Search engines like Google consider websites with more inbound links more authoritative, thus ranking them higher. In the absence of such, websites inevitably fade into obscurity. The link-building process can be complex, especially for beginners, since they have to have good backlinks and the right anchor text mix.
The critical challenge is where and how to get these links. Link building is not a one-size-fits-all process; your tactics will depend on your industry, website, resources, and goals. Besides, 47% of enterprises say it is one of the most challenging parts of SEO. But you don’t need to worry. Several actionable tips in this post will make link building as easy as possible for beginners. Let’s get started, shall we?
What is Link Building?
Perhaps you’ve wondered — what is SEO link building. An SEO link-building strategy involves earning links on reputable sites to increase the authority and reputation of your site. The link-building process is essentially a content marketing strategy, but there are many ways to build links.
94% of the internet content lacks backlinks. Therefore, having them will put you at a more significant advantage. You can create valuable content relevant and helpful to other sites to elicit high-quality, relevant links from them.
Easy Methods To Understand Link Building For Beginners
Beginners can use the following easy methods to build links:
1. Link Replacement
Suppose you find an article with ten useful SEO tools on a website with a link. Following that, you have an article listing twenty tools. Considering that your writing skills are also excellent, your article is better. Your next step is to contact the site and present your offer. Your post will most likely replace the link on the site references if they find it much better.
You can substitute your ranking competitor’s link if you provide a link to higher-quality content related to the same topic. It takes a lot of time to implement this method. However, it’s best to try it if you feel your content is better than others.
2. Content Repurposing
When your content isn’t reaching enough people, it’s best to repurpose it to get to more people. You create new content from the content you already have.
You can repurpose your content by:
- Making videos, presentations, infographics, tutorials, and ebooks.
- Creating podcasts or webinars.
- Creating new content based on your listicles or videos.
For example, you can create a video or a post about troubleshooting a computer-related issue. Repurposing in-depth articles about technology is another example. From this article, you can create slideshows for webinars.
3. Recover Lost Backlinks
Backlinks don’t last forever just because you’ve gained one. Many factors can lead to backlinks disappearing. The good news is you can work on reclaiming lost backlinks! You must first figure out which links you’ve lost through tools like Ahrefs.
The next step is to understand why you lost your lost links. Has the referring site changed its linking policy? Is your site no longer relevant because of a recent update? You need to reclaim those lost links! It would help to determine why you lost the link before you proceed.
4. Guest Blogging
Acquiring high-authority links on your own is difficult, but guest blogging can help you. During your blogger outreach, take notes about the sites you’d like to guest post for, including their style, content, and focus areas. If you provide them with high-quality, well-researched articles that appeal to their audience, you may gain backlinks from them in the future.
As an industry expert, you can boost your offsite SEO signals. If you are an industry expert, consider writing for publications in your niche that might benefit from your expertise. The more your name appears in reputable blogs, the your peers perceive your brand as knowledgeable and trustworthy.
5. Directory Submissions
An online directory is a collection of websites or content available online. Link building isn’t very effective with website directories. However, being listed in a directory can increase your credibility and trustworthiness. It might be an excellent investment in the long run.
Remember not to spam directories, especially the free ones. You must provide accurate contact information, such as your name, address, and site statistics. Your website should also have a description. But if you want your site listed in directories where you have to submit banners and links, it’s best to avoid them. It can negatively affect your SEO score.
6. Broken Link Building
The Broken link building method involves searching for broken links on authoritative sites, offering your content as an alternative, then contacting the web admins linking to the pages. It provides a better value proposition for other web admins. It helps solve problems by removing the need to create new content to replace the broken link.
The alternative is to create a new piece of content to replace the broken link. Reaching out to bloggers and pitching content may lead to a “no,” or, sometimes, no response. Because of existing relationships, link-building companies with robust networks of publications and guest posts can usually earn you links more quickly.
7. Backlink Analysis
Identifying your scenario is the first step toward creating an intelligent plan. Your backlink profile is referred to as that in link building. All of the links pointing to your website and pages make up your backlink profile. In order to develop a link-building strategy, you must first perform a backlink analysis to determine the type and number of links pointing to your website.
Using various techniques, you may find out what websites and pages connect to your own website. These are commonly known as “backlink explorers.”
Popular backlink search engines
- Majestic
- Activate Site Explorer
- Ahrefs
- logical SEO
These tools are experts at assisting you in locating links to your pages and website.
8. Infographics and Other Visual Assets
Visuals make your content simpler to understand complex information, which is why linking to them is so simple. Your chances of gaining more links increase when you develop a strong infographic, chart, or other visual pieces to present essential information. Many of these links may originate from well-known websites in your niche, which may help your search rankings.
You can post a link to your infographic post along with the infographic on social media. To share your infographic, you should also contact prominent bloggers and editors of magazines in your niche.
Conclusion
It is worth it in the end, despite the time it takes to fully understand and implement link building for beginners. Once your site has an authority score, you will be surprised at how many other sites will link to it without contacting you.
