Be an SEO Superstar by Powering Up Your Link Building Strategy

The most delicious, informative content in the universe is a deserted island if nobody finds it. Content needs to be devoured, shared, and referenced numerous times to raise the roof on company revenue and show strong return on investment (ROI).

The key question is how?

If you are a marketing agency then you know the power of content, but, if content is king, distribution is queen.

A strategic way to push content forward so it exponentially weaves its way through a huge audience is by link building. This practice helps your content cover the distance between your company and the potential buyer who is searching for information to help them make their purchasing decision.

In short, link building helps your content get off the island.

What is link-building?

Companies with websites request other blogs and websites to link back to their website. If it's done right, Google crawlers notice, and up your website higher in their search rankings. When a consumer performs a search, they are more likely to find your company and click through to your website.

Ranking high on search engines is critically important. According to imForza, 70% of links users click on are organic search returns. So, companies can pay for search engine advertising all day long and not receive as much traffic as they would if they were ranked high in an organic search.

Relevant link building assists in a company's SEO efforts, which help your content get ranked higher and found easier. Here are some quick tips to help you be an SEO superstar by powering up your link building strategy.

Participate in public relations.

Google seems to value what good public relations campaigns are so good at doing--building high quality relationships, publishing high quality content and getting people talking about a brand.

PR professionals have established, real relationships in the industry and with news organizations that can get links that are earned and not built.

Often, these are the types of authoritative sites that can help you build credibility and trust within Google's algorithm. Earning these types of links hold more weight and can lead to better search rankings. 

Good press through well-developed relationships can lead publications to report it, which may provide more links to your site.

Get included in industry directories.

The early internet practice of paying to be on low quality, irrelevant site lists are over. Directories have been given a bad reputation because they’re so easy to spam and they make it easy to publish poor quality content, but that doesn’t mean that all directories should be off limits. 

Research professional directories that relate to your business, and ask them to list your site for their audience. Simply shoot them an email, and you should be able to find quite a few that will work with you.

The key is not to find just any directory, but find niche directories.

With a little bit of know-how when it comes to finding the right directories and using them correctly, the SEO benefits can be great, even now in 2016. 

It’s important to not only get your link on the site but also to engage with the directory as much as possible. Submit an article or get involved in with comments and discussions to help bring even more visibility to your company.

It’s also worth noting that finding niche directories can also be important in terms of generating traffic and providing relevant high quality leads. 

Cozy up to social influencers.

It can be a difficult task  to track down influencers in your industry.

A great way to start is to hit  your favorite social media channel to uncover the resident experts within your niche, and chat them up.

Ask a question, or give them something of value.

Find out if they will let you guest post on their blog, or if they offer a list of website links to their readers.

It can take some time to connect with the right influencers, but make sure to give it an adequate amount of time and attempts.

Remember these are busy people.

Don't be afraid to request being included, since you have nothing to lose, but SEO to gain!

Get affiliate companies to link to you.

Brainstorm and make a list of businesses that are closely related to yours. For example, if you are a realtor, title companies, mortgage companies, and insurance companies would be good targets. Approach them and see if they would link to your site, and you can offer linking to theirs. It's a win-win, and hopefully all of your sites will move up in the organic rankings.

SEO may seem like a shell game, when in reality, it's a vital component of a successful internet presence. By understanding how link building works, you can create and execute a strategy that builds your online reputation, helps more people find you, and gains more traffic that turns into happy clients!