Alan

There are a lot of articles about link building on the internet today. Some are good, some are bad, and some are downright horrible. Some mix in black hat techniques and some writers have even claimed that link-building is dead. These mixed messages have left many business owners frustrated and misguided by the whole process.

So let’s be clear: Link building is far from dead. It’s the bread and butter of SEO, the lifeblood of the information age, propelling us through the fourth industrial revolution.

Studies show 50% of mobile visitors who run local searches visit a store within one day – that’s huge. But before a website even reaps the benefits of page one search, it will need quality backlinks.

So how can you build backlinks for your website? Below we share 5 effective link-building techniques that have helped our clients along the way, boosting their overall search ranking, lead generation, and ROI. Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments section.

In this link building article, you will learn:
What is link building?;
Why is link building important?;
Proven link building techniques that work today.

What is link building?

Link building is an SEO strategy that involves one or more link building techniques. The main objective of link building is to get as many quality external links pointing back to a target URL as possible.

Why is link building important?

Link building was listed by Moz as the most influential ranking factor online. Backlinks inform search engine spiders of a domain’s popularity and authority, and search engines use them as a way to rank web pages. With over 95% of users ignoring websites passed page one Google, it’s important for brands today to include a backlinking strategy into their marketing plan to improve overall brand awareness online.

What are the link building techniques that work?

Link building has come a long way since the 90s. Back in the day, the ranking was easy. You could drop spammy comment links in blog posts, drop links in article directories and join link networks — just to name a few old-school link-building tricks that worked – those days are over. Search engines now grade for quality over quantity. So as a way to help you save time with your SEO journey, I share 5 proven and effective link building techniques that we use on our clients.

Earn easy backlinks and leverage your professional network

Reciprocal link building is effective if done naturally. With that in mind, an easy way to earn backlinks is to use your professional network. If you’re doing business, chances are you’ve worked with other people in the industry. Do yourself a favor and take the time to go through your professional network. Reach out to them on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook and ask them if they can link back to your website as a preferred partner or in a blog post. There’s a high probability that they will.

Earn backlinks with killer content marketing

Whether it’s creating the next viral video on YouTube or writing the most in-depth listicle or creating a killer infographic, when you create killer content, you increase your chances of getting backlinks. There are a lot of bloggers, influencers, and publishers out there looking for new material, and if they like your content, it is highly likely that they will link back to you as a source. And if they don’t, you can always reach out to specific influencers and recommend a post for their audience. The catch? Be smooth about it. Butter them up and add them on social media first. Drop a comment on their Facebook wall or share one of their blog posts. After you have put yourself on their radar, reach out to them at a later date and suggest one of your blog posts and note how it’d be perfect for their audience. When you market your killer content the right way, you’ll find it easier to get more backlinks.

Improve overall search traffic and backlink profiles by guest blogging

Guest blogging works. You just have to remember that it has to be natural. Search engines like Google notice when a website builds a high volume of links in an unnatural way. If you’re going to guest blog, stay in relevant “neighborhoods” and make sure you’re pushing great content. For example, if you’re an SEO marketing professional, you probably want to guest blog on other marketing websites like Search Engine Journal. Try it out. Go online and do a search for “ + guest post.” This will take you to a list of websites in your industry looking for guest bloggers.

Get backlinks with testimonials

A win-win and clever backlinking technique often overlooked by competitors. Praise your favorite products and earn a backlink at the same time. You can research high-authority brands online within your niche industry and check their press/testimonial pages. Reach out to them and see if they’d be interested in your amazing testimonial.

Skyscraping is one of the most effective link building techniques online

While I hate to use any term with the word scrape, this is an area where it’s not bad. What is skyscraping? Skyscraping is mainly finding the top-ranking articles and pages in your niche area and doing a “better” job. So how do you skyscrape? You can go to Google and pick the top-ranking pages for your query. Or, you can use a tool like BuzzSumo and find the most shared articles for your particular keyphrases.

After identifying the best posts online for your keyphrase, use a tool like Ahrefs, and find out who is linking back to your competitors. Reach out to their webmaster and pitch them your new article. Let them know that it is an ‘updated and better’ version of one article they already linked to and mention how their audience will appreciate it and find it more useful.

Summary

If you want your site to rank online, use proven link building techniques that work for you and not against you. It is rare for users today to search past page two of Google search. Make sure you and your team are on the same page and use the right link building strategies. The 5 proven link building techniques we listed above will help you get closer to developing that killer link building strategy for your business.