Network building and link building are commonly used SEO techniques to increase your ranking in the search engine. Previously, the amount of links on a page determines its value. Hence, those kinds of web pages would be on the first page of search engines.
However, network building and link building techniques are more than dumping links into content. Those were the bygone days. Now, they need a strategic approach to be effective and increase your SEO rating.
Below is a list of those network and link building techniques:
1. Understand Your Audience
The first step is to know what kind of audience you’re writing for. By doing so, you can focus on your writing approach and what you can offer your audience. Then in the future, you can expand your reach into a bigger network.
In digital marketing, a bigger audience will bring a higher demand. By fulfilling those, your methods and content will grow as well. While you may have your niche, we do not discourage you to explore other topics. You can develop and expand your expertise.
Once you’ve developed a large audience, part of that could be your competitors. Nothing helps you grow faster than a rival with whom you can compete and learn from. This leads us to the next item.
2. Study and Replicate Your Competitors’ Backlinks
Whether you’re a veteran or a beginner, studying your competitors is a powerful strategy. You’re exposed to highly rated Search Engine Optimization content. With a keen eye, you can analyze why they rank significantly on Google and other search engines as off-page SEO.
Off-page SEO refers to the factors that affect a page’s ranking external to your website. This includes backlinks from another website.
Check your competitors’ backlinks by entering their domain on web directories. An example of a web directory is Ubersuggest. It will generate a list of sites that are linked to your competitor. Viola—you now know which sites are yielding results without having to start from scratch!
Now you can keep that handy list until you finish writing your content.
3. Write Great Content and Content Pillars
Content writing is considered as an on-page SEO which means that it’s a factor under your control in your website. Compared to off-page SEO which is beyond your control, maximizing your content writing is already winning half the battle.
What makes great content? Write what your audience is looking for: answer their questions. Be sure to explain your topic thoroughly but not repetitively. Be concise but not contrived, because readers don’t always have time to go through blocks of text.
You can also write quality and useful content for pillar articles. A pillar article is like a tutorial your audience can consult anytime. You’re able to make your readers think. At the same time, you give them much information and insight about their questions.
It’s a solid tactic whether you don’t have the time to publish frequently or not.
4. Compare and Match Your Content to Your Websites
After listing down the websites and writing your content, time to see which websites are best to match your topic.
It’s tempting to link everything you found, but you need to consider your audience’s time and avoid being spammy. What you write and what you link must serve the purpose of improving your SEO and digital marketing.
The more compact and refined your content and links, the more it will pass through Google’s crawling and indexing. But more importantly, it will be helpful to your audience!
5. Try Guest Posting
Guest posting is one of the most common and recommended methods of link building. It’s also often offered by link building services. It improves your visibility by having your link in someone’s blog.
In the same way, this creates an opportunity to interact and establish relations with other bloggers. Thus, increasing your visibility.
Guest posting is most definitely not dead. But it demands a strategic approach because search engines have become sharper. They know whether your guest post truly adds value. Your piece needs to stand out yet remain authentic.
The rewards of strategic guest blogging will surely be sweet!
6. Use Social Media
Social media is practically the bread and butter of digital marketing nowadays. People of similar interests can get together and buy or promote similar products.
Similarly, social media can bring bloggers together. In an online group, they can do link exchanges. They can share their knowledge of link building strategies, and link building services. Such groups may also have link building resellers.
Social media is a powerful marketing and networking tool. Bloggers ought to use it well, especially during the pandemic where it’s the main source for bridging people together.
7. Take Advantage of Broken Links
Broken links can frustrate your website’s visitors and negatively affect your SEO ratings in the long run. Nothing makes you avoid a website more than broken links (and false information.)
Broken or dead links may be found in some blogs. If you spot one, why not recommend your links to the author as a replacement? You can also do it on your website.
Sometimes, social media groups already post about these issues. You can respond to them and recommend your links. Who knows if such correspondence is a partnership in the making?
By utilizing the broken link strategy, you can upgrade your links with those that have better and stronger content. This is possible by keeping track of your backlinks and optimizing your content.
Not only do you make the most out of your on-page SEO, but you also refine and improve your off-page SEO.
Conclusion
Network building and link building techniques take much time and effort. You need to do ample research, connect with people, and constantly think of ways to remain relevant. Link building is a battle of information, like how we advise that you look at your competitor’s backlinks.
By having the relevant information, you’re able to strategize on your approach. What are the best backlinks to use? When do you employ a guest post? What are the optimal ways of passing Google’s crawling and indexing?
Talk to people, stay updated, and keep reading and writing!
