Now more than ever, backlinks play a major role in how Google evaluates and ranks your website, and in all probability, will continue to play a big role moving forward. Admittedly, Link building is one of the most difficult parts of SEO and often takes a lot of time. Here are some quick-win link building strategies to follow that will not eat up much of your time.
But First, (A Refresher) What Are “Backlinks”, And Why Do I Care?
Backlinks are external links from other websites that point to your website. From a search engine’s perspective, these links are seen as “votes of confidence” that your website is a trusted, authoritative site.
Not all backlinks are created the same. Backlinks from credible, more established websites are more important to your site’s organic search success than a website that has no backlinks and low domain authority. So, remember to link wisely!
Proven Quick-Win Link Building Strategies (That Work)
Now that we have reviewed what backlinks are and how they can affect organic search performance, here are some quick-win link building strategies to consider. These strategies are designed to get you backlinks with the least amount of time put forth.
Fixing Broken Links:
An easy win for your website is to fix external broken links. Broken backlinks happen when you send users to a 404 error on your site. It’s an easy place to start because you have direct control over getting a link. The easy fix is to redirect the 404 error to what is considered the most relevant page. However, it’s worth reaching out to websites that have a link to the 404 page and have them update the link on their website.
Estimated time per link: 0.5-1 hour per link
Unlinked Brand Mentions:
Similar to fixing broken links, you’ll have to identify which sites mention your brand and then find the webmaster email address to ask to link. Although you can use simple Google searches to do this, tools like SEMrush’s brand mentions feature can help speed this process up.
Estimated time per link: 1-2 hours per link
Niche Directories:
Some may think that this tactic is outdated, but there are still plenty of directories that offer a lot of value to people. Directories don’t necessarily have to be a website; they can also be one webpage of brands or companies listed on a site. Look for directories by niche, industry, or geographic area – the deeper you research, the more you’ll likely find suitable for your business.
Estimated time per link: 2-3 hours per link
Round-ups:
Round-ups are pieces of content in which you feature multiple expert’s opinions in your niche. From a linking perspective, the more experts you feature, the better the chance of getting a link to your website. There are a few drawbacks to round-ups. One, there’s no guarantee experts featured will site your roundup with a link to your website, and two, in order to be effective, they take a long time to create & publish. Because of those reasons, you could obtain multiple links, or you could come up empty. This why the estimated time to get a link varies.
Estimated time per link: 4-8 hours per link
Guest Posting:
Contrary to popular belief, guest posting still works! With guest posting, the time incurred comes with finding opportunities to write for other websites or publications and then writing the article. It can take a long time to do, but the results of getting a backlink are almost guaranteed.
Estimated time to get a link: 5-6 hours per link
