6 Link Building Strategies That Can Boost SEO

So you have a business, whether it’s a new startup or it has been around for several years, but you are just not getting the exposure that you desire. You’re not alone in this boat—countless businesses suffer from the cluttered digital market, where everyone is always competing for visibility and consumers’ attention. Today your business needs to put time and effort into its Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to help boost its online profile.

There are quite a handful of ways that you can work with SEO, but today we are going to focus on one aspect: link building. This concept of “building links” is a tactic used to get other websites to link back to yours. These links are indicators to Google and other search engines that your website is credible and worthy of attention. In the words of Moz, links are “currency of the Internet.” Google even revealed that using links is one of the most critical factors for SEO, as they establish a ranking system of businesses with every search. Understandably so, in order to do this, you must undergo a process of verification to determine that it should be cited. Here are six link building strategies that will optimize your website and lead to anticipated growth: 

1. Get to know your audience like the back of your hand

While this may seem obvious, it is an often overlooked yet incredibly crucial step when moving forward with optimizing your reach. SEO is a fancy term for how you can best reach your target in the digital space. This is what advertising is. The first step to any advertising initiative is to layout campaign goals and consumer analysis. Do a deep-dive into research surrounding who your audience is currently, and who you want them to be down the line. As a brand’s positioning changes, so can its audience, and it’s all about evolving as a business. You always want to be growing, and setting new goals, adapting for the audience that you want.

Before focusing on reaching these targets, you need to know how to get to them. So, make sure you research their internet whereabouts, their behaviors, and other factors that will provide you with some insight into their wants and needs.

2. Research sites that appeal to your desired audience

In other words, explore the industry inside of which your business exists. Understanding your desired audience and place in the market requires that you look for where these consumers might be exploring instead. Obtaining links from these websites promoting similar content will allow you to get closer to your target. Incorporate what is called “resource page link building,” which is essentially identifying pages that link you to great content on a specific topic. This will direct visitors to these other sites, with already-built credibility and following, which will draw appeal to yours. Make sure that these sites are relevant to your website, as consumers will make associations between them and yours. 

3. Write Captivating Content

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Just like any advertisement for a brand, you want your copy to resonate somehow with your target audience. Whether the content addresses wants or needs, informs, or establishes emotional appeal, you want copy that they will pay attention to. Content is the voice of your brand, and you want these words to speak volumes and invite your desired audience to become a part of your community. Treat it like a sales pitch—without sounding like a sales pitch. If it is not engaging, informative, or captivating in the slightest, people have no reason to continue giving it attention. 

Blogging has skyrocketed in the business world. According to HubSpot, businesses with blogs generate approximately 97% more inbound links and 55% more visitors. Blogs have the power to humanize a brand and expand upon otherwise vague services or topics. Featuring a blog on your website could serve as a consumer’s reason for visiting the site more frequently. They may want to learn more about what you are writing about and potentially become a loyal follower and client. Another avenue for content is guest blogging. This is where outside professionals or influencers write a blog for your business site. Their audience will engage with your blog. Another avenue of guest blogging is that the guest blogger can write a blog on their own website and then navigate readers to go to your business as a call-to-action. This serves as a form of endorsement and spreading the word with outside sources.

4. Use social media to amplify your content

The power of social media these days is astronomical, especially when it comes to spreadable platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Remaining active on social media can help boost your engagement with your desired audience. You can use these different platforms to promote a call-to-action to your site. This can be done in a few different ways: sharing a blog post, which can then navigate readers to your site, or featuring a contest or giveaway where users tag others. This can exponentially increase the eyes and exposure on your site. Every retweet, share, and follow can make the difference.

5. Take advantage of other links

There is something called the “Broken Links Strategy. ” It’s the process of finding pages on related blogs with dead (non-functioning) links, and requesting that the original blogger replaces the link with one to your site, where it would feature similar content. This is an excellent way to connect your business to others and drawing associations between the two connected audiences. Your desired audience likely parallels that of the site you are requesting the link from.

Another strategy is to check competitors’ backlinks. Some resources help you stay on top of what has currently worked for your competitors. Conducting a competitive analysis will allow you to “spy” on these competitors to identify their keywords and locations from where their best links originate.

6. Reach out to site owners

Finally, a simple approach would be to reach out to owners of websites with similar content in order to propose a feature on their site. You will likely need to pay or negotiate some sort of trade-off but this is an easy way to spread the word about your business. They can feature content that will link to your site, and explain your content and products.

SEO is largely based on your strategic actions regarding links, keywords, etc. However, it is also important to understand that at the end of the day, it is also about the experience that you create for your users online and offline. Consumers will be willing to give their attention to you if you make it clear through your advertising that it resonates with them and addresses their needs and desires. When it comes down to it, a successful SEO strategy is rooted in ample research and time spent understanding your industry.

Need more help with backlinking strategies? Grova Creative can help!

Sources:
https://yoast.com/successful-linkbuilding-strategy/
https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo/growing-popularity-and-links
https://neilpatel.com/what-is-seo/
https://www.wordstream.com/link-building-strategy
https://www.linkresearchtools.com/case-studies/link-building-techniques/