Backlink Strategy For SEO 2021

It’s no secret that in the past doing SEO basically meant getting backlinks to your site and has been for several years.

Over time, Google’s algorithms have changed a lot and SEO Specialists have also focused on On-Page factors, loading speed, user experience, page crawlability and much more.

Today (as in the past), it is still possible to get the first position without any backlinks, but many variables come into play, including first and foremost the competitiveness of the market niche.

Despite all the changes in recent years, Off-Page SEO , i.e. links and everything external to the site, still plays a decisive role in determining the visibility of a site in Google’s SERPs.

Precisely for this reason, at present, being able to obtain links to our site is certainly an important job to improve positioning on Google, especially in particularly competitive sectors.

What are backlinks?

A backlink (or inbound link) is literally an inbound link, which is a hyperlink on an external site that points to a page on your website. 

Backlinks are an integral part of a link building strategy (building hyperlinks) and, in particular, fall under the umbrella of ” off-site ” activities, which take place outside the site. The activity of acquiring backlinks, that is, inbound links, is for the most part in the hands of an external site. What does it mean? Our site gets a backlink when a third party site decides to link to us on its own specific page. It is obvious that to do so he must have good reasons : reasons that we must give him, through our content, our online visibility, the notoriety of our site (or brand), our activities on the market.

Why are backlinks so important? Getting a link from a site optimized for search engines and with a constant influx of users can represent new visits and better visibility on search engines. Google, in fact, appreciates quality inbound links and when a site receives one, it decides to increase its ranking within the SERP. Improving your positioning could be the main reason for implementing an SEO backlink strategy. But there is even more. If our site is linked by a site that attracts thousands of visitors every day, it will be easier for them to decide to enter our site. This will lead to one greater visibility and popularity of our brand.

How to prepare to get backlinks

Before you start getting backlinks to your site, it’s essential to make sure you’re ready, but let’s see exactly how.

One of the most common mistakes in beginner sites is the absence of redirects between the various versions of the site, i.e. by visiting http://example.it you are not automatically sent to https://www.example.it because it has not been set up a suitable 301 redirect.

To do this, for example, in the Apache .htaccess file just add:

RewriteEngine on

RewriteCond% {HTTP_HOST}! ^ Www \. (. *) $ [NC]

RewriteRule ^ (. *) $ Https://www.example.it/$1 [L, R = 301]

 

With a view to link building , without this precaution, your site could receive some natural backlinks to a URL and others to the same URL without www or without https, resulting in practice two different addresses.

This situation, in addition to a dispersion of link juice (value passed by the link to the landing page), also causes problems of duplicate content that should be absolutely avoided.

The second issue to pay attention to before starting any link acquisition campaign, is the verification of using the “canonicalization” on all the pages of the site, to assign link juice to the correct URL in the event of any duplicate content.

To make sure you have only one correct and official version of a specific content on the site, just insert the following line in the section:

<link rel = “canonical” href = “https://www.example.it/pagina.htm” />

Link Building vs Link Earning

It amazes me how even today several bloggers and marketers can entrust their link building strategy only to paid links .

They contact a website, agree on a price for a post with a link inside, and that’s it.

Buying backlinks is not absolutely wrong, the point is that Google is increasingly able to discover artificial links and if you do not proceed with caution, you risk incurring penalties, which can jeopardize the future of your site.

That’s why if you’ve read around on the web, you’ve surely found some insistence on the concept of ” natural link building ” which is no better because it is about acquiring free backlinks!

The principle is that links must “deserve” as a consequence of producing valuable content , the principle behind Link Earning !

On the other hand, however, every link building strategy is artificial precisely as a strategy (which is therefore planned at the table and artificially implemented).

The truth lies somewhere in between.

A good SEO strategy involves doing link building creating value (therefore naturally), to obtain links from other websites (even in an “artificial” way).

Before seeing how to do it in practice, let’s see in detail some fundamental concepts related to Link Building.

SEO Link Building quantity or quality?

“How many backlinks should I get?”

This is one of the most common and frequently asked questions for those who approach Link Building.

Relying on quantity from the start of your strategy is a mistake, because the new links you earn with your link building strategy must be constant .

If the site is new, the creation of these links should be slow and as natural as possible , so that Google does not perceive it as artificial link building.

It is also vital to know that many of the link building SEO techniques no longer work as they used to .

So, set aside directories, forum comments, etc. and focus on quality instead of focusing solely on quality.

To have an optimal backlink profile it is essential to analyze the incoming backlinks , because thanks to the link juice we will acquire we will be able to have the advantages we expect from our link building SEO activity .

When we decide to start a strategy aimed at obtaining backlinks for SEO, we must make sure that the third-party site really wants and needs to link to us . How then? In the next paragraphs you will find a series of strategies in this regard. But first, if you want to get into the topic step by step, read these articles dedicated to backlinks for SEO:

SEO BACKLINKS: WHAT TO DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

# 1 CREATE CONTENT 10X BETTER THAN COMPETITORS’ CONTENT TO GAIN EXPOSURE

 

What is the keyword of the first strategy to get SEO backlinks? Amaze . Your content must amaze, fascinate, leave you speechless to the point of “forcing” those who have a well-established site to link you. Hardly anyone will be interested in linking to a short, loosely written article without adding anything new to what is commonly said about that topic. This is why your content will have to be 10 times better than that of competitors .

1. We insert the keyword of the topic that we would like to discuss on search engines, to see what the level of competition is .

2. After opening every single article on the first page of the results, it will be possible to understand if everything we could talk about has already been said or if there are heavy gaps that you could fill in . For example, if a paragraph on how to take care of the lawn and methods for not growing the grass too quickly has not been contemplated, we could throw ourselves on this topic.
3. After defining the points to touch within the article, we will proceed with the drafting . It will be a long post, full of both theoretical and practical information , which can really affect the needs and requirements of the user who has researched “how to create the perfect garden”. Enrich the article with images and, if possible, videos. In this way, it will be easier to attract the consumer’s attention.

When your site is positioned among the first results from the search engine, it will get the visibility not only of the common user, but also of the online magazines related to the green thumb and of enthusiasts who have opened a blog on gardening, who will be happy to link you. However, there are additional actions you can take to “stimulate” inbound SEO backlinks. Which? To cite a few examples, try to make your guide to the perfect garden appear within Social Networks , populated by millions and millions of active users every day. Likewise, you could contact blogs that deal with the topic yourself, offering them an added value: a well written, detailed article, full of hints and ideas; in short, 10 times better than that of competitors.

Speaking of hints and ideas: do you want some strategies to better carry out your Content Marketing activity and thus obtain more visibility and more backlinks? Here are some articles about it:

# 2 MAKE QUALITY INFOGRAPHICS AND VIDEOS TO PROMOTE

One of the trends of recent years in the field of backlinks has a specific name: infographics . What is it and why is it so important for SEO? An infographic “compresses” data, contents and images taken from an article into a single image . We could say that it is a graphic “summary” of a long and complex article. Why is it so successful? Probably because it is immediate and does not force the user to read too much . Nowadays it is difficult to find someone who is really willing to spend their time reading very long articles online: for this reason, having immediate elements can be a valid solution to prevent the user from abandoning the article. Other than that, it’s easier for it to comean infographic compared to an article shared within the Social Networks and this can contribute to becoming viral.

But how can you make a successful infographic? Here are the characteristics it should possess:

• An attractive design . The graphics – and therefore the colors, the surrounding elements and the decorations – must immediately intrigue the user and push him to get to the bottom;
• Statistical data recently updated and useful for the reader to understand what you are talking about and to draw the necessary conclusions;
• A popular topic , of common interest and not of a few users and which, at the same time, has not already been dealt with in the infographics of competitors.

As a rule, the infographic is inserted in a large textual article and never “left” to itself. This is because, in case a reader wanted to obtain more information – which cannot fit within an image – he would have a point of support.

You have made your infographic. How do you promote it to attract new SEO backlinks for your website? First of all, do not forget to make it ” Social Friendly “, that is, it can be easily shared within Social Networks: it is the main way to increase its popularity and visibility. To do this, you can add buttons related to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn right below the infographic or in a place where they are particularly noticeable.

Next, search for sites that have published an article related to the topic you covered in your infographic and get in touch with them. The real secret in this case lies in proposing not so much a “sale” of the infographic to get, in exchange, a backlink, but in highlighting the added value that their post could have through your infographic. Let’s take an example of an email you could write.

“ I noticed that you wrote an article about this topic and I thought you might be interested in the infographic I made, full of statistics and reflections. I leave you the link of the post in which it was inserted. In case you want to add it to your article, do not hesitate to reply to this email: I will send it to you in PNG ”.

In this way, you will establish a relationship with the manager of the site you are facing (he will necessarily have to respond to get the infographic) and, at the same time, you will emphasize why someone should add your infographic to their article.

# 3 “STEAL” BACKLINKS FROM YOUR COMPETITORS

There are hundreds of specific tools, free or paid, to see how effective the link building strategy implemented by our competitors is. Among these, we include Majestic and Searchmetrics : by entering the url of our competitors, we will be able to have a complete overview of which sites – and how – have linked them. Within the list provided to us by these tools we will be able to find sites that would be willing to link us too: they will be sites in the same area as us, which could benefit from our content.

After analyzing the third-party sites that have decided to link to competitors, we will almost certainly have a fairly substantial list and will finally be able to act. What to do, at this point? Here are some hypotheses that we can implement:

1. We send an email presenting an article on a topic that they haven’t covered yet and that they might be interested in. It is better if this post is full of statistics (obviously updated) and original images, which they could resume by linking to you;
2. We are looking for contact with these realities within the Social Networks . We read their posts, comment on their news, insert interactions: in this way they could become curious about our company and decide to know us better. Then when they have visited our site and found that we actually offer “something more” that can also be useful to their target, we will get the link;
3. If we find that our competitors’ SEO backlink building strategy is having particular success, we try to replicate it . In this case, therefore, we thoroughly study the moves of our opponents to be able to achieve our goal: to obtain new incoming links. Once the strategy has been implemented, we will carry out periodic link audits to monitor its performance and, if necessary, optimize it.

The relationships that will be built with third party sites should not be underestimated, not only with regard to backlinks, but also to increase brand reputation .

#4 PRACTICE GUEST BLOGGING TO ENTER THE FRONT DOOR INTO BLOGGING

 

The escalation of the Guest Blogging activity continues , a strategy to obtain a good number of backlinks for SEO that is giving great satisfaction. What is it and why is it having so much success?

“Guest Blogging” means  writing articles for external blogs . In this way, you can not only get a  return link , but also increase the  popularity  of our site.

But how can we find blogs willing to “host” one of our articles?

1. We are looking for a site relating to the subject in which we specialize, which accepts guest authors on their blog . There are several ways to do this: we can simply write on Google “write for us”, “blog for guest post”, “collaborate with us”. The only important selection criterion is that it is a quality site and, above all, well positioned. To find out its visibility score, we can use Search Metrics . After having ascertained its popularity, we draw up a list of sites that may interest us.
2. Let’s analyze the topics that have already been covered on these sites . In this way we will be able to see any gaps and find topics on which we can write.
3. We contact the managers of the sites on which we have decided to focus and we explain to them what topic we would like to talk about . We already present a clear lineup in which the paragraphs are specified. By doing so we will show that we are organized and they will more gladly accept our guest post.
4. When we get the ok from the site managers, we start writing the article . While we do it, we take into consideration the directives and the way of communicating that the blog in which we are guests presents: not all blogs follow the same rules, the same shape and the same style. This is why, as guests, we will have to adapt. If in our blog we usually double-check the article 3 times before publishing it, in case it is a guest post it will be advisable to do it even more and ask for feedback from friends and relatives : proving that you have done a good job will establish an excellent relationship with the site manager, who can continue beyond the guest post.
5. To make the Guest Blogging activity productive at the level of backlinks for SEO, we just have to insert, at the end of the article, a short biography of us , which showcases what we are capable of doing, and a link to ours site .

If we write a detailed guest post about an original theme, it will be easier to capture the reader’s attention and improve brand awareness . In this way, it is likely that in the not too distant future we will no longer have to contact the sites to write an article, but that they themselves are looking for us because we have demonstrated professionalism.

# 5 FOLLOW THE MAN MOVING METHOD TO GRAB LINKS FROM SUBDUED SITES

We conclude this rich meal with the icing on the cake, the ” Man Moving Method “: it is a strategy to get backlinks for SEO devised by Brian Dean, CEO of Backlinko . How does it work and, above all, why does it work?

The “Man Moving Method” may, on the surface, seem very similar to the old “broken link” strategy, which exploits the potential of a broken link. In reality, there is a subtle difference between the 2 strategies: that of the Man Moving Method points towards outdated and not necessarily broken content. In fact, sites are sought that link to disused pages. But let’s see the whole process in detail:

1. We are looking for all those sites that fall into our sector that have changed their name, URL or that no longer update their site . We can search on Google for the typical phrases that appear when a site has changed its functionality or is no longer used, for example “discontinued site”: Other keywords to enter could be “service not available” or “name change”.
2. After obtaining a good number of sites that no longer work, we need to search for the ones that still link to them . What does it mean? These third party sites, which could become potential SEO backlinks for our site, are currently sending their users into outdated and certainly ineffective content. How is it possible to find the sites we are talking about? We once again take advantage of Majestic or tools that can perform a review of the decommissioned site and provide us with a list of the sites from which it obtains backlinks.
3. We analyze the list of sites we have found and see which page of the decommissioned site they are linking to . For example, if you run a cooking blog, you may find that the decommissioned site has received a link to a recipe that is also on your site.
4. At this point, we just have to contact the sites found that can benefit from our content by sending them an email . The approach must be polite and “altruistic”, presenting the benefit that the site will obtain by linking to our site: first of all, we are warning them that they are linking to an old and ineffective content; secondly, we offer them a valid alternative (our article).

Precisely because it is presented mainly as a “courtesy” that is done to a site, even before as a request for links, and for the fact of proposing quality content as a second option, the Man Moving Method is achieving great success in SEO .

SEO BACKLINKS: WHAT TO AVOID IN ORDER NOT TO BE PENALIZED BY SEARCH ENGINES

So far we have seen rules and tactics for getting backlinks for SEO. Now we move towards the prohibitions, that is: what not to do when you are looking for inbound links so as not to lose credibility in the eyes of Google . Many sites focus too much on the goal and lose sight of the rules of the game. Make sure you are not among those to avoid losing rankings. Here are the main prohibitions that you must take into account when entering the world of backlinks:

1. Do not get linked from the friend’s site that has nothing to do with your business . It is easy to fall into the temptation: in order to get backlinks for SEO, we could ask that friend of ours who has a site to link to us. The reasoning itself may seem correct, as a friend will always be willing to help us. But we need to go deeper into the matter. If you run a business that manufactures and sells furniture and your friend is a pastry chef, Google is unlikely to look favorably on the backlink you get from him. One of the rules of the game, in fact, establishes that there must be coherence between the arguments of the 2 sites : in a nutshell, you will have to be linked only by sites that are in the same sector as you.
2. Do not be linked by the penalized site or without visibility . When looking for backlinks, remember to skim heavily on the sites you are facing. You may find some that give away links in exchange for a short presentation of your business, but that, digging deep, have no visibility on the Internet or, even, have been heavily penalized by Google. Remember that this could also compromise your situation: as they say, “ better few but good ”, that is, few backlinks but coming from authoritative, well-positioned sites.
3. Don’t get linked dozens of times from the same site . When a friendly collaboration is established between multiple sites in the same industry, it is easy to think of being able to link to each other dozens of times, in the hope that Google will look favorably on all these backlinks. In reality, this is not the case. Due to the fact that until a few years ago many were over-exploiting the backlink activity, the main search engine has set rigid limits. Even before the quantity, the quality of the links counts: it is important that they are relevant, that they take the user exactly where they expect to arrive. Do not think, therefore, that dozens of links from the same site can benefit your optimization process: Google may think that you are deceiving it and decide not to consider backlinks or to penalize yourself.

 

CONCLUSION

There are many rules that affect a strategy to get  backlinks for SEO . What matters, as always when it comes to search engines, is to always offer an exhaustive and coherent answer to the user who reads articles and visits pages of the site. For this, you need to consider the  quality and relevance of the backlink . This will benefit the positioning, but also the user experience within the sites.