Three Powerful Backlink Strategies That Boost Organic Visibility

Backlinks, those golden tickets of the SEO world, are essentially votes of confidence from other websites. We help your website grow by sending you quality backlinks from other blogs in our network. They signal to search engines that your content is valuable, trustworthy, and authoritative, thus boosting your organic visibility. So, how do we get them?

Here are three robust backlink strategies, proven to move the needle. Ready to get started?

1. The Guest Blogging Powerhouse

Guest blogging, or guest posting, involves writing and publishing an article on another website. Think of it as planting seeds in fertile ground. You get your content in front of a new audience and, crucially, earn a backlink back to your site. Win-win, right? Absolutely. When done correctly, guest blogging can establish you as an authority in your niche and drive targeted traffic.

Finding the Right Opportunities

Not all websites are created equal. You need to identify blogs and publications that are:

• Relevant to your Niche: Targeting websites that align with your industry ensures that the audience is genuinely interested in your content. For instance, if you run a sustainable fashion brand, aim for eco-conscious lifestyle blogs or ethical fashion publications.
• Authoritative and Reputable: Look for websites with a strong domain authority (DA) and a solid reputation. A backlink from a high-quality website carries more weight than one from a spammy or low-quality site. Tools like Ahrefs or Moz can help you assess a website's DA.
• Engaging with Their Audience: Check the website's social media presence and comment sections to gauge audience engagement. A lively community indicates that the website is actively reaching its target audience.

Crafting a Killer Pitch

Before you start writing, you need to pitch your idea to the website editor. Make it compelling and personalized. Do your research and find out what topics resonate with their audience. A generic pitch will land straight in the trash.

• Personalize Your Outreach: Address the editor by name and demonstrate that you've read their content. Mention a specific article you enjoyed and explain how your guest post would complement their existing content.
• Offer Unique Value: Propose a topic that is both relevant to their audience and offers a fresh perspective or unique insights. Avoid rehashing existing content.
• Showcase Your Expertise: Highlight your credentials and experience to establish yourself as a credible source. Include links to your own published work.

Writing High-Quality Content

Once your pitch is accepted, it's time to create your masterpiece. Remember that you're representing both yourself and the host website. Quality is paramount.

• Provide Actionable Advice: Your content should offer practical tips and strategies that the reader can implement immediately.
• Use Clear and Concise Language: Avoid jargon and technical terms that might confuse the audience. Write in a clear and engaging style.
• Optimize for Readability: Break up your content with headings, subheadings, bullet points, and images. Make it easy for readers to scan and digest the information.

Honestly? This never worked for me until I started really tailoring my pitches.

Example:

Let's say you run a marketing agency specializing in social media. You could target a business blog and pitch an article on "Advanced TikTok Strategies for Lead Generation in 2024." You'd highlight your agency's experience in helping businesses leverage TikTok for lead generation and provide actionable tips and case studies.

2. The Skyscraper Technique: Building on Success

The Skyscraper Technique, coined by Brian Dean, involves finding popular content in your niche, creating something even better, and then reaching out to those who linked to the original piece. Think of it as building a skyscraper taller than the surrounding buildings. (I always picture the Chrysler Building for some reason.) It's about improving upon existing content and offering greater value to the reader.

Finding Linkable Assets

The first step is to identify content that has already attracted a significant number of backlinks.

• Use Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Moz can help you find articles and resources that rank well for your target keywords and have a high number of backlinks.
• Analyze Competitor Content: Identify your top competitors and analyze their most popular content. See what topics they're covering and which articles have the most backlinks.
• Look for Outdated Content: Focus on content that is outdated or no longer accurate. This presents an opportunity to create an updated and improved version.

Creating a Superior Resource

Now comes the fun part – crafting something amazing. The goal is to create a resource that is more comprehensive, informative, and visually appealing than the original. A TechCrunch piece last spring hinted that visual content engagement is up 300%…crazy!

• Add More Depth and Detail: Expand on the original content by providing more in-depth explanations, examples, and case studies.
• Update the Information: Ensure that your content is up-to-date with the latest trends, statistics, and best practices.
• Improve the Visuals: Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to enhance the reader experience.
• Make it More Actionable: Provide clear and actionable advice that the reader can implement immediately.

Reaching Out to the Right People

Once you've created your skyscraper content, it's time to reach out to the people who linked to the original resource. The key is to be polite, persuasive, and offer genuine value. This is where you will bite the silver bullet cut to the chase.

• Find Contact Information: Use tools like Hunter.io or LinkedIn to find the email addresses of the website owners or content managers.
• Personalize Your Outreach: Mention the specific article they linked to and explain why your content is a valuable addition to their resource.
• Highlight the Benefits: Emphasize the benefits of linking to your content, such as providing their audience with more up-to-date information or a more comprehensive resource.
• Offer to Help: Offer to help them update their content or provide them with additional resources.

Wait-that reminds me…I need to update an old blog post on my site.

Example:

Suppose you find an article on "10 SEO Tips for Small Businesses" that has a lot of backlinks. You could create a more comprehensive guide titled "The Ultimate SEO Checklist for Small Businesses: 50+ Actionable Tips." You'd include more tips, update the information with the latest SEO trends, and add visuals to make it more engaging. Then, you'd reach out to the websites that linked to the original article and explain why your guide is a better resource.

3. Broken Link Building: Turning Errors into Opportunities

Broken link building is all about finding broken links on other websites and offering your content as a replacement. It's a win-win situation. The website owner fixes a broken link, and you get a valuable backlink. This tactic requires patience and a keen eye for detail. But it works.

Finding Broken Links

There are several ways to find broken links on websites in your niche:

• Use Broken Link Checker Tools: Tools like Dead Link Checker and Ahrefs Broken Link Checker can scan websites for broken links.
• Target Resource Pages: Resource pages are often filled with links to external resources. These pages are a prime target for broken link building.
• Look for Outdated Content: Websites that haven't been updated in a while are more likely to have broken links.

Creating a Relevant Replacement

Once you've found a broken link, you need to create a piece of content that is a suitable replacement. It should be relevant to the topic of the broken link and offer similar or even better value.

• Analyze the Broken Link: Try to determine what the original content was about by looking at the anchor text or the surrounding content.
• Create a Similar Resource: Create a piece of content that covers the same topic as the broken link.
• Make it Better: Add more depth, detail, and value to your content to make it a more attractive replacement.

Reaching Out to the Website Owner

The final step is to reach out to the website owner and inform them about the broken link. Be polite, helpful, and offer your content as a replacement. The sticky keyboard from that coffee spill during our launch almost killed my email outreach, luckily the email went through and the webmaster added our link.

• Personalize Your Outreach: Mention the specific page where you found the broken link and explain why it's important to fix it.
• Offer Your Content as a Solution: Explain how your content is a relevant and valuable replacement for the broken link.
• Make it Easy for Them: Provide them with the direct link to your content and offer to help them update their page.

Anyway, I feel like I should point out that your email must be polite and professional.

Example:

Let's say you find a broken link on a marketing blog that points to an old article on "Email Marketing Best Practices." You could create an updated and improved guide on "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing in 2024." Then, you'd reach out to the website owner and inform them about the broken link. You'd then offer your guide as a replacement, explaining why it's a better resource for their audience.

So yeah, there you have it – three powerful backlink strategies to boost your organic visibility. Guest blogging, the Skyscraper Technique, and broken link building. Choose the one that suits you, or better yet, use all three!