Online visibility starts and ends with the volume and quality of your links. Acquiring new links should be the priority of all marketing professionals, with healthy links accounting for greater visibility and website authority. Link acquisition is often placed in the ‘too complicated’ file, but there are a number of different ways that you can be diversifying your search initiatives though link building. Let’s take a look at some tried and true strategies that have benefited smart brands.
Continually maximize guest posting
We place an unnecessary amount of pressure on ourselves to be finding a plethora of high DA websites, only to use them once and begin the hunt all over again. The truth is, when you build a relationship with the editor or site owner you should leverage that as much as you can by getting a range of different content types housed in their platform. Don’t take on a one-dimensional content plan, and instead try to transform your offering to speak to different content pillars (business, lifestyle, health, and so on) that will allow you to post more than once on a domain. The benefit of placing this task in the hands of an SEO agency is that they can source a curated list of guest blogs and websites that best benefit your ideal audience and help to achieve ranking benchmarks.
Write releases
We’re so quick to spruik the offers and services that we rarely reflect on the small and large advances internally, and explore ways to turn this into links. Writing a social release is a great way to let the market know what you are up to, who you have signed, who you have hired and really any other growth update. More importantly, it’s a great way to create extra links. Track your business trajectory and create content that can be issued to PRweb, Pitch Engine and any other entity that is likely to publish and link your website.
Many businesses will write social releases as a response to something more global happening in their industry. For example, if a legislation change has just been announced, you can write a release that summaries the change and the predicted impact. You can even base your social releases around seasonal events and social drivers, all to increase links and strengthen your image in the eye of your market.
Explore affiliate and influencer opportunities
There is nothing more seamless and on-brand than a partnership with an individual or entity that embodies the values of your business. It’s also a great link building opportunity, and one that not enough marketers explore. Take your time in scouting a collection of brands and influencers that could be the right fit for your audience, and start a dialogue about link sharing between your platforms. This is content gold, and allows you to build out a broader, yet targeted, visibility strategy.
Still unsure on how this could work for your brand? Influencer marketing only resonates if it’s an appropriate brand fit. If you are a children’s brand for example than working with mums on Instagram who have a collective following is a great way to increase your link sharing. They fit well with your audience and can benefit from a little link sharing from your brand as well. Beware of the wrong fit though. An influencer with a chequered past for example could bring negative associations about your brand, as if you’re somehow reinforcing past indiscretions.
Establish an onsite blog
If you haven’t already established or been posting to your onsite blog, then this should be a key priority. Your onsite blog allows you to flex your unique tone and offering, while planting internal links to product or services pages. This can startle a business who have never looked at their content through an ongoing lens, so begin with your FAQ’s and build content topics based on the queries of your customers and clients. These blog posts also serve as evergreen content for social media posting, eDM content and even a reason to communicate through sms marketing. Keep your onsite blog flexible and varied, with short to long posts, as well as a healthy supply of imagery.
A great place to start adding internal links through your onsite blog is under one of three strategic pillars, trust, learn and action. Each of these three pillars helps guide the type of content you create, as well reinforcing internal links that serve your customers more so than writing ‘interesting’ content. Make sure each onsite blog includes internal links that build trust, teach the customer something and make them act. Always remembering clicking a link may be the only action you need to get them to the next stage of purchasing funnel.
Prioritize link building in your business, and implement strategies that will build on the volume and quality of your links. There are many competing practices that may divide your attention and marketing budget, but only link building has a sustainable impact that will continue to mature with age.
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