You've probably heard of the term, "link building," but do you know exactly what it means? Perhaps you're new to SEO, or you just started a business and are learning how to drive organic traffic to your site. Either way, link building is and will continue to be a tremendously important component of search engine optimization. In fact, it's a rather big part of how Google determines page rankings for websites.
That's why in this post, we're sharing 7 creative link building tactics that will help skyrocket your rankings in 2022. Whether you're brand new to link building or have been doing it for a while, we're sure you'll find something useful in this article.
But before we share what these tactics are, let's clear something up.
What is Link Building & Why is it Important?
Link building is the process of acquiring backlinks from other websites to your website - a simple hyperlink from one site to another.
It's seen as one of the most powerful tools to achieve higher rankings for your site on search engines. If a lot of high-quality links lead to a certain web page, search engines automatically conclude that your content is trustworthy, therefore worthy of ranking higher in search results.
Not only does your website become known as a trustworthy source for information, but you also get tons of traffic, your blogs may rank on search results, your website will get indexed quicker, and more.
Luckily, there are tons of different ways that you can go out and start building those links and bumping up your search rankings.
Here's just a few:
1. Resources Outreach
Resources Outreach, also called "Resource Page Link Building", is an effective form of link building outreach that can earn you high-quality backlinks to your content.
So first, what is resource page link building and why is it so effective? A resource page usually shares a bunch of links to helpful resources on a particular topic. The reason why it's so effective is because unlike a lot of other link building strategies, the intention behind these pages is literally to link to other resources. So by reaching out to these pages with solid recommendations to get your blog post added to them, you're contributing to the purpose of that page.
Here is an example of a great resource page:
These resource campaigns are designed specifically to get you backlinks to your blog post, which will, in turn, improve your rankings in search engines, and ultimately increase the traffic to your website.
2. Skyscraper Campaign
The idea behind the skyscraper link building technique is to research content in your niche that's already done well in terms of attracting links. Then what you'll do is create a bigger, better version of that piece of content and then reach out to the people who have linked to the current version and get them to link to yours.
This link building strategy is effective because it's based around content. You're actually creating something of value that the market has already linked to. And by creating a version of a piece of content that's already proven to attract links, you're reducing your risk and increasing your chances of success.
However, a skyscraper campaign involves doing some research ahead of time. You will need to research your blog post topic, see what blog posts are ranking well, and then create and develop a better version of that content before beginning any outreach.
Once you have something that's clearly the best out there, simply publish that content on your website, then reach out to the people who have linked to the old blog post, recommending that they switch their link from the older blog post to your post.
3. Scholarship Link Building Program
Another way to get a high number of high authority backlinks, for a relatively low cost, is through a Scholarship Link Building Program.
Scholarship link building is where you set up a page on your website to promote a scholarship and encourage educational institutions and other websites with .edu domains to link to it from their scholarship portals.
Google has a favorable view of their websites, citing them as reliable, trustworthy sources of information. Through backlink placements on these trusted websites, you will be able to improve your website's domain authority, which will, in turn, improve your website's overall SEO value and search engine visibility.
The biggest value of this particular strategy is the high number of backlinks you can get placed compared to the relatively low cost of the campaign. Oftentimes, getting article and link placements on authoritative websites can cost hundreds of dollars per link!
We have a full article on scholarship link building that'll help you make your scholarship program more effective.
4. Guest Post For Websites With High Domain Authority
Guest posting isn't a new tactic by any means, but it has been around for so long because it still remains an effective SEO strategy. Guest posting is essentially identifying relevant blogs in your niche and reaching out to them to see if they are accepting article submissions.
You would generally pitch these websites a few blog topic ideas. If one of your topics gets the approval, you would then write up your guest post with your URL either within the article itself or in your author bio. And it's as easy as that! You just created yourself a powerful backlink.
Here's the thing, though:
It's important you target websites with a high domain authority. You can check a website's domain authority with tools like MOZ or other free alternatives out there.
5. Expert Roundups/Interviews
Expert roundups/interviews can be an excellent way to generate free high-quality backlinks to your site. Basically, you compile a list of experts in your niche and send a question through email or social media, asking them their input on the subject. Once these experts submit their answers, all you have to do is edit them and combine it into one Expert Roundup post.
Mostly, these participants are willing to mention the roundup links on their own blogs. As they got mentioned on someone else's blog, they will more likely do the same so their audience knows. Additionally, you can even ask them if they will be willing to give a backlink to the interview on their websites. It's as easy as that!
An Expert Roundup is one of the most effective types of blog posts and since it consists of advice from top experts in your niche, its chances of going viral increases exponentially.
As an example, check out this awesome roundup post.
Expert Roundup Tip:
You could also find other blog roundups and try to get your blog post included in a future roundup post. This is known as a "Roundup Campaign." By providing website owners with good content, it saves them time from having to research on their own, which will, in turn, increase the chances of getting your blog post added to the next roundup.
6. Give Testimonials
This next strategy isn't too hard to figure out: Go give testimonials! Providing testimonials for products/services that you've used gives you a great opportunity to get a link to your website. If the company likes the testimonial and places it on their page, then you could get a backlink from one of the most powerful SEO pages on their site.
7. Design Interesting Infographics
Don't doubt it - creating high-quality infographics is still a great way to get backlinks. The idea behind it is simple. When websites use images from other sites, they should link back to the original source to credit where it's from, which makes it a great strategy to acquire backlinks.
So how can you make the most of your infographics? First, optimize your images. If you optimize your images by including things like descriptive names and alt attributes, you can help them to appear in Google image search, which will improve the chances of them being found and used by other sites.
Don't feel like you have to wait, though - you could reach out to groups of high domain authority websites that may be interested in your infographic. This also makes it easier to add the credit and link to your site.
Through backlink placements on these websites, you will be able to improve your website's domain authority, which will, in turn, improve your website's overall SEO value and search engine visibility.
Expert link building advice:
Now you know how to use link building for SEO so you can improve search ranking, leads, and sales. If you've never conducted a link building campaign before, now might be the time to give it a try and experience this powerful tool for yourself.
Next, check out our article on how to Capture Backlinks From Your Competitors so you acquire high-authority, niche-specific links that are hiding in plain sight.
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Contact us to learn more about our link building strategies and other creative SEO tactics we use to grow our clients' brands online.