Building links is not complex science. There is no exclusive club where only a select few are instructed in link building. It’s doable by anyone.
But without tried-and-true strategies to fall back on, it’s more difficult than it needs to be.
Here are 15 proven ways to get backlinks:
The Reverse Skyscraper Technique
1. The Skyscraper Technique
The Skyscraper Technique entails finding content with lots of backlinks, improving it, and then asking everyone who has linked to the upgraded content to link to you instead.
How to do it
Finding pages with plenty of backlinks is the first step. Start by looking for a word associated with your subject in Ahrefs’ Content Explorer and lowering the “referring domains” filter to at least 50. You will see pages with links from more than 50 websites on this page.
Then, all that remains is to evaluate the material and consider ways to make it better.
Here are some of the best ways to improve content:
Correct inaccurate or misleading claims. This is arguably the best way to improve content, as nobody wants to link to something misleading.
Go deeper. If the content in question is only skimming the topic’s surface, go deeper and explain things in more detail.
Explain it better. Using graphics, videos, or whatever you need can help the reader understand things easier.
For instance, Neil Patel has 1.1K referring websites linking back to his article regarding long-tail keywords:
However, its description of long-tail keywords is incorrect (and extremely difficult to read):
One simple way we could make this content better is by giving a meaningful definition.
2. The Reverse Skyscraper Technique
request that everyone linking to those pages link to you instead.
It functions similarly to the “conventional” skyscraper method. You don’t have to develop new content, which is an advantage.
SIDENOTE.
The amount of referring domains to the current top-ranking pages determines the keyword difficulty (KD). This implies that pages with high KD scores for keywords will probably have a lot of backlinks.
Finally, go to these pages and find convincing justifications for why your content is superior to theirs. If you discover one, suggest it to individuals who are linking to the page as a replacement. These persons can be located by using Ahrefs’ Site Explorer’s Backlinks report.
3. Resource page link building
Obtaining backlinks from websites that curate resources on a certain subject is known as resource page link building.
How to do it
Run one of these Google searches and add a word from your topic to identify resources:
You can prioritize chances by Domain Rating (DR) and anticipated search traffic by using Ahrefs’ SEO Toolbar to export the findings and associated SEO data.
The next step is to visit each page to confirm that it is a resource page and has links to outside sites. Find the person who is in charge’s email address if it matches the bill, then introduce them to your resource.
4. Broken link building
It functions because website owners who take pride in their work don’t want to direct visitors to damaged pages.
How to do it
There are numerous methods for locating backlinks to dead pages. One of the simplest methods is to perform a topic search in Ahrefs’ Content Explorer, apply a broken page filter, and then create a referring domains filter with a minimum value of 10. This will display dead pages that have links from at least ten different websites.
To view a page on archive.org, click the link after moving the cursor there. This will display the contents of the page before it vanished.
Return to Content Explorer, press the caret, and select the Backlinks report if it makes sense for you to produce something similar. When your content goes online, you can pitch your new link to any pages or websites that are linking to the defunct page.
5. 301 redirect link building
Finding ineffective 301 redirects and proposing a workable replacement to everyone who links to it is known as 301 redirect link building. Site owners don’t want to send their visitors to pages that are essentially dead, which is why broken link building works.
How to do it
Use Site Explorer, switch to “https,” input a specialty site, go to the Best by Links report, and add a “301 relocated permanently” filter to detect useless 301 redirection.
Check the URLs for any unnecessary redirects.
As an illustration, the first URL in the list above appears to be an article about the evolution of search engines but instead leads to one about search engine marketing. By selecting the caret and choosing to see the page on archive.org, we can verify that this is the fact.
This is a completely unrelated redirect, with 698 referring websites, to the page it is now redirected to.
6. Pitch “best x in y” listicles
Listicles titled “Best x in y” are articles that rank the top companies in a particular field or market. More exposure and backlinks can be obtained by seeking out and pitching listicles where you aren’t currently included.
How to do it
By using the following search criteria in Google, you can locate pertinent lists:
Here is a list of London’s top coffee shops:
Omotesando Koffee, a highly regarded store, didn’t make the cut based on our search even though it was a top-rated establishment. It could be worthwhile to contact the author to see if they would be prepared to add you if you were the creator of this location.
When doing this, keep two things in mind:
Your pitch needs to make sense.
It won’t always make sense to pitch in the first email.
For instance, the absence of Omotesando Koffee on this list most likely indicates that the author has never visited their establishment. If so, they won’t likely put it to the list only because you ask them to. You must first establish a connection.
I would approach the author in this situation as follows:
Hello, [Name]
I recently came across your list of the top coffee shops in the area and was disappointed to see that Omotesando Koffee was left off. Do you not like our coffee or have you never tried it, or both?
If the latter, I’d be delighted to invite you over to sample our offerings (don’t worry, it’s free).
Are you planning to visit the area soon?
Please tell me.
[Name]
Notably, this email only extends an invitation to the author to sample our offering rather than making a pitch for inclusion on the list. Once we’ve won them over, asking for inclusion will be much simpler.
7. HARO
A free service called HARO (Help A Reporter Out) connects journalists with sources and sources with journalists. Because journalists are asking for your comments rather than the other way around, it’s a simple way to obtain high-quality backlinks.
How to do it
Once you sign up as a source, journalists from different newspapers will start emailing you with questions.
This will include inquiries from significant, well-known websites like The New York Times and Business Insider.
It’s worth setting up a Gmail filter because most queries will be irrelevant, which is the problem.
Here’s how:
Click the search options filter
Set the “From” field to haro@helpareporter.com.
Set the “Subject” to “[HARO]”
Set “Has the words” to keywords you want to monitor (you can use the OR operator to list multiple keywords here)
In order to make sure you’re getting relevant results, click search and check a few emails. If everything appears to be in order, click “Create filter” once more from the search options caret.
It’s time to begin answering pertinent questions.
Simply be aware that just because you react, not all journalists will quote and link to you. You should only react to questions where you have the necessary expertise in order to get the best outcomes. Prioritizing opportunities where the journalist needs several specialists is also important.
For instance, the request from Business Insider below makes it plain that they want to hear from a variety of excellent preschools. Therefore, if you represent a prestigious preschool, responding to this request will undoubtedly increase your chances of being highlighted.
8. Guest blogging
When you write a blog post as a guest for another website, you typically get credit and a link back to your website in return.
How to do it
Go to Content Explorer, type a keyword associated with your topic, then switch the dropdown to “In title” to locate websites that are likely to accept guest contributions. This looks through billions of pages for information that matches.
After that, you can use filters to get a more focused list of results and websites to pitch.
These filters are a good starting point:
Domain Rating: 30+. This weeds out super low authority websites.
Website traffic: 5000+. This weeds out websites with little or no traffic.
Published: Last 90 days. This weeds out websites that haven’t published content recently, which may be unresponsive to pitches.
There is no benefit to accessing the same website more than once, so you should also toggle the “One page per domain” box.
Visit the Websites tab to view the top 100 websites by traffic if there are too many websites to pitch. Websites with several authors should be given special consideration as they are more likely to welcome guest posts.
For instance, Moz has 182 SEO-related pages written by 28 different authors, so it’s likely that some of those are guest posts.
9. Podcast interviews
When you appear as an expert on a podcast, the host will interview you and ask you questions.
Each one will just require an hour or so of your time, and if you pick them carefully, backlinks are practically a given. Due to the fact that the majority of podcasts have episode pages on their websites that virtually always contain links to the visitors’ websites and social media accounts.
How to do it
To start, you must locate podcasts to pitch. To do this, search Google for the best podcasts in your field. The majority of the results will be listicles, and Google frequently displays a carousel of podcasts alongside the listicles.
Make sure the podcast’s episode pages link to its guests before submitting a pitch.
If you come across a frequent podcast interviewee while browsing (like our very own Tim Soulo), paste their website address into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer, select the “Exact URL” search option, go to the Backlinks report, filter for results with “episode” in the referring page title, and then browse the results for pertinent podcasts to pitch.
Any podcasts you find employing this technique will undoubtedly include links to their guests.
10. Unlinked mentions
Unlinked mentions are when individuals talk about your company online (or anything associated with your company) without including a link to your website.
They are low-hanging fruit since you have already made progress in developing links. Asking them to include a link to the mention is frequently sufficient to secure the link because they are already familiar with your brand.
How to do it
Search for your brand in Content Explorer and add -site:yourwebsite.com to filter out results from your site in order to locate unlinked mentions.
Then, export the results (be sure to check the “Only pages with highlighted domains” box) after using the “highlight unlinked domains” tool to highlight web pages from websites that haven’t linked to you.
11. Pursue link gaps
An audit of your competitors’ links exposes the websites that are linked to them but not to you. These links are frequently simple to duplicate because it can make sense for someone to link to you if they are linking to several of your rivals.
How to do it
Run a link gap analysis by entering your homepage into Site Explorer in the “Exact URL” mode, selecting the Link Intersect report, and entering a few rival homepages in the blank boxes (also setting these to “URL” mode).
For illustration, the webpage below contains connections to two of our rivals. We can see from the links that they were both made possible by podcast interviews.
This host has spoken with two of our rivals, so they might be interested in speaking with us as well.
TIP
Keep an eye out for popular linking page kinds because they may lead to extra connection opportunities. For instance, if your rivals have a lot of links from podcasts, look for other podcasts and submit a proposal to them.
12. Get stockist links
Companies whose products you stock and sell provide stockist connections. If you sell goods from businesses that advertise stockists on their websites, getting these links is simple.
How to do it
Find the websites of all the businesses whose products you want to find appropriate stockists pages for. This is how that page appears:
Then all you have to do is get in touch with them and ask them to add you.
13. Utilize existing memberships
The easiest places to develop links are often the groups, communities, and clubs that you already belong to. This is due to the fact that, if you ask, they frequently have team or advisory board pages where they’ll gladly mention and link to you.
How to do it
Make a list of all the groups, communities, and clubs you are a part of in order to identify chances. This might be anything from a local legal association to a school parent advisory board to a local charity.
If they have a pertinent page, it ought to appear.
Where it makes sense, ask for a link by reaching out.
14. Pitch link roundups
Link roundups are curated collections of the top new articles in a particular field, typically from the previous week or month. This is a simple technique to develop links to new content because the authors of these pieces are constantly looking for relevant stuff to include in their next roundup.
How to do it
Filter for search results from the previous three months (Tools > Any time > Custom range > choose the last three months on the calendar) as there is no sense in pitching canceled roundups.
Check out the roundups, then suggest pertinent ones.
15. Internal backlinks
Links from other pages on the same website are referred to as internal backlinks. Internal links are a great tool for channeling “authority” to the pages that require it, but many SEOs fail to take use of them, which is a significant error. They are completely under your control, unlike external backlinks.
How to do it
Look for pages that rank in positions #2-4 for their target keyword to identify those that would most benefit from a boost. The Site Explorer in Ahrefs allows you to do this. Simply enter your website’s URL, get the Organic Keywords report, and apply the position filter.
Then, in Site Audit, go to your project, click the Link opportunities report, put the URL of your page there, and change the dropdown menu to “Target page.”
SIDENOTE.
You must first create a project and use Site Audit to crawl your website.
You should now be able to add internal links to your page on your website in the appropriate places.
Final thoughts
Although many of these strategies aren’t novel or interesting, what matters is that they work. Do not attempt to do them simultaneously. Start with one, gain insight from it, refine your strategy, and then expand from there.