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Wondering which link building methods will make a world of difference in your SEO strategy? Continue reading to find out.
In the most simple terms, link building is the process of advertising your website to other site owners with the particular aim of securing a backlink to deliver additional traffic or for the added SEO value. Although a few digital marketers believe that link building is an archaic practice that is no longer useful, while it isn’t as important as it used to be about a decade ago, it is still vital for the growth of your website and securing traffic to your page.
Competing online for website visibility can be a tough game to play, especially when there are a plethora of websites that are selling the same products/ services as well as releasing the same kind of content as you. But you don’t have to give up and depend on sheer luck as there are many tips, tricks, and tools that will help rack up your links and get you ahead of the competition. Below is a list of five top link building methods, all tested and proven to be effective for your very own personal and business consumption.
1. MENTION MONITORING
Mention monitoring can act as a very effective link building approach. This technique entails setting up alerts that will notify when your choice of ‘search terms’ are being mentioned on blogs, websites, news channels, or forums. There are several methods of mention monitoring that you can use to your website’s advantage, but unlinked brand mentions, product mentions, and even competitor mentions are pretty popular.
Unlinked brand mentions involve creating alerts for your brand name where your website link does not accompany the mention. This method of mention monitoring gives access to forums, blogs, etc. where your brand is being spoken of without your link being added. Ordinarily, your brand being discussed on other sites could increase your publicity, but it will not gain your website backlinks.
Because mention monitoring brings your attention to such situations, you now have the freedom to message the author to include your link in their content, which involves your brand (which they’re usually happy to oblige, if you message them soon enough). And there you have it! You’ve now put yourself in a position to earn significant backlinks.
2. EXPERIMENT WITH LINK INTERSECT
Link intersect is a pretty useful method of securing a link to your website. Although many people prefer to send a tonne of emails to different websites asking for a link back, the truth is that nine times out of ten, you will find that these emails will be ignored. That’s where link intersects comes in when seeking link building opportunities. It will be most effective if you look out for websites within your niche, as well as those sites that link back to your competitors.
If you are not sure how to go about this, Ahrefs has an excellent ‘link intersect’ tool, which can help you identify websites linking to your closest competitors but not to you. You can then quickly send these sites an email requesting a backlink, which they are more likely to oblige; as the act of linking to your competitors shows that they are welcome to the idea of linking to sites within your niche.
3. CREATE ORIGINAL AND SHAREABLE CONTENT
Producing good content never goes out of style, and fortunately, it is now very easy to use content to your advantage as well as build up your links – but it takes a little bit of work. It’s not always enough for your content to just be good; rather, it needs to be new, fresh, and original to stand out from other sites, and drive significant website traffic. But don’t stress, as there are a few ways to achieve this.
Firstly, your site can quickly earn backlinks, primarily because before other websites even get the chance to cover the story, the audience looking for that specific information would have already searched for it. And with your quick-delivering content, this will result in the very high possibility of them sharing your link on social platforms. You can also create new content by carrying out and publishing original and insightful research specific to your niche. This works as a way to build up links as your website will have autonomy over this original data.
Additionally, by engaging with your audience, you can create content on topics that you are sure that they will respond to and be interested in – this can also include controversial topics that are sure to gain attention. Now, this might be a bit unorthodox, but it has been shown to bring about the desired results. Controversy always generates attention, and so it is possible to fashion your content to be contrary to the norm. Within your industry or niche, if there is a topic that most people agree with or share similar views on, this can be an opportunity for you to capitalise on this and build up backlinks for your website.
Broadcasting controversial content, with an opposing view on a topic that has otherwise been generally accepted, can generate huge engagement for your site. However, in order for this link building method to be successful and not potentially ruin the image or credibility of your brand and website, you have to do it right. Ensure that in attempting to be controversial, you are still carrying out the necessary research required to support your argument effectively.
Also, make sure that your arguments are sensible and rational, and equally important, that you curate your content in a way that is engaging to your audience. Once a thoroughly researched article has been published, don’t be afraid to share and promote your own content on social media platforms, and include your site links!
4. SECURE GUEST POSTS ON INFLUENTIAL WEBSITES WITHIN YOUR INDUSTRY
Guest posting is a great link building strategy. It involves creating content and posting on someone else’s blog or site. It is a valuable way of connecting with a new audience (especially those relevant to your brand, niche, or industry) and building your brand and website awareness. People are constantly looking for new content to post on their blogs and sites, and so guest posting is a mutually beneficial arrangement for both you and the posting blogger.
But how does it build your backlinks, you ask? Well, one of the requirements with guest posting is that the blog would have to include your link somewhere in the post. This could either be at the end or the start of the post. Either way, if the blog is popular, its audience engagement with your post and your link can help build up backlinks.
What’s most beneficial about guest posts, you can also build relationships with bloggers who are typically very active on social media, with huge amounts of followings (they sometimes are also social media influencers). These relationships can also help boost your own social following and engagement, puts you at the forefront of your consumers and improve your website traffic and referrals – potentially earning you significant backlinks, which as time goes by, would make your website and content much easier to find.
Moreover, guest posting also puts you in a position to engage with your readers. Personalising your brand and taking part in the conversation with your audience is a brilliant way to build up your brand likeability. So all in all, guest posting is a pretty great method for not only link building, but relationship and brand-boosting.
5. CREATE CO-BRANDED POSTS
The cool thing about co-branded posts is that it literally reduces the amount of work you have to do when creating your content while generating potentially two times the amount of promotion. Co-branding posts involve creating a body of work/content with another brand or influencer within your niche, with you both sharing this content with your network. This relationship can be formed even with a brand that has a product or service that complements your own products/services.
So how does this work? Both brands work together to produce an interesting and/or insightful piece of work. Then, they both publish this work on their social networks. This can build up your backlinks because you get the chance to have your content and your links shared to a whole new audience, thanks to the co-brands promotional efforts. This method can also open you up to a whole new niche of potential consumers. And again, we cannot underestimate the power and influence that building relationships with other brands or influencers can have for your brand in the short and long term; with one of the long-term benefits being link sharing, which over time, is guaranteed to improve your web visibility.
So there you have it. Five top effective methods of link building for your website or blog. Use them well and watch your search engine ranking progress.
