Think of link building like picking money from a tree if backlinks are the “currency” of the internet. It’s a big deal for SEO, which is why we’ve put together this handy guide.
Link building is a key part of any strategy to boost organic traffic and improve SEO. When done right, it tells search engines that your site is as important as the ones linking to it. This means even marketers with a tight budget can see great results.
Stick around to learn what link building is, why it’s important, how to create top-notch links, and how to use link building strategies to build a strong backlink profile.
What is link building?
Link building is all about getting other websites to link to yours. But before we dive into the methods, let’s understand what these links are.
An inbound link (also called an external link or backlink) is an HTML hyperlink that directs users from one website to another. According to Moz, these links are like the “currency of the internet” because they help build your website’s reputation.
In the next part of this post, we’ll cover different ways to build backlinks. For now, let’s focus on why link building is so important for your SEO strategy.
Why is link building important for SEO?
Google’s algorithm looks at many factors to evaluate and rank pages, but one of the biggest things it checks is how many backlinks a page gets from other websites.
Backlinks have always been key to how Google ranks pages, and they’re still a major sign of quality content.
But it’s not just about having lots of backlinks. Google now looks at the quality of these links too. The algorithm checks if each link comes from a trustworthy, authoritative site and how well the link fits into the content.
That’s why link building should be a key part of your marketing strategy. It’s crucial for SEO success.
The benefits of link building
So, what’s the big deal about a link? There are billions of them online, right?
Well, it’s not that simple. As we’ve talked about in this guide, getting high-quality links is really important for your website’s SEO. They bring free, targeted traffic to your content and help search engines see that your site is legitimate.
Search engines
Links play a big role in how search engines judge a webpage. For instance, if all the backlinks to your site come from spammy websites, search engines might think your site is spammy too and give it a low ranking.
Links help search engines show users the most relevant content at the top of the search results. Ever wonder why some pages show up when you search on Google and others don’t? It’s because Google believes those pages offer trustworthy and valuable answers.
While links are a key factor, they’re not the only thing search engines like Google look at to decide if a page is reliable. If a lot of credible sites link to a page, Google figures that there must be a good reason for it.
Targeted traffic
You can also use links to bring in specific visitors to your website.
Imagine you’re reading articles on the Nutshell blog, and you think, “Wow, if only Nutshell had a post on [Topic], I’d totally read that!” Then, you see some orange text linking to exactly that topic. Naturally, you click on it right away because it must be good if one of your favorite blogs is linking to it.
Now you’re on a blog about something you’re really into, and you’ve never visited this site before. If the post is well-written, you might explore the site more, maybe even download a free ebook.
This is what we mean by focused traffic. By building backlinks, you can attract visitors who are already interested in what you have to offer.
White hat vs. black hat link building
Any good guide on link building should explain the difference between black hat and white hat strategies. You’ve probably heard these terms before, so let’s break down what they mean.
Just like there’s a shady side to every good plan, black hat strategies are the sneaky tricks used by less honest marketers to game the system and boost their rankings.
Even though black hat techniques might give quick results, they’re bad news for your site’s long-term success and your brand. They often lead to poor-quality content and frustrate users, making them less likely to return.
Common black hat tactics include:
- Buying backlinks: Paying someone to link to your site, regardless of whether their content is relevant.
- Trading backlinks: Exchanging links with other sites through guest posts that don’t add value.
- False backlinks: Creating a bunch of low-quality posts to link back to your site and trick search engines.
- Spam backlinks: Adding links in places like footers or comment sections to promote a site, often in a spammy way.
On the other hand, white hat link building is all about creating high-quality, relevant content that other sites want to link to. This could include things like images, research summaries, or survey results.
Also Read: Why You Need Contextual Backlinks
What does a quality link look like?
Not all links are created equal. Links from sketchy websites can actually hurt your SEO efforts. So, what makes a link high-quality?
There are three key factors to consider: trust, range, and relevance.
- Trust: The trustworthiness of the site linking to you matters. If search engines don’t trust that site, the link might not help your SEO—and could even hurt it.
- Range: This refers to the variety of sites linking to you. A bunch of links from the same type of site, like web directories, isn’t ideal. You want links from a diverse set of reputable sites.
- Relevance: This is about the anchor text used in the link. Search engines need to see that the anchor text gives a good idea of what your page is about. If it doesn’t, the link won’t be very valuable.
To build a strong backlink profile, you need links from a variety of trusted sites with anchor text that matches the content on your page.
10 link building techniques
Like a first-class ticket to the top of Google’s search results, a strong backlink portfolio. However, how do you go about getting high-quality links? Start by utilizing these fundamental link-building strategies!
1. Create great content
Bill Gates called it “Content is King” in his 1996 essay, and he was right. The first step to getting links is to create amazing content that people want to share.
There are many types of great content you can create:
- Visuals: Infographics, memes, and diagrams are popular because they’re easy for people to link to.
- Written Content: Unique research papers, detailed blog posts, and thorough tutorials are valuable and can be created in-house at no extra cost.
- Videos: Videos are also a powerful tool for building links. With 60% of people preferring to watch videos online over TV, video marketing is a great way to promote your site and earn backlinks.
You have plenty of options for building a strong link profile. The key is to create content that’s truly valuable and appealing to your audience.
Don’t skimp on this—your link-building success depends on your ability to produce outstanding content that people want to read, watch, or engage with.
2. Reach out to influencers
Creating great content is just the start. To build a strong backlink profile, you need to promote your content too. Without marketing, even the best blogs and videos might go unnoticed in the crowded online world. Each month, over 70 million new blog posts are published, and around 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
No matter how fantastic your content is, it won’t get seen—or linked to—without some promotion. There’s simply too much content out there. Luckily, reaching out to influencers can be a simple and effective way to get your work noticed.
Here’s a straightforward three-step process for reaching out to influencers:
- Find an influencer in your niche.
- Get their contact info.
- Contact them with a solid reason for them to link to or share your content.
Brian Dean from Backlinko has a great script for this—just tweak it for each influencer and hit “Send”!
You’ll need to reach out to a lot of people to get a good number of links, and that can quickly become overwhelming. Using a CRM like Nutshell can help keep things organized. With features like email, meetings, and calls all in one place, you can track your outreach and responses more easily.
Jack Virag from Nutshell used his CRM for link-building outreach and saw an 11% boost in organic traffic!
3. Hunt for broken links
A broken link is exactly what it sounds like—a link that doesn’t work.
The good news is that there are tons of broken links out there, which is great for anyone looking to build links.
Why? Because you can contact the website owner or influencer, let them know about the broken link, and suggest replacing it with a link to your own content.
Here’s how you can find and use broken links:
- Get a broken link checker tool: Tools like Ahrefs are great but can be pricey, starting at $99 a month. If you’re serious about link building, it’s worth the investment. There are free options like Check My Links and LinkMiner, though they’re not as powerful.
- Find reputable websites: If you’re using Ahrefs, list some reputable sites related to your topic and add them to the Site Explorer. With free tools, you’ll need to check each page manually for broken links.
- Look for broken links: In Ahrefs, filter your results to show only HTTP 404 errors. With free tools, you’ll have to visit each page and find broken links yourself.
- Reach out: Use the email template provided to contact the website owner. Ask them to replace the broken link with a link to your content.
It might take some time and isn’t guaranteed to work every time, but once you get the hang of it, this method is pretty straightforward. Even though your success rate might only be 5-10%, reaching out to enough sites can lead to a good number of backlinks!
4. Reclaim lost backlinks
Getting a new backlink doesn’t always mean it will stick around forever. For various reasons, important backlinks can disappear at any time. SEO isn’t always easy, but the good news is you can work on getting those lost backlinks back!
Here’s what you need to do:
- Find out which links are broken: Tools like Ahrefs are great for this, but other tools can work too.
- Figure out why you lost them: Was the linking site updated their policies? Did your content change and become less relevant? Or maybe they just found better links.
- Try to recover those lost links: How you approach this depends on why the links disappeared.
These steps give you a general idea of how to reclaim lost backlinks. For a more detailed guide, check out this link reclamation guide.
5. Syndicate your content
Content syndication is when you publish the same article on multiple websites. If each site that shares your blog also links back to your own site, you can quickly build up your backlink portfolio.
Just to clarify, content syndication is different from guest blogging. Guest blogging means writing a new post for someone else’s website, but it can also help with backlinks if you’re allowed to link to your own site.
Now, let’s talk about content syndication.
First, you need to create great content. We’ve said it before, and it’s worth repeating: no one will want to share poor-quality content. Put in the effort to make something really valuable, then go for the syndication.
Next, find websites that might benefit from your content. A free way to do this is by searching Google with terms like “Republished With Permission” + “The Topic of Your Article.”
Once you find potential sites, reach out with a friendly email explaining the benefits of republishing your work.
And don’t forget, you can also syndicate your own content by reposting it on platforms like Medium, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
6. Disavow toxic backlinks
If you’re creating great content that people want to share and link to, you might naturally attract some harmful backlinks.
Harmful backlinks can hurt your SEO, but you can tell Google to ignore them. Here’s how to handle it:
- Export the bad links: Use tools like SEMrush to get a .csv file of all the harmful backlinks pointing to your site.
- Disavow the links: Go to Google’s disavow links page. Select your website, click on “Disavow Links,” then upload your .csv file.
- Wait for Google: It might take a few weeks for Google to process the disavow request.
And that’s it! While Google generally advises against trying to remove bad links yourself, this method can help you avoid the hassle of fixing them manually.
7. Search for your images
If you’ve ever shared visual content like infographics, charts, or maps online, there’s a good chance someone is using them in their own work.
A great way to find out is by using Google’s reverse image search. Just upload your visuals to see where they’ve been used online.
Once you find sites using your images, reach out and ask them to link back to your website. Before you contact them, decide which page you’d like the link to point to and provide the exact URL in your request.
8. Create more visual assets
Once you’ve reached out to sites using your visuals and asked for a backlink, it’s time to create more shareable visual content to boost your chances of getting links.
Think about how you can turn descriptions or explanations into visual aids. For example, a chart that shows how different factors interact can help readers understand your points better and encourage other writers to use it in their own work.
Keep doing Google reverse image searches regularly to find out where your new visuals are being used. Then, reach out to those sites and ask them to link to a relevant page on your website.
9. Time your outreach
To make sure your outreach email stands out, send it when the recipient is most likely to see it. Avoid sending it first thing in the morning when their inbox is overflowing with other messages.
Sending your email in the afternoon, after they’ve had a chance to clear out their inbox, is a better bet. You can also use email scheduling tools to make sure your email goes out at the best time.
10. Look for interview opportunities
Writing high-quality guest posts is a great way to share your expertise and get backlinks, but it can be time-consuming. If you’re short on time, there’s another option: getting featured in a podcast, vlog, or industry publication.
By participating in interviews, you not only get to share your knowledge but can also ask for a link back to your website. The more podcasts, vlogs, and magazines you contribute to, the more opportunities you’ll have to boost your SEO and build valuable links.
Make link building easier with Nutshell
High-quality backlinks can really boost your company’s SEO and drive relevant traffic to your site. To build a strong backlink profile, just follow these steps from our link-building guide:
- Create great content
- Reach out to influencers
- Hunt for broken links
- Reclaim lost backlinks
- Syndicate your content
To make your outreach and communication smoother, an industry-leading CRM like Nutshell can help. Nutshell makes it easy to organize, classify, and manage your contacts. You can also interact with them directly through the CRM, sync your emails, and keep track of all your calls and meetings.
Nutshell offers a range of features to enhance your marketing and lead generation efforts. Try Nutshell for free with a 14-day trial and see why it’s one of the top CRMs out there!
Pingback: Top Broken Link Building Services