Backlinks are one of your best bets if you want to boost your website’s performance on search results. Link building is an effective strategy to ensure you rank high on Google search for relevant keywords.
Earning backlinks can be challenging, though–some companies take a shortcut by using paid links. They engage content link farms to try and trick Google’s search results; Google considers this practice manipulative and deceitful, and your site can be penalized if caught doing this.
The best way to build links is to develop high-quality content that provides value, but you’ll have to spend a lot of time and money just for the chance to have someone link to it. You then get relevant sites to reference this content with a link to your website, thus creating the best backlinks for SEO.
Evaluate Websites You Want Backlinks From
You need to identify which sites would best serve your objectives. To qualify websites, you need to ensure that they are reputable, industry-specific, have a lot of traffic, and have excellent domain authority. Getting backlinks from low-quality sites may result in a lower Google page ranking.
Of course, your goals need to be realistic. Pitches to big-name brands or Fortune 500 companies will most likely be ignored. Choose niche websites that you deem are on the same level as your company.
Nurture Relationships and Get Help From Influencers
Aim to build a connection with website admins or content writers before even thinking of asking them the favor of linking back to your website. Cold outreach rarely works–you can start nurturing relationships through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Comment on their posts or tag them on your own posts that are relevant to their business. You can also engage with them through their blogs; spark conversations by providing unique insights.
Look for Backlink Opportunities
Browse the articles on target websites–do you see any linked URLs where you can provide higher-quality content? You can pitch an idea to the site owner, and hopefully, they will replace that link with the one you offer.
Do they have sources that are already outdated? For instance, if they are linking to posts that are five years old, then it’s an excellent opportunity to suggest a more recent piece from your website. Whenever you find broken links, reach out and get the site manager’s attention. Propose replacing it with your own content, which might score you a backlink.
Send a Personalized Outreach Email
Targeted and personalized outreach emails are essential to the success of your SEO campaign. Do your research on key people who manage the website through LinkedIn. The more you learn about their role, professional backgrounds, and interests, the more information you will have to craft a better pitch.
Reference a common connection, something they may have shared on social media, or a blog post that piqued your interest. This helps to gain their trust and signals that you are paying attention.
Never ask for a backlink in your initial email. Aim to get them to respond first and build rapport with a few more back-and-forth friendly emails that establish your shared interests. Once you have made a connection, timing is critical when bringing up the possibility of a backlink.
Submit Guest Posts
Contributing articles to reputable and well-established websites is a great strategy to gain organic traffic and improve your domain authority. Many sites indicate that they are open to guest blogging. If you don’t know where to start, you can Google “your topic/keyword + write for us.” For example, you can type “technology + write for us,” and you should get technology-related websites that offer guest writing opportunities.
Before you pitch, ensure you understand their audience and become familiar with the topics they write about. Focus on the value you can provide their readers instead of what you can get from the transaction.
Gaining backlinks can take a lot of time and effort. One safe alternative is building private blog networks (PBNs) that generate external links from feeder sites to drive traffic to your main site–doing this correctly can help you earn credibility and boost your Google page rankings.