You know that feeling when you’re checking your website stats and thinking, ‘Where is everyone?’ It’s like throwing a party and worrying no one will show up. Let’s face it; getting eyeballs on your site can be tough.
Well, I’ve been down that road, and guess what? I discovered a game-changer: link building. It’s not just any old marketing trick; it’s like the secret sauce for attracting more visitors. I’m talking about real, interested people who are just waiting to discover what you’ve got.
Imagine your website buzzing with activity. Your content gets the attention it deserves, and your inbox fills with inquiries. It’s not a pipe dream—it’s what happens when you nail link building. I’ve seen it turn the tide for businesses, drawing in leads like bees to honey. And the best part? It’s totally doable, even if you’re not a marketing guru.
So, are you ready to turn things around and start seeing some real action on your site? Then keep reading because I’m about to walk you through some super-effective, surprisingly simple strategies for using link building to attract more leads.
Let’s dive in and get your site the party it deserves!
Introduction
A search quality senior strategist at Google, Andrey Lipattsev, said links and content are the TOP two most important ranking factors. Also, 65.2% of SEO experts believe backlinks will have an identical or even more increased impact on rankings in the next five years. Link-building is essential for successful website promotion. The main point here is how to create them correctly.
I will tell you about link-building strategies that help get more leads.
Recommended articles:
- 12 Best AI SEO Tools To Quickly Improve Your Rankings
- 5 Effective Strategies for Building Niche Relevant Backlinks in SEO
- SEO For Niche Markets: A Complete Guide
#1. Peep Ideas from Competitors
I know that you want to be ahead of the competition. But take your time. Use the experience of competitors first. Pay attention to whether your competitors write guest posts, what formats they use most often, and through which services they collect backlinks. You can easily analyze these indicators manually with Google Search Console, for example.
Also, SEO tools such as Ahrefs’ Site Explorer can help you get quick competitor analysis. It can also provide information like:
- Most popular competitor’s pages.
- Competitor backlinks.
- Keywords and phrases for targeting.
- Pages that bring the most backlinks and traffic.
- Domains ranking.
- Sources of traffic.
The main goal is to understand the link-building strategies of your competitors. You will know where and how they are getting their backlinks. Consequently, you can find opportunities for your website.
Learn from their successes and mistakes. This will help you find new opportunities for link acquisition that you might have missed.
Competitor analysis reveals gaps in competitor’s link-building strategies that you can exploit. Suppose competitors mostly get links from a specific type of content (like how-to guides) rather than from others (like infographics). In that case, you might focus on creating and promoting content in the underutilized format.
#2. Create High-Quality Content
Avoid short, spammed articles. They don’t work. Search algorithms are constantly improving the requirements for the quality of content. The material should be plagiarism-free, informative, capable of bringing value to the reader and solving his requests completely. According to Backlinko, long forms get 77.2% more links than short forms.
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue”. – Andrew Davis
When it comes to quality content, it’s about more than just the text. Every nuance is essential: layout, design, font, location on the page, utilizing the illustrative material. I have prepared several content formats that work.
- Guides.
- Ratings.
- Infographics.
- Real case descriptions.
- Interviews.
- Research results.
- User-generated recommendations.
By the way, according to Backlinko, “Why” posts, “What” posts and infographics get 25.8% more backlinks compared to videos and “How-to” posts. “Why” posts typically delve into the reasons behind a phenomenon or a trend. They offer in-depth insights. “What” posts are likely to define or explain concepts, processes, or ideas. Both types of posts are highly informative. You can use them as reference points, making your content more linkable.
Let’s say you sell cameras. You know everything about the models in your catalog: their functions, features, and settings. Write a tutorial about a specific model or make a list of the best devices for a particular purpose. If you have a beauty shop, make an infographic about the application sequence of facial care products.
#3. Guest Posting
This is one of my favorite strategies. The essence is elementary: you write and place content on third-party platforms. Here you should consider the source quality to find suitable resources. Getting links from sites with a bad reputation can result in a penalty from search engines. Also, keep in mind that buying links can be considered black hat SEO.
You should create valuable content when guest posting. But where can you find resources for publishing your ideas? You can utilize Google and search for appropriate websites manually.
Also, you can use the content marketing marketplace Collaborator. All you need to do is.
- Register for free.
- Set up your account with system hints.
- Search for appropriate websites using a filter for your convenience.
- Create a new task.
- Wait for a publisher’s response.
- Check placement and approve.
Easy, right? You can choose websites from more than 25,000 options available. The system has a convenient filter (geo, niche, domain rating, etc.). I like that there are low commissions, transparent pricing, comprehensive functionality, and reliable sites that undergo strict moderation. By the way, the platform will only approve authoritative resources with good monthly traffic, so you can count on your post being delivered to the right broad audience. Using Collaborator will save you time and resources.
#4. Social Media is a Must
It would be weird in 2023 not to use the possibility of social networks to promote your online project. Create business accounts on various platforms: Facebook, Pinterest, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn for getting direct links (for example, through Instagram stories) and building relationships.
But how can you use social media?
- Add a link to your website in the profile header.
- Publish previews or product cards with an appeal to go to the site.
- Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to place links in the news feed.
Don’t create social media profiles just for the sake of profiles. It would be best to have a specialist responsible for social media marketing. Conduct active communication in comments and direct messages, work on expanding the target audience, and distribute interactive content.
#5. Monitor Your Links Constantly
Is creating backlinks enough? Can you forget about them after? With this approach, you risk flogging a dead horse. Be aware that your website might become a target of negative SEO. Bad links can be created to harm your site’s ranking. Constant monitoring enables you to identify suspicious activities early and take proper action.
Track your links, paying particular attention to the following metrics:
- source page authority;
- link quality and relevance;
- anchor text used;
- number of backlinks;
- link growth rate;
- dofollow vs nofollow;
- link longevity;
- link position on the page.
Tracking links is super important, not just for the links but for your whole promotion strategy. Here’s why: it lets you see which techniques are really working. This way, you can zero in on the strategies that bring results instead of spreading yourself too thin. Plus, if you spot any links that have been deactivated or deleted, you can quickly reach out to the webmaster to get them back online. It’s all about staying on top of your game and making sure every link counts.
Imagine an e-commerce site that specializes in outdoor gear. Monitoring backlinks, they notice many links from high-quality outdoor enthusiast blogs and forums. However, they also detect some low-quality links from unrelated spammy sites. With this information, they focus on fostering relationships with outdoor blogs for more high-quality links and use Google’s Disavow Tool to address spammy links. Additionally, they notice that their how-to guides on outdoor activities are gaining more traction, guiding them to produce more of such content.
#6. Forums and Q&A Sites
You’re a pro in your field, right? You’ve got valuable insights to share with your audience. Here’s a tip: showcase your expertise. By doing this, you’re not just boosting your reputation, but you’re also gaining recognition. When your potential customers think of your brand, they’ll think of you. People love knowing there’s a real person behind a project – it’s something they connect with and respond to really well.
Here is a short list of platforms where you can show off your expertise:
- LinkedIn groups.
- Websites like HARO or Qwoted.
- Moz community.
- Niche-specific forums.
- Yahoo answers.
- Industry Q&A sites.
Answer questions related to SEO strategies. Include links to relevant articles or resources on your website when answering questions about SEO best practices.
#7. Offer to Replace Broken Link
Let’s face it: no one likes finding broken links on their website. But here’s a silver lining for you. You can actually use this to your advantage. Start by hunting down broken links on websites that are in your niche. How? Several SEO tools out there can scan websites and flag links that lead to those dreaded 404 error pages. A good example is Ahrefs Site Explorer, which I find really useful.
So, you’ve found a broken link. What’s next? Time to get creative. You either whip up some new content or find something on your site that fits the bill as a perfect replacement. The key here is relevance and value – your content should be on par with, or better than, what was originally linked.
Now, reach out to the website owner or admin. Let them know about the broken link in a friendly way, and suggest your content as the new link. Remember, the goal is to be helpful, not pushy. A little politeness goes a long way!
#8. Unlinked Mentions
This strategy works great for well-known projects that get organic mentions. Unlinked mentions occur when someone mentions your brand’s name but doesn’t link to your site.
This hos you can leverage this strategy to acquire backlinks:
- Identify mentions without links (Google Alerts is helpful here).
- Assess the quality and relevance of the source.
- Reach out to the website owner or author of the content where you found the mention.
- Politely ask to place a link to your website.
Suppose you run a coffee roasting company. A popular food blog mentions your brand while discussing the best coffee roasters in the region but doesn’t include a link to your website. Reach out to the blog owner and ask about placing a backlink.
#9. Influencer Outreach
Working with influencers can be a game-changer. Imagine having your content shared by them to their engaged followers. This can lead to your website getting mentioned and linked, boosting your visibility. Take, for instance, you have a travel blog. Your first step? Identify travel influencers who have a large following and a passion for travel. Social media is your go-to tool for this.
Once you’ve got your influencers lined up, reach out for a collaboration. Be clear about what you’re offering, and explain how it’s a win-win for both them and their audience. If an influencer is interested, make sure you provide all the materials they need to share your content effectively. It’s all about creating a partnership that benefits everyone involved.
#10. Don’t Forget About Local SEO
Local SEO is all about making your business a big deal in your local area. How? By getting backlinks from sources right in your neighborhood. These links are like digital nods telling search engines, ‘Hey, this business is important around here.’ So, aim to get links from websites that carry weight in your region. Think local events, sponsorships, charities – these are your goldmines.
Let’s say you run a cozy artisan bakery in a city. Get involved in local food fairs or community events. These activities can land your bakery mentions on local news sites and event calendars, each potentially linking back to you. And why not collaborate with a well-known local food blogger for a special feature or review? This not only gets you a backlink from their website but also their social media channels. It’s all about connecting with your community to boost your local online presence.
Summing Up
Quality backlinks from reputable sources can significantly improve your website’s visibility and credibility, leading to higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). This increased visibility translates to more traffic and, consequently, more potential leads. Let’s summarize how you should approach this.
- Target high-quality backlinks.
- Develop informative, engaging, and relevant to your audience content.
- Build relationships with industry influencers, bloggers, and other websites.
- Implement SEO best practices in your content.
- Track the performance of your backlinks.
- Use SEO tools to monitor backlinks.
- Analyze competitor strategies.
- Identify new link-building opportunities.
Effective link-building strategies involve focusing on quality over quantity. Create valuable content. Build industry relationships. Continually monitor and refine your approach. Doing so can improve your website’s search engine ranking, drive more targeted traffic, and ultimately generate more leads.