Link Building Strategies 2023: A Comprehensive Guide

Link building is a crucial aspect of digital marketing that can significantly impact your website's visibility and credibility. According to our research, a well-executed link building strategy can increase website traffic by up to 55%.

To get started, it's essential to understand that link building is not just about acquiring as many links as possible, but rather about acquiring high-quality links from authoritative sources. This approach is often referred to as "quality over quantity."

One effective way to build high-quality links is through guest blogging, which involves writing and publishing articles on other websites in your niche. By doing so, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field and earn backlinks from reputable sources.

Link building strategies can be categorized into four main buckets: adding links, asking for links, buying links, and earning links. Earning links is one of the most effective strategies, as it involves creating content that creators want to share with their audience.

To earn links, create content that is optimized to be linkable or shareable, such as unique ideas, strong opinions, or proprietary data. This can include industry surveys, breaking news, or thought leadership pieces.

Some effective methods for distributing content to earn links include social ads remarketing, social ads, social media organic shares, and Google Ads. These strategies can help increase the visibility of your content and make it more likely to be shared and linked to.

Here are some examples of link-worthy content:

It's also worth noting that your business or product itself can be link-worthy, but you'll need to promote it in order to increase the chances of it being linked to.

Research and planning is a crucial step in developing effective link building strategies. It's essential to define your goals and target audience.

To create a solid link building strategy, consider the following questions: Linkable content or an expert?Can you build new content?How new is the site or company?Does your experience and expertise fill a gap or enhance an existing subject or conversation?

Analyzing competitors' backlinks can also provide valuable insights, helping you identify key link building strategies to duplicate.

Creating a target site list is a crucial step in building a successful link-building strategy. To start, use SEO tools to discover websites linking to other sites within your niche.

You can analyze a powerful website within your niche using tools like Majestics, Moz, Ahrefs, and Semrush. These tools can help you filter the referring domain to match your desired criteria, such as domains with a specific DR and monthly traffic.

Export the list and go through it to remove any sites you don’t want, like websites that primarily get organic traffic from regions you’re not interested in. This process should leave you with a good list of target websites for link-building.

To refine your list, prioritize the sites that closely match your content, business, and target audience. You can categorize them according to their relevance and authority, focusing on the most significant ones first.

Here are some tools you can use to help you create a target site list:

Remember, link building is a gradual and ongoing process, so your strategy should encompass long-term objectives to track progress and continuously improve your website’s ranking and visibility in search results.

To find relevant opportunities for link building, you need to understand your target market and their needs. This involves compiling a list of websites your audience frequents, examining demographics, behaviors, and interests, and pinpointing the right websites and communities to target.

Start by examining demographics, behaviors, and interests to understand your audience's primary concerns and interests. What topics or areas of interest align with their preferences? How do they typically search for information or solutions? This understanding will help you pinpoint the right websites and communities to target for your SEO link building plan.

To build a natural link profile, you need to use different link-building techniques that take into account the specific features of the site. For informational projects, it makes no sense to use approaches that are only relevant to commercial projects. Each backlink should look natural, so without using relevant approaches, you won’t be able to achieve high quality.

Relevance is a fairly malleable concept. Unless, of course, you try shoehorning links into places where they clearly don’t belong. For example, if you run a blog about health and fitness, links from other websites (and pages) on the same topic will have more weight in the eyes of Google compared to links from websites about cars or finances.

Here's a summary of the key considerations for backlink building campaigns:

By following these steps, you can create a comprehensive link building strategy that takes into account the specific features of your site and target audience.

Having a skilled team can make a huge difference in your research and planning efforts. Many optimizers hire a link builder to systematically post links and keep the pace high on an ongoing basis.

A reputable team can provide the right volume of links and offer out-of-the-box options for building backlinks. They know how to build links for SEO, which is crucial for any online project.

If you can't handle the task in-house, it's better to delegate it to a reputable team. They have the experience and expertise to get the job done efficiently.

Creating industry insights and trends content can be a great way to establish authority and attract backlinks. This type of content can be resource-intensive, but it's a solid link building strategy.

Industry trends and benchmark reports are another linkable asset that attracts backlinks, such as the State of AI survey report from McKinsey, which generated 3.6 thousand backlinks.

You can update the same URL with current data and keep existing backlinks, making it a viable option. Curating statistics from various sources is a viable alternative to creating original content.

For example, Sprout Social created a resourceful piece of content by collecting existing statistics for the given topic, which has 5.6 thousand backlinks from medium to high-rated domains.

Outreach and content are two essential components of a successful link building strategy. Outreach involves interacting with site owners or representatives to get backlinks from high-authority websites. This can be done through email marketing, where you compose personalized offers to potential affiliates.

To get a lot of links, you have to keep in touch with dozens of potential affiliates and analyze their effectiveness. Successful campaigns require a platform for sending out emails and tracking interactions. Outreach techniques allow you to get backlinks from resources that you cannot find on exchanges.

Content creation is another effective tool for getting high-quality links. If done correctly, you can get backlinks from projects that do not post them on a paying basis. Content creation can take a lot of time and resources, but the end result will be worth all costs. For example, creating infographics on a relevant topic can be used by hundreds of media and the promoted resource will receive a large number of links.

Here are some effective content creation strategies:

Remember, content marketing is a cutting-edge link-building technique that will never become outdated.

Connecting with editors is a crucial part of outreach and content. To get started, use software like email finders to simplify the process with databases of millions of contacts.

Identify the sites you want to build links from and go through the published content to see who regularly writes for the site. Get their names and use an email finder to get their email address.

You can also connect with the editor on LinkedIn, but email tends to convert better than LinkedIn messages. Sending a personalized email is key to getting a response.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Building relationships with digital publications is time-consuming, though. You must research their content and audience, develop relationships with editors, do favors, and deliver great content.

Guest posting is a popular link-building strategy that involves posting content on authoritative sites. It can help attract the target audience and get indexed links to the promoted resource. Guest posting can be used for projects of different topics, but the approach will be different.

To get your content published on top blogs in your industry, you need to pitch them a compelling article idea. One way to come up with content ideas is to find a few competitors of the blog you want to write for and use the Content Gap tool to find which topics bring them lots of traffic but weren’t covered on the blog that you’re pitching.

A somewhat lesser-known guest posting tactic is to find an underperforming article on the blog you want to write for and offer to rewrite it from scratch. If you can persuade them that you can greatly improve that article and it will end up ranking higher in Google and bringing them more search traffic, they’ll likely be interested.

The main tool for effective guest blogging is quality articles. It’s worth posting viral and always relevant content if you need to not only get a link from an authoritative resource but also attract an audience. Commercial projects can acquire new clients, while informational projects can attract regular visitors.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when guest posting:

Podcasts are an increasingly popular medium for sharing information, with forecasts by Statista showing a 47.8% increase in U.S. podcast listeners between 2024 and 2029.

Most podcasts publish their content on their website, making it easy to get backlinks by being a guest on a podcast. They also have the ‘show notes’ feature, which describes the episode and often includes links to relevant websites.

Sponsoring a podcast is another way to get backlinks, as seen with WP RSS Aggregator, which got prominent logo placement with a link to their homepage. This method is less resource-intensive than guest blogging.

Podcast link-building is also quick and easy, with the ability to record a short release for a few minutes and add links. This is in contrast to spending hundreds of hours recording and editing, as is often necessary for video content.

Getting backlinks from podcasts can be done with minimal effort, as there are dozens of podcast hosting sites available. This means you can get dozens of links with a single piece of content.

Interviews are another universal link-building method that can also help you get backlinks from .edu and .gov projects.

Link building techniques are crucial for SEO, but it's essential to do them correctly to avoid penalties. Google imposes penalties on sites that manipulate ranking algorithms and pays special attention to projects that rely on SEO links.

To build links effectively, you should focus on a gradual increase in the number of links and rely on safe link-building methods. This means avoiding the artificial posting of too many links at once, as it can stop active site promotion.

Here are four popular link building strategies that can help you get started:

Remember, the quality of your link building strategy depends on the quality of your content and the relevance of the links you're building.

Link building is a crucial aspect of search engine optimization (SEO), and there are several types of link building strategies that can help increase your website's visibility and ranking. Most popular link building strategies fall into one of four buckets: adding links, asking for links, buying links, and earning links.

Adding links involves manually adding your link to other websites, while asking for links involves sending emails to website owners and asking them to link to you. Buying links involves paying for links, and earning links involves creating content that's so good that people naturally link to it.

You can also hire an experienced link builder or agency to do the work for you, but having some basic knowledge of link building can help you evaluate their work and ensure they're doing a good job.

To execute a link building campaign, you'll need to group link building tactics and strategies into one of six categories. These categories require different link building and content marketing skills to execute.

Here are the six types of link building:

It's worth noting that Google considers links from social media to be natural and doesn't penalize them. However, links from Web 2.0 sites may not affect ranking, but can be used to dilute a link's profile.

To build a strong link profile, it's essential to focus on a gradual increase in the number of links, rather than trying to artificially post too many links at once. You can use viral content and social media distribution to provoke a rapid increase in links, but be prepared for the number of new links to decrease over time.

When building links, it's also essential to consider the speed of link building, dynamics of visibility in organic search results, promotion rate, and period of maintaining links. Irrelevant links can be detrimental to your website's promotion, so it's crucial to choose the right link building methods.

Here are some key points to note when choosing link building methods:

You can also use link inserts, such as finding opportunities to place links to your website in existing content on other websites. This can be done using Google site search, and can help you secure links to target pages that you want to rank.

Domain Rating (DR) is a metric developed by Ahrefs that rates sites on a scale of 1 to 100, measuring the strength of a website's backlink profile.

A high DR score is crucial for link building success, with Ahrefs recommending that you select sites with 50+ DR.

This means that you should focus on acquiring links from websites with a strong backlink profile, as this will have a positive impact on your website's ranking power.

The DR score takes into account the number of links from different domains and do-follow links, providing a more comprehensive view of a website's authority.

By targeting websites with a high DR score, you can increase the quality and relevance of your backlinks, ultimately driving more traffic and boosting your website's ranking.

Redirect-based links can be a viable option for building backlinks. Google's Gary Illyes noted that 30x redirects don't lose PageRank.

Using links based on redirects is not a bad thing, as they don't affect donor rating. This means you can still get value from them, even if they're from low-quality resources.

However, it's essential to use redirects responsibly and not overdo it, as algorithms may flag this as an alarming signal. This is especially true if you don't reject links in Search Console.

Backlinks from social media are another great way to build backlinks, but they have almost no effect on site ranking in organic search results.

Personal Blog Networks (PBN) are a complex link-building strategy that requires specific knowledge. They involve creating a network of domains, quality content, and backlinks.

To create a PBN, you need a certain number of domains, which can be a challenge. Buying drop domains can solve the problem of purchasing links for sites belonging to a PBN.

The advantage of projects on drop domains is that they can be linked to the main site with the help of redirects and passing link juice. This strategy is used by many optimizers who don't want to invest in active link building.

However, working with a PBN requires a lot of time for support, and one mistake can lead to Google penalties. The entire network can be affected, and there's also a risk that the main project will suffer due to affiliation with resources that violate SEO recommendations.

Here are some key characteristics of PBNs:

PBNs are often used by experienced SEO specialists, but they can be a high-risk strategy if not executed properly.

API documentation presents a valuable opportunity for link building efforts. These resources help customers get the most out of both products.

You can leverage partnerships to add links to API or help documents, making it easier for customers to find the information they need.

Writing guest posts is another way to utilize these partnerships. This can help establish your brand as a thought leader in the industry.

By adding links to the integration directory, you can also drive traffic to your website. This is a simple yet effective way to build links.

Here are some specific ways to leverage API documentation for link building:

Measuring the effectiveness of your link building strategy is crucial to its success. You should evaluate your initial performance with a count of quality links obtained from influential content creators.

To do this, focus on analyzing the messaging and how the contacts are responding or not responding. This will help you identify what's working and what's not.

Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential to identify link opportunities that drive traffic. By monitoring these metrics, you can refine your strategy and make data-driven decisions.

In fact, tracking 5 metrics can help you measure link performance. These metrics can help you understand which links are performing better than others and why.

Building high-quality backlinks requires a strategic approach, and one of the most effective methods is email marketing, which is needed for outreach.

With email marketing, you can reach out to influencers, bloggers, and other website owners who can link back to your site. This approach can be particularly effective if you have a valuable product or service to offer.

Automation tools are also a crucial part of advanced link building, and they can be used for submissions to directories, review sites, and other online platforms.

Using automation tools can save you a lot of time and effort, but it's essential to choose the right tools for the job.

Quality information products are another key component of advanced link building, and they can be used for content marketing, which involves creating valuable content that attracts links naturally.

By focusing on quality information products, you can create content that resonates with your target audience and encourages them to link back to your site.

Content promotion is a crucial aspect of link building, and it's not just about throwing money at the problem. Advertising can be an effective way to promote your resource to thousands of relevant people, but it might require a significant budget.

Content marketing is a powerful tool for getting high-quality links, and it's not limited to paying for them. You can create infographics on a relevant topic that can be used by hundreds of media, resulting in a large number of links.

Influencer outreach is another way to promote your content, and it's not just about reaching out to anyone. You should look up active thought leaders in your space and reach out to them whenever you publish something worthy of their attention.

Building a following is essential, and it's not just about having a large email list. You should be active on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, and consistently publish quality content to attract more people who might end up linking to your content.

It's also important to promote your older content by mentioning it in your newly published content. As Ryan Holiday said, "Creating more work is one of the most effective marketing techniques of all."

Budgeting for link building is crucial, as it determines the scope of your project and the company you'll be working with. A budget for links can range from $500 to $10,000 per month, depending on the scope of the project.

If you have a minimal budget, you'll need to focus on cost-effective methods like submissions, press releases, or links from social media. These methods can help you get a decent number of links per month, but they might not be as effective as more expensive strategies.

To make link building really effective, you need to keep the situation under control and ensure that links don't disappear over time. A gradual increase in the number of links is an optimal strategy, and you should choose several basic link-building techniques to work with on an ongoing basis.

Here's a rough estimate of what you can expect from different budgets:

Budgeting for website promotion is crucial to determine the scope of your project. A minimal budget means you can't use expensive link-building strategies.

The most optimal methods for a low budget are submissions, press releases, or links from social media. These methods can help you get started with building backlinks.

The number of links you get per month, the rate of building backlinks, the possibility of delegation, and the level of projects to cooperate with are all important factors to consider.

A budget for links can range from $500 to $10,000 per month, depending on the scope of the project and the company involved. If you need to quickly promote your site for competitive queries, your budget for posting backlinks should be high.

To execute a link-building strategy effectively, it's essential to keep the situation under control. This means not just negotiating with webmasters, but also ensuring that over time, links do not disappear from the profile.

The less time you have for active promotion, the sooner you need to get as many links as possible, but be careful not to attract the attention of algorithms. A gradual increase in the number of links is an optimal strategy.

You should choose several basic link-building techniques and work with them on an ongoing basis so that the graph is directed upwards all the time. This will help you avoid the risk of attracting unwanted attention.

To make link building really effective, you need to find additional link-building methods. The use of the latest link-building techniques will help you get ahead of your competitors and take higher positions in SERP.

In 2023, it's essential to focus on link building strategies that actually work. Some tactics can be very effective, while others are a waste of time.

Guest blogging is a strategy that still holds up today. According to our observations, it's a good way to get high-quality links.

Content quality matters more than quantity when it comes to link building. In fact, our observations show that well-researched and well-written content is more likely to attract links.

Link building is not just about getting links, but also about building relationships with other websites. That's why outreach is a crucial part of a successful link building strategy.

Not all links are created equal, and some types of links are more valuable than others. According to our observations, links from authoritative sources are the most valuable.

Releasing free tools can be a game-changer for link building, attracting authoritative links and traffic to your website. For instance, Surfer's free SEO Chrome extension led to a ton of backlinks from high-quality websites.

Ahref's free keyword generator has 7.4 thousand backlinks, showcasing the potential of free tools in link building. Many SaaS companies are already using this strategy to their advantage.

If you're new to link building, it's essential to understand that link building tools can make the process much faster and easier. Free options like Ahrefs' Free Backlink Checker and Google Alerts can help you source relevant link prospects.

Ahrefs' Site Explorer and Content Explorer are also powerful tools that can help you find thousands of relevant websites for link requests and guest posting. Additionally, email outreach tools like Pitchbox, BuzzStream, and GMass can help you send personalized emails at scale.

If you're looking for more tools to help you with link building, consider using email lookup services like Hunter.io or Voila Norbert to find contact details of websites at scale.

Here are some free link building tools to get you started:

Remember, the key to successful link building is to create something interesting and useful, just like a free tool or a link building tool.