6 Backlink Strategies That Don’t Suck

Backlinks. They’re the often ignored final step of any great SEO strategy, but so many companies (and even agencies) ignore them for one simple reason:

They’re tough. 

Acquiring meaningful, high-quality backlinks is a tedious, thankless job that often feels more like brain-draining gruntwork than strategic marketing. 

But they’re invaluable. 

And for many companies, they can spell the difference between slow SEO growth and a giant leap in rankings. 

A Crash Course In Understanding Backlinks And SEO

Before we get into the details of improving your backlink strategies, let’s explain why they’re so important. 

First, context: Search engines like Google are constantly crawling different websites, and they’re endlessly trying to determine which webpage is better than every other competing webpage. 

One of the best ways of figuring that out? 

Backlinks. 

Think of backlinks like the citations you had to write in your Works Cited page of your high school research papers. 

They’re an indication that a resource (in this case, your website) is valuable and reputable. 

The more backlinks pointing to your website from other valuable, reputable websites, the better you look. 

Over time, you build up your “domain authority”—a numerical representation of the level of trust in your brand. You can find domain authority checkers all over the internet, but we like using this one from Ahrefs: Check your website’s domain authority. 

So, what does all of this mean for you?

Three things:

  1. Build a backlink profile from reputable websites. 
  2. Build quantity and quality. 
  3. Stay consistent. Backlinking is a long-term strategy.
Backlink Strategies That Don't Suck

Backlink Strategies That Don’t Suck: Use These 6 Tips

Here’s how you can get started in building backlinks without the soul-sucking dread of something closer to data management (which many backlink strategies rely on). In fact, many of these are classic (and awesome) content marketing strategies revised and optimized for goals in the SEO age!

1. Guest Posting

We just discussed this topic at length in our How to Coordinate A Blog Swap blog, but not all guest posts are a true swap. 

Instead, guest posting can consist of simply submitting your article to a blog’s editorial department and waiting for a “yes” or “no.” 

We’ve contributed to industry publications like the American Marketing Association (we’ll have our first link soon) and we have another coming up with our partners at The Business of Marketing (be sure to check back soon to read it). 

2. Interviews And Guest Appearances

Part of our internal marketing goals over here at Poetica Marketing is to average at least one guest appearance on a podcast, website, or webinar every month. 

That’s afforded us opportunities to appear on shows like Digital Difference Makers, Couples Inc., and In Business Talks2, as well as in publications like CanvasRebel and Bold Journey. 

The advantages here are two-fold:

  1. We’re reaching beyond our typical audience and hitting a new demographic. 
  2. We’re earning a valuable backlink from our expertise. 

While this is a slower strategy for building backlinks, each feature is another marketing beat that benefits the agency. 

3. Press Releases

Have a press-worthy marketing beat? Use a press release. 

From opening a new branch to hiring a new CFO to updating your logo, major company developments are still worth sharing in a press release—and doing so can get you coverage in new publications. 

Remember: While it would be great to find your article in a publication like The New York Times or The Washington Post, that’s not our ultimate goal here. 

Even coverage in a local online newspaper or digital industry magazine can add to your backlink profile, ultimately raising your domain authority. 

4. Share Your Expertise Through HARO (And Similar Platforms)

HARO (Help A Reporter Out) has grown as an SEO tool because it connects subject matter experts with journalists in need of quotes or insights. 

In other words: It’s a way for you to get featured in news articles—and earn a valuable backlink in the process. 

Similar resources have popped up as competitors, and one of our partners prefers to use Featured as a way to get their name (and website) into news publications. 

5. Conduct Original Research

This is a big lift—but the results can be incredible. 

In every industry, there are major reports that everyone looks forward to every year, and the niche publications that cover the industry go nuts over it. 

You can be that source of data. 

And your website can be the one everyone links to!

Conducting your own industry research or analysis can be time-consuming, and you’ll also be responsible for building your own white paper and landing page.

Here are a few tips:

  1. Consider working with a sponsor to cover the costs of conducting the research and assembling your report. While they’ll get acknowledgment in the report, they’ll also help you market it once it comes out. 
  2. Have a firm plan and goal in mind before you start. Remember: You want to create something your industry genuinely cares about. 
  3. Leverage this report into other marketing and backlink efforts, like press releases and interviews. An in-depth report can open up new doors for your company. 
  4. Consider “gating” this content (making people “pay” with an email address or contact information to access the report). When you collect their contact information, you can automatically move them through an automated email flow that guides them through your sales funnel. 

6. Create Infographics

Original infographics can be great because they’re:

  • Easy to share
  • Visually appealing
  • Easy to attribute back to the original creator

The challenge, of course, sits at the core of all content marketing: How do I create something that really resonates with my audience? 

If you can identify the answer to that question through customer surveys, conversations with your sales team, and industry research, you can start developing infographics your target audience genuinely loves and shares.

Better yet, you may find additional publications leveraging your infographic and citing your site as the original source. 

Find More Backlinking And SEO Support

For additional support on your backlink efforts, contact us! With our SEO services, we can help you enhance your website’s SEO performance to earn additional leads!