If you are working on getting more traffic to your website, there are many things you need to take into consideration. One of the best ways to increase your traffic is to get quality backlinks integrated throughout your pages. This can be a bit tricky, which is why we have a few tips below to help you.
1. Build Links From Websites With Outdated Sources
With this step, you need to find some websites in your niche that have:
- Stopped giving a service
- Shut down
- Stopped updating resources
- Moved to new URLs
- Changed names
Then, look for backlinks that still exist to those websites. From there, reach out to the websites containing those outdated backlinks and suggest your page as an alternative.
For instance, when SEOMoz changed to MOZ, there was an opportunity to reach out to many sites still linking to the outdated SEOMoz.org addresses.
Why does this work? You are adding value to the websites you reach out to. For starters, you inform them that their link is outdated, which hurts their rankings and visitor experience. On top of that, you give them a valuable alternative resource that requires minimal effort to link to instead.
2. Use Your Top Referral Sources
Referral sources are the websites that are already sending traffic to your website. So, they already link to your content, giving you a backlink. If you already have a backlink from these sources, then you know the content they linked to is useful and high-quality.
Use that content as a guide for what type of content that website (and your audience) likes. You can then create more content like that. Doing so should increase your chances of getting a backlink.
3. Publish Complete Guides
The best way to move up Google rankings is to have plenty of high-quality backlinks. One of the best ways to do this is to publish complete or ultimate guides.
These guides work well because they are a large chunk of information gathered in one place. Many complete guides are between 4,000 and 5,000 words and tend to cover the scope of a specific topic. Longer content performs better with the Google algorithms than shorter articles.
The first step to proceeding is to choose a good topic. Select something that is popular but isn’t overdone. You don’t want to be the umpteenth ultimate guide to something, so do your research. Make sure your topic is very specific and offers unique value.
Once you have a topic, get it outlined. List out all the subtopics. For instance, if you are creating an ultimate guide to bathing a dog, you might have subtopics that look like this:
- Pre-bath work
- Shampoo selection
- Lathering the coat
- Rinsing the coat
- Conditioner application
- Towel drying
From your outline, get everything detailed and planned out. Remember that you need to cover all the important details thoroughly, making it comprehensive and informative.
4. Create the Right Type of Content
Complete guides are just one type of content more likely to get backlinks. You should also consider posts about “why” or “what.” You may also want to consider videos and infographics.
Just remember that choosing the right type of content isn’t enough. You also have to make amazing content.
5. Use Your Brand Mentions
One resource that many people seem to forget is to use their brand mentions. That means there are many websites out there that may mention you without linking to you. These mentions can be easy to get backlinks with because the author already talked about you.
Simply shoot them a friendly email, reaching out and asking that they link back to your article or website. Instead of asking directly, send out a feeler email. This will be written like, “I saw your recent post on such and such where you mentioned this brand. I have written this article talking about X, would you like to see it?”
These get double the response that a direct request for a link gets.
6. Become a Source for Bloggers and Reporters
Some of the best backlinks you can get are from reporters and journalists, as these will be white hat links. Various services can connect you with reporters and bloggers, such as HARO (Help a Reporter Out). This will take some effort, but it can be worth it.
When using websites like this, remember to keep your pitches brief and only respond to requests that you can actually help with.
7. Use “Skyscraper” Content
To utilize skyscraper content, you must first understand what it is. Skyscraper content builds on the top-ranked website for a piece of content in which your industry has previously performed well. Your goal is to create content that is five to 10 times better than the existing content. This is a “skyscraper” because it puts you ahead of the other content.
For example, you may have noticed that all the popular lists of tips on a certain topic in your industry only have about 10 to 15 tips. If you create a list with 100+ or even 50+, it will stand out and be several times better than the existing content.
8. Write Testimonials
If there is a tool, product, or service that you regularly use, reach out to them, and offer to write a testimonial in exchange for a backlink. They will get social proof and marketing via the testimonial. You will get a backlink in the author portion of the testimonial, as you’ll write something like “[Name] from [Business]” and link to your website.
9. Get Inspiration From Competitors
Like any other part of your digital marketing plan, you can also get inspiration from your competitors. This is as simple as seeing what websites backlink to your competition. You will likely find plenty of great backlink opportunities.
For example, if your competitor has a backlink within a forum, consider joining the forum to get your own backlink. Or if they wrote a guest post on a particular website, send that website a pitch for a guest post of your own.
Conclusion
Backlinks help you boost your SEO rankings and bring more traffic to your website. The above strategies will help you build backlinks with white hat methods, boosting your company’s reputation and online presence.
