Have you ever wondered how some websites seem to rank really well in search engines without much effort? Chances are, they’re using smart link building strategies to give their site an SEO boost. Links from other websites are like little recommendations that tell search engines your site should be ranked higher. The more links you can get from quality sites, the better your own site will do in search results.
But link building can seem tricky if you’re not super tech-savvy. Don’t worry – there are actually lots of simple things you can do to naturally attract links and help search engines discover your site, without doing anything sneaky or underhanded. In this article, I’ll share some easy white hat seo link building techniques that anyone can do.
Write Useful, Shareable Content
One of the best ways to get other sites to link to you is by creating content that people find genuinely helpful, interesting or entertaining. When people discover something great on your site, they’ll want to share it. That’s when links happen organically.
Focus on topics relevant to your business or industry. Make sure to include important keywords so you rank for useful search terms. But also focus on making it easy to read with short paragraphs and visuals like images or videos. Test different content styles to see what readers and search engines respond to best.
Participate in Online Forums and Communities
Many industries have active online discussion forums where people ask questions and share advice. Spend time answering other people’s questions on these forums. If the question relates to a helpful post on your site, you can politely mention it at the end of your reply. Just be sure to primarily focus on providing value to the community, not self-promotion.
Over time, people will see you as a knowledgeable source. They may check out your site and link to relevant posts when discussing related topics later on. You can also build relationships that could lead to guest posting opportunities down the line.
Create Visual Assets to Share
People love sharing visually engaging content like infographics, charts, images and videos. Create some assets related to your industry and optimize them for sharing on social media sites. Make sure to clearly brand them with your company or website name.
You never know where these assets might end up. Other sites may feature or embed your infographic if it provides value to their readers. And every share on social media is another chance for links and traffic back to your site over time.
Guest Post for Other Websites
Reach out to websites in your niche that accept guest posts. Offer to write a high-quality, unique article providing value to their readers. In exchange, ask them to include one relevant link back to your site within the article.
Target sites that are authoritative in your industry and get good traffic. Guest posting is a great way to get links from sites that search engines trust. Just be sure not to over-guest-post or do it for the sole purpose of getting links – focus on creating valuable content for the other site’s readers first.
Get Involved in Your Local Community
Find local organizations, clubs or events related to your business and volunteer your time or services. For example, if you own a bakery, you could donate baked goods to a school fundraiser. In exchange, ask if they would add a link to your bakery website in promotional materials.
Helping out in your local area is a win-win. It builds your reputation offline while also potentially bringing new customers and links back to your site. Just remember to focus on giving value to the community first before asking for anything in return.
Build Citations and Listings
Citations are mentions of your business name, address, phone number and website on third party directories, listings and review sites. Build up citations across reputable sites like Google My Business, Bing Places, Yelp, Yellowpages and more.
Be sure all listings are accurate and consistent. Some may offer a basic link back to your site, while others let you add more details and photos. Consistent citations help search engines verify your business and boost local rankings.
Leverage Social Media Outreach
Follow influencers and leaders in your industry on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Engage with their posts by liking, commenting or sharing. Over time, they may check out your profile and engage back.
You can also politely reach out and ask influencers if they’d be open to featuring or mentioning your latest blog post or project on their own social channels. Just make sure to provide genuine value in your outreach so they feel good about sharing your content with their followers.
Measure and Optimize Your Efforts
Use analytics tools to track which link building strategies are working best for your site. Pay attention to any new links gained and check if organic traffic is increasing. Refine your efforts over time based on what really moves the needle.
Link building is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay consistent with high-quality, valuable content and outreach. Be patient – it can take months to see significant results. But with the right techniques, anyone can attract more natural backlinks and boost their website’s search rankings.
SEO Backlinks 