List of Top 7 Ways to Get Backlinks For Your Website
Definitions:
Backlink - a hyperlink on a website that leads to another website
Anchor Text - the highlighted, hyperlinked text
Origin Site - the website with the original content and backlink
Source Site - also called the destination site, the website the backlink leads to
SEO - search engine optimization, practices that improve a website’s Google ranking and online visibility
Domain Authority - how well your website ranks on search engines
What are backlinks?
A backlink is a link on one website (origin site) that leads to another website (source site). The origin site will have highlighted anchor text that, when clicked, takes users to visit the source site. It’s essentially the digital version of a citation.
Are backlinks the same as internal or external links?
No. While backlinks are links on a website that lead to your website, external links go to somebody else’s website and internal links lead to other pages within that site.
Why are backlinks important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
All of the websites that link to your site are called your backlink profile. A strong backlink profile tells Google you have a strong, trustworthy website.
The more referral traffic you have from backlinks, the more domain authority you build, and the more Google will understand and rank your content. Think of it as the digital version of “street cred”.
If high authority website owners tell Google that you’re legitimate, Google will rank you higher. When you rank higher, your website is more likely to be found in search results.
What makes a good quality backlink?
A good quality backlink:
appears on legitimate websites of authority
is relevant to your business
links to a relevant page on your website
is found within high-quality content
You want your link placed on a website that already has trust and authority. The origin website should be relevant to your business and link to a relevant page on your website. It needs to make sense to users and to Google. For example, an established SEO blog that links to your SEO services would be a quality backlink. The content your backlink is placed in must be valuable, relevant, and free of spam.
The way you obtain your backlinks is called your link building strategy. Continue reading for ways to create an ethical strategy for quality backlinks for your website.
Top 7 Ways to Get Free Quality Backlinks
1) Guest Posting
If you enjoy writing, guest posting can be a great way to obtain backlinks. Find businesses within your niche that have blogs. Offer to write a post for free in exchange for an author’s bio or a link to your website. Their business gets a valuable article and you get a high-quality backlink in return. As a freelance writer, I’ve submitted this offer in niche Facebook groups with great results. You can also head to Google to find high-ranking websites to pitch your ideas to. It helps to have topics in mind that will appeal to them and make them more likely to agree to the exchange.
2) Resource Pages
A resource page is a web page that lists resources and information on a specific topic. Find resource pages related to your business and ask to be added to the list. You can use Google to find these pages by searching:
Your Niche / Service + “resources”
Your Niche / Service + “helpful resources”
Your Niche / Service + “best resources”
Try playing around with search terms to find what you’re looking for. When asking to be added to the list, be sure to include why you would be a valuable addition. You must give in order to receive.
3) Broken Link Building
Broken link building is essentially finding broken links on the web and offering to replace them with yours. The idea is that you’re helping the owner avoid sending users to dead ends. Here are a few ways you can find broken links to replace:
Look at old resource pages. Pages from years passed are more likely to have broken links.
Evaluate your existing backlinks and replace those that are no longer live.
Use Google to find relevant websites with outdated content that may have broken links.
If you don’t have existing content that’s relevant, you can always create something new to replace their broken link.
4) Offer Your Expert Opinion
Find relevant businesses who have a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel where they interview experts in your field. Offer to contribute to their media in exchange for a backlink. When you pitch to others, be sure to include the value you can bring to their business and the experience you can share with them. Suggest an interview on a topic they haven’t covered yet or a popular subject area in your industry. This will increase the likelihood they’ll say yes to the opportunity.
You can also use websites like Connectively (formerly Help A Reporter Out or HARO). This site helps connect subject matter experts with journalists and content creators for collaboration. Create an account to answer queries and share your expert opinion.
5) Create Shareable Content
Infographics are the most commonly shared types of content. You can create valuable, useful infographics and share them to social media for more exposure exposure. You can also offer your infographic to other businesses and websites to add value to their content or to replace outdated information. Canva is an easy, free tool for creating graphic content. The idea is to create something truly valuable that people will love to share.
6) Network With People In Your Industry
Networking and sharing value is a great way to get noticed. It won’t give you an instant backlink, but networking is arguably the most powerful way to improve visibility. Get really good at building solid relationships with other business owners. More relationships means more exposure. You may even find ways to help each other or exchange services, which could result in obtaining a high-quality backlink for your website.
7) Whatever you do, don’t look for shortcuts
Building backlinks takes time and effort. There are plenty of quick, spammy, and paid options but those are majorly frowned upon by Google. Trying to do it the easy way can actually hurt your ranking. Your best bet is to use the methods listed above to ensure your backlinks are high-quality, relevant, valuable, and will contribute positively to your website’s authority.
Conclusion: How To Get Backlinks Improve Your Website SEO
Backlinks are a hyperlink on one website that leads to your website. Only high-quality, relevant backlinks will improve your SEO and help you show up in Google searches. Here are 7 ways to obtain free backlinks:
Guest posting for other blogs
Adding your business to resource pages
Offering to replace broken links
Giving an expert opinion or interview
Creating shareable content
Networking with others in your industry
Avoiding short-cuts and scammy methods
Have you found another way to obtain high-quality backlinks? Feel free to share it in the comments!
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