8 More Solid Link Building Methods

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Last week, I wrote a post with 9 solid link building methods to help you strengthen your SEO. This week, I decided to continue that with a list of eight more options. Even with the 17 of them together, there are still countless other ways you can build links. Some are fairly quick, while others will take time and effort before you really start to see the effects. I recommend you use a combination of all the methods so you’ve got some constant link building effort going on.

1. Start a Blog

Adding a blog to your website gives you a way to consistently create content on a regular basis. It builds internal links, because you can use previous blog posts as reference points for your readers. Not only this, but it lets you naturally attract links to your content. The blog itself isn’t going to build links, but what you do with the blog that will. If your website is built on WordPress, you’ve already got the structure you need to start a blog, so what are you waiting for?

You can then submit your blog to various blog directories. But, it’s important to remember that not all blog directories are created equally. Some will pass great value, while others won’t really offer much.

2. Contribute to Other Blogs

Bloggers sometimes struggle to create content on a regular basis. To make up for the difference, bloggers often accept guest posts from other bloggers to fill in the gaps. You can pitch those bloggers to ask if you can guest post. You can get a link from the post, and you can drive traffic from the post to your website.

You can search for “niche+guest posts” or “niche+write for us.” Visit the websites you’re interested in contributing to, and add them to a spreadsheet. This way you can make notes about topics you’d like to pitch, and keep track of who you’ve already pitched and who has responded. This way you can make sure you’re on a schedule you can keep up with.

If you’re not finding as many as opportunities as you’d like, there are platforms to help connect you with bloggers who are specifically looking for guest posts. Check out My Blog Guest and Blogger Link Up to get started. There are some who say guest blogging is dead. If the links to your blog aren’t dofollow, you won’t get any juice from the domain, but it can still be a good way to expose your blog to new audiences.

When you write a guest post, keep these things in mind:

• Write quality content – take your time with it, and make sure it has something of substance for the audience.
• Don’t include your link in the article itself unless it fits contextually – the blogger will include it in a bio for you.
• Have multiple, useful outbound links in your posts – don’t just think about your target site.
• Link to other blog posts internally, to help the blogger you’re guest posting for, too.
• Include images and/or video where appropriate.

3. Promote Your Content on Social Media

People aren’t going to link to your content if they don’t see it, so social media will play a key role in helping you promote your content. Not everyone will link to your content, so it’s important to get the content in front to the right people.

But the last thing you want to do on social media is constantly toot your own horn. If that’s all you do, people aren’t going to pay attention to you anymore. A good rule of thumb is to share eight or nine other pieces of content that don’t originate with you, for every one of your own. It’s okay to schedule multiple tweets and posts with the same content, as long as you’ve gotten some space between them.

4. Build Relationships with Others

Taking time to build relationships with others, online and in person can help you build links. It’s true you may not directly get links from the relationships you build, but you never really know. Over the long term, you can expect a portion of those relationships to turn into links. So, how can you build the relationships you need?

• Participate: Participate in surveys if someone in your network is looking for people. Find and engage in Twitter chats relevant to your niche or industry. Be active in groups and communities where your customers are found.
• Network at Conferences: Go to conferences for your industry to connect with people face to face. Search the conference beforehand to connect with attendees on Twitter, so you can take the online conversation one step further in person.
• Really Interact with Them: Show them you are more than a picture. When someone posts about their kid’s birthday, share your happy birthday wishes. If their son just graduated high school, congratulate them.
• Random Acts of Kindness: Be nice to others as often as you can. Always look for ways to help, because you never know when someone may be able to return the favor. That doesn’t mean you should act with the expectation of something in return, however. Just be nice and wait for the karma to come back to you.

5. Use Images to Your Advantage

Images are often overlooked as a source of links. People everywhere are looking to find relevant images to use in their content, and you can take advantage of that, if you have quality images you’re willing to license.

When people use your images, you’ll get an attribution link in return – if they’re honest. Always have your camera, especially if you’re at an industry event. If you take 100 photos and only publish half of them on your site for use, there’s good back linking potential there.

If you’re not much of a photographer, you can create quote graphics with a tool like Canva and ask that people provide attribution in exchange for free use. If you generate a lot of images, you may want to add a media gallery to your website. Then, do some image SEO so you they rank for various image search queries. If people steal them, don’t panic. You can always reach out to them and ask them to include a link. Make it easy for them by including the necessary HTML they need to include a link back to you for them to copy and paste.

You can do the same thing with video. Just build up a library of them and make them available for webmasters to embed them. Include your attribution link in the embed code so you get the back link.

6. Write Columns on High Authority Websites

Rather than looking for guest blogs to contribute to, you can look for authority websites in your niche to become a regular contributor to. The high authority websites in the business arena, like Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., and various others are hard to gain authorship on, but can help you build credibility. Not only this, but they have high traffic volumes to expose your column to thousands of readers.

7. Use Help a Reporter Out

Help a Reporter Out is a resource for journalists to find sources for upcoming stories. When you sign up, you can find a list of things people are looking for sources for, so you can secure coverage for your business. Check the platform daily and subscribe the relevant niches so you can get alerts accordingly. Pay attention to the details of the request, and be quick to respond with what the reporters are looking for. Remember, just because you respond to the journalist doesn’t mean you will hear back. They are busy people with deadlines, just like you. Even if you don’t get a response, keep trying. You’ll eventually get coverage and even if you don’t, you can build relationships that may be beneficial later.

8. Crowdsource Posts

Getting answers from a group of industry experts can attract links. When you’ve got a great piece and some influencers to help you spread it around, you can attract an exponential number of links. The experts mentioned in the article will do a lot of promotion for you.

Look for people who are crowdsourcing their posts, too. This is another place where building those relationships comes in handy. When you become an expert mentioned in one of those posts, you can promote it to your audience, and get exposure from a new one. You’ll get a link back to your site with your quote or contribution to the piece, as well.

Build Link after Link After Link – Naturally

Link building is a task some people love, and some people hate. It takes time, and Google knows this. Of course, you want to build as many links as possible, but don’t stress about the speed at which they’re built. Too many too quickly, and your hard work could backfire.

At my agency, Sach’s Marketing Group, SEO is what we do. And link building is a major part of that effort. If you find you’re one who hates it, get in touch. We can help you build the right kind of links at the right pace, so you can focus on the things you really enjoy.