15 Apr
Backlinks are part and parcel of a solid search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. And if you’ve been reading up on ways to improve your website’s SEO, then you may already know that gaining backlinks to your website is crucial. After all, statistics tell us that the top results on Google’s first Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) have 3.8 times more backlinks compared to those that aren’t in the top results.
Whether you’re a small business, a mega-corporation, or anything in between, you need backlinks for sure. But the problem is, where exactly do you start?
For those new to the process of getting backlinks, making use of “black hat” tactics may seem interesting. In a nutshell, these tactics try to trick search engines into ranking your website higher by providing backlinks from inactive or low-quality domains. Truth be told, this method can do more harm than good.
Fortunately, you don’t need to dip your toes into shady tactics to get quality backlinks. Here are a few search engine marketing (SEM) methods you can take to get backlinks the legit way.
Link to Other Sites
Here’s one of the most important content strategy tips you’ll ever come across when you’re building a network. If you’re asking about what best practice will encourage people to link back to your site, it’s as simple as giving backlinks yourself.
Let’s say you’re a brand that offers bakeware, and you’re writing a listicle titled, “Top 10 Baking Blogs for Newbies.” Upon publishing the post, you can reach out to each of those blog authors and mention that you include them in your list. Also, you can request them to share the post on their social media accounts.
Here’s a simple letter template you can send out:
“Hi [blog author’s name]!
I just wanted to reach out to express how much we appreciate [name of the website]. In fact, we included it in our latest post titled Top 10 Baking Blogs for Newbies [link to the blog post].
If you have the time, feel free to share the post on social media. More power to you and your website!
Thanks,
[your name]”
If everything goes well, the featured bloggers will get a reputation boost and you’ll get social media mentions or backlinks. It will be a win-win situation for everyone.
Participate in Online Forums
One way to get backlinks is to hang out in online forums that your prospects frequent. For instance, if you’re offering gardening supplies, you might want to check out home and gardening websites. In the same vein, you can look for sections within a forum that caters to your niche. For instance, Reddit has Subreddits about specific topics ranging from Economics to Parodies.
Engage in online discussions and link to your website whenever appropriate. But be careful not to spam these forums. Otherwise, people would just easily flag you as someone who desperately needs website traffic.
Answer Questions in Quora
If you’re not familiar with Quora, it’s a question-and-answer website. Users can ask, answer, follow and edit questions. That said, you can expect that a lot of people who are genuinely looking for answers are on this website.
Just like with online forums, you may want to answer questions and offer value, then link to your website. However, it’s also crucial not to be spammy in Quora. Only offer links to your website content if those pages are relevant to the question.
Keep an Eye on Your Competitors
You might already be using a backlink tool to help you with your regular content audit. You can make the most out of it by using it to see who is linking to your competition. What can you do with this info? Simple. You can ask those websites to link back to you too.
Here’s an email template you can use to touch base with those websites:
“Hi [name of writer or blogger],
I came across your blog post on [insert the title of the post and link]. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with [your website], but your readers will surely gain more value if they learn about it from your post.
I just wanted to reach out and mention it because I noticed that you linked to [insert your competitor’s website] but not to ours.
Great content, by the way! Keep up the good work.
Your fan,
[insert your name]”
Again, you won’t be 100 percent sure that the website will link back to you. But a lot of brands have gained backlinks this way, and it’s definitely worth a try.
Help a Reporter Out
If you’ve never heard of Help a Reporter Out, it’s a website that connects journalists with expert sources to help them complete their stories. The website offers a pitching process that allows users to find topics related to their industry or expertise. At the same time, it allows journalists and bloggers to cut the time they need to spend on looking for sources.
When you sign up as a source, you’ll receive emails with requests from reporters and media outlets. And if you’re knowledgeable about any of the topics, you can answer the reporter directly. However, it’s crucial to note that you can’t spam reporters with off-topic pitches. If the reporter uses your answer in their article, you’ll get free press.
Consider Guest Posts
There are many ways you can improve the performance of a website from an SEO perspective, and guest posting is one of them. If you haven’t done this before, here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to do it:
- Look for websites that accept guest posts. Take note of their guest posting guidelines and metrics (e.g., number of followers, traffic potential, etc.).
- Read posts on that site and research for topics that work well for their audience. By doing so, you’re increasing the chances of your pitch getting approved.
- Email the website and pitch your suggested topics.
- Once you reach an agreement with the website, write the post and submit it for publishing.
The Lowdown
Gaining backlinks to your website is surely a great way to improve your SEO ranking. Armed with the methods above, you can get quality backlinks that will not only make your website algorithm-friendly but also paint your website as a reputable resource within your industry.
If you need to outsource blog writing or any other type of writing effort to get more backlinks, we at Content Fuel can help you. We offer unlimited content writing at a flat monthly rate, so you can power up your SEO marketing game without breaking the bank.
