20 Tips for Link Building Beginners
I know for many online marketers the thought of link building fills them with panic. With the ever incessant question always lingering over the head of any marketer ‘will this help SEO or damage it?’ Most just don’t know where to start, so I thought I would give you a push in the right direction and hopefully arm you with a good foundation to get you started.
This guide has been created by ConstructaQuote.com not to baffle you with the science, or confuse you with techy terms, but to give you 20 easy to follow tips to get you started. So here goes…
1. Flattery will get you everywhere
No matter how much we deny it, everyone loves to have their egos massaged. If you want to get some peoples self-promoting juices flowing write a ‘top 10’ most influential figures in your target audiences sector. If you saw your name in lights would you be able to resist linking back to it? Need I say more?
2. Take a deep breath, and be controversial
I wouldn’t suggest you use this as your main strategy, but sporadically it is recommended to write some particularly controversial content. If there is a subject that has really got your back up and you know others feel the same way, then write about it!
Potential linkers love a bit of controversy and are much more likely to share with their peers if it’s a subject they feel very strongly about. Be aware! You have to keep your businesses reputation in mind at all times, so think very carefully about the subject you choose to write about.
3. Timeless resources
Like every girl needs a little black dress in her wardrobe, you need some staple content on your site that will never date. This type of content has longevity and should encourage potential linkers to keep linking long after the content has been published.
4. Newsflash!
Just like the city that never sleeps news is a 24 hour business. Stay on top of your game and be the site that breaks/makes news not the one that reports it days later. This will encourage people to refer back to you when they cover the same stories at a later date. This will also give your stories the best chance of being re-tweeted, shared and liked across the social media airwaves.
5. Be my guest…
Do you have a blog on your site? Do you read other peoples blogs? I’m guessing yes! The majority of websites on top of their game have a regularly updated blog in today’s online space. Find blogs in your business sector who target a similar audience to you.
Get in touch with them and offer to write a guest blog using your expertise, while giving them the chance to write a guest blog for you in return. This way both parties will benefit from exchanging relevant content and links.
6. A beginners guide to…
How often have you been asked to do something in your job/daily life that you have never done before? What was the first thing that you did after being asked? I’m guessing you ‘Googled it’. With Google search as the first point of call for many people looking for guidance, a beginners guide which sets out the basics of any subject in a simply easy to follow document would be just what they are looking for.
This is fantastic link bait and with the share facility made visible on these guides you can increase visibility in your social media arena at the same time.
7. Become the next Steven Spielberg
Video content is becoming more and more popular with webinars used regularly to provide training or information to prospects/interested parties. With the explosion of YouTube in recent years you no longer need to read how to do something, you can watch someone show you how to do something. Many people may not want to sit in front of a computer reading reams and reams of text. But transform those reams into a video and it will have much more appeal to potential linkers.
8. Our survey says…
If you have a large database of clients utilise them in a survey. Use surveys to improve your customer services or to see if your customers’ needs are changing with the times, or what your customer’s opinions are in general. Collate your results in a white paper/press release and there you have it; a newsworthy piece of content. If your database is somewhat smaller do not fear! Take to the streets, ask members of the public, ask your staff, get creative.
9. Search for your brand name minus a link
By using any search engine you will be able to find places online that your brand name is mentioned but possibly no link back to your site. Contact these people and ask if your brand name could be a link if it is not currently. This may be an opportunity to build a relationship to gain further links from these sites as your brand is already warm in their eyes.
10. Become a Myth buster
Whatever industry you are in there are bound to be misconceptions surrounding it. Write guides about the top 10 myths of your sector (everyone loves a ‘top 10’) distribute it across all of your social media channels, post it on friends walls, publish it on your website, and watch the link love spread.
11. Directory submission
Submitting your company to various directories may seem like an easy way out, and in fact it is. Unfortunately the easier links are to get the less value they have. That doesn’t mean to say that submitting to directories is pointless, it does bring value and is pretty much a quick win when starting off a link building project. Just don’t spend all your time and energy on them.
12. Get in with the ‘in’ crowd
Join trade associations and professional bodies that are relevant to your business/website offerings. Many of these will link their members back to a site of their choice if asked. And it shows those ever doubting search engines that you’re part of the same niche and sector. They are more often than not a high authority site and chances are you would have seen them in your competitor backlinks so what are you waiting for get involved!
13. Testify!
Make a list of all the companies that you/your business have received a good service from. Get in touch with them and offer to write or record a testimonial for their site, the only request being that you have a link back to your site within the testimonial. The chances of them saying no are slim to none!
14. Photograph/film events that you attend
If you attend a trade show/business conference/charity event take your camera/video camera along. Take pictures/record the event and post to your site while sending links to the event managers of the footage. The likelihood is that they will link back to it as some easy& positive PR for them.
15. Hit them while their hot
People who are already visiting and sharing/referring to or mentioning your work are almost done deals in the link building world. If these people are already fans there should not be much persuasion needed in order to get them to further link back to you and could open the doors for a possible content sharing partnership.
Wondering how you will know who your ‘hot prospects’ are? One way is to publish trackbacks* on your blog posts. This will not only show them you’re aware of who is referencing and writing about your content.
*A trackback is a way for content writers to be notified when anybody links to one of their documents. This enables content writers to keep track of who is linking, and so referring, to their articles.
16. Create a free online tool
This could be seen as the easiest way to build links. Tools can be created as mobile phone apps or online tools for your desktop. Unfortunately they all take quite a sizeable investment if you want to create a really good one, as many companies would not have the facility or experience to create a tool in-house.
Nevertheless once a really useful tool has been created and embedded in your site you can pretty much sit back and watch the links roll in.
17. Keep your enemies close, and your competitors closer with Backlink analysis
Backlink Analysis can be a quick win, if websites have linked to your competitors; the likelihood is that they could link to you. By carrying out a backlink analysis on a site you are basically giving yourself a ready-made prospect list of potential websites that could link to you.
18. Become the Interviewer
Think about the content that you produce. Could you benefit from another experts opinion? Do they have a blog/website? If so contact them, ask if you can interview them about a subject close to not only their heart but their website/blog. The doors could be opened to blog exchanges, guest blogs, and reciprocal links that Google will not be that offended by.
19. White Papers worthy of the White House
Write a really informative paper and it could generate some really good links. Bear in mind that these papers need to be of an academic standard. Its purpose is to educate readers and helped them make informed decisions. Spend time creating a really good White Paper, don’t digress from your expertise, utilise it. Make your paper easily printable for your readers to give it the best chance of success.
20. Offer a ranking
Think about your target audience, or services close to your sector. For example, if you are a Wine Merchant, create a ‘top 10 summer wines’ featuring the wines that you sell or would like to sell in the future. Send this list to all other interested parties, showing their rankings. The aim is for them to link back to the list to show their success in being ranked by an outside source.
Thanks for taking the time to read this guide. I hope it’s been useful to you, and would love to hear any success stories that arise from following any of these tips in your own link building projects. Good luck and happy linking!
