Link building is basically the process of having hyperlinks in other websites that lead to your own. In its most convenient form, a hyperlink is basically a bridge that allows users to quickly jump from one page to another on the Internet.

Even search engines such as Google, Bing! and such rely on these hyperlinks when trying to get users the right search results.

Most of these hyperlinks aren’t put there deliberately. Rather, they are included for a variety of different reasons, such as a blog post that covers a story in relation to a brand; or just a happy customer who loves their phone so much to the point where they write a blog post about it and end up linking the phone manufacturer, the store who sold it to them, and more.

The idea that you could acquire backlinks that lead to your page without asking for them is a moment of bliss for search engine optimisers and marketers alike. The first, and perhaps most important strategy in regard to this matter is having a website that is link-worthy in the first place. This can be achieved by having good content, a great product or service, and more.

Besides this approach, you could also adopt a wide range of link building strategies that would help you to grow in this ever-changing online space. Look no further than this article, though, as we will show you what we consider to be the best link building strategies that anyone can adopt.

How does link building benefit my business?

Before we get into some of the best link building strategies out there, we will first explain to you the numerous benefits of SEO link building, especially in regard to your business(es) as a whole.

Links boost authority

The main benefit of link building is establishing credibility. When other sites link to yours, it signals that you’re an authority in your niche. Not only does that make people more likely to visit your site, but it also increases your chances of dominating the SERPs of different keywords since Google’s algorithm factors in the authority of a domain when deciding which site should get what spot.

Links are essential for ranking and generating traffic

There’s no denying that links are among Google’s main ranking considerations. As a matter of fact, it’s almost impossible to rank for certain keywords without external links, no matter how good your content is. And, remember, the higher you rank on Google and other search engines, the more traffic your site is going to get.

That said, you must remember that not all links are created equal. Search engines consider some link-building strategies spammy, so you should favour quality over quantity (more on that later).

Establishing new relationships

As we have shown you above, some of the best link building strategies out there do include you reaching out to other websites. And while you might be contacting them in some cases solely to solve unlinked mentions of your brand, there is always the possibility of your establishing a good relationship with said websites.

Such relationships come with numerous benefits. For instance, having the support of key bloggers in a certain industry is a matter of life and death for many brands. People will grow to trust your brand and support whatever future endeavours you have in mind if numerous bloggers or influencers trust you.

You could also build relationships with other businesses, which could prove extremely helpful in certain situations.

Referral traffic

Yes, we have already established the importance of having legitimate backlinks on your rankings in SERPs, but how can they affect something such as referral traffic?

Well, it’s simple, really. A big, trusted website mentions you once and Tadaa! You’ve got a significant increase in traffic all of a sudden. Such a bump in traffic could lead to a much-welcome increase in sales and such.

In other words, implementing link building strategies doesn’t solely revolve around SEO but something more important than SEO, the customers themselves. If your backlinks are well-placed, in relevant, trustworthy websites with high traffic, people will definitely click on them.

Brand development

When you rely on some of the best link building strategies, your brand name and presence will significantly grow in whatever industry you operate. For example, reaching out to other websites in an attempt of getting them to link to you is usually a sign of expertise. It also shows that you are truly passionate about what you’re doing, which will help to further build your brand in the eyes of both other players in the industry and the customers themselves.

Best link building strategies

Guest blogging

Guest blogging, also known as guest posting, is considered by many to be one of the best link building strategies that you could rely on. It plays a vital role when it comes to conceptualising a great number of backlinks.

The idea behind guest blogging is to basically increase the presence of your site by having it included in someone else’s blog post. The links that lead back to your website can either be placed throughout the text body of the blog or in the “references” section.

Of course, in order for most bloggers out there to allow you to do this in the first place, you need to add a link on your website that leads to their respective blog post too. It’s a win-win situation for both parties, basically.

Guest posting can be a slow and methodical process. You basically look for blogs of interest, you follow and engage with them, then you pitch your ideas to them. If your ideas are well-constructed and relevant to the themes of the blog, chances are they will accept your pitch. If you want to take the easy route, though, then you can always pay for a guest post opportunity.

However, there is one key point that you need to keep in mind when it comes to guest blogging. Even though you are guest posting as a link building strategy, link building shouldn’t be the prime goal of those blog posts.

We know this sounds confusing, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. You must not go into guest posting with the sole intention of building links. This will only lead you down the rabbit hole of having unrecognisable, low-effort sites link back to you. That’s something that no business nor brand wants.

Placing your link in posts

This is basically the more general sibling of guest blogging. All you have to do is to place your site’s URL in a comment, message, forum post, etc. That might not be one of the best link building strategies out there, but it can help with SEO. Of course, try to post your links on websites that are related to your products, services, or content. In other words, relevancy is key in this case.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is to avoid spamming your link everywhere. Search engines don’t like that, and will definitely flag your website the moment they notice something fishy, i.e., spam. Google, for example, will take notice of any suspicious behaviour in regard to link building, as seen in this blog post.

The HARO technique

HARO, which stands for Help A Reporter Out, is a service that connects reporters and journalists with a wide range of sources. In other words, it offers a great opportunity for you to get useful media coverage for your business. Instead of looking for link placements and outreach opportunities, they’ll be coming your way.

Here’s how to use HARO:

1. First, register as a source on the HARO website.
2. Look out for relevant opportunities. After signing up, you will receive three emails on a daily basis from Monday to Friday. Monitor the queries in those emails to find relevant opportunities.
3. Respond to the chosen queries with well-made pitches. Remember, journalists receive hundreds, if not thousands, of pitches every day, so yours needs to stand out if you want to see results.
4. Voila! Now you just have to wait for your placement (if the journalist likes and accepts your pitch, of course).

Here’s a great case study by Ahrefs on how to use HARO properly.

Replicating the competition’s backlinks

Backlinks replication is considered by many to be worthy of the title of one of the best link building strategies out there. That’s mainly due to the fact that it’s a simple, straightforward and effective approach. You basically:

1. Take an in-depth look at the backlinks that your competitors rely on.
2. Contact the authors of the blog posts or the website owners themselves.
3. Ask them to either:

• Place your link instead of your competitor’s.
• Add your link as an additional resource, alongside the link(s) of your competitor(s).

Of course, if you want to take the first route, known to many in the field of SEO as the Skyscraper Technique, you need to make sure that your content is better than the competition. The content needs to be up-to-date and to have a superior design for starters.

If you’re confident in yourself and your content, simply send an email to the website owners or blog posters where you would inform them of the situation and provide them with the necessary steps that they would need to take in case they accept your offer.

Social media as one of the best link building strategies

This strategy is more about promoting your business and driving more organic traffic to your website. That said, many consider it to be a viable link building strategy nevertheless.

Having a personal profile of your business or brand on social media platforms is very important. It allows you to reach certain communities that you perhaps couldn’t reach through a not-so-random blog post.

Make sure to not give away too much, though. In other words, you should entice people to go out of their own way to click on those backlinks of yours in hopes of finding out more about you.

It has been noted by many that a strong presence on social media does have a positive effect on your performance in SERPs.

So, in case you don’t have social media accounts set up in place right now, what are you waiting for?

Unlinked brand mentions

If you are a well-established brand, chances are, some people out there are mentioning you without attaching a hyperlink to your name.

You can rely on Google to find such instances. Let’s assume that you run an e-commerce store that specialises in hats, for example. Your brand name is JeeHats, and your website is jeehats.com.

Type the following in Google to exclude the mentions of your brand on your own website as well as on social media platforms:

intext:JeeHats -jeehats.com -facebook.com -instagram.com -pinterest.com -twitter.com

Then, simply click on the most prominent websites or blogs that mention your brand without backlinks. Then, simply reach out to the people behind these websites and ask them to add the links.

Using Google can be a chore, though, especially if your brand name is frequently mentioned on the Internet without links. So, instead, we recommend that you use one of the many tools available to you online. Our personal favourites are Ahrefs’ Content Explorer and Semrush’s Brand Monitoring Tool.

Need help with the best link building strategies?

Building links is no small feat but fret not, as we’re here to help. Get in touch today, and we’ll show you how you can dominate the SERPs by building the right links.

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