Backlinks are a key part of any SEO strategy, but they’re not a surefire way to succeed. Over time, backlinks can disappear, become harmful, or just lose their value. This means you need to keep looking for new backlink opportunities to stay on top in search results.
I’m always focused on SEO and helping others with their strategies, so I’ve picked up some unique backlink-building techniques along the way. Here are the top seven that I recommend.
1. Replicate your competitors’ SEO backlinks
Finding out who links to your competitors is a huge advantage. Since these backlinks are likely from sites related to your industry, they’re usually high-quality for SEO.
Although checking your competitors’ backlinks can be a bit time-consuming, there are tools to help, both free and paid. For instance, I use Online Backlink Checker from Link-Assistant.com, but similar tools will work just as well.
To use it, just open the tool, enter your competitor’s website URL, and click “Check backlinks.” The tool will analyze the domain and give you a report with details like the number of backlinks, historical data, and the percentage of dofollow links. This is what you’ll see:
You may see the whole list of backlinks by scrolling down. You may use Page InLink Rank and Dofollow to narrow down the results and find the most influential possibilities.
Look over the backlink pages, select the most influential ones, and then get in touch with the owners of those sites to ask whether they would be prepared to connect to your website. Just one thing though: if you currently have a backlink from such suppliers, see if you can get another one by acknowledging it first before reaching out.
2. Use the broken link building strategy
“Broken link building” is a strategy where you find backlinks that lead to 404 error pages on other websites. You then reach out to those sites and suggest they replace the broken link with one pointing to a relevant page on your site. It’s a great way to earn backlinks by offering value to other websites.
Here are two main ways to find these broken backlinks:
Find broken backlinks from your competitors
For this sort of study, you may utilize a backlink analysis tool (I use one called SEO SpyGlass). You may use the filter to identify dofollow, high-authority backlinks that are returning 404 errors.
These backlink suppliers are now potential clients. Check the page from where the broken link originated to determine whether you have a suitable substitute, and if so, get in touch to propose it. They might click on your link if it is really important, since it saves them the trouble of having to look for a suitable alternative when a 404 is encountered.
Analyze the website you want backlinks from
If you’re targeting a specific website for backlinks, you can check if they have any broken links that might be relevant. In my tool, WebSite Auditor, you can find this info under Site Structure > Site Audit > Links > Broken Links.
If you do find broken links, offer a relevant replacement from your own site. You could even create new content specifically for this purpose if you think it would be a good fit. Just keep in mind that there’s no guarantee they’ll use it.
Be honest and straightforward when you reach out. Let them know that the link you’re suggesting is from your website and why you think it’s a good replacement. Trying to hide your true intent will only make it obvious, so be genuine in your approach.
3. Try to regain missing backlinks
It’s important to take the time to identify which of your older backlinks are broken or absent in addition to building new ones. To edit the Backlink Page Info for your website, navigate to Backlink profile > Backlinks in SEO SpyGlass.
The program will re-crawl the pages you’ve chosen and notify you if any links have vanished.
The site’s lost backlinks may be viewed with Ahrefs, another excellent tool, by going to Site Explorer > Backlink Profile > Backlinks > Lost:
There are a few reasons why your links might disappear:
- The site owner might have replaced the link (so it’s missing now).
- The page where the link was located might be gone (page not found).
- The website could be down at the moment (site is down).
- The page might be blocked from being indexed.
To recover a lost backlink, you’ll need to reach out to the site owners. Depending on the issue, you can ask them to re-add your link to a different page, restore the backlink if it was removed, or remove any noindex tags from their pages.
Also Read: How User-Generated Content Shapes Content Distribution
4. Build links with images
People naturally click on images because they grab attention and stand out. That’s why creating and promoting visuals—like infographics, graphics, product shots, and cartoons—can help you get more backlinks.
But remember, if you’re using images to get backlinks, make sure the link directs to the page where the image is displayed, not just to the image file itself. Links to image directories (like those ending in .gif, .png, .jpg) are pretty much useless and don’t drive any traffic.
To check if your backlinks are pointing to image directories, use filters in your SEO tool to see if any target URLs have image file formats.
If you come across any, request that the owner of the website change the link to go to the page containing the image. They should be able to link to the correct location if you’re allowing them to include your image on their website.
To find out whether somebody is using your photos, you may even run a Google Images search. You can ask them to add a link if you think the site is reliable and you agree with their leaving it up there. (It’s worth asking them to take down the website if it’s dubious.)
5. Write guest posts
In addition to increasing your brand’s visibility and trustworthiness, guest posting is a terrific SEO tactic if you can include a link to your website in the material. For further information on how to locate the best possibilities and have your guest articles published, see this article on guest posting for SEO.
6. Get on “best of” lists
In addition to serving as a fantastic endorsement for your good or service, appearing on “best of” lists places a link to your website on a reputable, pertinent website.
Use a tool like Online Backlink Checker to examine a competitor’s website in order to identify the lists you could be eligible for. Take particular note of any dofollow backlinks that contain terms like “best” or “top.”
To find out more about the procedure for being included to the list, get in touch with the author or website owner. Sometimes they’ll put you on there to keep their material fresh; other times it’s up to editorial judgment and sometimes it’s sponsored placement. However, if you can write a compelling blurb, they occasionally will.
7. Connect with other industry experts
Connecting with others in your industry, whether through events, social media, or networking, can help more people see your website and content, which increases the chances of them linking back to you.
For example, consider joining relevant Facebook groups. Get involved in discussions, start conversations, and share useful links. Just be careful not to overdo it and come off as spammy. The goal is to share valuable information that benefits the community. If you’re lucky, some members might even want to connect with you.
When you join an online community, pay attention to what others are posting. If someone mentions they’re writing a blog post about a topic related to your business, offer to chat with them and see what opportunities might come up.
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