In today’s digital landscape, businesses that stand out and thrive understand the power of connecting with customers online. With the right websites, social media accounts and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies in place, your company can reach more people than ever before. But with so many different link-building strategies out there, where do you begin? Whether you’re new to link building or just looking for a refresher, this guide will reveal some of the best kept secrets in link building and ranking. Let’s get started!
The Basics Of Link Building
The very first step to successful link building is understanding what links are and how they work. When someone links to your website from their site, they are sharing some of their authority (i.e. domain authority) with you. This is why it’s essential to establish strong, authoritative links from well-respected websites.
This not only improves your search engine ranking, but it also increases your website’s trustworthiness in organic search results. There are various types of links that you can build to boost your SEO.
The Most Common Types Of Link Include:
Internal links
These are links from one page or post on your site to another. Internal links are crucial for optimizing your SEO and your website’s user experience, as they tell search engines that your site is relevant and trustworthy.
External links
These are links that point to pages on other websites.
Natural links
These are links that you earn by creating high-quality content. Such links are usually editorial links, which are given out by other bloggers and journalists in exchange for a link back to their site.
Paid links
These are links that you pay to be featured on other websites. These links tend to be less trustworthy and more spammy, so they aren’t as effective as natural links.
Start With Quality Content Marketing
Building links solely through guest blogging and link building tactics can leave you vulnerable to being penalized by search engines. Instead, start with quality content marketing to earn natural links. Studies have found that content marketing is considered one of the best link-building strategies. Crucially, content marketing includes many of the best practices that are essential for successful link building.
Creating valuable, helpful content
High-quality, useful content is an essential component of any link-building strategy. You can’t expect others to link to you if you aren’t offering anything of value in return.
Publishing regularly
The best link-building strategies run over the long term. If you publish irregularly, you don’t give your audience a reason to keep coming back to your site.
Choosing the right topics
It isn’t enough to just publish any content. You need to focus on topics that make your company more visible. Certain industries and keywords are likely to bring more traffic to your site, which means more potential customers.
Guest blogging
One of the most effective ways to earn natural links is by guest blogging. When you write for other blogs, they are likely to link to your website as a way of getting readers to visit their site, too.
Identify Your Most Important Keywords
At the start of your link building, you should identify your most important keywords. This will help you focus your efforts and decide where to build links. Use a keyword research tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs to discover which keywords your site currently ranks for. Then, create a new spreadsheet to keep track of your keywords. Keep the following metrics in mind as you research your keywords.
Competition
How difficult is it to rank for each keyword? You want to start with keywords that aren’t too competitive, but are still relevant to your business.
Commercial intent
How likely are people to buy products related to these keywords? If your keywords don’t lead to commercial intent, they aren’t likely to drive sales and growth.
Trustworthy sites
Which websites currently rank for these keywords? Trustworthy websites are more likely to accept your links and help you rank higher.
Don’t Forget About Branding And Awareness
The best link-building strategies focus on earning high-quality, editorial links. These links will help you stand out from the crowd, but they aren’t just about gaining more links. They are also about raising brand awareness. When you focus on earning editorial links, you are more likely to be featured on high-authority sites that offer lots of traffic.
This is why it’s important to look at editorial links as an opportunity to promote your brand. The best way to do this is by asking if guest blogging would be an appropriate strategy for your business. When guest blogging, you have more control over the content of your article. This means that you can easily integrate your brand name into the content while still providing a useful, compelling article.
So, Where Should You Build Links?
One of the most common questions in link building is which link building strategy is best. The truth is that there are many different options out there, and it’s important to incorporate a wide range of strategies into your link building strategy.
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is one of the best ways to earn high-quality links for your site. Many websites accept guest posts in exchange for a link back to the author’s site. Build links from forums and Q&A sites: There are many forums and Q&A sites out there that are full of topics relevant to your industry. By participating in the discussions, you can earn editorial links back to your site.
Build links from social media
Social media is an incredibly powerful marketing tool. By maximizing your social media presence, you can earn more links to your site. Make sure to diversify your link-building efforts. Focus on a mix of the above strategies to ensure that you are building high-quality links that will help your site rank higher in search engine results.
Guest Blogging Is Still A Great Strategy
Guest blogging isn’t a new strategy, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, many guest blogging sources report that guest blogging is more popular than ever before. By guest blogging, you have the opportunity to earn both backlinks and brand awareness. When you guest blog for websites in your industry, you are creating valuable content for your readers. This content is likely to inspire comments from readers and other bloggers who want to share their thoughts and insights. This means that guest bloggers and other writers are more likely to link to your content.
Moreover, guest blogging also brings brand awareness. By guest blogging, you gain access to valuable and authentic sources of authoritative links that can help you boost your brand and increase your visibility. They can help you stand out from the crowd and make your company more visible in the online space.
SEO Isn’t Just For The Bottom Of The Funnel – It Can Help With Branding Too!
The best link-building strategies are an all-encompassing effort focused on earning links, improving brand awareness and increasing traffic to your site. There are numerous ways to do this, but some are more effective than others. For example, influencer marketing is an incredibly effective way to boost brand awareness and earn editorial links.
An influencer is a person who has a large following on social media. They are often bloggers, vloggers or social media personalities who earn money from their following. The best way to approach an influencer is by finding out which websites they write for. Then, send them an email or a direct message asking them if they would be interested in collaborating on a guest post for your website. This is a great way to start earning editorial links from reputable sources.
Conclusion About Link Building
Building links isn’t a one-and-done strategy. Instead, it’s an ongoing process that requires time, energy and commitment. By following these best practices, you can build links that help boost your search engine ranking and increase your brand awareness. Ultimately, link building is about providing value to your audience.
