For over two decades, search engines have analyzed links and used them to evaluate websites. The more quality links to your website, the better your ranking in search engine results will be. Of course, there are other factors that affect your ranking, but the number of quality links to your website is a strong indicator of how well your pages can rank.
Let’s discuss ways a few ways you can build links to your website to increase your rankings and attract more traffic.
Create top-notch content
Authoritative websites tend to link to other authoritative websites. This means that obtaining natural editorial links requires you to create high-quality content. If your content is spectacular, other authoritative sites will link to yours — the process will happen organically.
If you’re not already blogging, you should start as soon as possible. An informative, well-maintained blog provides the perfect location to house your high-quality content. Put a great dose of effort into making your blog entertaining and informative.
The Internet is full of noise and growing amounts of regurgitated information. Make your content stand out from all the commotion and mediocre content out there — you will naturally earn links back to your website and thereby increase your site ranking.
Aim to produce content that has the potential to help your audience. If you can produce something that teaches them a skill or allows them to accomplish a task, they’ll appreciate the information and possibly share it on their social networks. In order to do this, your content should be:
- Entertaining
- Informative
- Surprising
- Unique
It should also have a practical element to it or some kind of lesson or takeaway.
You can attract new links with newsworthy information. If you explain a controversial viewpoint, host a contest, or release a new product, you can bring more traffic to your site. This increased exposure through various news outlets will naturally build links to your webpages.
Engage in outreach link building
Although “link building” has earned a somewhat negative connotation thanks to SEOs using black hat tactics, there are plenty of ethical ways to seek out link-building opportunities. Consider reaching out to other bloggers in your industry. Explain to them why your link is valuable, and they may include it in their content.
You can also encourage your brand loyalists or partners to provide links to your website. One way to do this is to ask another business to display your icon on their website. If you have a positive working relationship and can provide something of value to their customers, they’ll probably be happy to accommodate.
Create links yourself (but do so carefully)
In addition to reaching out to other site owners, there are also ways you can add links back to your own site. You can comment on posts and include one of your links, or you can add a link to your forum signature or online profile. This type of link is the least valuable, though, and search engines tend to flag them as spammy, so use them with caution.
You can also seek guest blogging opportunities, where you have the freedom to write quality content. Focus on producing and publishing authoritative, meaningful content. Include links to your website where it makes sense to do so, but don’t overdo it. Focus on quality and write with your intended audience in mind.
If a link to your website fits into the content naturally, add it. If not, wait for a better opportunity. Effective links must be relevant to your industry, otherwise they won’t provide a strong outcome in the search engines.
Stay active on social media
Once you build a following, social media provides a unique opportunity to engage with a large amount of people with very little effort. As you produce relevant content, share it on social media.
Also consider using social media platforms to engage with your audience on a personal level. This will personify your brand, bring a human element to your online efforts, and help gain healthy links back to your website.