As a detail-oriented business owner, you’re likely aware that getting backlinks is a powerful way to boost the SEO (search engine optimization) of your website. These are links from other websites to yours. To land near the top of Google search rankings, you need quite a few. The thought of it can be daunting. It’s not impossible, though. The important thing is that you or your content manager has a good idea of best practices regarding asking for and creating copy for backlink requests.
1. Research Site Owners
Before you even think of creating content or reaching out, research your prospective site owners thoroughly. Take a look at their current backlinks. What do you have in common with these content creators? Where do you need improvement? Most importantly: What do you have to say that will add to the conversation? What is the general focus and tone of the website you want to contact? Do you share a similar audience?
2. Write High-Quality Content
The content you create that you intend to get backlinks to needs to be extremely high quality. Detail is important; so are depth and sufficient length. Short, generic pieces with poor grammar and spelling won’t get backlinked — or likely, even a response at all. Structure your articles properly, with the correct meta descriptions, tags, and images. Relevancy is also crucial; be up-to-date on current and future trends.
3. Focus on the Benefits
Companies are concerned with how effectively their websites draw customers. Keep that top of mind when you reach out to them. Your content should reflect well on them and be equal to their standards, even if you have a smaller audience. Be specific about how the backlink will benefit them as a valuable resource.
4. Communicate Your Legitimacy
That last thing you want to do is appear to be a sketchy site. Keep in mind the quality of your website. It should be sleek, modern, easy to navigate, and in step with a good user experience and user interface (UX/UI) practices. Link to social profiles, so site owners can see your following, how you communicate, and the type of reputation you have. If you can provide examples of other ways that reputable companies have used your expertise, do so.
Creating material and reaching out to prospects for backlinks is time- and labor-intensive, but will make a powerful impact on your SEO. Keep these suggestions in mind as you create your marketing strategy.