When it comes to organic growth, landing at the top of Google search engine results pages (SERPs) is the holy grail. There’s a joke among content marketers that asks, “Where should you bury something you don’t want people to find?”
The answer, of course, is “On the second page of Google SERPs.”
Content marketers across every industry struggle to climb up the Google rankings ladder. This climb is important: Only 25% of users will ever scroll past that first page. One of the many strategies content marketers use is backlinking.
What is backlinking?
A “backlink” is created when an external website links back to yours. It’s a kind of shortcut for Google to help them identify whether your content is trustworthy or valuable.
Think of it as a sort of stamp of approval. When you write the content, it’s marketing – but when someone else shares your content, it’s social proof.
When someone links to your content, they’re providing a way for their readers to access your content. They’re also signaling to Google that the content is valuable.
How can you start building backlinks?
Building backlinks can be difficult, but there are strategies to help make it easier. To get started, you’ll want to:
Provide valuable content. We’ve discussed the importance of content marketing before. But it bears repeating: Quality content is the single most important piece of your SEO strategy. Without it, no one will have a reason to stay on your website, let alone link back to it.
People search for relevant, high-quality content. Google’s job is to help them find that content. If your content isn’t valuable, Google will rank it accordingly. Unfortunately, there’s not a way to stumble into quality content or crank it out in a half-hour.
Good content takes time, thought, and research. So your first step to creating backlinks is putting in the work to make sure the content is link-worthy.
Bring some friends. Don’t shoulder the responsibility for good content alone. Collaborating with others in your industry can be a great way to generate links to your content.
This strategy is great for a couple of reasons:
First, it delivers insight that might be out of your expertise. So by reaching out, you’ve already made your content better.
Second, it makes someone else invest in your content. Now you’re not the only one sharing the content when it goes live. You’re releasing the piece to your audience and your collaborators.
And when it comes to collaborating on a piece of content, the more the merrier. You can always expand your insights (and your reach) by bringing in thoughts from more sources.
Reach out to roundup publishers. Odds are you can find someone who aggregates content related to your industry. These daily, weekly, or monthly roundups help connect people with quality content.
And they’re a great resource for you when you publish content.
Did you just write a blog post on the Top 10 Best Exercises for a Broken Foot? Look for other blogs or roundups focused on orthopaedics, exercise, or weight-lifting.
If your content is good, a simple email may be all you need to get the author to include your blog in their roundup.
Can’t find any industry-related roundups? You could try curating and publishing your own. Helping your audience find useful content is the key to content marketing. If there’s a gap in your industry, it could be a huge opportunity for you.
Backlinks are key for growth.
Whether you’re just starting to create your own content or you’ve been at it for years, you can’t ignore the importance of backlinks. Making shareable content is the dream for every marketer. The tips above can help you have a built-in audience before you ever click the Publish button.
Creating content and earning backlinks take a concerted effort. If you need to get started, we can help you create a content strategy for building a bigger audience.