What is link building? A complete guide

Imagine constructing a store in an area without any access roads. It wouldn't make sense, as customers wouldn't be able to reach your business, unless they're incredibly adventurous off-roaders.

Similarly, links function as the internet's roadways. They establish a route for both users and search engine crawlers to discover your site. To establish these pathways, you can employ a technique known as link building.

Understanding link building

Link building entails acquiring links from other websites to your own site. These links play a crucial role in aiding both users and search engine crawlers in discovering your website.

Moreover, obtaining links from reputable websites enhances your site's credibility in the eyes of search engines like Google, ultimately boosting your search engine rankings.

Continue reading or watch the video below to delve deeper into the significance of link building for your SEO efforts and to gain insights on how to initiate your link-building journey.

In essence, link building involves securing links from external websites to yours, playing a pivotal role in your SEO strategy. This process aids both users and search engine crawlers in discovering your content, and the number and quality of these links directly influence your search engine rankings.

To kickstart a link-building campaign, you must develop valuable content pertinent to your business, products, or services. When others link to your valuable content, you earn backlinks, or links, from their sites to yours. Link building not only exposes your brand to a wider audience but also enhances your site's domain authority, leading to improved performance in search results.

How link building enhances your SEO strategy

Link building holds significant importance in your SEO strategy. Backlinks serve as signals to search engines, indicating that your site is trustworthy and deserving of top rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).

While the relevance of your content is crucial for SERP visibility, acquiring backlinks from reputable sites further boosts your site's prominence.

While Google's ranking algorithm comprises numerous factors, links are among the most influential.

However, it's essential to note that not all links carry the same weight. This is where the concept of link equity becomes relevant.

The significance of link building for your business

Now, individuals who frequent and trust this news site come across the link to your website. Upon clicking it, they have the chance to delve deeper into your brand.

This action of users clicking on the link indicates to search engines the quality of your site's content, potentially leading to an upward movement in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Additionally, increased traffic resulting from these clicks may translate into new leads and sales.

You might be wondering, what exactly is link building in SEO and how does it contribute to my strategy?

Link building plays a pivotal role in your SEO strategy, a topic we'll delve into in the following section.

Understanding link equity

Link equity, also known as "link juice," denotes the value transmitted from one site to another when they link to you. 

Various sites possess distinct values owing to a metric called domain authority, which reflects the trustworthiness of your site to search engines. Domain authority is quantified on a scale from 1 to 100, with higher numbers indicating greater trustworthiness.

While not directly utilized by search engines to determine your website's positioning in SERPs, domain authority aids in identifying which sites are more likely to convey greater link equity through backlinks.

You can assess your domain authority using Moz's tools or your domain rating using Ahrefs' tools.

Here's an example to illustrate how these metrics function:

Consider renowned news websites like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press. Over the years, these platforms have cultivated trust among consumers and amassed numerous links to their articles, establishing themselves as industry leaders. If the New York Times were to link to your site, it would convey significantly more link equity compared to a link from a personal blog due to its higher domain authority.

However, this doesn't imply that links from smaller websites should be disregarded. Your target audience might frequent smaller, niche blogs.

It's essential to acknowledge that different sites hold varying degrees of value to search engines when devising your link-building strategy.

In summary, high-equity links have the potential to enhance your website's ranking, placing you ahead of competitors in search engines and attracting valuable traffic that can translate into leads and revenue for your business.

5 Strategies for building links: Effective link building techniques

Generate valuable content to attract links

Prior to embarking on link building efforts, ensure you have compelling content that inspires others to link back to your site. For instance, if you're a tech company, don't settle for a brief 100-word description of your latest product. Instead, craft an in-depth post outlining its functionalities, create a video showcasing its features, incorporate captivating visuals, and ignite excitement. Your content should captivate readers as much as you're enthused about your offerings. Unique and valuable content heightens the chances of natural link acquisition, eliminating the need for solicitation.

Analyze competitors' content and backlink profiles

Curious about how to examine backlinks from your competitors? Allow us to guide you through.

Competitor research as a link-building strategy involves a twofold approach. Initially, scrutinize the topics your competitors cover online.

Next, pinpoint any gaps or areas for enhancement. For instance, if a rival tech company has addressed industry advancements but omitted crucial details on functionality, seize the opportunity. Develop a comprehensive piece delving into this development, elucidating its workings. Enrich your content with multimedia elements such as videos and images to provide context and elevate its online visibility.

Crafting comprehensive content establishes your authority within the industry and encourages organic links to your website and blog.

Subsequently, it's essential to examine who links to competitors' content using backlink analysis tools.

Ahrefs provides a complimentary backlink tool enabling you to track your competitors' backlinks. If a website links to a competitor's site—and you offer an even superior resource—there's a likelihood they may link to your site as well.

Explore industry or niche sites for link building prospects

Conducting a Google search can unveil websites within your industry or niche that might be willing to link to your site. For example, a simple Google search for "technology blogs" generates a compilation of blogs in that particular niche. Compile a list of pertinent sites and blogs you wish to link to your website. Additionally, track specific articles for outreach purposes, a topic we'll delve into later. Don't be disheartened if prominent sites don't immediately link to you. As your link-building strategy gains traction, you'll gradually garner links from various reputable sites within your niche. Ready to begin? Our industry-specific resource guides serve as an excellent starting point! You can also explore our list of top link-building agencies for potential partnerships!

Execute content promotion

Content promotion or outreach is a pivotal aspect of your link-building strategy.

While natural links may accrue without active promotion, outreach serves as the key to link-building triumph.

Upon compiling a list of desired linking sites, engage in outreach to relevant blogs, influencers, journalists, or industry experts. Clearly articulate why your content holds value for their audience and extend an invitation for them to share and link to your website.

Leverage your existing channels to disseminate your content to potential linkers. Are you active on social media? Share your latest blog posts with your followers. Maintain an email newsletter? Distribute new content alongside business updates. The wider your content reaches, the greater the likelihood of readership, sharing, and linking to your pages.