Mastering Advanced Link-Building Techniques for SEO Success

Intro

One of the major puzzle pieces for effective search engine optimization (SEO) is link building. The reasons for this are clear: Google rewards websites with strong links from other authoritative websites.

Acquiring these links to your site serves as a clear thumbs up or endorsement of your content. It shows you’re offering genuine value to your readers through constructive placements of links via anchor text, following the “reasonable surfer model”.

But any SEO expert and link builder worth their salt know first-hand how excruciating the process is. This is why it’s essential to focus on quality over quantity and pursue advanced link building techniques that get the job done. For those interested in these techniques, this post is for you.

Keep reading to discover how to enhance your link building approach with techniques that count.

The skyscraper technique

Major global cities have impressive skylines of skyscrapers that wow. These buildings stand out for their great height and spectacular and awe-inspiring designs. So, what does this have to do with link building?

Just like these skyscrapers stand out from the crowd so too there are content pieces on Google that outperform the competition. What can we learn from this? As link builders, one advanced link building technique we can borrow from the world of architecture is to skyscrape or aim big.

The skyscraper technique in link building involves:

• Doing in-depth research on a given keyword using advanced techniques
• Identifying the top content that that keyword ranks for
• Putting all your resources into action and creating new content ideas that are based on the top existing content
• Reaching out to sites that linked to the original piece asking them to link to yours instead.

Whether you add infographics or you simply create amazing content, effective keyword research and quality writing will be key.

Resource exchanges

Also known as resource page link building, resource exchanges are another powerful technique you can use to advance your efforts and build that valuable link equity you are looking for. So, what is this technique all about?

Resource exchanges entail first finding resource pages that are authoritative in your niche or field. Once you have identified these pages, it’s time to produce content of such high quality that the resource page you want to link to accepts your submission. Doing this takes a lot of skill, preparation, and prior research so be prepared to put in the hard work as you earn valuable links one at a time.

The results will definitely pay off because with high authority resource pages including your content with your link inside it is a great way to boost your rankings and get that “link juice” flowing freely in the online space.

Outreach strategies

And now for the next advanced link building technique: outreach, a fancy word for building partnerships within your industry. Since this involves the human communication element where rejection is often the name of the game, it does require some heavy lifting on your part. However, once done right, you can enjoy:

• Increased thought leadership
• Better brand awareness
• Boosted lead generation efforts
• Strengthened relationships

So, how do you go about building these critical industry relationships? Luckily, there are several ways you can do so. Here are a few worth mentioning:

Guest posting

Guest posting requires a lot of research into which niche blogs accept guest publications. You can do various searches online to discover several potential websites to which you could contribute. Contact them and present them with an article outline, which they will need to approve.

Once you have the green light to go ahead, it’s on you to produce original and high-quality content that aligns with the site’s requirements. In exchange for your article, the good news is that you will receive a backlink on your site.

As you start guest posting, it’s good to keep the momentum going and continue contributing not only to earn valuable links but also to establish strong relationships with relevant peers in the industry.

By contributing valuable content to relevant websites within your niche, you not only attract referral traffic but also strengthen your website's authority. When executing a guest posting strategy, it's essential to consider the implications of SEO migration, especially if your website undergoes structural changes or domain transitions. Partnering with SEO migration services can ensure that backlinks acquired through guest posts retain their value and integrity during the migration process, this way you ensure a smooth transition without compromising your link equity.

Roundups

Roundups are a collection of thoughts, commentary, and opinions of industry experts and leaders, curated in one article that aims to drive a lot of value. An example of such an article may be something like this: “15 Best Advanced Link Building Strategies of 2019 from Marketing Gurus”.

In order to create your expert roundup, you need to first do some reaching out, requesting their participation. In exchange for their support, you can provide a link to their site on yours. Alternatively, look for writers who prepare these types of posts and see if they are willing to mention any of your resources in their article.

Other forms of roundup sharing include podcasts that focus on top tools and products and YouTube videos that display top products within a certain niche.

Create visual assets

Most people are visual consumers of information and this is where visual assets take center stage. Wondering what kind of assets you can create? Luckily, there are several options. These include infographics, guestographics, and instructographics. Let’s explore each one in more detail below.

• Infographics: Start by focusing on a topic that is relevant to your industry. Collect and gather your data and present it in a visually appealing way. Be sure it is interesting and informative. This is the content creation process. Once you’re ready with this, you can contact websites and bloggers who may be willing to showcase your work on their platforms.
• Guestographics: Similar to infographics, guestographics take textual information and convert it into a visually appealing infographic with a new format. However, the difference is that you’re contributing your infographic to guest posting sites, hence the name guestographic.
• Instructographics: We all know that writing guest articles is highly time consuming. So, why not create infographics that can compensate for an article? Using your instructographic, you can help readers figure out ways to do something in an informative way. Since they’re easy on the eye and easy to share, they’re also a valuable way to earn backlinks. Remember, you can also use this strategy to update some of your older blog articles.

Invest in thought leadership

If you haven’t heard of Google’s E-E-A-T, now’s the time to listen up. Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness are what this search engine places a lot of value on. So, to boost your authority and credibility online, it’s a good idea to invest in thought leadership.

You can reach out to reporters through platforms such as Connectively (formerly Help A Reporter Out or HARO) and others, and contribute your thoughts and quotes to their articles for publication.

While it’s not guaranteed that your quotes will always be selected, it’s a great opportunity to earn backlinks if you offer high-quality content to journalists that they can use. It’s a matter of being persistent and consistent over extended periods of time.

Niche-specific communities and forums

Another great way to earn backlinks is by posting comments and thoughts on niche-specific communities and forums. One great example of a powerful community forum is Quora. It’s where people ask questions and experts answer.

Apart from solidifying your authority as a brand, you can also offer helpful advice and suggestions that the readers will value. It’s also possible in some cases to insert links to a valuable article or content you’d like to share.

However, be sure not to use spam tactics to achieve your backlink goals. The crux of the matter is about being helpful first and foremost followed by seeking backlinks.

Case studies, surveys, and original research

Google and Google’s users love original content. This is where you can really step up to the plate and offer your audience something worthwhile. Yes, we are talking about case studies. This is where you do prior research on a specific topic that will be of interest to your audience.

Once you have the research ready, it’s time to choose a case study to focus on. Alternatively, you may wish to publish the results of surveys you’ve carried out or the results of original research that you’ve performed.

Be sure to tag companies, individuals, or websites that you’ve cited in your research and see if you can build relationships with them to link back to you and spread the word about your work.

Link building metrics and analytics

Every strong link building strategy is necessarily accompanied by tracking important metrics. By monitoring your performance over time, you can see which strategies are paying off and which ones could use some tweaking or refinement. But which metrics should you focus on? Our list of key metrics to track include the following:

• Search engine rankings
• Keyword rankings
• Domain rating
• Brand visibility
• Number of links
• Spam score
• Source of traffic
• Page authority
• Organic traffic
• Referral traffic
• Conversion rates

On an important note, always remember that the quantity of links should not be a determining factor in your strategy. Instead, you should focus on fewer but high-quality links that are not considered toxic links or spammy ones by Google.

Advanced link building techniques for e-commerce

And now we reach advanced link building techniques for e-commerce. This is an animal all unto its own and requires special consideration. Apart from following the techniques mentioned above, which work very well for ecommerce, too, there are two other strategies worth mentioning:

• Encourage product reviews by reaching out to influencers and industry professionals
• Monitor your brand for unlinked mentions and reach out to websites requesting they add your link to their brand mention

Whether your business is established in the industry or a startup in its initial stages, you should make sure you have a trustworthy online presence first and then build onto your link building approaches.

Conclusion

There is no single link building technique that is guaranteed to work. It’s about testing different strategies and refining them until you start making progress. Whether it’s the skyscraper technique or you prefer to publish your own original research, the strategies mentioned above are a solid starting point for your link building efforts. The most important thing to bear in mind to be successful is to be persistent and consistent and to approach each potential partnership with the due respect it deserves.