After the original Google Penguin update in 2012, the fear of penalties left many webmasters hesitant to continue their link building strategies. Although the new guidelines shook the world of link building to it’s core, it’s still a vital signal Google uses to rank the importance of websites.
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After the original Google Penguin update in 2012, the fear of penalties left many webmasters hesitant to continue their link building strategies. Although the new guidelines shook the world of link building to it’s core, it’s still a vital signal Google uses to rank the importance of websites.
Google’s crack down caused 19 percent of companies to scale back on their link building focus in 2014 because of the manual actions. But, there are still many legitimate ways to link build while meeting Google’s expectations.
I suggest you look at your link building from the stand point of an outsider. Ask yourself:
- Do you consider your content trustworthy?
- Are there obvious errors?
- Does it look like spam?
- Are you a leading authority in your space?
So how do you get these coveted links?
It Takes Time
The days of taking short cuts to rank quickly are gone. If you use link schemes that are intended to manipulate page rank or search results, you’ll put yourself right into Google’s radar for a penalty. Put in the elbow grease and dive deeper to build quality links.
Although many speculate that link building is dead, I know first-hand that it’s not. There are still many effective strategies to use that abide by Google Penguin. However, there are new challenges to finding link prospects, developing an efficient process, receiving links, and distinguishing link quality, but it’s not an impossible mission. It really all comes down to content, distribution and authority.
Become an Authority in Your Niche
As an authority in your niche, you won’t have to work as hard to build your links because they will naturally come to you. Establishing trust is the very core to being an authority, so strive to gain a solid reputation by producing great content that’s consistent. Grab your readers’ attention and engage them in every way possible to build awareness to your brand. The more you become noticed, the more you’ll be noticed by Googlebots as they crawl the internet. Think of it this way– be someone you’d want to link to. If you write a 1,500 word blog full of amazing information it will get ranked in Google, shared on social and people will link to so that their posts have sources to support it.
Build Relationships
Now that you’ve earned trust as an authority, use your power to build strong relationships with industry influencers. These relationships will build and encourage link prospects because you’re now a notable source for great information. I’ve found it helpful to nurture relationships on social media by engaging with influencers. Commenting once or twice doesn’t work. You need to keep the conversation going with valuable follow ups. Pick the people you want to work with for a life time. Help them and they will help you.
Link to and Notify Industry Influencers
Link your content to industry influencers to get your foot in the door, and then notify them about the link. In return, you may just get lucky as they’ll share your content with their followers, earning you free distribution to potentially compelling audiences. It’s not that difficult with online tools like FollowerWonk and BuzzSumo.
After you’ve linked to an influencer, don’t stop there. Work to build a long-term relationship by commenting on and sharing their content. If you keep your focus long-term rather than a one-time transaction, the relationship will continue to pay off down the road.
Write Amazing Content
Content is king, not only for content marketing, but for link building, too. 21 percent of link builders agree that content marketing plays a critical role in link building. To be effective, create unique high-quality content that’s relevant to your niche. Then, use various distribution channels to maximize the impact. Put a fresh approach to content that’s already on the internet to offer your audience what no one else has (you have to bring something to the conversation). As a result, your content is more open to wider distribution.
Guest Write for Notable Publications
Despite what you may have heard, guest posting is not dead. Don’t believe me? Even Matt Cutts says it’s still an effective form of link building, which is why it makes up nearly half of link building strategies. But, it’s now more challenging than before. Side note, don’t even think about it as link building, think about is as building the brand. If you go into this trying to get anchor text that will be an issue.
In the past, you could create a post and drop a few links, but not anymore. Now, the primary goal of your guest post needs to be great content. Any links you use must be natural and not a blatant form of spam. With a high-class post that’s original, well written, relevant, and exclusive to one site, you’ll gain recognition and links.
Get in the Local News
Earn publicity through local media distribution outlets. Yes, it’s a challenge, which is why your authority in your niche is important. The task will be a lot easier with a strong reputation. You’ll be noticed by the right people, placing you front and center to news outlets. Don’t sit around and wait for media outlets to find you. Contact local PR agencies or use sites like Help a Reporter Out to get in front of the right people.
Create Guides, Whitepapers, and Infographics
Mix the content you create with infographics, whitepapers, and guides. With a diverse selection of content to distribute, you’ll become more relevant and appeal to a wider audience for more linking opportunities.
Infographics and other forms of content besides articles are the second most effective way to generate links. Taking infographics as an example, with the right placement and distribution, you have the potential to boost your links because they are easily sharable and people love them.
Engage on Important Industry Information with a New Slant
We already know that it’s important to engage with relevant content, such as forums, social media, and articles. But, take it to the next level by becoming the fresh voice people crave. Offer insight and leave comments with information people have yet to discuss. Your out of the box thinking will give you an unique approach that will set you apart. You’ll further establish yourself as an authority and you’ll be that person everyone is talking about.
Build an Email List
With more than 4.1 billion email accounts world-wide, email marketing is a great way to develop link incentives, while delivering a high ROI. Use your email marketing campaign to make people want to link to you. I’ve found the secret to success involves great content, a strong call-to-action, and easy sharing options. You’ll funnel traffic and links to your website, but be sure to use proper link formatting, make your links easily recognized, and keep the links to a minimum.
Promote Your Content on Social Media
With 74 percent of adults using social media, you have a plethora of opportunity to build links. Use social media as a link building tool by providing content that adds valuable and well researched information in the form of original posts. Your goal is to encourage social media followers to click and share your links. Use videos, images, and infographics as the driving force, but don’t forget to engage in conversations to generate responses and identify targets.
Interview Experts
Reach out to industry influencers to interview. Influencers want increased online visibility just as badly as you, so they won’t say no. You’ll help them increase their brand awareness while you leverage the interview into your link building strategy. You’ll have a great interview to publish, which is likely to be shared on their websites and social platforms. Target those who have a press page because there’s an extremely high likeliness they will link to the interview from the page.
Get More Google+ Shares
Believe it or not, but Google+ posts do pass link equity because the links within Google+ posts are followed. The more your Google+ posts are shared, the more high-value links you’ll receive. The secret to success relies on building a strong follower bases, creating quality blog posts, and adding relevant external links.
Although link building has gotten harder, there are endless possibilities with a little hard work and creative thinking. There’s no overnight fix to build a positive link profile, but if you strive for excellence, the rest will fall into place.
Sources:
“Case Study: Using Industry Authorities for Link Building” MOZ
“Link Building the Right Way in 2014” SearchEngineWatch
