Backlinks play a critical role in search engine optimization, which is why all businesses must take advantage of them. If you want to learn how to get backlinks, you must understand what you must and mustn’t do.
How to Get Backlinks That Improve Your SEO
What are backlinks? Backlinks, otherwise known as inbound links or incoming links, are links from one website to another. Typically, this concept applies when other websites link back to your website.
Why are backlinks so important? In the world of SEO, getting your website to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) involves a lot of work. Search engines like Google place value on authority and trustworthiness. In fact, trust stands for 23.87 percent of Google’s ranking algorithm. One of the best ways to signal to Google that you have a trustworthy and authoritative site is to get high-quality backlinks.
You may wonder why quality matters when it comes to backlinking. Again, it all circles back to the trust factor. When more credible websites link back to your site, Google takes this as a sign of your own website’s credibility.
If you’re looking to build backlinks for SEO, don’t buy into the black hat operation. This type of SEO agency gives you a bunch of backlinks, sure, but they’re all from low-quality websites with poor domain authority. Some of them are even either spammy or entirely inactive. Black hat SEO backlinks are high-risk and low return, not to mention unethical. şehirler arası nakliyat
How do I get SEO backlinks? To learn how to build backlinks the right way, here are the do’s and don’ts you must keep in mind:
1. Do: Write Excellent Content
How do you convince other websites to link back to yours? Simple — write compelling, high-quality content. Effective content creation is a pillar of digital marketing, and it’s a good way to build natural backlinks. Websites won’t link back to you if you don’t have something valuable to offer.
When writing content, stay away from the superficial or uninteresting. If the topic’s been done to death, don’t just try to reword it and call it a day. Instead, you need to write excellent content that offers value and is highly competitive.
An easy way to do that is to look at your competition. Take a keyword you want to rank for and build content around, then Google it. You’ll quickly find top-ranking content on the first page. And you know these results are good because they’re appearing on top, which means a lot of other websites have probably linked back to them as well.
After looking at the content of other top-ranking sites, the next thing you should do is write your own content centered around the same keyword but better. It probably won’t come easy, but all the hard work will pay off in the end.
You might ask, “How do I get thousands of backlinks?”
Pro tip: A type of content that attracts thousands of backlinks is “ultimate guides.” Write an ultimate guide to something related to your business. Make sure it’s comprehensive and offers plenty of value.
2. Don’t: Underestimate the Power of Public Relations
If you want to learn how to create backlinks, you must also know how to forge relationships. It’s one of the backbones of backlinking. People need to know who you are before they can trust you enough to link back to your website.
One of the best ways you can build relationships and take advantage of public relations is through social media. Having a social media presence can give your brand the attention it needs. When using social media, though, make sure to get creative. Don’t post simply for the sake of it. Be authentic and transparent.
Social media will also allow you to connect with other people in the same industry. Before you know it, you’re talking to them about a potential guest blogging stint.
You may wonder, “How do I get free backlinks?” Another method is to join Help a Report Out (HARO). This is a service that connects bloggers and reporters to people who want backlinks to their website. Though HARO has paid plans, they also have a basic plan with no charge. Hence, it’s a good strategy to get free backlinks.
Start by registering as a source on the HARO website. Check the website frequently to see what journalists need help with. Once you find something you want to contribute to, send the journalist a pitch.
3. Do: Use Infographics
Creating infographics is another effective way you can get website backlinks. People are highly visual creatures, and content marketers know enough to exploit this fact. This is why they prefer sharing infographics because they’re aesthetically pleasing and easy to read.
When someone shares your infographic on their website, they have to link back to you. You can even take the initiative and talk to bloggers about sharing your infographic with their readers.
The best part is that you don’t need to be a graphic artist to make your own infographic. There are plenty of online tools that can help you do just that. Again, just make sure your infographic offers value to your audience and isn’t dull in any way.
Apart from infographics, other types of content you can create include list posts, how-to posts, quizzes, and even videos.
4. Don’t: Be Afraid to Link to Other Websites
It may seem counterproductive to do this, but you’ll actually benefit from linking to other websites. Linking externally is a stepping stone to building valuable relationships, which is something both parties can benefit from. It’s a way to get noticed. Additionally, since you already provided them with a backlink, it increases your chances of getting repaid in kind.
To find out which websites you should link out to, you can use backlink checker tools like Ubersuggest or Alexa’s Audience Overlap Tool.
5. Do: Conduct an Original Study or Research
An original study or research gives you a certain edge because you possess valuable information that’s not available on other websites. When other content marketers or creators need to reference your research, they need to give you a backlink.
Of course, doing your own research or conducting your own study can seem daunting. After all, there’s a lot of work involved. With online survey tools, though, you can quickly and easily create a survey and send it out to people. You can even use Google Forms. From there, you can collect, organize, and analyze your data.
6. Don’t: Forget to Brand Your Strategies
If your content has to do with a specific strategy or approach that you invented yourself, it’s imperative that you give it a name. Branding your strategies is a great way to get SEO backlinks. This way, when other content creators reference or discuss your strategy, you’ll get a backlink.
When thinking of a name for your strategy or approach, make sure to keep it catchy and memorable. It’s not going to catch on if people don’t remember what it’s called.
7. Do: Write Testimonials for Other Brands
Your intuition might tell you to distance yourself from other brands, but that’s actually not a good backlinks SEO strategy. Apart from building a strong relationship, writing testimonials is a valuable opportunity for a backlink of your own. When you write a testimonial, it will usually ask you for a website you’re affiliated with. A backlink to your website will then make it on your competitor’s website.
8. Don’t: Hesitate to Send Emails
If you want to succeed in how to get backlinks, you have to ditch your shyness. Don’t be afraid to send emails to potential collaborators or partners. For instance, writing a guest post will require you to reach out to the website you want to contribute to. When choosing which websites to write a guest post for, a good tip is to look at where your own competitors have written guest posts as well.
You can send an email and get straight to the point by asking for a backlink. On the other hand, you can also send out a feeler email first to gauge their level of interest in collaborating. If they seem responsive or amenable, then you can follow it up with a request for a backlink.
Sometimes, content creators will reference your name or brand in their article without linking back to your website. When this happens, you should send an email to the content creator and ask them to give you a backlink. You can monitor your brand mentions by setting up a Google Alert for specific terms related to your brand.
9. Do: Give Interviews
Value is everything when it comes to backlinks, so offering to give interviews is a surefire way to get a backlink. Content creators usually interview people or brands when they’re making a roundup post. This can include best practices in the industry you’re in or quotes from industry leaders. If you manage to make a contribution, you can expect a backlink to your website.
10. Don’t: Ignore Broken Link Building
Even though creators try to avoid them, broken links do exist, and they can even include them on published content. This usually happens when a website they’ve linked out to has been removed, the URL structure has changed, or the domain itself has changed.
If you come across broken links on a related website or post, send an email to the publisher to let them know of the situation. Then, provide them with a replacement from your own website. When you do this, you’re simultaneously helping someone out and building your own backlinks.
A Starting Point
Although there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to SEO, all of them are of equal importance. But, for young brands with virtually no SEO presence, building backlinks is a good place to start. If you want to know how to get backlinks, remember that it all boils down to forging strong relationships and providing valuable content.
Most of the time, juggling business operations and the demands of digital marketing can come as a challenge. If you need help with the latter, Tanner Grey provides expert solutions to businesses of all shapes and sizes. Call us today at 844.500.1339 or reach out to us online to learn more.
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