How do you take your link building to the next level? It’s a question you should be asking yourself often.
The web and Google’s algo are built on links and not just guest post links for that matter. There are a myriad of awesome places to get great links out there and a wide range of ways to gain them.
So, we thought – what better way to give you guys a boost than create a list of some of the more leftfield ways to win, gain and grow your links. Read below, learn how and prosper!
Testimonials
After purchasing a product, service, or whatever else from a company online, particularly from the bigger websites, the vast majority will let you send in a testimonial. If you write a testimonial that’s both compelling and believable, chances are it will be published.
Don’t forget to include your link in the testimonial and it just might be the cheapest high PR backlink that you ever get. Keep in mind, however, that this method is not guaranteed, but definitely worth trying.
Podcast Interviews
The growth in the popularity of podcasting, particularly the interview format is a potential boon for links as well as exposure. Simply put, podcasters require a steady supply of guests, and you need to position yourself as a worthwhile option.
The links will show up in the show notes, which can be an excellent way to get citations to your home-page, your most impactful articles, as well as your valuable opt-in content. However, you must first find a way to be hosted on such shows.
Podcast interviews could actually be more doable than you might assume, because as previously stated, podcasters require a constant supply of fresh guests. Podcasters are always looking for new and interesting people beyond the realm of the typical echo chamber found in every niche.
The secret is to do excellent work that shows you know exactly what you are talking about. You should also do proper research by:
– Finding relevant podcasts
– Taking the time to fully understand the show, its host, and its audience
– Sending a friendly note explaining why you would be a great subject for an interview
Donate
Did you know that you can earn backlinks if you donate to nonprofit organizations? It is actually a quick and straightforward method. All you need to do is find websites in your niche that accept donations and then link back to the websites that you have donated to. Just submit the amount of the donation you would like to make and write the URL of your website.
To find such websites, you must spend time searching on Google. Below are some of the queries that generally produce good results:
– Donation + Contributors + Your Keyword
– Contributors Page + Donate + Keyword
– Contributors Page + Your Keyword
Give for Free Resources to Get Loyal Followers That Link to Your Website
Giving for free resources gives users a taste of what they need to expect when working with you. A free sample helps show people that they are valued. You just require something that can attract them. According to the specialists, a free resource is a lead magnet. The lead magnet, as its name suggests, is a lead generation idea that can take the form of a course, e-book, checklist, and something similar.
A free resource also serves as a statement and can offer you authority in the domain if it has a clean design and is properly documented. If visitors see that you have content that’s full of valuable information, they are more likely to think of you as an expert.
Surveys
List the results of an industry-related survey that you created.
People like linking to statistics and data. In fact, content that’s backed by research is one of the content types that’s most linked to. Fortunately, you can quickly and easily create your own data source that’s link-worthy.
Use a tool such as Google Forms or Survey Monkey to create your own poll or survey. Ask your blog readers, email subscribers, and social media followers to respond to the survey that you created and publish the results on your website.
Use tools to turn these into infographics. Infographics are also incredibly effective when it comes to attracting links, which means that you will get twice the benefit from your efforts.
Forums and Q&A Discussions
Forums provide several impressive opportunities for you as well as your business.
First, you can build links, bit never overdo it on forums. Avoid focusing on anchor text and keywords since people visit the forums to find specific answers to their questions. So, provide a relevant link only when you think it will actually help solve someone’s pain points.
Second, you will meet other people in your industry that you can collaborate with in the future. The people you meet on forums can also become your customers in the future.
Lastly, spending time on the forums helps you identify new topics that you can tackle on your blog. If you find a common issue that people are seeking help for, it can be addressed on your blog and you can share the link on the forum.
Ideally, you should add a link to your website in your account’s signature. If you do that, everyone will clearly see it and you can start focusing on engaging with your niche’s community as well as building meaningful relationships.
Images/Photos/Graphics
Making your articles visually attractive is part of any good blog strategy and using images to break up blocks of text is one way you can do this. In reality, most people lack the time to create custom graphics for each article they write, but you need to at least ensure that you do it for your big cornerstone content pieces.
It is also important to make it clear that you are willing to let others use your images. This can be as simple as stating this underneath the images. You can then use plugins to make it easy to share your images, but the best recommendation would be to watermark your images as stylishly as possible.
Anybody that uses your graphic will likely link to you, but if they don’t, that’s okay. Recapturing those unlinked mentions will be discussed later on.
If you don’t have any interesting data in your articles, you can use other people’s data and create a graphic based on that as a good way to add some graphics. The added bonus of this approach is that the data’s source would probably be interested in using the graphic and crediting you for it.
Reverse Wikihow Link Building
Wikihow is a website that receives a huge percentage of its traffic from the search engines.
While the website’s external links are no-followed, the webmasters that are taking advantage of their resource have built multiple other links that can be duplicated too.
When Wikihow pages link to external sources, they use the heading text “Sources and Citations”. It means, therefore, that it is possible to pull back relevant pages from their site with a custom Google query.
If you were to edit the query to include a word that’s relevant to your industry, it would be possible to find active webmasters building links in your space.
In similar fashion to the other reverse-analysis ideas that have been previously shared, you would go and analyze the rest of the backlinks that these websites have picked up to find great link opportunities.
Build Authority by Being Quoted by an Editor or Journalist
It is a strategy that’s proven to be successful and helps you earn links. If you don’t have a Help A Reporter Out (HARO) account, you need to get one. HARO is an online service that helps add value and deliver quality information to a publisher. It was originally created for journalists to connect with people that have the expertise to offer relevant information. If you help, the Internet’s powerful force just might surprise you. You will have the opportunity to get quoted, which means that you will earn links. Here is a good guide.
Answering Questions on Quora
Quora marketing is a grossly underutilized strategy, which is both a good and a bad thing. It is a good thing since Quora users appreciate answers that offer value and are likely to visit your website to learn more if you include a link at the end off your response. So, there are plenty of opportunities to generate traffic and earn loyal followers.
It is a bad thing because a growing number of marketers are flooding the platform with make-belief questions as well as answers simply for the sake of redirecting traffic to their websites. You must never attempt this.
A better approach to Quora marketing would be to provide genuine answers and leave it up to readers to check out your blog. The higher the number of upvotes your answer gets, the more it will be promoted, and the higher the number of people that will check out your website.
Creating Profile Pages for Big Fans
Everybody loves recognition, and your super-fans are not an exception. Super-fans are the people that consistently read and engage with your content, and who may actually take part in creating content for your website as guest bloggers.
You can create author or profile pages for such fans with their headshot, bio, and description of how they are connected to your business. You will obviously want to check with them first, but in most instances, they will be happy with the recognition.
The key is to really build them up on the page by including links to past awards or achievements, as well as making the piece something they would be proud to show off.
Conference and Event Links
One of the best ways to raise awareness and connect with many influential people is to speak at an event or conference. Speaking engagements may include both international and local conferences along with business workshops, academic lectures and various other industry-specific networking events your business can benefit from.
Simply getting listed with a link on the event website is great for improving your visibility online as well as your SEO ranking, but you will also have the chance to connect with experts in your niche.
Taking Photos of Events in Your Industry
Chances are that you and your colleagues will attend industry-related events throughout the year. Such events are usually written about online. Images will always be needed when such events are covered on various websites to accompany the purely textual information.
Creating a mini-culture in your organization of capturing moments at industry events in the form of pictures and posting them on your blog is an excellent way to offer value to your industry while getting links along the way.
When you post images on your blog, ensure that you state clearly the event as well as the year to make it easy to find your images. It is also important to make it clear that you own the copyright to the images but are willing to allow others to use them with attribution in the form of a link.
Annoy Somebody Important
It might sound unethical and harsh, but it really is not, as long as you the legal line is never crossed. Sink your teeth into a popular webmaster or blogger, post about it, and wait for the links to start pouring in. However, you should be careful never to cross the lines of defamation of character or slander. This is possible and has actually been done numerous times in the course of history. You should, however, be capable of justifying your reasons for slamming them i.e. have friends, witnesses, or sources that can back you up. It can be a very successful strategy.
All of the above take a little effort but can be a great sustainable way to really rock your link profile.
