It’s 2018 and link building is still hot and happening. It’s not surprising, really. Over the years, link building has remained one of the most powerful tools to improve Google ranking. However, this doesn’t mean that it hasn’t changed since its inception. In fact, it changes all the time—and businesses need to adapt to such developments in order for link building to be of benefit.
WHAT DOES LINK BUILDING LOOK LIKE IN 2018?
Link building is all about receiving backlinks from other websites. These days, it’s most often achieved with the help of content; you create something unique and interesting, share it, and wait for people to start linking to it. The problem is, everyone does that. The average person sees a lot of content on a daily basis—and definitely doesn’t have time to read or view all of it. Only the content that really stands out succeeds in getting the audience’s attention. Moreover, while plenty of content is shared daily, it’s often done in the form of mentions, not backlinks themselves. It still benefits your business (or yourself as a content creator), but doesn’t have any of those traffic or SEO benefits you are hoping for. It might seem frustrating, but it shouldn’t be the reason to give up on link building. According to SEO PowerSuite statistics, 72% of SEO experts still believe backlinks to be a significant ranking factor. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to use them effectively.
Source: Link Assistent
BASIC LINK BUILDING RULES
There are only two immutable link building rules you need to follow to make this work: First, you must create unique and engaging content that will attract the attention of your target audience and inspire them to share it. Next, you must show this content to your target audience with the help of the right tools and channels. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But this isn’t all you need to know. Here are 10 link building tips that could help you acquire more backlinks in 2018!
10 TIPS FOR LINK BUILDING IN 2018
1: SHARE POLISHED, QUALITY CONTENT
One of the easiest, most effective ways to get more links is by modifying your content to be more attractive and SEO-friendly. You’ve probably seen so many posts with titles like “Weekly Inspiration”, “Best Articles Of The Month”, “10 Amazing Marketing Guides”, and so on. These short, snappy, and descriptive titles appeal to audiences by clearly outlining the content to be covered. Furthermore, articles that are easy to read, such as those in the form of lists, are more likely to engage. So, if necessary, spice up your existing content with better titles, more subheadings, and easier-to-digest content. And on days when your team can’t come up with new content ideas, draw inspiration from your competitors—just make sure to keep all content unique and in your own words. Google hates duplicate content, as do content creators themselves. Also, don’t forget to give your business a shout-out in your post. Internal linking is viewed by Google as an indicator of authority, potentially increasing SEO ranking as a result.
2: PRACTICE GUEST BLOGGING
Guest blogging is easy and very effective, especially if you post on websites with a large following. The important thing here is to pick websites that are relevant to your industry, and to offer interesting topics to their audiences. You share valuable information, and get valuable backlinks in return. But don’t waste your time writing for every industry-relevant website; focus on ones with the best reputation. Also, keep in mind that the posting process might be different for every website. Some of them allow you to submit posts freely, others require you to do outreach first. If you don’t have much experience in blogging yet, focus on ones that accept submissions—this way, you’ll be judged on the quality of your content, not by your name and reputation.
3: CREATE VISUAL CONTENT
As people see a lot of content daily, they naturally pay more attention to types that are easier to process—namely, ones including visuals. It doesn’t take much time for most people to view and understand visual content, and that’s why it gets the most shares. Moreover, when you publish things like charts or infographics, you also get backlinks when someone includes them in their posts or publishes them on their website. And if the content is consistent in quality, this will happen repeatedly.
4: MENTION INFLUENCERS
If you’ve been in your industry for a while, you probably know the names and/or faces of its influencers. If you aren’t familiar, you can also do some quick online research to be brought up to speed. Why mention and link to influencers in your content? Because if they see it and like it, they could share it. And depending on who exactly shares it, this exposure and support can have a huge impact on SEO and traffic for your business, bringing in more potential backlinks in the process.
5: OFFER FREE TOOLS
If you have enough resources to create a free tool and offer it to your audience, definitely do so. The statistics published by EarnedLinks show that demand for SEO tools has increased greatly (over 200%) over the past decade. Moreover, the demand continues to rise.
Source: Earned Links
So, if this is a possibility for you or your business, take advantage of this opportunity for leverage. If you do so, the potential for backlinks can be impressive, especially if the tool/application (or its subsequent upgrades) remains effective and relevant for a while. In this case, you could keep getting links to this content for years to come.
6: CONDUCT IN-DEPTH RESEARCH
Of course, doing this requires time and resources, but boy does it pay off. Especially in industries that rely heavily on research and innovation, it can be a huge advantage for your business to be up-to-date and informed on the intricacies of such developments. By creating content that synthesises complex information in a way that can be read and interpreted by the layman, you’ll find the backlinks will start to pour in.
7: SHARE STRONG OPINIONS
If you can boldly share a strong opinion, you’ll definitely get more clicks. You’ll also get more shares if your opinion is really compelling and well-presented. This might not work well for some companies that need to maintain a squeaky clean image. However, if you can afford to write a post that challenges the status quo, do so. Two important things to remember here: first, your post needs to be backed up with relevant data or research to support your statement. Otherwise, it may look weak and is more likely to be dismissed by your audience. Second, and most importantly, be aware of your tone. Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with being controversial, there is something wrong with being hateful and blatantly disrespectful. Keep in mind that your views will affect you and your business directly.
8: WRITE LONGER POSTS
Don’t sacrifice the length of your posts in hopes that more people will read them in their entirety. These days, people actually enjoy longer posts if they are informative and well-written, and will share them more often. Regarding topics that are particularly complex or in-depth, super-short texts will make them seem underdeveloped and not to be taken seriously.
9: ANSWER COMMON QUESTIONS
Pick the most common questions asked in your industry and write a post (or a series of posts) that answers all of them in detail. You might be surprised at how many links you get from this. The important thing here is to make these posts as accurate and digestible as you can. Answer each question with authority and provide examples if possible. The links will follow soon enough.
10: WRITE AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE
If you manage to create a guide that covers everything (or almost everything) related to a certain topic, you can accrue an impressive number of links as a result. Of course, it takes a lot of time and research to write an effective, shareable guide, but the results will be totally worth it. There’s a chance that such a guide could become the standard for a certain topic, making it easy to find and link to for a wider audience. As you can see, there are plenty of strategies to help you and your business create amazing content to boost your link building potential. Hopefully, you will find a technique that allows you to shine and gain the attention and respect of your industry. Good luck, and be sure to keep up with new developments in the world of e-commerce by checking out the Yuqo blog!
