How to Get Backlinks That Matter in 2020

Methods for acquiring backlinks change every year with various tactics going in and out of style. 2020 is no exception, which is why this guide is here to help you figure out how to find high ranking backlinks.

Use Visuals

Content marketing remains one of the top ways to ensure you earn a backlink. Although the strategies and tactics for which mediums to be pushed have changed, the idea that creating insightful and attention grabbing information remains a constant. Take the following items into consideration:

Videos

Videos are a great way to share attention-grabbing information as well as get backlinks since videos are one of the most popular media types to share. If the video has relevant and helpful information it will be easily shared by many people online.

You can secure a video backlink by coming up with a concept related to your area of expertise and posting it on a video hosting website. That way your profile on sites such as Youtube is connected to your company’s website and can help engaged viewers find additional information on similar content matter. When posting a video also make sure to include your website’s URL in the video’s description in case an embedded URL option is not available.      

It also does not hurt to have a title or end card in your video with your company’s name, since that can also spark interest for the viewer and helps them keep your name associated with what they just watched.

Infographics

If you are a creative type, then infographics will be helpful in your backlinking efforts. Since we live in an image driven era, infographics have grown rapidly in popularity as they help illustrate important information and can be easily shared online. In particular, infographics tend to have a higher shareability rate when they are posted on social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Creating an infographic is relatively easy once you have a concept in mind. You can create an infographic by using free resources such as Canva.

A good tip to keep in mind when sharing your image is including your company’s logo somewhere noticeable on the image, so people who view it know who should receive credit for creating the image, and should be considered a reputable source on the subject matter. 

If you will be sharing the infographic directly with someone make sure to embed a link into it so whenever someone shares your infographic they will also be sharing your backlink.

Use PR Tools

When it comes time for garnering backlinks, mentions and news coverage there are no better experts on the subject than public relations (PR) professionals. Since the world of PR deals in backlinks, it should be no surprise to know that the resources they use will be helpful in your backlink pursuits as well. What you might not be aware of is that many of those resources are actually free!

Another great tool is influencer marketing. Connecting with influential reporters or bloggers  who are seen by their followers as an expert in any given field to promote or approve of your brand can do wonders for your business. 

HARO

Resources such as HARO (Help A Reporter Out) are specially created in order to help journalists in need of industry specific insights, and in exchange for your knowledge on a specific subject, these sources will include a backlink to your website. Just bare in mind that these types of resources are working on a deadline and will have a small response window.

Radio Guest List

Another PR tool that you can use for generating backlinks is Radio Guest List. This website allows you to connect with podcast and radio show hosts. By getting booked as a speaker on a podcast or radio show, you gain the ability to establish yourself as an authority in your designated space as well as help publicize your company. 

This serves as a great interview resource, since as a guest you can inform others what your company stands for and can help you garner further media attention. Within the interview you can highlight your company multiple times vocally in addition to having your company’s website backlinked once your segment is live.

Use Social Media

Social media is a staple of our culture and makes for a great tool when it comes to doing outreach that will lead to backlinks. Through social media you can directly connect with influential reporters or bloggers who tend to write about content in your niche. Many times it can be hard to connect with these types of people through email since their inbox gets flooded with hundreds of requests daily and your email can get overlooked or sent to spam. Thankfully social media is a more direct method of communication if you figure out how to properly use it to do outreach.

The first step in using social media for outreach purposes is by compiling a list of people you want to reach. This list can be made up of people who write for high ranking websites or based off of articles written about competitors that you would like to reach. Either way, both are good starting points.

Once you have your list, it is time to start the outreaching process. Even though you might want to get directly to your pitch to ask for a possible backlink, remember that first you have to form a relationship with the person you are pitching to. Without a relationship with that person, you cannot expect them to blindly agree to your request.

Be aware that way you approach your pitch is a little different, depending on the social media account you decided to use. So consider the following tips:

• Linkedin: You can use linkedin to share your content with industry professionals simply by posting on your profile and using specific tags. However, for pitching directly to experts you should start off by adding them to your network, since you cannot message people on linkedin if your connection request is denied. To help increase your chances of connecting with those individuals, add a note to your request to start a dialogue with that person by complementing their latest post or achievement and briefly mention that you would like to discuss opportunities to collaborate with them. Once they add you to their professional network, be sure to thank them and then send them your pitch.
• Twitter: Through Twitter you can also follow people in your industry who you want to work with. The most effective way to get their attention on this platform is by tweeting them about work of theirs that you admire. Once they like or reply to your tweet, that is when you should send them a direct message with your pitch.
• Instagram: Similar to Linkedin, be sure to add them as a friend, like their posts that are relevant to your situation and leave a short comment under the post describing why you like it before sending them a direct message with your pitch. This way, that person can see you are interested in their work and will be more inclined to accept and actually read a message you send them through Instagram.

Facebook Ads

When it comes to Facebook, a popular way of garnering organic backlinks is actually through Facebook Ads. The way it works is by having your ad targeted towards specific consumers and as the ad gains more visibility, you will start to see a spike in the amount of natural links produced since followers and users on Facebook will share the content on their own websites. The more visually pleasing or interactive the ad, the more effective this strategy will be. The most popular form of Facebook ads tend to be video, image, carousel, slideshow or collection ads.

Use Your Competition

Utilizing your competition to generate more backlinks is another effective strategy to follow that is everlasting. The way to build links off of your competition is in one of two ways.

Detailed Blog

The first is by taking a look at your competitors who are ranking on specific pages for articles similar to yours. This can be done by simply googling the title of one of your own blog posts. Once you find and read over your competitors material, compare it to your own.

If your blog post is not as detailed and thorough on the subject, then make sure to edit it, until your item is more insightful. Once this is done, you can reach out to the outlet that published your competitors work and submit your newly revised blog post, explaining that yours goes more into detail on the specific subject matter and would therefore be more beneficial for them to use your item.

Broken Link Building

The second is by finding and replacing links on others' websites that no longer work. This is an  effective way to garner new backlinks for your own website that is also beneficial for the hosts’ site. To find broken links you can use a program such as SEMrush which will automatically find broken links in its audit or ahrefs with their broken link checker tool which also finds out which specific pages are currently linking to broken links. With that information you can reach out to those websites and ask to have your link put in that spot instead.

If you implement these tactics into your future backlink strategy, you are sure to increase the opportunities you have for making new backlinks. For help creating and executing a PR outreach, make sure to schedule a free consultation.