Looking for link building tips that really work in 2018? You’re in the right place!
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how “linkless mentions” – also known as plain old brand mentions – could be creeping up as an important Google ranking factor. Still, good ol’ ordinary links have been the #1 ranking factor since the beginning and they show no sign of going away.
Building links is never a mistake. After all, links are what makes the Web the Web: They give you an endless ability to pursue the information you want, going deeper into a topic or switching to a related thought without ever having to stop or backtrack.
When you think of it that way, links are pretty cool – and also fundamental to the internet.
Unless the way people consume information online fundamentally changes, links will always be vital for getting noticed. So, let’s learn how to crank out quality backlinks in 2018 and beyond!
Here are our top link building tips for 2018:
If you’re not doing influencer marketing yet, you’re missing out! Influencers curate content for their audiences and are always hungry to find more great things to share. Most of them have well-established websites where they can permanently link back to you.
Infographics are some of the most beloved and shareable items on the Web. As visual content has become more important, they’ve only grown in prominence. Be sure every infographic has your URL prominently displayed so people can link back to the original image.
Guest blogging has been around for a long time and still works! Hand-crafted posts pitched to authoritative sites in your niche are the best when it comes to expanding your link portfolio. Even just a handful of guest blogs each month can really influence search rankings.
Local SEO indicators are some of the most powerful tools you have for attracting links on auto-pilot. When your site clearly indicates its address, it will end up listed in all kinds of directories. Some will have negligible benefits, but others, like Yelp, can make a big difference.
Web forums such as Reddit are a mixed bag when it comes to SEO. Many forums are configured to enforce nofollow links. If you take the time for meaningful and valuable posts in keeping with forum rules, though, you may end up on the forum link roll.
Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn can result in off-page links if you choose a more general topic that appeals to your target audience. For example, curating a group about digital marketing could see your agency get a lot of links from small biz owners who come in looking for advice.
Although Yelp is king, there are many other sites that index local businesses. Strange as it might sound, some of these require you to proactively create your listing. This can be time-consuming, but it ensures quality listings and gives you an opportunity to build Web clout.
Many industry organizations have listings of members and affiliated companies. Remembering to include your URL in your membership information will ensure that it propagates across this entire network. That means a small, but useful boost to your links.
Monitoring brand mentions is a good way to zoom in on nascent relationships and turn them into something that benefits you both. Simply drop an email to the webmaster of any site where you find a positive mention of your brand and it might end up turned into a link.
With a contest or giveaway, you are sparking the chance for sites outside of your industry to link back to you. Scholarship contests are especially effective. Just to be sure that your plan complies with all applicable laws before you start spreading the word.
No list of link building tips would be complete without pointing out that offering some services to community organizations can be a true win-win. Charities get help serving those in need and you have the opportunity to get a link, typically from a trusted .org domain.
In most major cities, the chamber of commerce has a website. These organizations are deeply ingrained in the community and they certainly don’t change URLs often, so their links tend to be meaty.
Bigger, better content is more likely to be shared and linked to. There’s a lot to be said for long form blog content of 1,000 words or more. White papers, e-books, and case studies are also popular – and tend to be sought out by decision-makers close to making a buy, too.
If you are sending out a regular email newsletter, there’s no reason your efforts should only be seen once. A week or two later, post your previous newsletter on your site. This adds more pull to your domain and makes it more likely that people will link to you.
It’s easy to get caught in a loop thinking about getting testimonials, but giving them can be just as crucial. The reason, of course, is reciprocity: People will want to help you more when you help them. Leaving testimonials regularly can result in a virtuous cycle of links.
Some of the best links your site will ever get are those you can’t anticipate. Grabbing attention and inspiring someone to link you usually means giving them content they’re thankful to have seen. That starts with your blog, so add another post a week to see your numbers take off.
If you’re looking for content marketing tips, you’re much more likely to want content marketing tips in 2018 than 2017 or any other year. Headlining a post with the year yields more shares and makes it seem more urgent. Just remember to update that post when the new year rolls around!
It might seem counterintuitive, but linking to your own pages will help you get more links. It not only helps people find whatever they’re looking for on your site, but also makes each one of your resources seem that much more comprehensive and trustworthy.
Social bookmarking sites have fallen by the wayside in conventional lists of link building tips. They won’t get you to the top of Google overnight, but sites like Digg and StumbleUpon can help you start a cascade of links heading your way as more users find out about you.
Medium, Quora and Growth Hackers are rising as platforms where you can share the best thought leadership content. People come to these sites with vexing, specialized problems that often have to do with business or entrepreneurship and typically have the power to link to you for a solid answer.
Stack Overflow deserves a mention of its own thanks to the complex and often technical issues people bring to the website. It is a good way to connect with others who are pioneering in areas like AI and mobile development, potentially grabbing backlinks that are harder to come by.
For a while there, comment spam seemed to turn the average WordPress comments page into a no man’s land. More advanced commenting systems are making it easier: Just be sure to take time to share real insight on what an author wrote and you could end up with a backlink.
Link round-ups are posted by bloggers on a regular basis to expose their readers to the best new content. Submitting your content to a link round-up is a bit of a crapshoot: Timing is a major factor. Still, these links tend to be long-lasting ones on up and coming domains.
Do you have a mastermind group? Maybe you should! Entrepreneurs love mastermind groups, which help them get together with like-minded people to tackle business problems. If you have four people in your group, you can easily end up with four new backlinks. Voila!
Meetup.com isn’t one of the fanciest websites around, but it’s still out there: Plugging away and making it easier for people to connect over their shared interests. Meetup members tend to be great about helping each other out: A dozen or so backlinks per large event is a reasonable goal.
Reciprocity always counts. The lucky thing here is that, online, most people are looking for great content.
And if there’s one thing a successful digital marketer knows, it’s content!
Using these link building tips, you can score some quick wins that will start to drive your Web visibility in the right direction. That said, we all know that link building can be frustrating. Links will be lost and it won’t always be obvious why. And results are often slower than we’d like.
Link building is a marathon, not a sprint. Some will be lost, but making time to build links every single week will turn the tides in a low-cost way. Plus, you can focus in on the highest quality links that make the biggest difference instead of chasing after generic ones that matter less in the long run.
Pick three techniques today and then go forth and get backlinks!