Let’s face facts: Link building can be complex.
It only gets more complex.
It is long past when links could be bought, but links still rank as one of the top three ranking factors.
You need to have a strong link profile that points to your domain if you didn’t rank in 2020.
Earning links is hard work.
Say Hello to Content Marketing
The best method to get links to your website is content marketing, especially for those running SEO campaigns in most industries.
This can, however, be taken as a whole.
Content marketing can be defined as running a guest blogging campaign.
Others think data-driven research or infographics are the best.
Content marketing is a complex area.
But here’s the good news:
It’s possible to approach the issue in many different ways and still be successful in acquiring links.
SEO professionals are unlikely to manage their content-led link-building campaigns in the same way.
Here are 11 ways content marketing can help you build links. Your budget categorizes each one.
Low-Budget Content Marketing Techniques
Do your resources limit the amount of link building you can do?
You might be a startup keen to understand the benefits of SEO but don’t have enough money to hire a team.
You might be an agency looking for ways to improve the link profile of clients without having to ask for extra money.
These are five content marketing methods that require a minimal budget. However, the most critical resource is time and knowledge. A graphic designer can also be used to give your content visual appeal.
1.Case Studies
Tell the world if you are doing fantastic work.
People love to hear from their peers about how they go about their work. A well-constructed case study can teach us a lot.
When you share a case study on social media or within your networks, you gain valuable insights into the process. You can often use these to generate links from industry publications.
As long as the case study is published, it should be insightful, data-driven, detailed, and well written.
2.Expert Contributions
Each business should have at least one expert. Many companies have several experts that they can draw upon for expertise.
A content marketing perspective can use experts as one of the best assets.
Too many marketers believe that linkable assets must be “something” (e.g., an infographic, blog post, or ebook). However, people can be the most appealing to publishers.
Journalists don’t often have the expertise of experts. However, they can use experts to help add weight to their articles.
Use Help a Reporter Out (HARO) or monitor the #journorequest Twitter hashtag to connect with journalists seeking expert advice.
3.Expert Roundups
Expert roundups are not as efficient as once, but they still offer a cost-effective and effective way to get links from experts and bloggers.
This is a form of “ego-bait,” as everyone enjoys sharing something about them. It’s possible to encourage 10, 20, 50, 100, or more “experts” in a roundup to share their advice. They’ll likely link back if they have an “As seen In” or an ‘In the media’ page.
To maximize link earnings, you need to assess whether or not a blogger/expert is actively linking out towards resources that feature themselves. Then, gather a list with prospects to get in touch regarding contributions.
One word of caution: This approach can produce poor results. Don’t waste time responding to requests you don’t know anything about. This happens all the time and rarely leads to coverage. However, it is possible to stay specific and land top-tier links for a low-cost and efficient method.
This should not be used to solicit contributions from people unrelated to the topic.
4.Interviews
Interviews are time-consuming to set up and coordinate, but if you can interview industry experts and host a blog about them, it can be an excellent way to earn links.
Interviews should be conducted on topics you are interested in.
Is it possible to encourage experts to share expert insight, advice, top tips, and guidance?
If you do, you have something of value that you can offer to other publishers to gain links.
Is this the trend to add value?
But you don’t necessarily need to get Gary Vaynerchuk interviewed. Begin small and talk to a specialist.
5.Guides in Long Form
Long-form educational guides, also known as “power pages,” can help you get links from contextually and resource pages.
Why?
You’ve guessed it: longer content adds value to a topic and includes information that others will want to link.
First, you need to understand your audience. Then, you can create guides that will answer their questions better than any other resource. Take a look at these top 5 rankings.
AnswerThePublic and Quora are great resources to help you understand your industry and to inspire guides.
Mid-Budget Content Marketing Techniques
If you can afford a small budget for content marketing or have the resources of top-level PR specialists and designers in-house, your options of techniques will expand, and you will be able to explore new ways to get links through your content campaigns.
6.Collaboration on a Content Campaign
Consider collaborating with a complementary brand to create a content campaign. This will help you gain links from new audiences as well as double your resources.
Let’s assume you’re SEO for a bed retailer. You might consider collaborating with a road safety charity to increase awareness about the dangers associated with drowsy driving.
Your expertise can be highlighted by mentioning the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. The charity will then be able to add insights into the broader dangers or stats.
Two marketing teams can promote the content in different ways to increase the campaign’s success.
7.Infographics
Even though high-quality infographics can still be great for link building, the reputation of infographics has taken a hit in recent years.
What is the reason?
A few years ago, so many low-quality infographics were making the rounds.
Today publishers want to see something unique before they cover it or link out.
This is an essential thing to think about: What’s your story?
It is unlikely that you will be able to produce a listicle in an infographic format.
Publishers can still find value in an infographic with actionable points. This is an excellent way for bloggers to gain links.
8.Local PR
You don’t have to ignore local publications, regardless of whether you are a national or international brand.
You can do either one or both things in local newspapers or online publications like Lancashire Business View (an online and print publication connecting businesses in Lancashire, UK).
- Land news coverage.
- A column that you contribute expert advice and guidance.
Remember that many local publications are often short on resources. In many cases, local publications are limited in resources and welcome stories and content of high quality.
- They are prepared to share local success stories.
- It is usually easy for them to take a well-written press release or article and make some minor edits, and then publish it as is.
While it’s easy for you to overlook these opportunities when reaching out to more prominent publications, local links can often be much easier wins while maintaining high-level authority and relevance to your business.
9.Whitepapers & Research Papers
It can be an excellent way for industry-specific connections to be in a position where you can conduct your research.
Why? Because you add value and provide fresh insight into a topic.
Although this may be truer in some cases than for B2B companies, it does not mean that it is impossible.
You might consider collaborating with a university to research a topic related to your products.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for kitchen gadgets, but research into nutrition and food, or, as an alternative, research by a bed retailer into sleeping habits.
It’s not necessary to invest in your financial future by working with university students. They will be likely to do it as part of their studies.
Once you’re done, contact the industry-relevant press to promote your article. If there is a story, data, and insight that are real, it can lead to excellent links in substantial volumes.
High-Budget Content Marketing Techniques
Suppose you are one of few people with higher budgets for content marketing campaigns (typically over $2,000 per campaign or a large staff of in-house resources). In that case, you can get some fantastic results by thinking differently and using PR rather than SEO.
Do not forget that ideas are everything.
10.You can build your brand to become the “Go-To” Expert in your industry.
Let me be completely transparent with you: this isn’t for the fainthearted.
It is not easy to create a personal brand or be an industry expert. It takes time. It takes time.
However, when done correctly, they can be very efficient, but not something that most would consider an SEO tactic.
It’s as simple as that:
This is an excellent pull if you have taken the time to create an audience that sees you as a thought leader within your industry.
- You could offer to write a column or guest post in a publication. They will take you on if they know you are an expert.
- You can respond to a HARO as an industry professional. It is almost certain that the response you provide will be used.
- Reach out and share your thoughts and opinions with a journalist covering a news topic.
A personal brand can be valuable and is a powerful link-building asset.
Look at what Gary Vaynerchuk’s, Social Chain’s Steven Bartlett and MobileMonkey’s Larry Kim built their brand using video content, social networks, column writing, and public speaking.
Soon, you will start to have some ideas about how to do this yourself.
11.Surveys
While surveys can be costly to conduct, you get unique data that is not available elsewhere.
If you can gather stories from your data through a survey, your content will be attractive to industry publications and newspapers.
The stories and findings of the survey have to be entertaining.
Before you rush to invest in a survey (you need at least 2000 respondents to make it fair for the press), read these 8 Tips for Creating PR surveys.
Last note about surveys: Follow-up outreach with link reclamation campaigns as this approach often results in large numbers of unlinked brand mentions.
