The internet is a complete world on its own, hence staying relevant in the ever-growing space is very crucial, especially for businesses. This requires the development of various tactics and strategies which are aimed at increasing the online presence, business credibility and lead generation. One of these tactics is what has come to be known as “link building”. Link building is basically a conscious process which involves the linking of different websites back to that of your firm, business or blog. Links are crucial to driving referral traffic while also increasing site authority, thus paving way for business growth. In order to tactically influence the effects of link building, strategies are carefully devised and implemented. Common link building strategies include broken link building, email outreach, public relations, content marketing etc.

However, before we dive into the juicy intricacies of link building strategies, it is pertinent to note that a link has to be a good one in order to be very effective. By building good links, your website is able to rank higher on Google searches. This is usually done by creating a link from a website with high ranking authority (PageRank), thereby allowing for the passage of authority and credibility from the high-ranking site to yours. Link building is one of the cost-effective and inexpensive methods of search engine optimization aimed at enhancing web rankings and increasing outreach. That said, let us take a look at the top 5 link building strategies for SEO in 2021.

1. Utilize Link Reclamation

Link reclamation is the process of reclaiming your lost links, and there are 4 major reasons as to why you lost it in the first place.

1. The author removed your link from the page;
2. The linking page no longer exists resulting in a 404 error;
3. The linking page is redirected (301);
4. The page that is linked is no longer indexed in Google.  With this reason however, your link is technically not lost and still exists, but it is less valuable and as we have previously mentioned you need valuable links to help increase your rankings in the SERPs.

Reclaiming lost links is important in SEO and the usability of your site because you are ensuring that your website isn’t losing out on any link juice due to any broken links, pages that have been moved, or faulty URL canonicalization. 

Fixing your internal links is easy as you have control over them, but fixing your external backlinks is much more of a process.

Brand Mentions

This has been briefly explained above and it involves taking advantage of brand mentions on websites with high rankings.  Unlinked brand mentions refer to anytime that a site mentions your business without actually linking to you, and generally can be found in a broad range of places, such as industry news sites, blogs, and supplier sites etc.

Some SEO experts will say linking brand mentions is a strategy of link reclamation and others will say that you can't reclaim a link you never actually had. 

Regardless, finding unlinked brand mentions is a link building strategy you should be taking advantage of.  With the aid of appropriate software such as Group High, it is possible to link those websites to yours. Such software makes it easier for you to survey and connect with the top-ranking sites by sending requests to the web editors of such sites in order to have the link implemented. According to WebpageFX, 46.2% of the reason why a site ranks highly in search engines such as Google is as a result of links. Thus, it is not wrong to say that the more links you earn from high-rankers, the more attractive and credible your site becomes.

TIP: If you're not already doing so, you can monitor your brand and social media mentions using Google Alerts.

When chasing unlinked brand mentions or product and service mentions related to your brand, make sure to prioritise links from high-quality pages because PageRank is calculated at the page-level, not the domain-level, and is still very much used by Google.

Unsurprisingly, you can also use Google search to find brand mentions.  For instance if we searched for our own brand we would use Intext:SEOPlans -seoplans.net.au when using the advanced search functions of Google.

Broken links

Asides from link reclamation, leveraging broken links ia also another good way of building links, especially if content writing does not work for you. The broken link strategy involves discovering blog pages with dead links and requesting that they be replaced with links similar to your site content. Breaking this down, it simply involves replacing dead links in your website with links from another high-value website. This is very effective to increase your site’s search engine optimisation and ranking.

2. Engage in Guest Blogging

In recent times, blogs have become universal outreach tools, probably due to their effectiveness in reaching target audiences. However, while consistent blogging is enough to increase the average website visitors by about 55% and inbound links by 97% according to HubSpot, guest blogging is also quite effective and therefore, is gaining more popularity. This is quite a simple link building strategy as it just involves researching blogs that are in need of guest posts, especially those whose owners and readers are more likely to share the posts on social media. Ensure your posts are published on trusted websites that rank highly. Also, take your time to understand the kind of audience you are writing for in order to make it easier to create content that will earn links from that website.  

The number one rule about guest blogging is that you don't guest blog to build backlinks.

What you say!  After all, we are talking about link building strategies.  Any backlinks you get from guest blogging should be a by-product of the great content you've created.  It should never be the sole reason for your guest blogging efforts.

Benefits of guest blogging include:

1. Getting more targeted traffic;
2. Building a reputation of being more authoritative in Google's eyes, and by proxy, your website;
3. Get quality backlinks from authoritative domains (but remember this should not be your main goal);
4. Develop social proof gain the credibility you need to be taken seriously in your niche.

3. Be Active on Social Media

The influence of social media on link building and site awareness cannot be overemphasized. We live in times where social media has evolved to become one of the revolutionary forces of the marketing world. From lead generation to customer interaction and engagement, social media offers a whole new landscape for business growth and brand awareness. Social media inactivity is, therefore, a bane to any growing business, blog, or website. According to stats, more people have access to social media as an information source rather than television stations.

Social media also provides a cheap and cost-effective opportunity of increasing brand awareness through various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. It gives you a chance to expose your site to more people who are likely to share your posts with your target audience. This works towards improving your overall visibility. The great thing about social media is that it allows for different forms of interactions and outreach methods with your intended audience.

Earn links through infographics

With the help of aid diagrams such as infographics and flowcharts, you could generate organic traffic to your blog, with about 38% more backlinks than a standard blog post. This is probably because infographics are good for communicating concepts, ideas, data, and statistics.

According to Hubspot, infographics are liked and shared on social media 3x more than any other type of content, which means that today this form of content is more popular and stronger than ever and not just another passing fad.  Like, the perfect combination of PB&J, infographics are a great blend of visuals and text.  And, more importantly in the world of SEO, eye-catching and educational infographics have the ability to make your content go viral and generate lots of high-quality backlinks.

4. Grow Your Personal Brand

Growth, Awareness, and Outreach; are the main aims of branding. Your brand revolves around you and what you have in mind for your business. It begins from your thoughts and boils down to how you express yourself externally. It is necessary to recognize that as your personal brand grows, people will begin to identify with you and want to naturally connect to you. This results in the generation of natural links in an organic way as your branding creates a safe spot for your business in the midst of a diverse market. This in turn gives rise to your brand receiving increased rankings in the SERPs, which let's face it, the main goal for any SEO plan. Consistent blogging also goes a long way to developing a voice for your personal brand and what you and your business represent.

Natural links do not:

1. Have tracking parameters;
2. Are placed within sponsored or paid content;
3. And, redirected through JavaScript or monetisation tools. 

5. Examine your Competition

One thing is to build and grow your brand, another is to usurp the competition in order to stay continuously relevant. Therefore, it's necessary to keep an eye on your competitor’s strategy. By examining how their links are structured and implemented, you can determine what strategy will be effective for your website. There are tools that you can use to analyze your competitor’s strategy while also being careful not to copy exactly what they do. Or, you can steal that traffic from right under their noses, depends on how bold you want to be.

If you've been wanting to start a good link building plan for some time, looking at your competitors' is a good step 1.  So, right now, think of your top 3 competitors, jump onto Google and type in your main focus keyword.  You may see the business you have in your mind or you main see someone completely different at the top of the rankings.  Then see where you are positioned.

If you want to use spying on your competitors as a way to learn the best strategies that would yield the best results for your own brand, then you want to know what backlinks they have. SEMRush, MOZ and Ahrefs all have backlink analysis tools and checkers that you can use.

6. Get Featured on "Best of" Lists

Getting your business featured on top-rated lists, like "best of" or "top 10" lists, is a great way to get noticed and score some quality backlinks. You can use tools like Online Backlink Checker to find these lists. Once you've found some, contact the people who put them together. Explain why your business deserves to be on the list; you might just get a valuable backlink out of it.

The significance of being featured on such lists cannot be overstated. It not only enhances your website's visibility but also bolsters its credibility within your industry niche. These lists often serve as go-to resources for individuals seeking reputable businesses or services, thus positioning your brand in front of a highly engaged audience. This recognition can translate into increased organic traffic, as users are more inclined to trust and engage with businesses endorsed by trusted sources.

7. Connect with Industry Experts

Building relationships with experts and influencers in your industry can do wonders for your website's visibility and SEO. Join industry groups on social media or online forums, and get involved in conversations. Share your knowledge and help out where you can. As you build genuine connections with these experts, they may naturally link back to your website in their content.

Moreover, networking with industry leaders opens doors to valuable insights, opportunities, and partnerships that can propel your business forward. By making genuine connections and demonstrating genuine interest in the industry, you not only expand your professional network but also amplify your brand's visibility and influence.

Finally, link building is an important element that influences your website ranking, especially in recent times. It is, therefore, useful to seize every available opportunity to improve your site presence, keeping in mind that it takes time to build a reputable brand.  If you have any questions about link building, get in touch or use the live chat feature.