11 Link Building Techniques for 2021
Link building is a fantastic way to build awareness of your website. It can also lead to higher rankings on the search engines. But, it will only work if you do it well and with the appropriate link building tools. The reality is that many people struggle with how to achieve the right links. Read on for expert advice on 11 link building techniques for 2021.
1. Start Link Building with a Target List
Before you start link building, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you have a target audience in mind?
- How have you segmented your audience? Focus on interest, industry, age, marital status, and even geographical location. The more you go into detail, the richer the segmentation will be
- Have you identified a niche?
- Does the content you create have relevance to that niche
- Do you have testimonials from your existing customers?
- What are your competitors doing?
2. Take Your Place On Business Listings
Do not ignore the importance of business listings. Platforms like TripAdvisor, Yellow Pages, Yelp, and Facebook are fantastic. Others include Yahoo Local, Google My Business, and Bing place.
You get to increase your brand presence cost-effectively. It is also a great way to build upon your local SEO.
3. Utilize PR Opportunities
Increase awareness of your brand by taking advantage of PR opportunities. Strive for brand mentions on blogs, news articles, podcasts, and publications.
Send articles to publications like the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Sign up to HARO (Help A Journalist Out) platform. Journalists are always looking for news articles.
It becomes a win-win situation for both parties. You get links once they publish or use your material.
4. Crawl For Unlinked Mentions
Your name could be present in the online space without your awareness. Yet, identifying such will provide you with a fantastic way to build links. Crawl the internet for any mentions of your brand. You should then reach out to the author and ask for a link. It may be a time-consuming process, but it will translate well for your brand awareness creation.
5. Offer To Write Testimonials
Companies utilize testimonials as third party endorsement for their products. The audience is likely to purchase a product that has positive reviews. Instead of waiting for the companies to reach out to you, offer to write a testimonial. Your request to them will be that they backlink the testimonial to your website.
6. Build the Right Networks
You cannot operate in a business environment without the right networks. Find forums or blogs that are in your niche. Platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook groups are good places to start. Work on building relationships by providing relevant content to the forums. The more you build your authority as an expert, the more links you will get to your content.
7. Start Guest Posting
Many websites have opportunities for guest posting. It may not be easy to come up with content. However, it is a fantastic opportunity to create a name for yourself. Ensure the articles are relevant to the target audiences. You want to engage them so that they keep coming back for more. When they trust that you are offering value, they will follow you to your website through the links. You get the advantage of building an organic audience while sharing your expertise.
“However, guest posting can take a lot of time. If you need to focus on other tasks, you can create your own team that will only focus on reaching out to different sites. Talented writers should also be part of your team. Another option would be hiring blogger outreach services. You can discuss your goals and expectations with these professionals. They’re also equipped with the right tools and applications.”
Google is a great place to start in the search for guest posting opportunities. You can use any of the following keyword searches to find blogs that accept guest posts. Just replace keyword with keywords from your industry.
- keyword “Write for us Technology”
- keyword “guest post”
- keyword “guest post by”
- keyword “accepting guest posts”
- keyword “guest post guidelines”
These searches should lead you to a blog’s guest post guidelines page, guest post submission page, or actual guest posts by other writers.
8. Participate in Q&A platforms
Q&A platforms like Quora attract millions of users. Becoming an active participant can help increase awareness of your brand. You must carefully research your content if you hope for any credibility. You also get a chance to add a backlink, allowing you to build traffic to your website.
9. Actively Leverage on Influencers
The advantage of using influencers for backlinks is they already have audiences. Many companies use influencers to push products. A cursory look on platforms like YouTube will show you how successful they are.
Research the influencers you want to work with carefully. The wrong ones could damage your reputation. A reputation management company will tell you how difficult it can be to restore your good name, once audiences have a negative perception about you. The influencers must also have the relevant knowledge that applies to your industry.
10. Sponsor Events or Causes
Google may penalize you if you buy links. Some companies do it as a way of cheating the search engines for higher rankings. The industry refers to it as Black Heart SEO. But, there is a way you can get quality links by spending some of your marketing budgets. Sponsoring events or different charities is one such way.
When your brand gets a mention as a sponsor, you can link it to your website. You get to show your philanthropic side without shouting about it. Audiences love and trust a brand that gives back to society.
11. Take Advantage of Social Media Signals
Social media has many opportunities that you can utilize. Research your target audience to determine which platforms they use the most. The next step is to provide relevant content consistently. Make sure you engage with them when they like, share, or comment on your posts.
The higher the engagement, the greater the interaction, and the chance to build organic audiences. You also get opportunities to link back to your website. The search engines will take notice of social signals resulting in better ranking.
Avoid The Following Mistakes When Link Building
Take note of the following:-
- Do not buy links because the search engine will notice and penalize you.
- Do not spam different websites with relevant content for the sake of leaving links.
- Focus on link quality, not quantity.
- Check the reputation of the website you are linking to. You have the option of disavowing links that you may question in any way.
- High-velocity links can land you in trouble. When your website starts to have too many links, Search engines may think that there is foul play involved. They will place you under scrutiny, which may impact your ranking.
Final Thoughts
We have looked at 11 Link Building Techniques for 2021. The digital environment is very competitive. It helps to find a way to build awareness amongst the target audiences. Link building is effective, but you must dedicate time and have patience before you start to see results.
