How To Generate Backlinks For Your Website
Put simply, backlinks are links from other websites to your own. The main benefit of backlinks is that they send traffic to your website. Backlinks help you rank higher in search engines like Google, which makes them essential in an effective SEO campaign. The benefits of backlinks are easy to see, but how do you go about generating backlinks for your website? In this article, we will go over several methods of generating backlinks that you can immediately begin implementing.
Write Guest Posts
Writing and publishing guest posts on high-authority websites is still one of the best ways to build powerful backlinks. You can’t just write for any website and expect it to generate backlinks for your site. You need to focus on writing for websites that have a domain authority (DA) score of 50 and above, as these sites are most likely to help you build high-quality backlinks. Another thing you can do is to include a link back to your blog in the author bio section when you submit articles on third-party websites. This will bring readers to your blog who have found your content insightful.
If you find yourself struggling with finding websites that are willing to publish your content, consider starting a blog on your own website and inviting others to publish guest posts there. While this strategy will not work overnight, it can be a great way of building relationships with other contributors over time. Building an online network is absolutely essential. When you give before you receive, you will be surprised at the opportunities that present themselves to you.
Get Listed In Industry Directories
One of the best ways to generate backlinks for your website is to get your website listed in industry directories. There are a lot of these directories out there but it is important that you only choose ones that are relevant to your niche.
It is important that you take the time to write a compelling description of your website since this will be visible when people click on your link. A generic, poorly written description is unlikely to convert and can limit the results you get from these directories.
It is also worth noting that some sites will charge you to submit your site to their directory. In most cases, you can expect to pay around $25 per year to be listed.
Create Valuable Content That Generates Backlinks Itself
In addition to the link-building opportunities you have access to through the efforts described above, it is also smart to create content that generates links by itself.
Content that people organically link to is generally high quality and useful. If you can create this kind of content regularly (or hire someone who can), then your website will generate a steady stream of new links and referral traffic.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when working on linkable content:
- Understand the types of content that have historically attracted links for your site and competitors’ sites. Use BuzzSumo or Ahrefs Content Explorer to find popular pieces. Then, think about how you can improve upon them by doing something similar but even better, such as creating something longer or more up-to-date.
- Execute keyword research to find out what topics people are searching for related to your business so that you can create content around those topics. Make sure you understand the difference between head terms (e.g., Google algorithm updates) and long-tail keywords (e.g., what changes Google made in its algorithm in 2019). Long-tail keywords are more specific than head terms and tend to have higher conversion rates as they catch people who are later in the buying/conversion cycle.
Republish Your Content on Third-Party Sites
If you have an established relationship with another site, this can be a great way to generate backlinks. The key is to build ongoing relationships with other websites over an extended period of time. If you are writing for another website, don’t make it your primary method of gaining backlinks. However, if you do write on third-party sites, be sure to link back to your original article. This will help bring more traffic and exposure to your own content and website.
Examples of sites where you may consider this strategy include:
- HubSpot’s Marketing Blog
- The Moz Blog
- The Sales Hacker Blog
- Fast Company
Send Your Articles To Bloggers in Your Niche
Be sure to only contact bloggers who are relevant in your niche, as their readers will be more likely to be interested in the information you’re giving them.
The next step is to find some bloggers in your niche. Ideally, you should choose people who have a blog or website with decent amounts of traffic and lots of followers.
One way to do this is by using Buzzsumo. Type in a topic that is related to your business/website and click “Show Me”. You can see from the results the blogs that have been shared thousands of times on social media:
Build Relationships With Influencers
Influencers are people who have made a name for themselves in certain niches. They are the people with influence and authority within a niche that you ideally want to connect with. Their audience is desirable because they tend to follow what the influencer does, so it is important that your website is building relationships with influencers and their audiences. Once you’ve found influencers of interest that share content similar to your own, building relationships with them is relatively simple. You can achieve this through social media or by emailing them and letting them share your content and links with their audience. Certain influencers will share content in exchange for a promotion fee. This can be an effective method in capturing an audience’s attention but can also be costly.
Give Backlinks To Get Backlinks
Giving backlinks to other people guarantees that you will have the opportunity to get some back in return (even if you don’t get as many as you give). It’s a great way to build up links even if your website is not very established.
A few ways you can give backlinks are:
- Link to other websites from your blog posts and articles – especially those with high authority – so that influential blogs have a chance at earning some backlinks and traffic themselves.
- Link relevant sources from guest posts, social media profiles, information pages, etc., so that other websites get credit where credit is due – this makes webmasters happy by providing them with an extra source of traffic!
By being the first to link to other people’s content without being asked, you will increase your chances of being linked back by other websites. You will also grow your online network and become more connected with the community as a whole.
Conclusion
You now have all the necessary tools for developing a robust backlink building strategy. Not only do you now know how to generate backlinks, but you also understand how to maintain quality ones. You’re well on your way to increasing your website’s authority in the eyes of search engines and ultimately reaching more customers online.
