How to Build Good Backlinks with 7 Actionable Tips

Even just one quality backlink has the ability to boost your SEO and drive additional traffic to your website. But that’s only if it’s a good backlink. Use our 7 tips to learn how to build good backlinks to your website.

The main benefits of backlinks

1) Backlinks increase traffic to your website

2) Positive backlinks can increase your domain authority, which can help you rank higher in search engine results

If used correctly, backlinks can grow your website traffic and help your SEO strategy.

Aren’t all backlinks good?

Not all links are created equal. Unfortunately, spammers tried to hack search engine rankings by creating backlinks just for the sake of a link – not because the link held any value to the reader. Google caught on and now has stringent guidelines for identifying what backlinks will actually benefit your rankings versus backlinks that could get you penalized.

Find out how to identify bad backlinks here.

7 strategies for how to build good backlinks

While it takes more time and effort to get a positive backlink, it’s more beneficial to your website in the long-term. Great links build up your domain authority and are also a new source of traffic to your site!

1. Build up a library of top-quality content.

What value does your website have over other websites in your industry? Is the content found on your site well-written? Is it enjoyable to read? Can a visitor find all the information they need solely on your site? Top-quality content is the backbone of a great backlink strategy. Before you can convince other to link to your site, you need to have a site worth linking to!

Discover how to create a great content strategy here.

2. Ask to guest post on related websites.

One of the best strategies for building positive backlinks is to get a backlink from a website with a higher domain authority than yours. Getting a backlink from a site like Forbes or Moz can give your own domain authority a boost. To get these backlinks, try pitching original content to these websites as a guest author. Here are a few tips:

• • Research websites that are related to your industry and allow guest posts
  • Pitch content that would fit into the larger website’s goals and target their audience
  • Contact the right editor with a strong subject line and explanation of how your content can add value to their site

3. Make it a dedicated outreach project.

Getting backlinks is not a passive marketing strategy – except maybe for heavy-hitters like Forbes or The New York Times. You have to actively reach out to other websites to get them to link to your site. Set time aside in your day to reach out personally to other bloggers and businesses. This tip works in conjunction with our other tips like guest posting and asking for reviews.

4. Utilize press releases and other PR resources.

Are journalists and news organizations talking about you? Getting featured in a news article will expose you to larger audiences and get you a quality backlink. Build up a relationship with local journalists and send press releases when anything new and/or noteworthy is happening at your business.

Another strategy is creating an account on PR resource sites like Help a Reporter Out (HARO).  HARO allows journalists to reach out to industry experts as sources in their articles. If you see an inquiry that fits your expertise, you can pitch a reply to that journalist. Bradley Shaw, SEO Expert, has had a ton of success using this formula:

• Only replying if he meets all of the inquiry requirements
• Providing enough details that the journalists doesn’t have to follow-up on his answer
• Following all of the specific instructions
• Including a brief bio and website link with each pitch

5. Convert top-performing content into various formats.

Look at your Google Analytics. Which of your content gets the most views and engagement on your site? Instead of creating new content, set aside some time to reformat that older, but still high-performing content into other formats. Convert the blog post into an infographic, a YouTube video, a slideshow, or even a podcast. You can share the content in more places, reach more audiences, and encourage more people to link and share that content.

6. Ask the internet to review your product.

No matter your type of business, there are likely bloggers within your niche willing to review your product or service. Research popular bloggers in your industry with dedicated followings. Then personally reach out to see if they’d like to review your product or service. You see this all the time in the tech industry and tourism industry. When they review your business on their blog, they will link back to your product.

7. Conduct an audit of your current backlinks.

How do you keep track of the number, location, and quality of all of your backlinks? We use a platform called SEMRush to conduct backlink audits. Using an outside tool can help you organize the hundreds of backlinks you may have and filter which links are positive, and which are hurting you. The platform we use even includes a feature to request the removal of toxic backlinks to your site.

What strategies are you using to build good backlinks to your site? Share your advice in the comments below!

IF YOU CARE ABOUT GOOD BACKLINKS, YOU CARE ABOUT LEAD GENERATION.

Backlinks can help drive traffic to your website, but what are you doing with that traffic once it gets there? Find out how to convert that traffic into real sales leads in our FREE guide.

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