What are Backlinks?

Backlinks are external links – links within one website that direct users to other websites.

If a website’s content could be enhanced by linking to relevant external pages, it benefits the site owners to embed these backlinks.

As for the websites on the receiving end, earning backlinks from other sites is a mark of credibility. Since Google factors backlink counts into its website evaluation, it’s essential to establish your site’s reputation by building up your backlinks. Backlinks are like a verification tick for your website.

What is Link Building?

Link building is the process of accumulating these hyperlinks by forming alliances with other site owners. Teaming up with relevant site owners is mutually beneficial; you can each provide links to each other’s sites, and enhance your own content in the process.

Typically, to be ‘linkable,’ pages need to be informational instead of promotional. Few sites will be keen to link to a product page, because it adds little to their content. On the other hand, if your page is engaging and informative, you’re in good stead to score quality backlinks.

Link Building Strategies

Broken Link Building

If you find an expired link on a page, create your own page on the topic and suggest that they replace the broken link with a link to your relevant content.

Alternatively, even if the link isn’t broken, there may be linked content that is dated or less comprehensive than your own. In that instance, your content could serve as a welcome replacement. Produce an updated version and upload it to your site, then reach out to the site owners to pitch your fresh, relevant content.

To find broken links, you can use Ahrefs’s tool, and check out their instructive article here.

Claiming Unlinked Mentions

Keep an eye out for mentions of your brand on relevant websites. For ease of searching, you can use tools like Mention to gather this data.

If you find that you’ve been mentioned on another site, reach out to the creator and request that they properly link your page where they refer to you. They are almost guaranteed to agree to this; not only is it good etiquette, but it also offers a better experience to their readers. They mentioned your brand for a reason, after all.

Guest Blogging

Guest Blogging involves creating content for another website. This provides their site with valuable content, and also secures some backlinks for you. Just find other blogs in your field, pitch a topic, and write some content for them.

Research the companies you want to write for to ensure that their content suits yours. This way, you can feel confident that you’re both meeting a similar demographic, and your site will be more likely to garner interest.

Recommendation Lists

Some of the best content out there for prospective customers details the ‘Top 10’ or ‘Best’ relevant products/services. This is a common search query amongst online customers; they want to see which businesses are worthy of a recommendation. If, say, you run a stationery business, consumers will be far more likely to click on and buy from your site if you can secure a spot on a list of ‘Best Stationery Supplies for Artists.’

To achieve this, simply search for content like this relevant to your products or services, determine which sites you’d like to be featured on, and reach out to the authors with a persuasive pitch about why your products/services deserve a spot on their list.

Quality Backlinks

Remember, the quality of your backlinks is vital for your site’s reputation. In the effort to secure high quality backlinks, you should be seeking links that are:

1. Authoritative: The site whose support you aim for should itself be one with a certain authority and prominence, which generates a good amount of traffic. This way, you can ensure that your backlink efforts allow your site to get maximum reach, and generate maximal traffic.

2. Natural: You don’t want your link to be embedded in spammy or sponsored content, nor do you want your link to be one in a million. Ensure that your site link is employed meaningfully, and stands out.

3. Relevant: The content of the site must be relevant or similar to your own. If not, that site’s users won’t be seeking content or products like yours, so you won’t generate much traffic.

The Bottom Line

Earning backlinks is crucial for the success of your website. Google will reward sites with a high backlink count by ranking them highly in the SERPs. Connecting with relevant sites to score backlinks could reap dividends.

For personalised advice on optimising your website, reach out to the team today.