Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most important components of an effective and comprehensive online marketing strategy. High-quality backlinks are a vital part of off-page SEO, and they have the power to drive your website and improve search engine visibility.
Unfortunately, the practice of backlinking has had a poor reputation in the past. This is due to the fact that if you are linking to a “spammy” website, Google will actually penalize you and drop your rankings. This includes publisher sites that will accept articles of any length or any topic, just as long as you pay them to publish it. If this is a practice your company has participated in, bad backlinks, both free and paid, should be disavowed so that your website remains unaffected.
Businesses associated with relevant, trusted websites will see a positive impact on their rankings, especially if you make a habit of producing quality backlinks little by little. There are many ways to get the quality backlinks you actually want, and SEO Brand will show you how to get started in three simple steps.
1. Content CreationÂ
Google favors relevancy, so the first step is to make sure that you create good content is actually valuable to your audience. A successful expert knows that organic SEO includes the use of keyword rich articles loaded with useful information within your industry.
It’s not just blog posts, either. Content qualifies as any piece of communicated information that is meant for an audience. If you’re unsure what kind of content to create, here’s a short list of popular items your demographic will love:
- A “how-to” article explaining a step-by-step process
- An infographic with visual representation of data
- A Q&A session about one of your specific products or services
- Free resources or guides that can be downloaded
- Videos or webinars to create a “story” about your brand
2. Content DistributionÂ
Once you have a piece of content, you can have it ready for distribution. This is the point where many companies go wrong. Even those who create great content can still publish them to the wrong websites.
For example, if you want to participate in blogger outreach as part of your backlinking program, stay within your niche. For example, if you are selling a healthy food product, contact bloggers who focus on healthy meal preparation or cooking. You can even try out health and lifestyle bloggers who have written about health-conscious meals in the past. Just make sure that whoever you contact has a good number of followers and is a trusted member of your industry.
It may help to create an Excel sheet of potential contacts. Organize the list into categories so that you can easily remember who you have and haven’t contacted yet. Study each potential blogger and see whether or not you would be a good fit for each other.
Once you drop them a line, be passionate about your pitch and customize your message to them. Don’t simply “copy and paste” a templated email, because this practice is almost always obvious to others. If an influencer does not trust your brand or your product, they are less likely to allow guest posting or promotion on their website. Placement of the link is super important and our preference is to place the link in somewhere in the content, an editorial link is a high quality backlink.
3. Content SharingÂ
Once the article has been posted, remember to share it out on your social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even LinkedIn. Being able to share your knowledge gives you a leading edge in the industry and sets you apart from your competition. Sharing information on social media also helps with faster indexing as well as visibility.
More than that, you should follow-up with your publisher, blogger, or influencer and express gratitude. If your content proves valuable, they are more likely to share content from you again in the future. Continuing to grow and nurture your list means you quickly become a leader in your industry.
Getting Your Quality BacklinksÂ
When Google dictates the pace for which websites matter and which ones don’t, the process can be frustrating. Quality backlinks take time, energy, and effort, and Google needs time to index them correctly, so do not be discouraged if you are not successful right away.
Purchasing bad backlinks means that you are taking the cheap route. However, link building is exactly that – building. By slowly gaining traction over time, you are proving a valuable resource time and time again, and Google will notice. Purchasing bad links too quickly and with too many spammy sources, Google has reason to believe that you are manipulating their algorithm.
Having a designated team member or agency to take care of this practice for you may be the solution you need. For more information how blogger outreach or how quality backlinking can be beneficial for your business, contact the professionals at SEO Brand – we’re here to help create and build the right strategy for you.