Backlinks sound pretty complicated and can be a little scary at first, but with a little effort and some reaching out strategies, backlinks can be acquired.
What’s the hype about backlinks anyway you may ask? Well, Backlinks are really amazing for SEO and should not be ignored.
Let’s really clear the confusion around backlinks, what they are and how they really work.
Simply put, backlinks are links that connect one site to another site in the form of an image, direct URL or text. They are important because of the Google Algorithm rates website credibility and is a major factor in deciding whether to show the content on the first page of the search result or not. Google wants to make sure that they deliver quality content to answer the search inquiry and avoid showing spam websites to its users.
There are many methods of getting quality backlinks and it’s important to understand that there are black hat methods out there, but they should not be the desired route for you. Using these black hat techniques could hurt your website credibility and Google will punish you for it.
Here are some white hat techniques to obtain backlinks and improve your overall SEO score:
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- Comment on other blog posts
Even though it may seem counter-intuitive to leave a comment on someone else’s work, leaving a thoughtful comment can help build healthy relationships. I definitely do not suggest leaving your blog link within the comment as that can be perceived as spam and self-centered. However leaving a comment that states something positive about the author and something thoughtful about the article can trigger a response from the author, thus creating relationships.
Relationship building equals backlink building.
- Link out to authoritative websites
This method also seems counter-intuitive.
You link to other websites, providing them backlinks and you don’t even know if you will get a link back from them.
However, when you link out to websites that have more authority than yours, you have a great conversation starter to begin building relationships.
Neil Patel even has an email template that he sends out when he completes his backlink process.
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Hello, [name]!
I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your [blog post you linked to]. You’ve been creating content for quite a while, and I’ve always found your information valuable to my business.
In fact, I enjoyed the particular article so much that I linked to it in [the article you wrote]. Let me know what you think of the piece!
I’ll keep doing what I can to share your remarkable content with my audience in the future.
Thanks again for all the awesome insight.
[your name]
When you reach out like this, you build stronger relationships and there is a chance that website reciprocates the backlink.
<<Thanks for the template, Neil! >>
- Engage on social platforms
When you are active on social media, Google can tell that your website is relevant and active. When your website receives activity, your rankings with Google start to improve.
It’s a good idea to start off with one or two social media platforms and build up to being active across several when you figure out your strategies.
The most important thing when using social media for backlink building is to ensure the website information, address and phone number are the same across all platforms.
Make sure you don’t BUY your followers, as that would be “cheating” and could hurt your overall SEO if Google sees you as a spam account.
- Guest post on other blogs
Writing quality content for another blog is a great way to get more backlinks. It can be tough to secure a blog to post to, but if your blog is well written, bloggers will reach out to you for an article.
Here is a quick guideline for guest blogging success:
- Find the website you would like to guest post on.
Quick tip, within Twitter search ” [niche] guest post” and you will find websites that accept guest posts. - Get your posts and titles all mapped out and ready to present to your list of researched websites from the previous step
- Send out your email stating you would like to guest post. Remember to start off with a compliment about their blog and then go into our pitch.
- Once your post is accepted and published, make sure you respond to any comments the readers may leave on your article.
That’s it! When you guest post more often, you’ll find your own little ways of making your post stand out, but that comes with practice.
Related: How to Bootstrap Backlink Building with Social Media Outreach
- Write great content and post it in multiple places
Once you publish your blog post, don’t just leave it on your website.
Publish it to Medium or Flipboard
Publish it to Quora or Reddit.
Share it on LinkedIn as an article (make sure to write half of the article and then add “read more” at the bottom to drive people to your website to finish reading the post)
You’ve got great content, so flaunt it!
- Conduct a survey
Another great way to achieve backlink success is by conducting a survey related to your niche. Ask your audience a list of questions. Analyze the stats you receive, then write a press release about it. If someone out there enjoys your survey results and wants to share this information, there is a good chance you will get a backlink out of it.
Related resources: The Ultimate Guide to On-page SEO for Beginner Bloggers
- Create infographics
Eye-tracking studies have discovered that online readers love to see information-carrying images such as infographics and charts.
It can be a little intimidating to create an infographic these days, but there are many resources that simplify this process for you, even if you’re not a graphic designer. The tool I have in mind is Canva.com, and there are other alternatives if you wish to use them.
You can also hire someone on Fiverr.com to create your graphic for you.
The goal is to create a great infographic and promote it like crazy. If it’s an awesome and informative infographic, then people will add it to their blog posts and shout it out on social media.
This is a great tactic if you want your content to go viral. Just be sure to research your topic thoroughly and ensure people actually want to know the information your graphic is displaying. Buzzsumo is a great tool for this research.
Don’t get discouraged if it takes some time to get quality backlinks. None of these tasks are particularly difficult but it does take patience and perseverance to achieve success with backlinks. The work is definitely worth it because if Google likes your website and shows it on the first page of results, your traffic will increase and so will your sales.
If you have any questions about this article or more details about backlinks, please feel free to leave it in the comment below.
Also read: 10 Effective ways to building backlinks on your blog
About the Author:
Hi, I’m Elizabeth!
I know how it feels to be lost and confused in this world of Online Marketing.
Thus, I created the Online Marketing Mayhem blog so that I can give entrepreneurs, network marketers and bloggers the courage to get their website up to par with simple SEO tactics and reach out to potential clients and customers through social media channels.
You can connect with me on Social Media Via:
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