It’s common knowledge that a strategy is a step-by-step plan that helps you achieve your goals. Therefore, a link-building strategy is an approach or plan for getting high-quality links. Your primary goal should be quality, not quantity.
The Importance of a Link-Building Strategy
Now that we’ve defined a link-building strategy, let’s see whether it matters. In the context of search engine optimization, it’s not just important; it’s essential.
Trying the link-building process without a strategy is technically possible, but it’s highly inefficient and unlikely to produce favorable results.
First, you’ll have a low success rate in 90 percent of cases. Second, you won’t be confident in your good results, since they’ll be inconsistent. Third, a lack of direction will demotivate you and your company.
So, let’s start exploring the best and worst link-building strategies.
Best Link-Building Strategies
Guest blogging: A popular link-building strategy is writing posts for another company’s blog. This practice is said to be one of the most effective. Many content writers are credited with an author bio for contributing to another website. Sometimes, they may also get a backlink.
Let’s look at the link-building process in this case. First, we reviewed the website’s guest-blogging guidelines and checked out their blog. Then you shared what you wanted to write about directly with them. It’s always best to explain why you think it’s a good fit, especially for their blog. Once they accepted the topic, you sent them an article outline, followed by a draft.
ABC link exchange: An A-B-C exchange is when three websites agree to link to one another’s websites. Link exchanges can be arranged through simple outreach or with platforms such as Slack and Ranking Raccoon. When done carefully, link exchanges can help increase traffic and DA for both sides. On the other hand, a direct exchange may be too obvious to Google’s algorithm, so avoid using this strategy.
Unlinked mentions: If you have a popular tool, website, or brand, you may be mentioned in various blogs, websites, or articles. So, all you need to do is contact them and ask them to add a hyperlink. This approach is called link reclamation. That way, you can quickly turn an unlinked mention into a valuable backlink. The unlinked-mention strategy is one of the easiest, but you need a useful website or a well-known brand to use it.
HARO: Help a Reporter Out is a popular platform for reporters. It can also be used to get high-quality backlinks. The thing is, you have to be patient if you choose this strategy.
Lists: Lists are something every audience likes. They can be short “5 best” and “100+ tips and recommendations” lists containing clear, easy-to-understand information. Lists are popular because they often attract readers looking for quick, valuable information. Including products in lists the right way can help build links, improving a site’s SEO and search engine rankings.
Image promotion: If you have high-ranking images, people will use them in their content. You can then contact them and ask them to give you a link. It could be a photo, an infographic, or even an illustration. For example, you can tell them they need to add a link to your resource on their site if they want to keep using the image.
Broken link building: Broken link building is a tactic that uses non-functioning web pages. The idea is to find these broken pages and then contact site owners to replace the broken links with links to valuable pages on your site. It’s a way to increase your site’s visibility and attract more visitors by fixing broken links on other sites.
Worst Link-Building Strategies
Using brokers: One of the worst link-building strategies is using brokers to build links. This strategy has several drawbacks. You’re likely to get low-quality backlinks or links from irrelevant sites.
Links from sites in “black-hat” niches: Although it’s easier to get links from sites operating in illegal or unethical niches, the links you get will be low-quality. You can quickly damage the positive impression people have of your site. What’s more, you may soon face penalties from Google and other search engines.
Article syndication: Content syndication can harm your site’s rankings and lead to low-quality content. Moreover, article syndication may be illegal if the original content is copyrighted. So don’t take the risk—avoid one of the worst link-building strategies.
Important Tips and Tricks
Personalize your outreach email: When copying a template, it’s easy to forget to enter the recipient’s information. But when customizing an email, use keywords and phrases associated with their brand or website. You can find dozens of link-building tools to help automate and personalize your outreach. That way, you’re sure to get more responses by appealing to each person’s interests individually.
Use different link-building strategies at the same time: Even if your only link-building strategy works perfectly, your company will stay in the same place if you use just one strategy. Try different strategies and recommendations to see which ones work for your company and which ones you should avoid.
Reclaim links regularly: We’ve already discussed unlinked mentions and link reclamation. But why should you reclaim links regularly? Monitoring and recovering lost or broken backlinks continually improves link counts, referral traffic, and SEO performance, while giving your company a competitive advantage.
Every company should choose its link-building strategy based on its goals, target market, industry, and available resources. What works for one company may produce different results for another. By adapting its link-building strategy, a company can focus on channels and strategies that complement its brand identity and product offerings.
Companies can make use of their strengths and address specific challenges by adapting their strategy, leading to more effective link-building initiatives. In addition, a tailored strategy helps companies stay competitive and respond to changes in the digital marketplace. By carefully evaluating their needs and capabilities, companies can make informed judgments and apply a link-building strategy that delivers both immediate and long-term benefits.
The best option if you need a link-building specialist is outsourcing. You can outsource link building to a team of specialists or an agency, giving you access to professionals with the knowledge and experience. They’re likely to have an in-depth understanding of link-building methods that can lead to faster, more successful results.
In any case, a link-building strategy is one of the foundations of any business. So avoid the worst link-building strategies, be careful, get creative, and try new methods whenever possible!
