Are you looking for some new ways to get backlinks to your site?

Are you just getting started with your link building strategy?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Link building should be a key part of any Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy.

Backlinks have always been a key ranking factor in Google’s algorithm, and a recent industry study showed how much impact they have.

No matter where you are in your link building journey, you’re sure to find inspiration in one of our 17 ways to earn backlinks.

We’ve split them into 3 sections;

1. 1. How to Get Backlinks for Specific Web Pages
   2. Link Building for Your Entire Website
   3. Paid Backlink Strategies

If you’d prefer to get this information in video form, you’re in luck!

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks are links on other websites that point towards your website.

They’re the type of links you need to help your site gain authority on Google.

Google’s algorithm sees this and thinks, ‘If all these sites are linking to this website, then the content must be high quality and useful.’

But for your site to be seen as high quality, you need to be getting authentic links from other websites in your niche.

You don’t just want to get backlinks for the sake of it – so no buying low-quality backlinks. If anything, that will harm you more than no backlinks at all.

This article will help you get 100 (or more!) quality backlinks.

How to Get Backlinks for Specific Web Pages

With great content comes great backlinks.

At least, in theory, it should.

If another website owner just happens to see your content and links back to it from their site, that’s awesome!

But it’s far more likely that you will need to reach out to other site owners and pitch your content to them.

The methods below will help you create a piece of backlink-worthy content and give you some ideas on how to promote it.

Is your marketing underperforming?

Request a free website and marketing review and our team will tell you how to improve your marketing.

Request a Free Review

1. Publish “Skyscraper” Content

The Skyscraper Technique is all about improving on the content that is already out there, posted by competitors or other sites in your niche.

All you have to do is head to Google and take a look at the top results that come up when you search for your chosen keyword.

Now create something better than what’s there.

Yes, ok, that sounds like a lot of work, but you’ve got to remember that there’s a lot of content online now, for pretty much every search term.

It’s not quick and it’s not easy, but that’s the point.

Google won’t rank poor, lazy content highly. Don’t waste your time on it.

Make something good.

It’s key to take inspiration from existing content when it comes to link building.

If they’re ranking highly, they must be doing something right.

If the top-ranking pages are using video content, or lists, or infographics, your content should do the same.

This doesn’t mean you should steal from other people by any means. Just see what’s working for them and put your own, better, spin on it.

2. Promote Your Content on Social Media

Promotion needs to be a part of your link building strategy.

You might be thinking, ‘Really, more work? I just spent all this time on the content itself!’

All the more reason you don’t want it to go unseen in the depths of your website.

One of the best ways you can promote your content is via social media.

If you’ve created something great, sharing it on social media puts it in front of people who may want to link back to it from their website.

Did you make some custom graphics for your blog?

Share them on social media and link back to your content.

Could you make a short video highlighting some great elements of your content to encourage people to go read the entire thing?

What about creating an infographic that could be used on social media and in your website content?

Even just sharing an image and some text relating to your content will help raise its profile and help bring in more readers.

The sky truly is the limit.

Here are some examples of how we’ve used graphics to promote our website content on social media.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Thinkplus (@exposureninja)

3. Find Broken Links

Finding broken links that could be linked to your brand new piece of content is a fantastic way to build a healthy backlink profile. This is also known as broken link building.

What’s great is that this strategy helps you and the other website owner.

So what are broken links?

You know when you click on a link and you get a 404 message?

Well, that’s because that link is trying to connect to a page that has moved, or no longer exists.

Once you’ve found these broken links, (more on that in a moment), you can reach out to the site owner and ask if they’d like to link to your awesome, up to date, and most importantly, relevant content.

Now, how do you go about broken link building?

1. Start by making a list of your competitors, or the type of sites that have similar content to the piece you’re trying to earn backlinks for.
2. Pop their domain into your backlink checker of choice (ours is SE Ranking) and select ‘lost’, to see which sites they’ve lost links from, and to which content.

If it’s relevant, get in there and grab that link! (By asking nicely and pitching yourself well, of course.)

Broken link building is one of the most valuable ways to get backlinks to your website, as it benefits both parties. Win-win!

The video below goes into more detail about how to harness the power of broken links.

4. Replace Outdated Links

Similar to the previous strategy, you can pitch your content as a replacement for dated links.

To start, find websites in your industry that have changed names, moved to a new URL or even shut down.

You can also take a look at companies that have stopped offering a service that you still offer.

Pop their URL into your backlink checker and find any domains that are still linking to them.

Then, reach out and offer your shiny new content as a replacement!

Get to the top of Google

Learn how to get your website to the very top of Google (and turn that traffic into revenue).

Download my free copy

5. Create Infographics

Most people process visual data better.

It’s just science. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, so it makes sense that including images, videos and infographics in your content is going to make it easier to read.

If you’ve got some great data to hand, an infographic is an ideal way to make it easy to understand and more accessible.

It gives you the chance to get creative, and you can even use your brand guidelines to make the infographic truly yours.

If you’re not sure where to start, see what kind of infographics have earned a lot of backlinks in your industry, for example;

If you don’t have time to create a long infographic, you can pick out key data and visualise it in a more interesting way, like in this content study from Backlinko.

6. Sell Your Value

Ultimately, it’s great putting all this work in, but if you don’t promote your content then you’re going to have trouble earning backlinks.

It’s crucial that when you pitch your content to a site, whether it’s to replace a broken link or outdated content, that you really sell the value of your work.

If you built the world’s newest tallest building, you’d really pitch that fact and why the views are better than the last tallest building.

You won’t be the only person on the hunt for backlink opportunities after all.

Make your outreach personal.

Nowadays, people can spot a templated email a mile off, but that doesn’t mean using a template for inspiration is a bad thing.

It’s worth giving it that personal touch to give you a better chance of securing that backlink.

Mention something about the site and the content you want to be linked back from. Showing a genuine interest can get you a long way.

Here’s another example of a great outreach email that covers the benefits of the content being pitched.

Email outreach is a complex beast and needs a good amount of practice to get it right.

We’ve put together nine email outreach templates to help you on your link building journey, which you can download below.

Struggling to get all your marketing done?

Download our marketing priority planner and get your marketing back on track.

Download my free copy

Link building for Your Entire Website

The following tips focus on promoting your site as a whole, rather than one piece of content.

7. Write Testimonials for Other Websites

It’s cool to be kind.

Why not share that coolness around by writing a testimonial for a website you genuinely love?

If you use a site’s tools on the regular, read their blog weekly, or use their products daily, then writing a testimonial is a great idea.

They get a well-thought-out, genuine review, and as a result, will often be happy to link back to your site in return.

Depending on the business type, if you’re in a similar niche but aren’t direct competitors, there’s a potential contextual industry/niche link too, meaning visitors to their website may see your testimonial and head over to your site.

8. List Your Site on Resource Pages

We’ve all used resource pages before.

They’re essentially curated lists of products or services.

Here at Thinkplus, we recently published a resource page focused on the ‘Best eCommerce Platforms to Use in 2021‘. It’s a list of what we believe to be the best eCommerce platforms out there.

If your site offers a product or service, you can hunt down resource pages and request that your site is added to the list. This is a great way to earn backlinks and also puts you amongst other leaders in your field.

Let’s say you’re an eCommerce platform. You’ll want to be added to resource pages that focus on eCommerce platforms, for example, ‘What Are the Best eCommerce Platforms?’.

Step 1. Search for ‘Best eCommerce Platform’ in Google

Step 2. Go past the ads and take a look through the top 10 articles ranking for this term.

Step 3. Open each article and take note of who has written them. Do they have contact details listed on the site? If so, this is the ideal way to reach out and ask if your site can be added.

You will need to put your all into selling to the site owner why your website deserves to be on that list, but it will be well worth it.

Not only will you get a backlink from the resource list, but you also have the chance for referral traffic from visitors to the page looking to compare products or services.

For example, if you’re a social media SaaS company you will want to appear on G2’s list of Best Social Media Management Software. This not only gets you a high-quality backlink but also means that potential customers are more likely to come across your product while they’re at the stage in their buyer journey where they are looking to compare social media management software.

Underwhelmed by your digital marketing agency?

Learn all the signs that it might be time to change

Download my free copy

9. Unlinked Brand Mentions

Sometimes, people do a very cool thing where they mention you on their site, in a blog post or in an article.

Sometimes they do a very uncool thing where they don’t link to your site.

Unlinked brand mentions are a great way to get backlinks because half the work is done for you.

The writer already likes you!

Now you just have to reach out and kindly ask if they’d mind linking back to your site.

It’s a win-win situation.

10. ‘Spy’ on Your Competitors

This sounds bad taste, but it’s really not.

Allow me to explain…

There could be some topics or subjects you’re missing that your competitors already have covered.

Meaning, you could have the opportunity to create better content that gets links.

Not sure what is working best for your competitors? Search their domain in your favourite backlink checker and see what comes up.

If you can create something better, reach out to the site owners with your new content and see if they will replace your competitor’s links with yours.

This will work best if your content is higher quality, more up to date and adds more value than your competitor.

Check out this series of videos to learn how to conduct competitor research step by step.

11. Digital PR

More and more people are getting their news online.

News sites are working on a 24 hour, 7 days a week basis and they’re often in need of stories.

If you have some great news about your company you want to share with the world then why not send out PR?

You can email journalists, news sites, podcasters and bloggers, with bonus points if they’re in your niche.

As always, make sure you make a good impression in your email and make it personal.

Give them a reason to want to include your story on their site.

Remember – not everything that happens in your business is newsworthy.

A well-loved member of staff getting a promotion is exciting news to your company, but it’s unlikely people outside the business will be that interested.

If you’ve conducted a ground-breaking study, that could well gather media attention.

12. Become a Source For Reporters

You really have to be on the ball with this one, but it’s a great way to get backlinks from high-quality sites.

Reporters are often on tight schedules. When they need to get quotes from specialists across a variety of industries to include in their articles, they turn to sites like Help a Reporter Out (HARO), where they can get quotes fast.

It’s easy to register with a site like this, but you need to be quick when it comes to your responses.

You can sign up for email alerts specific to your industry or expertise, or pay a monthly fee to be alerted when a reporter mentions a keyword related to your business.

If you leave a good impression right away, these reporters and bloggers are likely to come to you again in the future if they need a quote, and will usually be happy to link back to your site.

This means you can earn high-quality backlinks from news sites, and each of these sites gets their article out on time with a quote from a knowledgeable source.

Is your marketing underperforming?

Request a free website and marketing review and our team will tell you how to improve your marketing.

Request a Free Review

13. Start Guest Blogging

Like reporters, bloggers are busy.

Often, blogs are run by one, very dedicated person.

If you reach out to them with a great idea that fits their blog, or even a fully formed article, they may well be happy to take you on for a guest post and link back to your website.

If you leave a good impression and your guest post is a success, you could be asked to write more guest posts, gaining you more backlinks to your website.

But, a word of caution.

Don’t try and take the easy route by getting the same piece of content featured on a bunch of different blogs.

Google advises you to be careful with duplicate content, as, in their own words, ‘Google will always show the version we think is most appropriate for users in each given search, which may or may not be the version you’d prefer.’

If you have the original content on your site, Google may instead decide to show a duplicate on another site for a search term, rather than your site.

Meaning, this easy method of building backlinks by sending multiple sites the exact same content could mean that they end up ranking on Google for it instead of you.

It’s also important to note that guest posts aren’t just good for link building, they’re also a good opportunity to generate leads. You’ll usually be writing a guest post for a blog in your niche, so it’s likely some of their readers will have a need for your product or service.

This video covers how to write blog posts that earn leads, so that you can ensure you’re getting the most from your guest posts.

14. Do Guest Appearances on Podcasts

Similar to the above, many podcasters find themselves struggling for ideas.

That’s one reason you see so many guests on podcasts, to get a fresh perspective that differs from the host’s.

Podcasters often have their own websites, and if you’re a guest they’ll usually link to your site in the post they create when a new podcast episode goes live.

If you’re confident speaking about your niche, and your business, this is a fantastic way to earn backlinks while also getting yourself and your business out there.

After all, people buy from people.

Thinkplus’s Head Ninja Tim featured on the Craig Campbell SEO podcast, discussing how to build a successful online agency. This gave Tim the chance to reach a wider audience, and Craig’s audience benefitted from Tim’s expertise.

 

15. Conduct an Original Study

Ok, this is a big one.

It’s going to take time, effort, and probably money.

But, the returns could well be incredible.

Not only do most news articles need statistics to back up what they’re saying, so do many authoritative websites, bloggers, organisations and other businesses.

Basically, anyone who creates content.

If you carry out a high-quality study that hasn’t been done in your industry before or builds on previous studies, you’re nearly guaranteed to get backlinks from a variety of high-quality sources from across the internet.

What kind of study, you ask?

Well, it can depend on your industry, your niche, your customer base – just to name a few.

There are lots of possibilities, so here are some great examples;

Compare the Market’s ‘How Clean is Your Car?’ study looked into how dirty the average car was, during 2020 when public awareness of cleanliness was at an all-time high due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They chose a study that was relevant to their brand, as they provide insurance comparison including car insurance, and combined that with something their audience could relate to.

Sky’s ‘Small Talk’ study might not seem like it connects well to their offering of TV packages from the outside, but when you see that the UK’s favourite small talk topic is now TV shows they’ve watched, you can certainly see the connection.

Either Sky saw another study proving that TV was the UK publics main go-to topic for small talk, or they just had a really good hunch and went ahead and conducted the study in the hopes TV would come out on top, connecting the study to their brand.

A great example in a different format is Google’s Year in Review.

Although not an external study, Google has access to a lot of data, and of course, all the data about what we are searching for each year.

They then compile this into an emotionally driven video, reviewing the past year, using common search terms.

If you are in a situation, like Google, where you collect a lot of customer data and are able to share this in an interesting way, you’re off to a great start.

 

Paid Backlink Strategies

These next tips are not free, but if you have the budget for them they can be very valuable.

They’re also not going to include buying backlinks in bulk or anything else scammy.

16. Sponsored Content

Have you ever read an article on a news site and spotted ‘sponsored by…‘ at the top of the article?

That’s because the business paid for the article.

They’re often high quality and informative pieces of content, but they promote a product, service or business throughout.

They’re a great investment, not only for link building but also for raising your company’s profile.

So why do they work so well?

Firstly, many people are becoming ‘ad blind’ – they’re so used to traditional ad formats, like banner ads, that they tend to filter them out, often without realising.

Whereas, if they’re visiting a site to read articles, see a great headline and start reading, they won’t feel like they’re being advertised to.

If you have the budget, this is the perfect way to get high-quality backlinks from popular websites or bloggers in your niche.

Get to the top of Google

Learn how to get your website to the very top of Google (and turn that traffic into revenue).

Download my free copy

17. Blogger Outreach

Blogger outreach is a form of influencer marketing but is often more about getting high-quality backlinks from a well-established blog that fits in your niche.

It doesn’t have to be a 100% perfect fit – if you sell fitness clothing, you could reach out to bloggers not only in the fitness niche but also the fashion niche too.

For a fee, bloggers will be happy to include your product or service in a blog and will link back to your site.

They’re also often open to publishing a blog you have written, under their own name, with adjustments to make it fit seamlessly into the rest of their content.

As said before, not only is this a good way to get backlinks, it also builds credibility for your brand as a whole, since people look to others for recommendations and reviews.

It’s a fairly easy process, but there are some key points you should follow to help improve your success rate;

1. Show that you’ve read the blog

This may seem obvious, but that personal touch will make all the difference, especially if the blogger receives a lot of emails each day. If you can stand out from the robotic pitches, you will have a higher chance of getting their attention.

2. Set out your terms

Have a think about what you want to get out of this partnership. In this case, it’s most likely a backlink, so decide where you want them to link to and what anchor text they should use.

3. Write a killer pitch

Keep in mind that popular bloggers get a lot of emails every day pitching them sponsored content and brand deals, so you need to make sure you stand out from the crowd.

Explain;

• Why you’ve chosen them,
• How your product or business fits in with their content
• Highlight what’s great about your company

Give them a reason to want to work with you just as much as you want to work with them!

This video talks you through how to get started with blogger outreach.

So there you have it – 17 ways to get 100 backlinks in 30 days. Let’s take a look at them one more time:

1. Publish “Skyscraper” content
2. Promote your content on social media
3. Find broken links
4. Replace outdated links
5. Create infographics
6. Sell your value
7. Write testimonials for other websites
8. List your website on resource pages
9. Unlinked brand mentions
10. Spy on your competitors
11. Do digital PR
12. Become a source for reporters
13. Start guest blogging
14. Do guest appearances on podcasts
15. Conduct an original study
16. Create sponsored content
17. Do blogger outreach

All these methods take time and effort, but it’s worth it to get backlinks from high-quality sites to help you rank higher in Google.

If you’re in a more boring* industry, check out these backlinking ideas for “boring” businesses.

And if you’re still looking for ideas, watch this in-depth video about 50 different ways you can build backlinks for free.

 

*there’s no such thing as a boring business once you get to know it