Link building is a strategy to boost your search engine ranking. Unfortunately, many link building tactics are spammy and often demoted by search engines like Google. So what can you do to ensure your efforts are worthwhile?
Here are some link building do’s and link building don’ts to follow.
Do ✔:
Create shareable and high-quality blog content
The cornerstone of all link building revolves around your blog. You have to give something for publishers to link back to on your website. A blog is an excellent way to produce shareable content.
The key to getting your blog content shared is to create high-quality content. High-quality content includes ultimate guides, exclusive interviews, and posts packed with lots of value.
You want to become an authority in your niche. When you become a thought leader in your industry, people will automatically want to share your content on their website or social media platforms, or even go to you first when looking for answers.
Start guest blogging
Guest blogging lets you increase your brand awareness and produce more links to your website. Many publishers will allow you to link back to your blog content in your guest post. At the very least, the author’s bio will link back to your company’s website.
Writing a guest blog post is especially helpful if your current audience is small. Getting in front of other publishers’ audiences can help you grow your community and create a great network.
Take part in discussions on other sites
What do Quora, Reddit, and the comment section of this blog have in common? You can use these platforms to share helpful insights and build relationships. If people like what you say, they can check out your profile bio to maybe even find a link to your website. This could increase traffic to your site.
Some people recommend putting a link in your comments, but we recommend against it as Disqus will flag a comment as spam if it detects a link, which you can play with in your settings.
Can you increase your search engine rankings by commenting alone? No, but it can help boost your chances for sure. Even LinkedIn is a great place to add to these discussions.
Get noticed by the news
Keeping a pulse on the news is more than just staying updated on trends and discussions. It can also help you find opportunities to insert yourself into the conversation.
If there is a trending topic related to your business, you can write up a press release to share with the media. Journalists will pick up on it and possibly share it in their articles. You can also share new ideas or developments on social media to spread the word fast.
Check your inbound links
As with any marketing strategy, you need to measure if your link building strategy is working. Checking how many inbound links you have earned can prove to you if your efforts have been worth it.
A free method to discover inbound links is Google Search Console. Other paid options include Ahrefs and Majestic.
Don’t 🚫:
Don’t forget to create content on your platforms
A standard website is not enough to convince people to link back to you. Content marketing is pivotal to ensure success with link building.
As mentioned previously, a blog is a great option. If you’re not interested in blogging, you could also choose to produce videos or podcasts. Consistently delivering high-quality content will increase your chances of getting inbound links.
You will not succeed in link building if you don’t participate in content marketing.
Guest blog on irrelevant sites
Guest blogging is essential. But you must be strategic about it.
You can’t just write a guest blog post for any website. It’s important to choose relevant sites within your industry. Promoting your links to an audience that is interested in your business is essential.
Pro Tip: Don’t send a generic pitch. Take the time to pitch article ideas that the publisher’s audience will want to read or is timely to current events.
Don’t spam the comment section
You can’t just post “Great article!” and drop a link on the comments section of a blog. Share your opinion and make your comment count. This will help you stand out from the crowd and get more people interested in learning more about what you do.
Buy links
Some people argue that there is an ethical way to buy links, but Google keeps a close eye on these situations. Since people have abused this method and turned their websites into link farming, you’ll find that this method could lead to lower rankings.
It may look like an easy answer, but don’t do it.
Final Thoughts
Link building done right is a valuable tactic for your overall SEO strategy. Getting inbound links is only useful if they are coming from high-quality sources. Don’t take shortcuts to grow your search ranking. Link building is a long-term game, but it pays off.
If you want to learn more about creating a link building strategy, check out our article about it here.
What has your experience with link building been?