[Build Backlinks Online] 12 Scalable Link-Building Tactics

Build Backlinks Online has posted a new item, '12 Scalable Link-Building
Tactics'


Posted by kaiserthesage

Link building/earning is essential in online marketing, and not just because
it improves your SEO. It also helps a website be discovered (click-through
visitors), generate leads, connect with other publishers (relationships), and
build a stronger online brand presence.


Although establishing yourself as an authority to eventually earn links
throughout the process is what search engines naturally want websites/brands to
do, you still can't disregard artificial link building (link marketing).


Link marketing is an initiative that should also be strongly considered, as
this practice makes a brand more well known in its online spaceâand sets
it up to genuinely earn links in the future.


The tactics listed in this post are from the 4-part newsletter series that I
launched a couple of weeks ago. Below are the guidelines covered by the series,
mostly about implementing some of the most scalable link-building tactics today.
These can be used by agencies, SMBs and enterprise-level companies.

#1: Create your own database of premium images and cinemagraphs

This can be a good investment for agencies and/or companies who're in for the
long-haul (targeting specific niches).




Though this tactic may require a budget (as you'll need to invest in hiring a
professional photographer or graphic artist), this can certainly improve your
link-building campaign through link attribution from bloggers who'll use your
premium images.


Once you have set up your own private gallery of rich images, you can then
start making a list of bloggers that you can reach out to (in your specific
niche). There are tons of bloggers who are in need of unique images that they
can use, so having this as your value proposition (offering the images for free
or giving them access to your private gallery) will increase your pitches'
conversion rate.


Another strategy that you can integrate to scale this type of link building
approach is using reverse image searchâin case other bloggers start using
your images without permission/attribution. You can use tools such as Google's
image search and Tineye to track blogs/websites that have used your images.


Other helpful resources:


How to create animated cinemagraphs
Ultimate Guide to Link Building with Images

#2: Outdated content acquisition

There are millions of pieces of content on the web, and many of them aren't
timelessâand many are also under-maintained.


This clearly brings a lot of opportunities for link building, wherein you can
search through hundreds of outdated pieces of content in your industry that have
managed to get natural links in the past (or successful link bait with
time-sensitive information) and try acquiring the content.


You can use Greenlane SEO's Outdated Content Finder tool to find
under-maintained content that you can still repurpose or recreate.


Contact the blog owner(s) and see if you can purchase the old page, and have
it redirected to your new version of the page hosted within your domain (with
updated information about the topic).


Pro tip: Tell them that you'll still give them credit as the original creator
(w/ brand mention), to enhance your chances of acquiring the content.


In choosing outdated web documents that you can revive:


Use tools like Ahrefs or Open Site Explorer to check for links pointing to the
old content.
Assess if it's possible to add more valuable and up-to-date information to the
topic covered by the content.


Another option that you can take, aside from buying the content, is helping
the webmaster update the contentâthis can also lead to getting a link from
that very same content.


Other helpful resources:


Create links with Outdated Content Finder
How to buy links ethically

#3: Massive interviews

Doing interviews of popular personalities in a certain field has been one of
the oldest tricks in link building, particularly for websites that are just
starting up.


Doing it on a massive scale can drive a ton of natural links to a website, and
can certainly get your name out in the open (like launching an interview series
or designating a section for expert interviews).


I've seen many sites that have been successful using this tactic (like
Mixergy, Under 30 CEO and Max Minzer's Max Impact to name a few).


And just recently, I've seen Media Shower's interview with me get a natural
in-content link from Page One Power's weekly roundup.




Imagine the number of links you can naturally acquire if you're consistently
sharing valuable insights from influential people in your industryâand
imagine the relationships you can build with influencers by using this tactic.

#4: Reverse guest-blogging campaign

Guest blogging has been the go-to tactic for the past couple of years in the
world of link building. But it seems that only a few have realized the value of
being on the receiving end, acquiring content from other great authors.


There are a lot of advantages to inviting guest bloggers who really know their
stuff to contribute to your site:


Getting free expertly made content that can rank for keywords (long tails) that
you are also targeting.
Absorbing the guest author's followers once they start sharing the content
they've contributed to your site (more unique traffic and potential leads).
Seasoned content publishers will almost always reference/link back to their
previous works, and their contributions on other websites are not an exemption.


Find and reach out to bloggers who write exceptionally in their respective
fields (and who can cover topics that are in your audience's interests as well).
You can use tools like Followerwonk to identify authors in your niche that have
a strong social following.


You can also do a simple Google Search to determine if they've been active in
guest blogging (inpostauthor:"Author's Name").




A few tips on implementing this tactic:


Start with those who you've seen to be active in their own guest-blogging
campaign. Doing a Google search to find active guest bloggers in your industry
(use queries like: "real estate guest post by") can make it easier to find them.
Make sure you have a value proposition once you start contacting your
prospects. Let them know what's in it for them (ex: mentioning that you have
bunch of readers/subscribers/followers, promoting their content, or offering to
pay them for the content).
Build relationships. It's easier to invite people to write for your site when
you're already friends with them.
Read their content. Make sure that you like it.


Other helpful resources:


The Easiest Way to Bait LinksâGet Guest Authors
How to Build your Presence with Reverse Guest Posting

#5: Online billboards through long-tail content distribution

Building more brand visibility is one of link building's vital roles in online
marketing. There are many ways to get this done, but there's one tactic that
will seem to continue to be effective despite the constantly changing/evolving
search landscape.


The method: distributing content (targeting long-tail search terms) on
user-generated content sites that have high search share.


Pages hosted on UGC sites like Youtube, Slideshare, Pinterest and Scribd
(there are a lot more, actually) obviously have better search-ranking power,
especially for long-tail keywords.




The probable reasons why these domains show more often on SERPs lie in the
level of trust search engines see from these domains (domain authority) and the
amount of traffic, as well as interactions that these pages are getting.


Implementing this strategy on a larger scale can help generate constant
traffic and brand impressions for your site (which you can consider as robust
links/assets).




Steps for implementing this tactic:


Create content based on your campaign's targeted long-tail keywords. Repurpose
them into several content formats (videos, slide presentations, infographics,
comics or whitepaper/PDF).
Upload them where it's appropriate (content platforms like Youtube, Slidshare,
etcâ).
Promote these through social and/or build links to them (including them on your
blog posts or linking to them through your other off-site marketing efforts).

#6: Getting more Google+ shares

As Cyrus Shepard mentioned on his recent (controversial) post here on Moz,
Google+ posts pass link equity (because the links within Google+ posts are
followed).


This means the more your Google+ posts are being shared within their social
platform, the more high-value links you are able to get (if you've included a
link to one of your site's pages within the Google+ post).


For instance, a few months back, I did a weekly roundup of the blog posts I've
read each week on Google+. My first one was shared 40 times within the network,
which means 40 Google+ profiles have just linked to the URLs I've shared.




Google+ is a microblogging platform that can offer ton of opportunities for
marketing a brand/website if maximized.


Tips on getting more Google+ Shares:


Start building a strong follower base (to enhance the chances of getting your
posts shared). You can start by integrating Google+ with your content marketing
efforts (let people know that you're active on Google+).
It's a microblogging platform, so start blogging on Google+! Lengthy posts
(that are useful and valuable) have higher potential for getting shared.
Add relevant links to external pages (your website) within your Google+ posts,
so that you can build links when people start sharing your posts. Link to other
people's works as well, to build relationships (and to get them to share your
post too).




Other helpful resources:


PlusBlogging: A Google+ Content Strategy
How to build your Authority and Influence in Google+

#7: Republishing viral posts from Tumblr and Facebook

Tumblr and Facebook are definitely two of the best places to get inspiration
for content creation, and are sometimes the best channels from which to get
linkable content assets.


This tactic has been running around my head for weeks now (and we're already
in the process of testing it on one of the test sites I've been managing).


Republishing/reposting has been a norm in the social spaceâand is always
ethical if you're giving attribution to the original source of the content.


Basically, this tactic is about finding the most successful pieces of content
posted on Facebook and Tumblr (based on the amount of likes and shares) that are
related to your nicheâand having them republished on your site's blog (or
if you have microsites, then that could work, too).




Given that these pieces of content have already proven themselves as
interesting on social platforms, they'll have better chances of getting natural
links.


For instance, I saw the Facebook post I've shared above get republished on a
small WordPress blog:




The republished post did well in terms of social shares, as it got 2,000+
retweets:




And the Wordpress version of the FB post also got 288 links (from 81 linking
domains)âknowing that a lot of people got to see the content:



How to find viral posts in your niche from Facebook and Tumblr:

You can use Google search to find successful posts on Facebook and Tumblr (by
using the queries I've used below).




A few tips on republishing viral posts from Facebook/Tumblr:


Always give attribution to the original creator of the content!
Include your own insights or personal takeaways in your republished content.

#8: Reverse engineering

Knowing where your main competitors are getting their links from, as well as
the entities they've built relationships with, has been one of the most
important methodologies in search marketing.


Aside from helping smaller brands compete in search using this tactic,
analyzing your competitors' link sources also allows you to determine
partnerships and understand methods that will most likely work for you.


Tools you can use to extract your top competitors' link data:


Open Site Explorer
Ahrefs
Majestic SEO


List the top domains linking to your competitors in a spreadsheet and segment
them by difficulty of acquisition (how hard or easy will it be for you to get a
link from them).


Another thing that you also have to consider is identifying the sites/domains
that your competitors are linking out to.


You can use ScreamingFrog to generate a list of URLs that your competitors
have linked out to the most.


Once you're done assessing and sorting the list of domains linking to your
competitors, and the list of domains that your competitors are linking out to,
you can then start listing each website's contact details.


You can use tools like Citation Labs (Contact Finder Tool) and/or Link
Research Tools' Contact Finder to easily generate the list of emails.


Though you must also remember that it's not about the amount of data you have,
it's about how you can use your data to your advantage. Making use of your list
of link prospects:


Pitch them for guest-blogging opportunities.
Do an interview of the influential ones on your list.
Letting them know about your content(s) that their readers/followers are most
likely interested in.
Collaborate with them in content creation (getting insights from them and
including them on your upcoming blog posts).
Connecting and engaging them through interactions (through social or their
already-existing communities).


Other helpful resources:


Guide to competitive backlink analysis

#9: Improving content discovery through targeted content promotion

If you're already investing in developing content assets on your website, then
up-sizing your efforts to make them more visible to your target audience is a
surefire way to enhance the ability of your website/brand to continuously
attract natural links.


Because the more people who are able to see your content assets, the higher
your chances to force multiply the results (more traffic, more social shares,
more links, better rankings, and more leads).


There are many ways to promote your site's great content, and below are some
of the most efficient ways to build traffic that will result to more traffic:

Linker outreach

Start with those who're really into the topic/subject that you've covered on
your contentâand have a history of sharing/linking to similar content.


The easiest way to find them is by mining your competitors' similar content.
Tools that you can use to find linkers in your industry:


Ahrefs or Open Site Explorerâto find blogs/websites that have linked to
your competitors' content

Topsyâto identify Twitter users who have shared your competitors' content
Google Searchâto find people who have shared your competitors' content on
Facebook, Google+ and other social networks (using search operators)




Pro tip: You can also mine your competitors' most-linked content assets (pages
with high # of LRDs) using Open Site Explorer, as this will reveal the linkers
in your industry.


It'll be easier to reach out to them, seeing that they're genuinely interested
in the topic of your content.




Pro tip: Don't ask them to share your content, since they are linkers, and they
already know what to do next after seeing your content.

Paid social ads

Another great way to put more eyeballs on your content is through paid Social
Adsâfrom Facebook's sponsored stories or Stumbleupon's paid discovery.


The best thing about these services is that you can configure your ads to only
be displayed to specifically targeted users (those that are highly interested in
what your content is providing).


Simon Penson wrote a great case study on how to make Facebook your primary
traffic source that you might also want to read.

Related discussions

This is probably the easiest way to promote and build links to your site's
content assets. Participate in already existing discussions that are
thematically related to your content (forum threads, Q&As, other blogs, and
online communities like Facebook groups, etc.).


Using your content as a reference to your contributions on these discussions
will make it more enticing for other people to click on your link.

Linking through your content distribution efforts

Use your other content marketing effortsâlike your guest blogs, columns,
slideshows on Slideshare, or videos uploaded on Youtubeâto promote your
site's linkable assets.

Internal linking

I've always been a firm believer that internal links are the most valuable
ones to have in a link building campaign, because you have full control of them.


Create more content that can stand to support your site's content assets. This
way you'll be able to distribute Page Authority to your site's key pages and
you'll be also able to build continuous traffic to them.


You can also utilize your site's high-traffic pages (based on your analytics)
to make your other low-performing content assets be more visible (and more
inclined to receive inbound links).


Other helpful resources:


How to build your content promotion and link building opportunity list
How to promote and build links to your great content
Linker Outreachâa method for social and editorial link building
7 online viral marketing strategies

#10: Find specific questions and answer them (long-tail link building)

People will never run out of questions to ask, especially now that the
information age makes it easier for people to solve their problems almost
instantly with the help of the web.


Find online discussions that pertain to the product(s) you or your client
provides (from forums, Q&A sites like Quora, and blog comments). It's best to
genuinely add value to the discussion, by contributing only relevant information
(and not make it too promotional).




The best thing about how the link-building space is evolving is that it's also
giving marketers new ways to build signals that search crawlers can use.


In using this tactic, you won't necessarily need to use hyperlinks to promote
or build signals to your website. Given that search engines are also using
phrase-based indexing, even an unlinked brand mention will now count as a vote
that's as good as a link (based on the concepts of co-occurrence and sentiment
analysis).


With this approach (building unlinked brand mentions on related discussions),
you lessen the chances of getting flagged as a spammer by forum/community
moderators. But always remember that you have to ensure that people will get
value from what you're contributing (think marketing!).


Another advantage of using this tactic is that you're also building brand
awareness, which can eventually cultivate branded searches (seeing that you
didn't provide a link).

#11: Link reclamation

This method is probably the oldest trick in the book of white-hat link
building. Despite that fact, as well as all the changes that have been made in
the search game, link reclamation is still considered one of the most effective
tactics to use out there.


Reclaiming linksâfrom links to your site that are broken, linking to the
wrong version of the URL, or from unlinked brand mentionsâare very much
applicable to brands/websites that are active in online branding, content
marketing, and offline marketing (print ads, events, etcâ).


The best thing about this method is that it has a very high conversion rate
for link acquisition. The main reason is that you've already earned the
mention/citation, which makes it much easier for you to request to have the
mention optimized (like your preferred anchor texts and/or the link's
destination).


Common practices that you should integrate with your link-building campaign to
find better link opportunities:


Set up Google Alerts for your brand name (and resident authors)âto track
blogs/websites mentioning your brand or your site's content.
Use Topsy to track people mentioning your brand (or your site's homepage) on
Twitter. It's easier to request links from them, since they're already vouching
for you.

Make it a habit to search for mentions about your brand, author(s), product(s)
or events through Google's blog search (consider it a monthly task).


Look for sites linking back to you that use the wrong version of the URL.


Check incoming links pointing to your site's broken pages (404s) using Google
Webmaster Tools. They are the easiest ones to reclaim.

#12: Static marketing

Consistency is a common factor that you'll mostly notice from successful
brands on the web.


And this is something that even smaller brands can apply, especially in
performing off-site marketing activities.


As perfectly described by Ross Hudgens, static marketing acts a force
multiplier of future active marketing efforts through a series of branding
initiatives (from naming conventions, persona, aesthetic impression, and overall
brand identity).


Interactions with other people in your industry, particularly with content
publishers, have been vital in today's age of link building.


And as most of us know, to be really able to compete in online marketing these
days, we need to be almost everywhere. Static marketing makes that approach much
easier, as you tend to be more consistent, which enables you to become more
recognizable to people active in your industry's online space.


When your targets recognize you, you become linkable.


A few tips on how to be remarkable in your target communities:




Use a username that's easy to recall.
Stick to your personal brand's unique selling point and identity (establish
expertise in a single niche first, before expanding on the others).
Be consistent with the avatars you use in different social platforms or online
communities you're actively participating in.

How about guest blogging?

Many link builders are abusing the tactic. Google is already on to it.


The method is very effective, when done right. But here's my personal take on
it:




I don't do guest blogging that much anymore. But when I do, I do it on Moz.


If you're looking for more tips on link building, you can check out my blog
Kaiserthesage and you can also follow me on Twitter @jasonacidre.

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