The power of link-building

Link-building: a key element of any SEO strategy. It’s the process of earning links to your website from other domains – the better quality the website that’s linking to yours (think high page and domain authority, strong organic traffic and lots of quality links itself), the better quality the back link to yours. Google takes these links very seriously, with each new link a signal to them that yours is a useful, quality website that can be trusted and should rank well. Here are five examples of how powerful link-building can be.

Connect with the right people

Get link-building right and it’s your ticket to untapped networks of people who are the right fit for your business. You need to target influencers, bloggers and publishers who share common ground with you, be that company values, mission and purpose, or products and services. Complementing each other in these areas should make it easy to generate links, as these targets should be naturally excited by what you have to say. If you’re struggling to identify or prioritise who to reach out to first, experts in blogger outreach will be able to help you seek out the right people, cement relationships and earn beneficial links. 

Amplify your reach

The more influencers, business and brands that pick up your content and want to share it in their networks and communities, the more people you’ll reach. These won’t just be any one, either – because of the commonalities between you and the people interested in your content, you’ll find that these new audiences are of people perfectly primed to become your leads or customers. You’ve got to make your content share-worthy though, like this amazing piece of interactive content from The Guardian. A piece like this will secure you links on websites and across social media, getting your brand in front of plenty of relevant people. 

Build trust and credibility

The more links your content generates, the more trustworthy you’ll look in both Google’s and your potential customers’ eyes. Crafting content that reinforces your position as an expert and thought-leader in your niche is imperative if you want to use link building to really cement your reputation and raise brand awareness. The digital space is more competitive than ever, with millions of businesses and brands vying for individuals’ attention on a daily basis. Your content has to be memorable, inspiring and above all, credible, to stand out and become link-worthy. Bloomberg reinforces its position as a leading global information and technology company with an informative, topical, expert piece of linkworthy content from 2015.

Drive business outcomes and work to a wider strategy

Your link-building efforts should always anchor back to your business objectives and the outcomes that you’re working towards. Are you hoping to raise brand awareness with new customer segments? Do you want to drive leads for a nurture programme? Are you trying to retain your most profitable customers? Link-building can help you to achieve all these things and more, especially when executed holistically as part of a wider strategic plan. Take a step back to consider other SEO and digital activity that might bolster and complement your link-building work, to see even better results.

The most important thing to remember is that link-building works best when it takes place naturally. Create content that key people in your industry, your prospects, and your customers will really find useful. Answer questions, provide value and offer something new. By doing so, you’ll have fresh content that people in your niche can’t wait to link to.