Creating content that attracts links can help you get your products or services in front of customers who are looking for what you offer.
Search Engine Journal reports that 59 percent of consumers state they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
To get the most out of these backlinks, it's best to have reliable sources pointing to all of your pages.
Link building is hard work and requires a great deal of time spent on outreach, but there are a few strategies you can use to find suitable targets for link acquisition.
Optimizely stats show us that brands with at least three times more links receive five times as many conversions when compared to those with fewer than 12 total links.
Why Powerful Backlinks Are Important
Having powerful backlinks to your website is like having a superhero on your team. When you have someone with the power of Superman, Batman or Spiderman on your side, you know your business will be successful.
Likewise, when you have a link from a reputable site pointing at your website, it's bound to boost traffic and help build your brand.
Unfortunately, acquiring these links isn't as easy as snapping your fingers and saying "Great Power! It's yours!" Fortunately for webmasters everywhere, there are options that can help them acquire their own set of powerful backlinks.
How to Find Relevant Backlink Targets through Outreach
In order to acquire the links you need, you have two options: paid and free. To get started with building your backlinks, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Many companies offer paid programs where they'll build reputable backlinks for your site, but it isn't necessarily the best approach for your small business.
If you'd like to build a relationship with the company, there are a few steps you can take to acquire their trust and get the links you need.
Optimizely stats show us that brands with at least three times more links receive five times as many conversions when compared to those with fewer than 12 total links.
Before You Start: Prep Your Pitch
These companies have a great deal of high-quality content to offer, but it's their business to remain updated on industry happenings and be ahead of the curve when it comes to providing new and fresh material. This makes them an ideal target for your link building efforts. Before you reach out to them, there are a few things you should have in mind.
Key Takeaways :
- What's the one link that would move my site forward? - Who has power and influence within my industry? - How can I build relationships with these influencers?
When you're looking for powerful backlinks, don't approach it like you're looking for a job. You're not an admirer, you're a business owner who wants to build and maintain strong relationships with companies that will benefit your brand in the long run.
Successful outreach is about building relationships rather than approaching big brands like it's a sales pitch or façade.
To build a relationship, you have to be prepared and offer something of value to your target audience before asking for anything in return. If your pitch doesn't show that you're interested in what they have to say, you won't get anywhere near acquiring the backlink you need.
If there's one thing I've learned throughout my years of outreach, it's that the universe works in interesting ways and sometimes provides you with an opportunity when you least expect it. Sometimes, a few relationships can get you closer to your goal than 500 emails sent out.
For example: If I could connect with people who have domain authority on Matt Cutts' blog (the head of Google's webspam team), I'm bound to acquire a high-quality backlink.
Before you reach out, search their name in Google and review the links they have pointing at them; this will show you if it's worth your time or not.
If you can create relationships with those people because of mutual interests (and not what you're offering them) then absolutely do so; but if it's one of "those" big sites that aren't as interested in creating a relationship with an individual, maybe stick to email outreach. This is where building your network comes into play.
Over the years, I've built relationships with individuals who work for some of the biggest companies in my industry through networking events - we became friends and now they're more than happy to help me out when I need a link.
A few years back, I sent an inquiry about building links for my business specifically because I knew the email would be opened and read by my friend who worked in sales there.
She not only responded to me on her extended lunch break - she also took a picture of the email and sent it to the rest of her team (this was before social media). Her team actually hit me up later that week and started building links that same day!
Networking is simple: you make friends with influential people within your industry, and they're likely going to want to build relationships with you as well.
Knowing how important powerful backlinks are for your site's success, how can you sit back and do nothing about it?
Acquiring high-quality links requires a lot of outreach; if you don't enjoy this process, maybe it's time to get help from someone who does.
The techniques I've shared with you today will take your site one step closer to achieving its true potential... and that wasn't just clickbait! :)
