5 Link Building Strategies for Your Website

Backlinks, an important part of off site SEO, are links that other sites use to get to your site.

Building website authority is one of the most important aspects of SEO, and the primary way you accomplish this is through link building strategies.

Backlinks are links that other websites use to link back to your site. They lie at the very core of off page SEO because they make a statement that another webmaster found your content valuable enough to link to. They give your site authority, which will be rewarded by Google and other search engines with a high search rank.

But how can you build backlinks? It's not like you have control over other sites, and you can't force them to link to you. But you can persuade them. Here are five basic link building strategies you can apply in your SEO today.

Create Engaging, Shareable Content

The goal of any SEO strategy is to have stellar content that people will share. There is no exception when it comes to building backlinks. Nathan Gotch stresses the importance of earning backlinks through personable, consistent, user-oriented content.

Avoid bland corporate speak or thin content. Create robust content that fully meets the needs of your audience and intrigues them with its scope, readability and usefulness. Think of the content you might share on social media or even link to on your own blog. You probably look for in-depth material that supports what you're trying to accomplish. You're looking for credibility and authority. Write unto others as you would like to be written to. If your content is genuinely helpful, then others will reward you for it.

Build Relationships with Other Content Creators

You've heard the saying, "No content marketer is an island" (or something like that). The point is, you don't grow your backlinks by being a loner. Discover who your stakeholders are and build relationships with them. Maybe it's a journalist whose beat includes your content area. Follow them on Twitter. Interact with their posts. Perhaps it's a fellow blogger. Write comments on his blog and promote dialogue.

You almost have to run a mini public relations campaign. Put yourself out there and make friends. Ideally, you'll also find value from what they create and will start to link to them. It's a two-way street, after all.

Guest Blog

Developing content ideas is tough. Sometimes, you're pulling your hair out trying to develop your next idea. It's those times that you welcome guest bloggers who will, essentially, write you a free article for nothing in return except a backlink.

To build your own backlinks, simply reverse roles. Offer them a guest post with a link to your site. Even better, you can include your primary keyword in your anchor text, which will give you an extra SEO boost.

Respond to Press Requests

One great way to earn backlinks is through the media. Public relations professionals have known this for decades, and media relations is a regular part of their job. Take a page out of their playbook. Journalists often need quotes and sources for their stories. If they happen to be writing about your industry or area of expertise, offer your assistance. In return, you will get a published quote with a backlink.

How do you discover these press opportunities? One great, free service is HARO, which stands for "help a reporter out." It's a platform that will connect you with journalists looking for your expertise for a story. Try it out.

Ask for Reviews

If you are marketing a product or service, then requesting a review from an industry blogger is a great way to get yourself a backlink. Send them a free product to test, or invite them to your place of business, be it a restaurant, repair shop, whatever. Online review sites such as YELP are also great places to earn valuable backlinks from reviewers.

Employ these five link building strategies, and you will be well on your way to building effective off page SEO. For more ideas, check out HubSpot's inbound link building ideas.