Advanced Link Building Tactics to Boost Your Rankings Online

Links continue to be one of the most important ranking factors.

Each is essentially seen as a vote. So the more links a site has the better it ranks in the search results. While it used to be that you could build thousands of links and rank the next day, this is no longer the case. Relying on questionable tactics could actually result in a ranking penalty.

This is not to say that links don’t work.

They do.

A study from Moz found a strong correlation between external links and rankings. In the top results for approximately 15,000 keywords, 99.2% of all sites had at least one link. Pages that ranked higher tended to have more links.

Links are clearly important to rank. But traditional link building tactics (e.g. bookmarking, article submissions, etc.) are largely ineffective.

So how do you build quality links to your pages?

Here we look at advanced link building tactics that will boost your rankings. These are the type of links that are able to withstand future algorithm updates.

1. See What Your Competitors Are Doing

You can learn a great deal by analysing your competitors.

No matter what industry you are in, there are already a slew of sites ranking. The pages at the top are the ones that Google has deemed most relevant. If you want rank above them, you need to see what they are doing and how they are ranking.

Use a tool such as ahrefs to analyse the links to your competitors.

Where are they getting their links from?

If you notice that many of the top results have links from a certain source, that site is likely a trusted source in the industry. Use the ahrefs tool and take note of the sites linking to your competitors. Chances are you may be able to get a link from them as well.

2. Guest Post on Relevant Sites

Guest posting is an overlooked strategy.

It involves contacting webmasters of other sites in your industry and writing content for them with a link back to your site. This tactic is incredibly beneficial for two reasons:

• Relevant links: A relevant link carries far more weight than a spammy link. More of the former is exactly what you need to rank your pages.
• Traffic: Having content on another site is a chance to appeal to those readers. Not only do you get a powerful link, you can also drive traffic to your landing pages in the process.

So how do you find sites that accept guest posts?

Search for “your keywords + guest post” to find sites that are accepting submissions. Be sure to follow all guidelines before you submit any content.

3. Reach Out to Influencers

Building relationships with influencers in your industry is one of the best ways to build links.

Most businesses don’t make this kind of effort so you would be gaining a major advantage. Use different tools at your disposal including Google and social media networks such as Facebook. Search for different keywords and reach out to professionals in your industry.

With a simple search you should be able to easily find contact details or social media handles. Start a conversation by introducing yourself and providing information about what you do. Being a source of useful tips is a great way to get noticed.

Building relationships in this manner takes time but it presents an opportunity to build strong links back to your pages.

Conclusion

Links still matter.

But simply throwing as many links to your pages won’t work. In fact, it is likely to result in a ranking penalty. A better approach is to focus on relevance. Use these link building tips above to build quality links from relevant sites in your industry.