High Quality Backlinks: Your Guide to Building Better Backlinks to Rank Content

Quality Content plus high quality backlinks = the one-two punch for ranking your content. Start building better backlinks today!

high quality backlinks to rank content

Link building to rank for keywords is a massively debated topic in the SEO industry however; very little has truly changed over the past 5+ years when it comes to ranking your content, and building better backlinks is key.

Check out this study done by ahrefs that shows the correlating factors of high Google rankings:

ahrefs back link factors for ranking

This chart makes it very obvious that Backlinks are still the #1 factor for ranking content.

 

One of the most debated and arguably most important techniques required in SEO is link building. This is where you establish links in other websites that lead back to yours. In link building, you can also create links in your website that lead to other external sites. After creating multiple links of this nature, you will be able to create a network. If the external sites that are part of your network are high quality websites that are well respected and regarded on the Internet, then your website will also rise in value and rank higher in the search results.

Link building is a complex process that has significant results.

 

[bctt tweet=”Backlinks will remain a vital Google ranking factor, but effective link building is now about trust and popularity. ~Neil Patel” username=”Pixel_Pro”]

 

If you’ve done any research into link building; I’m sure that you’ve discovered that there are several methods to go about acquiring links, many of which are frowned upon and can get your website banned. As such, it is best to utilize legal or white hat strategies to conduct link building.

page divider

So, How Exactly Do I Rank My Content in Google

  1. Essentially what you need to do is become an authority.
    Don’t worry… this isn’t as hard as it sounds and the blue print to ranking your content is pretty straight forward. You’re going to need long articles that cover topics relevant to your audience, ie: in depth articles that answer your customers’ questions thoroughly.
  2. Build high quality backlinks to that content.
    Quality, natural links are extremely important — it is near impossible to rank content without any links pointing to it.

page divider

How Should You Structure Your Backlinks?

This is an important question, because you need the links to rank your content but many sites actually damage their rankings due to over optimization.

  1. Credibility Starts With Brand Diversity:
    One of the most common mistakes people make in link building is over using exact match anchor text. Real authority sites have tons of “natural” and diverse links pointing to them ie: (http://www.yoursite.com, or just your brand name as the keyword, etc) and no exact match or commercial anchors.
  2. Build In-Content Links:
    In content links can come from web 2.0 type properties, related blogs and guest posts. It is essential to use a mix of brand, natural, and low competitions keywords with long tail variations when building these types of backlinks.
  3. Move on to High Quality & Powerful Backlinks:
    Ranking content can take a bit of time, but after you’ve built a substantial base you can start building quality, high powered backlinks with close or exact match anchors. Never repeat the same anchor twice, just switch it up to something slightly different each time. A great way to get these is to do guest posts on authority blogs.

page divider

Tips on how to create a high quality network of backlinks

There are a number of activities that you should perform to create a network of high quality backlinks. They include:

  1. Requesting backlinks
  2. Create positive relationships with the other webmasters in your niche
  3. Post testimonials
  4. Write a blog and make it successful
  5. Share your content on many social platforms


Requesting backlinks

If you are a link building beginner, this is an ideal strategy to conduct. Look around and find friends, clients and colleagues who have blogs and websites already running. Once you find a few, simply approach them and ask that they put some backlinks to your website in their web pages. Ensure that these links are located within the text and not on the side or footer. As you follow this tip, ensure that the backlinks to your website are derived from websites that are in your niche. This is so as to retain relevance in your link network.


Establish good relationships with other webmasters

Growing a network of high quality links takes time. It also requires that you establish favorable relationships with your contacts. You can get some of these contacts from online communities, social groups and blogs. There are many websites on the Internet where you can communicate with other webmasters who are in your niche.

The first step is to join these communities and begin making posts that add value to the discussions happening in the community. Make sure that you participate in discussions that are in your niche. The other members will recognize your contribution and may be willing to create some backlinks to your site from theirs. A major benefit of doing this is that you will be able to get the latest information about your niche from these contacts. Online communities are ideal locations to find some webmasters who are willing to conduct link building with you.


Provide a testimonial on another website

This is a strategy of link building that is usually very successful. Professional SEO companies often recommend this strategy to their clients. This is because you and the owner of the other website both get to benefit. You can approach a business owner and request to make a testimonial. There are many manufacturers and business owners who will allow you to contribute some information about your product experience.

Testimonials are very helpful because they establish trust among customers.

It is very likely that they will accept your testimonial. They will also agree to post a backlink to your website in their content. Ensure that the testimonial is within your niche and you will reap the rewards of a quality back link.


Actively write a blog

You can create backlinks to your website that originate from a blog or blogs that you own. This is an effective strategy. However, you should ensure that your blog is legitimate and has a reputation of activity. You should write about material that is in your niche and keep the blog alive. Ensure that you post good information regularly. In your posts, address the needs of your target market. Moreover, let the posts be well structured and relevant. Once you create a successful blog, your readers will post the link to your blog and visitors will be led to your website too. This creates a network of high quality links. If you have a page for your website on social media, ensure that you make relevant and helpful posts in it.

Always remember to include links to your website in these posts.

Writing blog posts isn’t enough, you have to share them!

I can’t stress how important sharing your content is. There is an infinite number of places that you could conceivably build good backlinks to your content online and one of the most neglected is social channels.

Many site owners discount social for link building simply because popular platforms like Facebook use the “no-follow” attribute to prevent seo link spammers. This however; does not mean that the platform isn’t valuable for reaching your audience.

social link building

It is also a fallacy that all social media sites use no-follows. In fact, many sites provide juicy link opportunities. Here is a list of some truly premium sources for links:

  1. Google Profiles
  2. Google Places
  3. LinkedIn.com
  4. Digg
  5. Foursquare
  6. Reddit
  7. Stumbleupon
  8. Yelp
  9. listings.local.yahoo.com
  10. YouTube (in profile)

Post links to your website in reliable directories

There are many directories where you can post information about your website. Most of them have irrelevant information for Internet users. Due to this, Google does not display them in the search results. Avoid such directories when you are link building. Ensure that you thoroughly vet a directory before you post the link to your website in it. A reliable directory is important because it gives the Internet users some information about your website before they click on the link and visit it.

The main characteristic that Google looks at when ranking websites is relevance. Thus, when searching for directories where you can post links to your website, ensure that they are in your niche. Also, ensure that they are reputable and well regarded by Google. To begin your link building endeavor in directories, you can begin with the MOZ list of best local citation directories by category, click here.

MOZ local citation list

page divider

25 Additional Ways for Building Better Backlinks

  1. Submit your website for feedback.
  2. Submit your website to local business directories.
  3. Submit your blog to blog directories
  4. Submit Press Releases
  5. Submit your RSS feed to blog aggregators
  6. Participate in community forums
  7. Always be commenting on related blogs
  8. Reach out to industry related bloggers
  9. Start guest blogging on authority sites
  10. Share your blog posts EVERYWHERE!
  11. Create and share different kinds of content ie: pdfs, infographics
  12. Convert longer posts into an ebook
  13. Social Bookmarks and Profiles
  14. Invest in Infographics
  15. Create custom images
  16. Submit your logo to logo directories
  17. Ask Questions in Google Groups
  18. Answer Questions on Quora and Yahoo
  19. Check out HARO
  20. Contribute to other websites
  21. Buy expired domains
  22. Reclaim Links
  23. Point out Broken Links
  24. Link your interior pages
  25. Hire a professional

Check out this infographic that illustrates that list of 25 ways to build better backlinks:

25-Ways-to-Build-Better-Backlinks-Final


Conclusion

Building better backlinks demands that you are patient, hardworking and ready to tackle complex interactions with other webmasters and blog owners. It is a task that will cost you time and money. However, it is extremely necessary. Link building is one of the most effective strategies of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Thus, if you want your content to rank high in Google search results, you must conduct high quality link building.

 

Save

Save

Save

Save