25 SEO link-building strategies: A Beginners Guide

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Link building in SEO is necessary for a website to rank better on Google. One of the many things that are of much importance in search engine optimization (SEO) is link building. So, what is it, and why does it matter?

We’ll define what link building is, why it matters, and how to do it effectively. We will then go through 25 of the most powerful link-building strategies that will improve your ranking and traffic for your website.

Table Of Contents

What is Link Building?

Link building is the process of getting other websites to build links back to your website. The term for these links is backlinks, and they are votes of confidence. The more quality backlinks you have, the more the search engines will trust your website.

Most businesses resort to experts to attain quality backlinks and rankings.

Why is Link Building Important?

This is why it matters. The links that are used to rank a website’s authority and relevance are taken from search engines.

Here is how it works:

More backlinks will lead to better rankings in search engines.
Increased Traffic – Backlinks bring visitors from other websites.
More Credibility – Websites with strong backlinks are regarded as credible.
Faster Indexing – Search Engines will find and index your content much faster.

It’s hard to compete in search results without link building.

25 SEO Link-Building Strategies for Beginners

The more advanced your link-building strategy, the higher Google will rank your website. A reason for this principle is that backlinks reflect a vote of confidence on your site by others to show other people your site is trustworthy and worthwhile reading.

So, here we have explained 25 effective link-building techniques with examples to get you started.

1. Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is actually writing articles for other websites within your niche, in return for the site putting a link back to your website. This is an excellent way to gain backlinks and get a new audience.

Example: If your business is a digital marketing blog, you can write for the most popular marketing website. They will add your link in the author bio, bringing you traffic to your site.

2. Broken Link Building

This is a strategy of finding broken links on other websites and suggesting your content to replace

Example: If some tech blog has a broken article on “Best Laptops in 2024”, you can provide them with your updated guide as a replacement.

3. Skyscraper Method

Find some popular content in your niche. Then make something better and more informative. Finally, reach out to the websites that link to the original article and ask them to link to your new content.

Example: If “10 Best SEO Tools” is a performing article, you can write “20 Best SEO Tools with Free Trials” and contact the people who link to the first post.

4. Similar to HARO

Find popular stuff in the niche. Then come up with something better and more informative than that. Finally, contact the websites linking to the original article and ask them to link to the new content.

Example: If the article “10 Best SEO Tools” is popular, you could write “20 Best SEO Tools with Free Trials” and then reach out to people who linked to the original post.

5. Directory Submissions

High-quality directories like Yelp and Yellow Pages submit your website, as well as industry-specific ones. This improves local SEO and offers some backlinks.

Example: The list will contain your plumbing business on directories like HomeAdvisor and Google My Business.

6. Social Media Shares

Social media links are not direct SEO backlinks, but they drive traffic and increase visibility, which leads to natural backlinks.

Example: A travel blogger may get reshared in a blog on “Top 10 Beach Destinations,” bringing new backlinks.

7. Blog Commenting

Leaving insightful comments on relevant blogs builds relationships and drives traffic. However, do not spam or leave generic comments.

Example: When a marketing blog publishes an article on SEO trends, you can comment thoughtfully and include your link if the blog allows.

8. Forum Participation

Quora, Reddit, and niche forums actively answer relevant questions and add links only when it is useful.

Example: A fitness trainer answering a question about workout routines can provide a link to their detailed guide.

9. Resource Page Link Building

Look for resource pages, list helpful links, and suggest including your content.

Example: A coding blog that offers free HTML courses is listed in the web development resource pages.

10. Infographic submissions

Create interesting infographics and share them on infographic-sharing sites such as Visual.ly or Infogram.

Example: A finance blogger can submit a created infographic on “How to Save Money” for backlinks.

11. Inner Linking

Linking among your own pages helps SEO, keeps visitors around, and promotes navigation.

Example: A recipe website, with an inner page “Healthy Breakfasts”, can internally link to “10-Minute Smoothie Recipes”.

12. Testimonials and Reviews

You can also get backlinks by writing a review for any service you’re using.

Example: write a review about Ahrefs. They could then feature it with a link back to you.

13. Local Citations

List your business on local directories such as Google My Business, Bing Places, and the like.

Example: words, your local bakery needs to appear on Google Maps for better ranks on local searches.

14. Press Releases

Publishing press releases related to newsworthy stories can also help you get links from news websites.

Example: When a new app is launched by a new tech startup, it can issue a press release that will be picked up by the news sites.

15. Outreach to Influencers

Request the influencers to give a mention or review of your content with the link.

Example: A clothing brand sending clothes free to the influencers will earn social media mentions and backlinks.

16. Podcasting Guest

A guest appearance on the podcast generally leads to a website link from the episode page.

Example: The real estate expert appearing on the property podcast gets a website link in the show notes.

17. YouTube Backlinks

Add your website link in the description of the YouTube video.

Example: A nutritionist who makes videos about eating healthy can post a link to their blog

18. Content Syndication

Republish the content on Medium, LinkedIn, and GrowthHackers with a link to the original post.

Example: A business coach posting a blog post in LinkedIn Articles would attract backlinks.

19. Email Outreach

You send personalized emails to website owners asking for a backlink.

Example: For instance, you write about SEO; you get in touch with blogs that blog about digital marketing.

20. Sponsorships

Sponsor any event, charity, or contest to get your backlinks

Example: A local car dealership that sponsors a marathon will get its backlink through the official event website.

21. Develop Linkable Assets

It’s time to create useful resources, research, or case studies people will want to link to.

Example: The SEO company would create free keyword research tools and receive a multitude of backlinks.

22. Unlinked Brand Mentions

Identify brand mentions where there is no link to add one

Example: When a news website mentions your company but does not link, ask the owner of that website to provide a link to your home page.

23. Scholarship Backlink Building

Award a scholarship and request college websites to show it on the website with backlinks.

Example: A technological company offering the $1,000 coding award will get multiple backlinks for college websites.

24. Appear in roundups

Identify blogs that gather weekly or monthly expert round-ups and ask the blogger to contribute.

Example A travel blogger gets featured in a “Top 10 Destinations Recommended by Experts in Travel.”.

25. Create Ultimate Guides

Create comprehensive “ultimate guides” on a topic. These more comprehensive guides typically attract organic links.

Example: “An ‘Ultimate Guide to SEO for Beginners’ would probably garner backlinks from some digital marketing blogs.

Use these SEO link-building techniques and increase your authority, hence the search ranking, driving more organic traffic to your website. Start small, build your backlink profile, and end up being a pro!

How to Get Started with Link Building?

Look for relevant and high- quality sites.
Create Valuable Content – Post useful, entertaining, and shareable content.
Contact Website Owners- Request them backlinks politely via email.
Be Consistent – Link building in SEO is a time-consuming process and should be pursued regularly.

Common Link-Building Mistakes to Avoid

Buying Links – Paid links can get you penalized by Google.
Ignoring Relevance – Get backlinks from sites that match your niche.
Quantity over quality – Several high-quality links are worth thousands of low-quality ones.

Conclusion

Getting backlinks helps companies acquire quality backlinks, increase traffic, and rank higher in search engines.

Use these 25 beginner-friendly strategies to create a strong backlink profile and thus grow your website’s authority. Start with a few, stick to them, and keep on moving up!

FAQs

How long does link building take to work?

It depends. Some of the results occur within a few weeks, while real impact usually takes 3-6 months or more.

Do all backlinks help with SEO?

No. Spammish backlinks may adversely affect your ranking. Only seek quality, relevant backlinks.

Can we Do link-building on our own?

Yes! While most strategies don’t require any technical skill, if you need results faster, it’s possible to hire SEO link-building experts.

What are the Most effective free link-building techniques?

Guest blogging, broken link building, and round-ups are free and useful ways to earn backlinks.