Chapter 3: The Ultimate 38 Backlink Tactics for a Link Building Strategy
There are several tactics for a link building strategy. Some methods are easier with less impact, and some require expertise with a higher impact on rankings.
If you are looking to build a backlink profile, you would require a plan that includes various link building strategies.
For better understanding, we have divided the strategies into three categories based on the ease of doing, their impact, and the required expertise.
3 Ways to Build a Link Building Strategy
1. Basic Link Strategy
It includes links that you can easily place on other websites like social media platforms.
2. Opportunity Link Strategy
It includes links that a site gets by requesting other sites/experts.
3. Reward Link Strategy
It includes links that you earn by creating high-quality content.
Let’s take a look at all of these tactics one by one.
Basic Links (Beginner Level)
Basic links are created when you manually place a link of your website to other platforms/sites.
| Type | Expertise | Identification | Impact | Characteristics |
| Basic links | Beginner | No- Follow links | Low |
|
1. Social Media Profile
Strategically placing the link of your site/webpage on your social media platform will help you with more reach, traffic, and leads.
2. Forum Link Building
Forums are often used by potential customers to resolve their issues. Thus, organizations are also often present there to answer queries. Then links can also be added to these comments/posts for easy backlinks.
3. Directories
Directories like Yellow Pages are online databases of contact information that people use to learn about organizations.
4. Emails
Any emails sent by the organization can contain website links to boost traffic. It’s easy to get these links, but the impact is quite low.
6. Wikipedia Updates
Wiki pages can be updated by anyone to include links. The impact on SEO will likely be low/medium, but these links can increase traffic.
7. Online Giveaways
By providing certain products for free through campaigns, a website can increase traffic in the short term and have a high impact on SEO.
8. Campaign Microsite
A microsite (a small independent website) built differently, based on a single promotion/campaign, can include multiple backlinks to the original website. The impact of this on SEO can be quite high, albeit with medium difficulty.
10. Submit Creatives To Online Platforms
Any images or infographics made can be submitted to websites like Behance, Pinterest, or Slideshare to increase external links.
11. Submit Videos To External Websites
Videos made by the business can also be sent over to multiple platforms like YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vimeo, along with a link to boost traffic and improve SEO.
12. RSS Feeds
There are sites in the web world that will find your content via RSS feed and copy it without your consent. However, they forget that the links given inside the content will link back to the original site (your site), and you will get a free, organic backlink.
13. Webinars
Webinars can be hosted on the website or on social media handles to increase traffic and improve rankings.
14. Free Resources
Ever notice how Pixabay or Wikimedia offer free resources? That is exactly what you can do to have backlinks, visits, leads, and whatnot!
Post resources of your niche on such platforms and put attribution as a requirement for users to access the resources.
15. Crowdfunding
Look for projects that require funding on websites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo and, in return, get free organic backlinks.
Opportunity/Requests Links (Intermediate Level)
Opportunity or request link is a two-step strategy.
The first step is to find out the opportunities or gaps that you can work on, and the second step is to request a backlink in exchange for the gaps you filled.
| Type | Expertise | Identification | Impact | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opportunity Links | Intermediate | Follow links | High |
|
Let’s review all the tactics one by one:
16. Guest Blogging
Guest blogging refers to writing a valuable blog post for other websites voluntarily in exchange for a backlink.
17. Broken Links (404 Errors)
Broken links refer to looking for unavailable or dead web pages on the top sites of your niche.
Once you have a list of all the broken links, create content similar to those pages on your website. Then you should reach out to the webmaster and recommend your link to replace the dead link.
18. Reclaim Your Creatives on Other Websites
Any images you create may be used by other websites as well. The ideal strategy, in this case, is to request them for the due credit.
19. Influencer Links
Influencers and reviewers are frequently contacted by businesses to put their links or review their products. This will allow an influencer’s followers to learn about your business and improve SEO.
20. Collaboration Campaigns
Businesses can collaborate with each other on specific campaigns to transfer traffic, increase their search volumes, and improve rankings.
21. Skyscraper Technique
It is a technique where you find a piece of content and then search for the ways in which you can make the piece more valuable. Once you refine the content with all the gaps filled, you can reach out to editors and get that link replaced with your new, shiny link.
22. Top List Articles
Find out blogs in your niche that mention other businesses in a listicle. For example, ‘Top 10 streetwear brands in America. Then reach out to the editor of this blog and request them for a mention, as your brand has the potential to fit in the listicle perfectly. If they find you to be a good match, you might get a backlink and tons of traffic.
23. Podcast Guesting
By appearing as a guest on a podcast, anyone representing a business or a company can earn a backlink for the website.
24. Link Exchange/Reciprocal Links
Brands often request other brands and blogs to exchange links. This ensures that both businesses share an audience and benefit from the strategy.
25. Discounts
You may reach out to sites that post discounts and deals from various brands and submit your discount offer as well. This would help people to visit your link from the post and you would get your desired backlink and traffic.
26. Ego Baiting
Businesses often exchange praises and consequently link as well to help each other out. This strategy can work for both content marketing and link building.
27. Unlinked Mentions
Brands often scour the internet to look for places that mention them without linking. This serves as the opportunity for brands to score backlinks from external websites.
28. HARO Links
By providing expert opinions to journalists and reporters on www.helpareporter.com, a brand can request backlinks in exchange for the service.
29. Brand Comparisons
External content creators are contacted by the business to create comparison content pieces. This provides backlinks both to you and your competitors. The results determine which party gets favorable links.
30. Review/ Unboxing
If you are a product-based company, you may want to collaborate with content creators by sending your products to content creators in exchange for a detailed review or unboxing and, of course, a link to your site (backlink).
Reward Links (Advanced Level)
The Reward link strategy (AKA Linkbait content strategy) involves receiving high-quality backlinks based on your unique and valuable content. You need to create outstanding content that compels journalists, experts, or other businesses to link back to you.
| Type | Expertise | Identification | Impact | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reward Links | Follow links | High |
|
Here are some ways to gain Reward Links:
31. Manuals/Guides
We live in a digital world where we have easy access to all kinds of information. Be it mastering a new skill or learning how to use a product or service via a step-by-step guide.
This is the reason you need to develop manuals and guides in your niche that would offer value to your customer’s knowledge and lead them in the right direction.
32. Research Results and Polls
People are always looking to validate their pieces by adding research results, no matter what the niche is.
So, make sure the content on your site has some statistical backing, which can get you a good number of high-quality backlinks.
33. Updates and News
With the world constantly evolving, we witness new products, services, technologies, and algorithms coming in every day.
People would like to stay relevant and updated with the world cause who’d like to be left out, right? So, be the first one to create a piece on any news or update in your niche that people can easily cite.
34. Listicles
Who has time to read long, boring text just to find one piece of information, right?
Your audience is looking for skimmable answers, and Listicle is your way to go.
A listicle is the organization of information in the form of bullet points that are easy to understand and remember.
Do you know that most rich snippets are also in the form of Listicles? This means Google is also a fan of short and nice answers, just like everybody else.
35. External Case Studies
Achievements and notable events are often recorded by independent firms when a brand is concerned. These case studies provide credible do-follow backlinks that up the rankings of the brand.
36. Green Content Mentions
When a brand gets involved in environmentally friendly practices and/or conducts a CSR event on the same topics, the return comes in the form of green content. These are content pieces where the brand is positively mentioned.
37. Infographic
An infographic created by a business that is valuable is often requested by other websites. It is basically a huge chunk of information presented precisely in a visual. The businesses allow the usage in return for a backlink.
38. Case Study
Notable incidents with the businesses are often compiled in the form of case studies and used by external organizations. Businesses get backlinks from these online case studies, too.
The list of backlink tactics can help you derive a link building strategy.
But in the next chapters, we will explore the top tactics from all three link building strategies: basic, request, and reward.
Further Readings
- Link building Strategy for Your Niche
- How to Create Valuable Links in Difficult Niches
- Is Guest Posting The Only Way To Build Links?
- How Important Is It To Fix Broken Links?
- Content Marketing: A Simple Guide For 2021
- A Step-By-Step Guide To Ecommerce SEO
- SEO & Digital Marketing For Educational Institutes: The Ultimate Guide
- SEO For Hotels [The Ultimate How-To Guide]
- SEO For Law: The Complete Guide
- How Effective Content Marketing Can Attract High-Quality Links
