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Link building is how you get other websites to link to your webpages. It builds expertise, authority, and trust. Google’s Page Search Algorithm relies on link building to rank webpages; thus, it became a vital part of SEO strategies. People began to include hundreds of links in their work, but this changed in 2012. Google introduced its Penguin update, and link building became the complex beast of today. Now Google focuses more on the quality of the link rather than the quantity. It also values natural shoutouts rather than spam ones. That is why most SEO experts find link building unnecessarily tricky. You can learn some creative ways to find backlinks by reading this post. 

Backlinks and Link Building
Image by Diggity Marketing from Pixabay

Better content means better backlinks:

A significant issue people face in their link building strategy is that their content does not get linked. Why is that? Because they are just not making link-worthy content. It might seem harsh, but if your work is not getting any backlinks, it might be because of low-quality content. According to Moz, the secret of Google ranking lies in putting a 90-20 effort into excellent content and link building.

Not all links are the same:

But the buck does not stop there. Now that you have good quality content, you need to find people who might link to it. Not any backlink will do though, find relevant sites and pages to backlink to your site. If you are a pet food company, then backlinks from real estate businesses will not increase your Google ranking. Some types of backlinks, like toxic links, can even hurt your rank, and you might even end up getting penalized by Google for black hat SEO.

But the question remains, how to get backlinks? Below are some creative ways you can find backlink opportunities for your website.

Broken links: 

Target authority sites relevant to your niche. Then look for webpages with links that redirect to 404 error pages. Make sure that the broken links do-follow links that are the most valuable links for SEO.

Now you need to find out what the link redirected to in the first place. The anchor text is usually a good indicator of what the links would relay. Now go through your site and find content with information like the 404-error page. If you do not have any such content, then just quickly create a post on the topic. Get in touch with the author, tell them about the broken link, and offer your content in place of it. 

Help A Reporter Out (HARO): 

We love HARO. It is a service that helps reporters get in touch with sources for press releases and news articles. Just sign up for the service, and you will know about any alerts regarding your niche.

So, if you are a cosmetic company, you can tell a reporter about influencers’ evolving role as brand managers for small scale companies. The reporter will use your advice and link back to your webpage. Such backlinks are influential, and they are excellent for increasing traffic.

Make sure your response is detailed and comprehensive but do not expect it to work every time.

Testimonials: 

Testimonials are great for gaining credibility and trust-building with clients and getting feedback on user experience. Like you, other people are also looking to feature professionally written testimonials praising their products on their websites. So the easiest way to gain traction and build links is through a unique and well-written testimonial for a service you use for your business.

Now send the testimonial to the company and include the name of your business and website. Always add backlinks to your webpage.

Just remember to target websites with a good Domain Authority rating.

Infographics: 

Infographics maybe last a season, but you can still use them for link building. Just avoid making infographics on tired, old topics, and focus on fresh content. You can brainstorm with your team to get a unique angle on a subject in your niche. Then research your content and focus on content that you can represent visually and statistically. Now it is time to focus on your design after all the grunt work. 

Add an embedded code at the bottom of your infographics before you publish it. Some webpages might use your infographics in their articles with backlinks. Others might not link it back to you. Either way, your embedded code and logo will give you some brand exposure.

Guest post: 

Many people look down on guest posting for link building, but it is a tried and tested way to get a higher ranking. The guest posting also introduces you and your business to novel audiences.

You can hire a ghostwriter as well, but they should be experts in their fields. A good ghostwriter can cost you anything from $250 to $300. Do not go overboard with backlinks to your site.

Avoid guest posting on low quality, spam websites. This strategy can end up in a Google penalty as well. Write for sites with higher domain authority than yours and write for them more than once. 

Utilize unlinked mentions: 

People might already be mentioning your business if your content is outstanding. These shoutouts can be utilized to build new links. These are great link building opportunities because you already have the content available to you. All you must do is look for any unlinked mentions and ask the author to make it clickable. But how can you find who has mentioned you without a backlink? You can use brand monitoring tools to search for web mentions about your business efficiently. Just get in touch with the authors and convert an unlinked shout out to a linked one.

Conclusion

Link building is your best bet for a better Page Search rank, so it pays to focus on link building strategies. You have to be very precise when linking to a site. Your links should be authentic, and they should redirect to authority sites. And that might feel a little too complex. If you’re unsure about the ABCs of link building, you can get expert knowledge through a digital marketing Course. For easy backlinking hacks, incorporate the tricks from our article.