4 Backlink Building Strategies to Boost SEO Performance

SEO / 14 May 2022

Backlink building can be one of the more reliable SEO strategies out there – but only if you’re doing things naturally.

Think of building backlinks like building foundations. If they’re handled poorly, your entire SEO structure can start tumbling down around you.

In this blog, we’ll teach you how to build backlinks strategically. We’ve come up with these four methods to to support your SEO, instead of inadvertently hindering it.

What exactly are backlinks?

If you’ve spoken to any SEO agency in the past few years, chances are they’ve thrown the word backlinks into the conversation. But they might not have explained what makes backlinks unique.

Backlinks aren’t like internal or external links. Instead, these are links that move a user back to your website from a different location. 

In other words, they’re links to your website pages that are found on other people’s websites. 

They’re sometimes also called ‘inbound links’ because they’re a way of navigating people toward your website.

Because you’re often not posting these links directly, it can be a lot harder to build them into your wider SEO strategy.

This is further complicated by the fact that not all backlinks are created equal. It’s entirely possible to create what are known as toxic backlinks, which can end up having a negative impact on your business.

Why are backlinks important?

Toxic backlinks sound ominous, but they shouldn’t put you off backlinking entirely. 

Backlinks can form an important part of your SEO strategy because they improve the legitimacy of your business.

Backlinks are a lot like a recommendation. Another company or website has chosen to link to your website, instead of the millions of others available to them. This vote of confidence shows the average person browsing the web – as well as Google – that you really know what you’re talking about.

Backlinks can also improve your SEO standing. This is why they’re a crucial talking point during both SEO consulting sessions and for companies providing white label SEO services.

Finally, backlinks can boost traffic to your actual website. This means you get more eyes on your company, and more potential customers visiting your site every day.

Now that we’ve covered what they are, and why they matter, it’s time to look at how to build backlinks.

1. Create evergreen, industry-specific content

To build on your backlinks, you need to capitalise on what they’re actually linking to.

That means curating your website with as much evergreen, industry-specific content as you can. Evergreen content is any blog or resource that is always relevant to a particular group of customers or readers.

A good example of this is to write content answering a question you hear every day from your clients. If you’re an SEO agency, this might be a guide to the top free tools for SEO.

Or, it could be a collection of useful industry statistics on white label SEO that you update each year.

The more detailed and information-rich this resource is, the more likely others in your industry will recommend it. This can then serve as a natural way to build your backlinks – as well as your brand’s reputation.

2. Write for other SEO consulting companies or websites

A good way to build out your backlinks is to provide your own expertise to other companies. By writing a guest article on another website, you can backlink to your own where readers can find out more information.

It isn’t quite as simple as that though. You’ll need to make sure you commit to making this guest article as impressive as it can be. The more helpful the actual article is, the more likely readers are to click on additional links.

You also have to make sure any backlinks you include are relevant. You can’t post a link to the benefits of your SEO services if you’ve actually written an article about the best cat accounts on Instagram.

It’s also essential that you check that backlinking is okay with the website you’re working with first. Your priority should always be the article, not the backlink you’re adding to it.

3. Network and build a community

Backlinking is always a collaborative effort. By creating a community of other writers or business owners in your industry, you can help share your knowledge with each other.

This can be a great way to learn more about your sector, but it can also help you build out your backlinks. By sharing resources with a community of like-minded people, you’re making sure your pages are seen by others ahead of time.

They’ll then think of you when they come to write their own adjacent content. Backlinking to your website can then help further the impact of their own article, and means you hopefully get a relevant backlink in the process. It’s a win-win and a great way to build lasting connections.

4. Write skyscraper content

Skyscraper content is a content marketing approach where you first need to find the top-ranking pages for a certain search term. Then, you need to analyse this page and think about the ways you can write it better.

Let’s clear something up: you should never simply duplicate another website’s content. This approach is about seeing what works and doing it better than it’s been done so far.

If you’re successful in writing skyscraper content that’s more informative than what’s already available, it’s likely those in your industry will take notice. Your resource has the potential to become the go-to page to link to in the future, and can simultaneously cement you as a thought leader.

How can you continue to build backlinks?

These backlink building strategies should give you a headstart on building out your backlinks, but as with all SEO services, there’s always more work to be done.

If you’re looking to focus on your SEO in more detail, Beesting Digital works as both an SEO agency and as a white label SEO provider. If you’d like to schedule an initial SEO consulting meeting, or just find out more about how backlinks can boost your growth, feel free to book in a discovery call.