Imagine that you recently launched a website, invested a lot of time and resources into it, and the site looks fantastic. However, the website's traffic is not what you expected. It's frustrating, right? Unfortunately, you may be overlooking the importance of external link building to your website.
An external link is when a different website links back to your site. Gaining external links can help you increase traffic to your site, improve your site's search engine ranking, and expose your website to a new audience. In this post, I'll share with you the top twelve ways to get external links to your website.
Understanding the Importance of External Links in SEO.
Assume you’re getting ready to leave for a long-awaited vacation, but there’s one catch, you can only travel by foot. You might be able to make it to some destinations, but others will inevitably be out of reach. In the same way, your website can only go so far without external links.
Without them, your pages will become isolated and less visible to search engines. However, with the right balance of internal and external links, your website can fly to new heights. In this blog post, we’ll look at why external links are so important for search engine optimization (SEO) and how you can incorporate them into your strategy.
1. Define External Links: External links are links from other websites or domains that lead to your web pages. They can come from blogs, articles, directories, or other types of online content. Search engines like Google use these links as an important factor in ranking web pages.
The reason is that these links act as endorsements or referrals from other sites, indicating that your website is valuable and trustworthy. The more high-quality external links your pages have, the higher your search engine rankings will be.
2. Benefits of External Links: External links have several benefits for your website. First, they help search engines understand the relevance and authority of your content. When a reputable site links to your page, it sends a signal to Google that your content is high-quality and relevant to the topic.
This can lead to improved rankings and more traffic to your site. Second, external links can help you reach a wider audience. If a popular blog or website links to your page, it exposes your content to a new group of potential visitors. Finally, external links can drive referral traffic to your website. If someone clicks on a link to your page from another site, they’re more likely to be interested in your content and engage with it.
3. Types of External Links: There are two main types of external links, follow and no follow. A follow link is a hyperlink that allows search engines to recognize and crawl the linked content. It passes link equity from the linking page to the linked page, which can improve your search engine rankings.
A no follow link is a hyperlink that includes the HTML attribute ”nofollow”. This tells search engines not to follow or count the link as an endorsement for the linked page. However, no follow links can still drive traffic to your site and increase visibility.
4. How to Build External Links: Building external links can be a time-consuming process, but it’s worth the effort for the benefits it can bring to your website.There are several impactful methods to establish external links, including content creation, guest blogging, broken link building, and social media outreach, as explained below in more detail.
The Effective Strategies to Get External Links.
Getting external links is a vital factor in improving your website’s search engine optimization, increasing website traffic, and building brand awareness. However, the process of acquiring external links is challenging and requires a lot of effort, dedication, and expertise.
As a blogger, digital marketer, or brand owner, you may have spent countless hours creating high-quality content, but no one is linking back to your website. Don’t worry, in this blog post, we will discuss effective strategies that will help you get external links and boost your website's ranking.
Create High-Quality Content.
The foundation of any successful backlink strategy is creating content that offers genuine value. This could be insightful blog posts, eye-catching infographics, informative videos, or comprehensive research reports. When your content is exceptional, it's more likely to be shared by other websites, earning you valuable backlinks.
Guest Blogging.
Guest blogging is a valuable strategy where you write articles for websites in your industry. By doing this, you can tap into their existing audience and indirectly include a link back to your site. It's a win-win situation: while the host site benefits from high-quality content, you gain exposure and earn a valuable backlink. This approach not only helps you expand your reach, but it also enhances your online presence.
Infographics.
Infographics are visually engaging and provide information in an easy to understand format. By creating unique, data-driven infographics, you can encourage other websites to share your content (with a link back to your site) on their platforms.
Influencer Outreach.
Building relationships with influencers in your industry can lead to valuable backlink opportunities. If your content is relevant and offers value, influencers may be willing to share it with their followers, providing a link to your site.
Broken Link Building.
This strategy involves finding broken links on other websites and suggesting your own relevant content as a replacement. This not only improves the user experience on the other website but also earns you a backlink.
Social Media Promotion.
Boost your content's visibility by sharing it on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. When your content is widely shared, it increases the likelihood of others linking to it on their websites. This amplifies your reach and can drive more traffic to your content.
Participating in Forums.
Online forums, such as Reddit and Quora, provide a platform for active user engagement, question answering, and sharing of expertise. By integrating a link to your website into your responses organically, you can effectively drive traffic and acquire valuable backlinks. This approach helps boost your online presence and supports your website's ranking.
Collaborating with Other Brands.
Embrace the power of collaboration by joining forces with other businesses or influencers in your industry. Together, you can create exciting projects like collaborative blog posts or joint webinars. Not only does this boost mutual growth, but it also opens up doors to valuable backlink opportunities for both parties involved.
Conducting Original Research.
Performing original research, creating surveys, or conducting insightful case studies can be a valuable source for obtaining backlinks. Such content is frequently referenced by others in your industry, resulting in the acquisition of high-quality backlinks. These backlinks not only boost your website's visibility but also enhance its credibility and authority.
Testimonials.
When you write testimonials for products or services that you have used, there is a possibility of earning a valuable backlink. This can happen when the company publishes your testimonial on their website. It's a simple and effective way to generate a high-quality backlink for your website or online platform.
Using Search Engine Optimization Tools.
SEO tools like SEMrush can help you identify potential backlink opportunities. They can show you where your competitors are getting their backlinks from, allowing you to target the same sources. Take advantage of this powerful resource to enhance your SEO and success in the digital landscape.
Competitor Analysis.
By carefully monitoring your competitors' backlink profiles, you can discover new opportunities for backlinking. If a website is linking to your rivals, there's a good chance they would also be interested in linking to your site. Stay ahead of the game and capitalize on this golden chance.
Remember, the key to a successful backlink strategy is patience and consistency. It takes time to build high-quality backlinks, but the benefits to your website's SEO and visibility are well worth the effort.
How to Use Public Relations Strategies to Gain More External Links.
In the dynamic and constantly evolving digital landscape, it is crucial for businesses to maintain a competitive edge. One effective approach is to harness the power of public relations (PR) strategies to acquire valuable external links, thereby enhancing your website's SEO and overall online visibility .I would like to offer some valuable insights on how to accomplish this.
Leverage Media Relationships: PR is all about building relationships, especially with the media. By forging strong ties with journalists, bloggers, and influencers, you can get your content featured in their publications or posts, earning you valuable external links.
Press Releases: Press releases are a traditional PR tool that still holds value today. When you have newsworthy content, distribute a press release to relevant media outlets. If it's published, you'll gain an external link.
Utilize Social Media Social media: Consistently sharing your content on social media enhances its visibility, increasing the likelihood of others picking it up and sharing it further. This amplifies its reach and potential for backlinking.
Optimize Your Website: Your website can serve as a powerful PR tool. Make sure it's optimized for SEO, user-friendly, and filled with valuable content. This can increase the chances of other sites linking back to you.
Influencer Partnerships: Influencers have a substantial online following and can boost your brand's visibility. Partner with influencers in your industry to create collaborative content. They will likely link back to your site when sharing this content.
Organize Events: Organizing webinars, seminars, or workshops can attract attention from industry professionals and media. Ensure to announce these events on your website and social media platforms. Participants and media covering the event are likely to link back to your site.
Create Linkable Content: Creating linkable content is key. This could be infographics, research reports, or case studies. When your content is unique and valuable, others are more likely to share it, providing you with external links.
To sum it up, generating external links to your website is crucial for building an online presence and driving organic traffic. Whether you're a startup, established brand, or blogger, these link-building strategies will help you establish a solid online presence and attract the attention of your target audience. Remember, ethical link building takes time, effort, and creativity, but it's worth the investment to establish a strong online presence and drive long-term organic traffic to your site.
By: Mugambwa Methodius.