Backlinks — A Beginner’s Guide to Link Building 🙌
Are you only focusing on the content and expecting to rank higher on Google? Well, the bad news is that you won’t be able to achieve that quickly without the help of backlinks.
In the competitive arena of digital marketing, its becoming more and more complicated to rank on the first page of google and other search engines. In order to be truly successful, what you do outside of your website is just as important as what you do inside of it.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the basics of backlinks and eight steps to get high-quality backlinks.
Let’s dive right in:
Basics of Backlinks
Backlinks (also known as “inbound links”) are links from one website to a page on another website. They are one of the top 3 Google ranking factors that makes them very important for SEO.
The more high-quality backlinks you have, the better it is. You don’t create your backlinks. That’s because other websites give you backlinks by adding links to your website in their content. Either way, you should work on gaining quality backlinks.
These are a few traits of high-quality backlinks:
- They are from trustworthy websites. Or in technical terms, the domain authority of the website linking to your website should be high.
- Your focus keyword is present in the link’s anchor text.
- The website linking to you and your website should have the same niche.
- The link is “dofollow” instead of “nofollow.”
Below are eight bold steps you can take to cultivate valuable backlinks:
8 Steps to Create Quality Backlinks
Create Unique Content for Backlinks
This step is pretty straightforward. Just create unique content. When you come up with original content for your audience, you become an authority no matter what your niche is. If you give people creative and trustworthy content, search engines will automatically boost your SEO rankings.
Stick to originality and relevance. There’s no point in competing for visitors with duplicate content. Why would an average reader come to your site if they can find the same stuff on that “big website” in your niche? So original content that engages people is the beginning of quality backlinks.
Perform Keyword Research before creating backlinks
You need to know what people are searching for online. To find and analyze new keyword ideas, use a keyword research tool. Once you have a list of keywords that people are searching for online, use them in your content strategy. As soon as you start giving people what they are looking for, your backlink profile will increase.
Steal Your Competitors’ Backlinks
Take a deep dive into competitor analysis, and find out what websites rank higher in Google searches (organic, not the paid ones). A backlink checker can help you in this regard.
Chances are some of your competitor’s backlinks point to a 404 error page. Use this scenario to generate more backlinks. Contact the website owner and ask them to link to your page. After all, no one likes to waste their audience’s time by sending them to an error page.
Even if a broken link is not an issue, you can contact other websites and offer better content than your competitors.
Make Good Connections with Other Websites
Be very careful about what you link to on your website. Link to relevant pages in your articles only, and avoid linking to just any random page.
When you mention a website in your article, let them know by sending an email. Most websites appreciate getting a mention in other website’s writings, and chances are they will share your post on their social media. They might even link to your website in their next article.
Keep in mind that your linking to their website is a backlink for them. You will get a backlink only when that website mentions yours. It’s a steady process but pays dividends in the long run.
Write Testimonials for Other Websites
Testimonials and reviews are the ultimate way to win customers’ credibility. Whenever you do business with an authoritative company in your niche, offer them a written testimonial.
Don’t forget to send a link to your website with your testimonial. Similarly, if a website mentions you in a customer story, ask them to give you a backlink. It’s all about building relationships.
Write Guest Posts
Team up with other industry leaders from time to time. When you write guest posts, a new group of audience perceives you as an authority.
This method is excellent because you will create links directly (by linking to your website in that guest post). You can do this either by directly linking to your website or placing the anchor texts related to your website. Guest blogging is a great way to showcase your expertise and work on your link building process.
Get on Review Sites
Create your profile on review sites related to your industry or niche. This strategy will generate backlinks for you. Many of those websites allow you to share your company’s about us and URL. Leverage this chance, and add your company’s description. Ask your customers to leave their reviews there.
Create a Backlink Strategy
The most crucial step to build links is creating a backlink strategy. Your SEO strategy should have a well-structured backlink strategy as an integral part. Utilize a link research tool like Siteimprove to identify different aspects of link building such as source, location, URL, influence, and trust scores. This analysis will let you know what sites are linking to you and help you grow your business.
Final Words on Backlinks
Backlinks are a very crucial part of your website’s SEO. Remember that they are not unachievable. Concentrate on building credible links and avoid the sketchy ones. Taking the right steps to gain high-quality may seem hard, but it always leads to business growth.
What backlink building tactic did you like the most from today’s guide?
Or do you want to share a different method for building quality links?
Either way, let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.
