If there’s one thing you can’t skimp on as a marketer, it’s link building. Link-building is the process of creating backlinks to your website, which are visible in Google search results. These links aren’t like friend requests on Facebook or followers on Instagram — they are visible and accessible to visitors of the internet.
Backlinks are the primary ranking criterion used by Google to determine how valuable your content is based on the number and quality of websites that link to you. If you’re reading this article, chances are you know nothing about link-building – or at least nothing beyond what an episode of “New Girl” would tell you about it. It might seem ridiculously complex at first glance, but don’t worry… we’ve got your covered!
What is Link Building?
Link building is the process of creating backlinks to your website. A backlink is an inbound link. These links are visible and accessible to visitors of the internet. Backlinks are the primary ranking criterion used by Google to determine how valuable your content is based on the number and quality of websites that link to you. A good way to understand the value of links to your site’s ranking is to think of it like this. Let’s say you have a website that sells socks.
You want to get your product out there and make some sales. So you start sending emails to other sock retailers and try to get them to link to your product. But they won’t link to your product unless you link to them, too. If your socks are amazing and everyone loves them, these other retailers may link to you, too. Google sees that your site gets linked to by a lot of other sites, and they take that to mean that your site is valuable and important.
Why Is Link Building Important?
The most important thing to know about link-building is that it’s essential to getting your website ranked in Google. Google’s primary ranking factor is the number and quality of backlinks your website has. If you want your website to bring in traffic, you need to rank high in Google’s search engine results. Backlinks are like votes for your site. The more high-quality votes you get, the more your site will rise to the top of Google’s charts. There are two types of votes: paid and free. Paid votes will get your site to the top of the charts in an instant, but they’re also very expensive. Free votes take time to accumulate, but they’re incredibly valuable since they don’t cost you a single penny.
Types of Link-Building Strategies
How to Find the Right Links for Your Content
You can find potential links by brainstorming ways to connect with other people or companies in your industry. Most of the time, you can do this in person – at conferences, meetups, or events in your local community. You can also use social media to interact with people in your industry and see if they’d be willing to link to you. Once you have an idea of the types of link-building strategies you want to pursue, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of each one.
Make a list of potential places to link to your site, then follow up with as many of them as you can. You can use a tool like Open Site Explorer to see which websites are linking to your site. Check out your competition and see what sites are linking to their pages, too. You can also use a tool like Google Search Console to see which pages are linking to your site.
How to Find the Right Links for Your Content
There are tons of link-building strategies, but you’ll have to pick the ones that best fit your brand and your industry. Here are some tried-and-true strategies for building links:
- Guest Posting – Guest posting is a link-building tactic that involves writing a piece of content for another website and including a backlink to your site as part of that content.
- Finding Influencers – Finding influencers in your industry who have a large following and a lot of authority is a great way to build links to your website.
- Participating in Communities – Participating in industry-related forums and communities like Quora and Reddit is a great way to build links and interact with people who are interested in your industry.
- Creating a Resource – Creating a resource on your website that offers insider tips and tricks for your industry is a great way to build links from other websites.
How to Find the Right Links for Your Content
Once you’ve brainstormed some link-building strategies, you’ll need to follow up with as many people as possible. You can do this through an outreach email, and there are plenty of guides on the internet about how to write an effective one.
The trick is to remember to be polite and genuine, and to keep the email short. You don’t want to sound like a spambot or be overwhelming, because you’re more likely to get a “no” that way.
Bottom line
Remember, link-building is an ongoing process that requires patience. You can’t expect to build a bunch of links one day and see a huge boost in traffic the next. Once you’ve built a few links to your site and you see them start to accumulate, you’ll need to keep track of which pages get the most links. You’ll want to direct more links to the pages that are bringing in the most traffic and less to the pages that aren’t bringing in as much.
Keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to link-building. Experiment with new strategies, keep track of which ones work and which don’t, and you’ll soon have a thriving website with lots of targeted traffic.