13 Link Building Tips From Semalt To Rank Better In Google Results
Word of mouth is and remains the best advertising. After all, people place great value on a recommendation from someone they know and trust and not only people, by the way. Google also relies on "recommendations". Whenever another website refers to your site, Google considers it a recommendation.
Now one recommendation is not the other. If your website or blog gets a lot of and especially qualitative references from popular websites and social media, your authority and credibility will grow. This will help you score better on Google. This leads to even more visitors and even more authority and ultimately to an even stronger position on Google. So… do you want to rank better in Google? Then make sure that other websites refer to your website. That is the essence of link building.
Below you will find 13 tips for successful link building!
13 Link Building Tips For Greater Success
1. Publish strong content
We cannot emphasize it enough: regularly share new content on your website or blog that is so good that other people and companies want to refer to it spontaneously.
The more often your content is shared, the more people will come to your website and the higher your website will rank in Google, with all the positive consequences that entail.
Do you want to bring (even) more people to your website and earn (even) more links to your website? Then think beyond standard blog articles.
Other types of content can also get you (and maybe even more) spontaneous links. Think of infographics, webinars, white papers, tools, templates, glossaries with jargon, how to's & tutorials, instructional videos, stories, case studies...
Do you publish content on your website? Make it easy for others to share your content. Place sufficient social sharing buttons and click-to-tweet links and, if possible, format standard messages with references to your own website.
This way your visitors only have to click 1 or 2 times to share your content (including the link) with their network. Handy for them and beneficial for you!
2. Publish the right content at the right time
If you publish the right content at the right time, you may get a lot of extra attention and links to your own website.
Therefore, take into account the time of day, the day of the week, the time of year, any holidays and events in your industry and act accordingly.
On Mondays, many people have a hard time 'starting up' again. Play on this. Friday afternoon, many people are looking forward to the weekend. You can also respond to this.
Is something new happening in your industry? Then immediately write a blog post about it (= newsjacking). This way, you enjoy the temporary attention to the subject.
Then analyze frequently which types of content at which time of the day and in which place (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, mailing list…) bring the largest number of visitors to your website. This way, you can optimize your next publications for even more success.
3. Write reviews
With reviews of new products, books and tools you can quickly attract many (extra) visitors to your website and thus increase your reach. If you are the first to write an extensive review, you will arouse a lot of interest, especially if you share your personal experiences and recommendations.
If your review is positive (be honest), you might also get a referral from the brand you write about. If your review is negative (be honest here too) then your review might start an interesting discussion. If that discussion takes place on your website below your article, you will attract a lot of extra visitors and the attention of Google.
4. Write guest blogs
Guest blogging is also a great way to get external referrals and extra visitors to your website. After all, you get a stage for a target audience that you don't know (yet). This way, you increase your reach and your influence and credibility on the internet.
Just make sure you only guest-blog occasionally and only on relevant sites with quality articles.
Note: Google now considers frequent guest-blogging as 'black hat' SEO. So make sure you blog selectively on other websites and that you always have something new to say.
Extra tip: Do you want to guest-blog? Do this especially on websites that are strongly related to your own website in terms of content. References between related websites carry more weight for Google than links between websites that have less in common in terms of content.
5. Focus on natural links
Google evaluates every referral on your website according to a number of factors. One of them is the popularity of the website that points to your website, another factor is the number of people following the link to your website (the popularity of the link itself).
A third factor is the context of the link. A link in an article counts more heavily for Google than a link without context (for example in the biography under a guest blog or in a list of links to other websites).
So collect as many natural links with text around them as possible. Google uses that text to interpret what exactly your article is about, and the search engine uses the location of the link to determine how credible the reference is.
6. Link to others
Change starts with you. So… Refer regularly and above all sincerely to other people, companies and communities on your website and social media. There is a good chance that these people and companies will then come to your website, share your content, refer and / or respond to your content.
You don't always have to agree with the people you refer to. A sincere, interesting and constructive discussion on your own website is very valuable for your visibility, findability and credibility on the internet.
7. Ask others for a link
He who does not Try can not Win. Sometimes it is sufficient to explicitly ask people from your network (with a website, of course) for a link.
Keep in mind the extra tip from point 4 above: links between content-related websites carry more weight than links between websites that have less in common in terms of content. Do you own a bistro? Then a link on the website of a sports shop will have little effect.
- Friends, family and acquaintances
You can ask friends, family and acquaintances for a link without any problems. The threshold is low and the chance that they want to help you is high.
- Customers
Ask customers who have just purchased a product from you to share a review with a link on their own website and social media. In return, you can bring their review or website to the attention of your target audience.
- Influencers
One of the best ways to get links from influential websites and blogs is to get to know the people behind these websites and build trust with them.
Mind yourself: people are people. Treat everyone with respect and build genuine relationships. Otherwise, you will have little success and you will put your online reputation on the line.
8. Invest in your network
The larger and stronger your (online) network, the more links you will receive in the long run. Therefore, maintain your current network and build new relationships:
- help others
- care about others (show you are human, not a robot)
- participate in online discussions
- answer questions and share solutions
- go to meetings and events
- be active on social media
Of course, this is an indirect tactic that takes time, but good human relationships are still the foundation for successful word of mouth!
9. Be active on social media
Social media are useful tools to spread your content, build an engaged community, increase your visibility and get more external links to your web pages.
Make it as easy as possible for your readers to share your content with their network: incorporate social sharing buttons and click-to-tweet links into your blog posts.
Also, use social media to build relationships with other people and businesses. Read their content, comment on their content, share their content and get to know them better.
10. Answer to Q&A's, forums & blogs
Actively search for relevant Q&A websites, forums, blogs and groups (LinkedIn) and discussions (LinkedIn and Twitter) on social media.
Read discussions, answer questions, and provide helpful answers. If possible (and if this is allowed and accepted), please share links to your own website in your comments. This way, you ensure more traffic to your website.
11. Sign up to relevant link pages
Link pages are pages with links to interesting content or tools. Look for relevant link pages on popular websites and ask the webmaster to add a link to your website, blog or tool.
However, be selective. If you submit your website to poor quality link pages (so-called 'link farms' or 'link exchange programs'), Google will punish you for it!
And don't forget that a natural link in a text still carries more weight than a link in a link list! Use the DSD tool to find quality sites in your field of activity and get links from them
12. Sign up with directories
A directory is an overview page with links, often divided into categories. Only submit your webpage or company to relevant directories with a lot of authority.
There are different types of directories, for example:
- general directories
- niche directories
- directories for different types of content: video, RSS, documents, infographic, e-books…
- directories for companies
- blog directories
The following also applies here: a natural link in a text still carries more weight than a link in a link list! That said: if your municipality has a list of links to companies in the municipality, then it is a missed opportunity if your company is not there!
13. Analyze your competitors
Research which web pages link to your competitors' web pages. This way, you can piggyback on their success!
With the right tools like the Semalt Dedicated SEO Dashboard, you can quickly and easily find out where your competitors are getting their most valuable links. You can read all about it in this article.
