Dale Carnegie once said,
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
The same principle applies to link building. If you stroke the egos of influencers, you’re more likely to get links from high-authority sites.
The first step is to build relationships with people who manage high-traffic, high-authority blogs or sites. Relationships are key to getting anything in life, including links. If you get influencers interested in your content, they’ll feel invested and “pushed” to share and link to it, even without being asked.
This is where ego bait list posts (ELP) come in. By creating a list that flatters influencers, you can get them to share and link to your content. This strategy helped one blog get 2,000 views, despite previously getting only 50 visits per month.
So, if you want to links from influencers links, start stroking those egos!
If you’re interested in using ego bait to attract high-quality links, here are some steps to get started:
Craft a catchy headline
As suggested by ego-baiting experts, begin by choosing a headline that summarizes the main idea of your article. Use this format:
Number + (Industry) Experts/Blogs + Promise/Keyword
Select a group of influencers in your industry and determine what your article will deliver. Depending on how detailed you want to be, you can choose as few or as many influencers as you like.
For example, you could ask the influencers about their favorite link-building tools. This approach will help them understand exactly what you expect them to write about. Your audience will also appreciate specific advice they can use themselves.
Outline the question clearly
To get the most detailed answers from influencers, it’s important to define a specific question for them to answer.
Keep in mind what people would want to read about and pick a unique angle for the question. Influencers are busy people, so it’s essential to make it easy for them to give a detailed answer.
When defining the question, it’s crucial to choose an angle that will help the audience and provide a solution to their problems.
For example, if you’re writing an SEO ego bait article, you might want to focus on a specific topic like the best local SEO strategy or favorite 30-minute SEO quick win. This allows influencers to provide detailed answers and helps the audience gain valuable insights.
Remember to keep the question focused on one topic and pick an angle that will make it stand out from other similar articles.
Build your target influencer list
Generate a comprehensive list of experts that you intend to approach. To come up with the list, you can brainstorm or conduct a Google search for other expert roundups within your niche or target market.
Be sure to select experts with websites that command high domain and page authority, as well as a significant social following. This will make linking and sharing more impactful.
Once you have identified the experts, locate their contact information. You can check their personal websites, use LinkedIn, or request for their details via Twitter.
Reach out to your list of target influencers
After defining your list of experts and questions, it’s time to reach out to them through email.
Give them a few days to respond and if you don’t hear back, send a follow-up message. But don’t be too persistent as you don’t want to be seen as a pushy link builder.
You can expect a response rate of around 10-25%, but it may be higher if you have an existing relationship with some of the influencers or if you are an influencer yourself.
Remember, building relationships is a crucial aspect of influencer marketing, so always be polite and professional in your communication.
Create Content Pillars
To be taken seriously in the online world, you need to create thought-provoking content that offers genuine value to your audience.
The quality of your content is the foundation of your online business, regardless of whether you’re promoting physical or digital products.
The key challenge of content creation is determining how frequently you should publish new material to your target audience.
Posting excessively can be counterproductive as it leads to information overload. Rather than inundating your audience with content, you can create pillar content on a regular basis, which requires less frequent updates.
The alternative, asking your subscribers and customers for their opinions, can complicate the process.
By regularly producing valuable, pillar content, you can provide your audience with a solid foundation and establish yourself as a trustworthy source of information.
What is this “Content Pillar” Format?
Pillar content refers to a comprehensive tutorial-style article that provides practical tips or advice to teach your audience something.
Yaro Starak defines it as a long-form article with a minimum length of 500 words that offers real value and insight to readers. This style of content has a long-term appeal and remains relevant regardless of time or news cycle.
Creating pillar content can help drive traffic to your website and improve your search rankings. Rather than publishing new content daily, you can focus on producing high-quality, evergreen content that will continue to attract traffic over time.
By spending more time creating pillar content, you can increase your conversion rate, generate organic and referral traffic, and improve your link profile.
One way to structure your pillar content is by using a how-to style, providing a step-by-step guide to accomplish a specific task or goal.
Alternatively, you can present your post in a top-list format, showcasing the top tips, tools, or strategies in your niche.
Overall, creating pillar content is an effective strategy to establish your authority in your industry and attract a loyal audience interested in the valuable content you have to offer.
- Keep A Keen Eye on Your Link Profile
Many people focus on acquiring new backlinks but fail to keep track of their existing ones. Without monitoring your backlinks, you won’t know if you need to build more or take a break.
It’s possible that some of the over 800 links pointing to your website now may disappear in a month or two. Unfortunately, you have no control over whether the blog or authority site that is linked to you decides to remove your link without informing you.
This is why it’s crucial to keep an eye on your backlinks.
To determine the number of backlinks your website has, use the following steps.
- First, go to Ubersuggest, enter your website URL, and click “search.”
- Then, click on the backlinks box.
- Scroll down to see a graph that displays the links you’ve acquired and lost.
In addition to showing who is linking to you, this backlinks tool displays the anchor text, domain authority, and page authority of each site.
Another useful feature is the graph that shows your backlinks over time. This can help you determine if your link-building strategies are working and if it’s time to try something new.
Monitoring your backlinks will help you make informed decisions about your link-building efforts and ensure that your backlink profile remains strong.
- Polish Up and Grow Your Brand
Are you looking for an effective link-building strategy? Look no further than growing your brand. That’s right, your personal brand can lead to natural links that are earned organically and editorially, without any payment involved.
But what exactly is a natural link, you ask? It’s a link that gives credit where credit is due, appearing in a context that feels authentic and trustworthy. These links are often the result of quality content and a strong brand that represents you, even when you’re not there.
According to Neil Patel, consistent blogging is one of the most effective ways to grow your personal brand and earn those coveted natural links.
As a seasoned marketer with over a decade of experience, he’s seen the power of natural links firsthand. After publishing a new blog post, he often sees new links from authority blogs within 24 hours.
So, if you’re serious about link building, start taking your blogging game seriously. Consistency is key. By blogging regularly, you’ll not only gain more attention and grow your personal brand, but you’ll also receive 97 percent more inbound links, leading to improved search engine rankings.
Remember, building a strong brand takes time and effort, but the payoff in natural links and overall success is well worth it.
- Infographics Still Matter – Use Them
Infographics are a powerful tool for businesses that want to increase their online visibility and generate organic traffic to their website.
With 56 percent of companies already using infographics, it’s clear that this medium is highly effective. But what makes infographics so useful for link building?
For starters, infographics present information in a visually appealing way that captures the attention of readers. They are easy to understand and often more engaging than plain text.
When you create an infographic that is both informative and visually stunning, people are more likely to share it on social media, and other websites, and link back to your site.
This can result in valuable backlinks that can boost your website’s authority and improve your search engine ranking.
Another advantage of using infographics for link building is that they are highly shareable. You can publish an infographic on your own website and then distribute it across your social media channels, email marketing campaigns, and other online platforms.
As more people share your infographic, the potential for it to go viral increases, and with that, the likelihood of acquiring more backlinks.
- Work Smarter to Get Editorial Links
Getting editorial links for your website is not a matter of luck. It requires providing value to your audience. This has been Google’s focus since the introduction of Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, and Mobile-geddon algorithm updates.
Editorial links are valuable because they are given freely by websites that are not seeking anything in return. The key to getting these links is to produce compelling content that people naturally want to share and link to.
If you rely solely on building or acquiring links manually, it will be difficult to maintain all of them, and Google may even penalize your site for not being careful enough. Instead, invest your time and effort into creating high-quality content that people will naturally want to link to.
Although this advice may seem repetitive, it is essential to understand its importance. Creating great content every day will attract thousands of people who will want to link to it, resulting in an increase in your website’s link profile.
To get more editorial links, you can start blogging with a strategy that focuses on creating content that helps people solve problems or move from one point to another. You can also create more tutorials and pillar content, and ensure that you provide accurate data in all of your posts.
If you want to learn more about creating better content that will earn high-quality editorial links, you can read this Neil Patel guide on the subject.
- Use Sites Where Reporters Seek Information – they can link to you if you have what they need.
Are you looking for a way to build links and increase brand awareness for your PR efforts? Look no further than Help a Reporter Out or HARO. This platform, owned by PR/Communications giant Cision, connects journalists with relevant sources willing to provide information.
Whether you’re in tech or fashion, HARO can help you get your name out there. Journalists from well-known publications like The New York Times and Forbes, as well as niche bloggers, use the platform to find sources for everything from real-time news stories to articles about specific topics like SEO.
The best part? Using HARO benefits both parties. Reporters get their source, and responders get a valuable link back to their website. It’s a win-win situation.
While it’s true that HARO has become oversaturated over the years, receiving a reply for an answer to an inquiry is still possible. The key is to use the platform correctly. By crafting well-written, informative responses that demonstrate your expertise, you increase your chances of being selected as a source.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for HARO today and start building those valuable links and business relationships.
TAKE NOTE:
Journalists use HARO to share about the stories they are currently pursuing, while professionals in the relevant field volunteer to provide sources.
This method can be employed to obtain backlinks upon the publication of the stories. However, it’s important to note that certain participating media outlets have greater credibility than others. JustReachOut is another website that operates similarly.
- Use Surveys To Generate Links
Link building is an essential component of online business, and one of the most effective tools for achieving it is customer surveys. Typically, surveys are used by companies to collect feedback from their customers on their products or services. However, in today’s digital marketing landscape, surveys can also be used to drive viral linking, and as a tool for reputation linking.
Surveys for Viral Linking
One way to use surveys for viral linking is to offer valuable giveaways and incentives in exchange for taking the survey. This increases the likelihood of the survey being shared and linked to, ultimately improving the chances of link acquisition.
It is also important to consider demographically similar groups within Google and Yahoo Groups as additional sources to seed the survey.
Surveys for Reputation Linking
In terms of reputation linking, survey results can be highly desirable to the blogging and business community, as they provide verifiable evidence and substantial content.
After adding the survey to your site, reach out to influential bloggers and editors within your industry and offer them an exclusive opportunity to use the results before they’re made public.
Being first with a story and offering exclusivity can result in content links to your site and mentions in the future.
Understand Consumer Habits To Create Better Content With Surveys
The importance of understanding consumer habits cannot be overstated. As most online businesses know, having a number of inbound links is crucial to ranking well.
By being proactive in understanding customer habits, companies can build their online presence accordingly. Taking the time to ask customers where they go and what they do can provide valuable information that can be used to improve the company’s link-building efforts.
Customer surveys are an excellent tool for link-building in today’s digital marketing landscape. They can be used to drive viral linking, as well as for reputation linking by offering valuable content to influential bloggers and editors.
Understanding customer habits is essential for effective link-building, and survey data can provide valuable insights that can be used to build an online presence.
As the saying goes, “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity,” and using customer surveys for link-building is a prime example of this.
In Conclusion
Congratulations!
You now have 20+ powerful link-building strategies at your fingertips that you can use to skyrocket your website’s traffic and rankings. And the best part? You don’t need to be an SEO guru to get started.
Just remember to build a solid SEO foundation first before diving into link building. Once you have that in place, try out some of the link-building strategies mentioned above and see which ones work best for you.
If you’re not sure where to start, we highly recommend the competitor backlink analysis strategy. It’s easy to pull off, has proven results, and can help you quickly acquire high-quality links.
In no time, your website will be attracting a flood of new visitors, thanks to the powerful links you’ve earned. So go ahead, try out these strategies, and watch your website’s traffic and search engine rankings soar to new heights.
Experience the power of guest posting services that drive results. Our expert team crafts unique and compelling articles tailored to your target audience. Watch your brand gain credibility as we secure placements on authoritative websites, boosting your search engine rankings and organic traffic.
