Link building practices might be dead or at a minimum. Sometimes seen as too much manual work. But the reality is that most have not adapted to the ever-changing rules and the higher demand for skills, specific tools, and persistence required to reap the bigger rewards from link building.
We have talked a lot about link building in past posts, and seen that a good mix of quality, quantity and engagement links are a huge ranking factor. However, with little to no requirements in today’s market for qualification of digital marketing, many “SEO experts” have focused solely on the content and on-page SEO tactics and have neglected link building altogether. These marketers try to convince themselves and their clients that link building is no longer important.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Link building is extremely important and Google has confirmed that links, (in addition to great content), are the number one ranking factor. The reality is that if Google is highly interested in links, then you should be too.
So what are some great tips you can take away and apply to your businesses link building strategy? Before we dive into 5 killer tips, we need to realize that the overarching tip is that link building must be done in a reputable way. Due to how impactful links can be on a website’s authority, Google has very strict rules on link building practices that are allowed, and how they should be handled. These are white hat link building practices. Link building practices that go against Google’s guidelines are black hat practices. It is important that your methods are approved by Google to avoid getting penalized or hurting your rankings. With that being said, let’s dive into 5 Google approved tips to crush it in 2018!
Top 5 Google Approved Link Building Tips for SEO in 2018:
1. Comment on Blogs
There are lots of ways to create backlinks. Creating links from blog commenting is the easiest way to do so, but it takes a lot of time. Make sure your comments are relevant to the subject of the blog post, otherwise they may seem spammy and the admin might not approve your comment. Links from blog comment systems are still effective.
Some of the benefits of blog commenting includes:
- You can comment on blogs with high domain authority (DA), and a high DA link has a positive effect on the ranking of your blog.
- If the backlink from a blog is ‘no-follow,’ that doesn’t stop search engines from finding and indexing your site.
- It’s also true that consistent commenting improves visibility, increases your credibility, and even builds relationships with other bloggers.
2. Write and Submit Guest Posts
Guest blogging or writing guest posts remains a very powerful way to drive high-quality traffic, expose your website to new audiences, build brand awareness, and also get backlinks! Submit guest posts to top quality sites in your niche or industry. Make sure these websites allow you to include a bio or relevant backlinks to your website.
Five benefits of guest posting include:
- When you write and submit guest posts on high authority and quality sites, you can include backlinks for organic traffic.
- Guest posting is a major source of high-quality traffic and increased brand exposure.
- Building relationships in your niche are imperative. Guest posting helps you develop a healthy relationship with your audience and that of the host blog.
- Guest posting on top sites enables you to reach a wider audience.
- Guest posting also helps you discover new business opportunities.
Important pointers for link building with guest posting:
- Don’t waste time on sites with weak or low domain authority (DA).
- Always remember to guest post on sites with a high follower base on the social networks.
3. Build Links with Video and Other Visual Content
Businesses can create good backlinks when promoting their visual content on third-party platforms such as YouTube. Getting backlinks from your videos is still possible. If you want to include videos in your link building strategy, there is no better time to start than now.
- Related: 5 Reasons Infographics Should be Part of Your SEO Strategy
- Related: Tips for Successful Video Advertising in 2018
How to create backlinks with video
- The first step is to share & promote your self-hosted videos on your social networks like any other content.
- Reclaim those links that YouTube has generated or earned for your video content.
- Go to your YouTube Analytics> Traffic Sources. Search and view websites which have embedded your videos, then contact them, requesting a backlink to your website (as source) if they haven’t done so already.
- Run the URLs of your YouTube with your backlink checker software. Find those sites still making use of your video and ask them to add a link to your blog too.
- Embed your website link in your video description box.
4. Interview Top Niche Experts in Your Industry
Another effective method of building links is publishing interviews with niche or sector experts. As with original research, your readers are likely to enjoy high-quality discussions and share them on your behalf.
The two elements which make a great interview are:
- Interview the right person. An example of this is a key influencer in your industry.
- You must ask them the right questions. The questions should provide your readers with insights into relevant topics peculiar to your industry.
How to create great interviews that are link worthy:
- Do your research: Find out what topics your audience finds interesting and valuable and what factors affect your niche the most. Before interviewing anyone, make sure they are experienced on the topic.
- Prepare the questions in advance. Fill out a list of important issues that will immediately satisfy the curiosity of your readers and will answer their questions.
- Stay flexible. We all know, scripted interviews are quite challenging to read. Prepare a plan to get the guest right back on track when they go off topic, but when something interesting is said, don’t be scared to ask follow-up questions which your readers might appreciate.
- Publish the interview: Just like original research, you’ve got to publish it. It does no good without being seen by the world.
- Advertise and remarket. Share and promote your interview on social media regularly, and do not forget to share it with the guest – they could even link to it too!
5. Hunt for Mentions
To boost your link building campaign, watch out for mentions about your site. It is possible for a blogger or other online media to mention you without linking. If you find your site or content being mentioned without being linked to, contact the owner of the website to request the addition of a link. This can be fast and does help in your quest to build relationships in your niche.
Also, look out for those dead, outdated or broken links pointing to your content and ask the site owner to update this information. Doing this will help direct traffic properly and also improve the quality of your site.
Get on track with Google’s Algorithms by using these methods in your link building strategies.
Do you have any white hat link building methods you believe should be on this list? Leave them below in the comments section. Happy link building:)!
Join Over 5,000 Businesses and Grow with Strategic Marketing!
