Backlink strategies are a two-way street. When you do them well, it brings more traffic to your website and you’ll rank higher on search engines. At the same time, you’re doing audiences a grand favor because they’ll find your website faster if that’s the kind of content they’re looking for. In the eyes of Google, links are still their #1 ranking factor. You’re not likely to have success attracting an audience if you’re not using link building strategies. Backlinks link relevant pages together which is what creates “the web.”

Search engines crawl your pages looking for links and if they like the types of backlinks they see, your site gets to move up the ranks. That’s the best reason to get backlinks and use them wisely. 

How to Build Backlinks that Move the Needle

While link building tactics are effective digital tools, not just any links will do. When using links, favor quality over quantity. It’s better to have five high-quality backlinks than to have a low-quality link in every sentence. 

Here are some tips on how to create genuine backlinks. 

1. Use backlinks from trusted, authoritative websites.
2. Use a branded keyword in your link’s anchor text.
3. The topic and site that links to your page should have a connection. 
4. Be cautious of links with a no-follow tag. 
5. A high-quality link hasn’t linked to your site before. 

How do you define a trusted, authoritative website? If you show content about a notable person and you could choose a site like CNN or a site that has a reputation for gossip and assumptions, the CNN link is going to have more authority. Your audience will recognize the difference. More importantly, Google will recognize the fact that you’re serious about the sites you link to and they’ll reward you by sending more traffic your way. 

One of the ways I’ve been successful and continue to do well is to become a contributor for well-known sites. This strategy isn’t as difficult as you might think. When you have a great idea, pitch it to editors of authoritative sites. Add an article to your Linked-In page. My best advice is to keep your content interesting and more opportunities to do link building through guest blogging will come your way. 

Earning backlinks takes a little of your time, but if you can land a spot as a contributor for Forbes or another notable editorial, it’s a giant step towards opening doors to other quality sites. Some of the sites have specific rules and policies that you have to abide by, so be sure to read them carefully and stick to them when using guest post backlinks. 

Another way that I’ve found that’s pretty easy to use backlinks is by becoming a source for journalists. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is the Tinder of public relation sites. Here’s why I like it:

• It connects people like bloggers and journalists with others like you who need links and exposure.  
• It has options for free and paid subscriptions.
• It’s easy to register as a journalist or a source.
• It works two ways-journalists can find you and you can find them.

Depending on which plan you choose, you’ll get snippets of content that journalists are looking for an expert on, and they’ll be able to find your profile as well.

Everyone has a story to tell and you’d be surprised how many people tell their stories through blogs. As I have vetted writers, I’ve found that some of them have a blogger network. I’ve successfully built links on a certain topic using the writers’ blogger networks which resulted in increased organic growth and backlink acquisition. I can offer these tips:

• Allow room in your budget for working with bloggers.
• Stick with blogs that have good domain authority.
• Dedicate a portion of your marketing time to this effort.

If you’ve ever typed a question into Google, you might get a link to an authoritative site like Quora, where people ask questions and others answer them. The more votes that your answers get, the higher your answer will rank in the search results, and your referral traffic will increase. Try these tips for lots of votes:

• Dig deep and think about what the asker really wants to know.
• Provide an extensive, well-thought out answer.
• Keep your answer relevant to the question.
• Avoid giving a copied and pasted 1-2 sentence answer with your link.

Before all the Google algorithm changes, digital marketers added their links to as many directories as possible. The new algorithm is more complex which means that marketers need to change their approach to this strategy. Web directories have also changed their format to include more detailed review sites. I’ve created local directory pages and the reviews has helped to boost traffic.  Here are three of the sites that will help direct traffic to your site:

1. Google My Business
2. Yelp
3. BOTW (Best of the Web)

People may be mentioning your website or product without you knowing it. Don’t let this be a missed opportunity for getting more backlinks. I like to use a tool called Backlink Profiler to find sites that mentioned my website. For those that haven’t already linked to my website, I reach out to them and ask them to add my link. It’s one of my favorite backlink strategies for building links to my website. 

One of the great things about using backlink strategies as link building techniques is that they give you a lot of flexibility in your digital marketing planning. Follow the tips and techniques listed here for the best of success.