Link building is important for performing well in search page rank, but it’s not always straightforward. Building links for eCommerce sites is especially challenging because they fall under the category of “your money or your life.”
Put your focus on contextual link building for the best results. These are the links placed in domains, on pages, and within articles and with contextually relevant anchors, for instance, a link to your cat toy page in an article about cat enrichment tips. Google gives preference to these relevant links, so use these strategies to get more of them.
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Table of Contents
Niche Edits
A tried-and-tested method of getting backlinks is through niche edits. This is where you comb through searches to find existing content relevant to your links. If you’re selling guitars, for instance, search for articles and posts related to guitar music, learning to play the guitar, and so on.
Once you find contextually relevant pages, reach out to the site owner and request a link. This strategy is similar to guest posting links, but you’re looking at existing content rather than asking for new content.
The benefits of niche edits include contextual relevance and the fact that you’re working with established content. Be picky with the sites you pick, though. Getting a link from a spammy page will only hurt you, not help. Instead, look for pages with good authority and high traffic.
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Guest Posting
Like niche edits, with guest posting, you get your link in a new piece of content. The difference is that a guest post will be new content. Here’s how it works:
- Search for sites and pages relevant to your brand and products. Use Google, look for influencers, and check out competitors’ backlinks to find opportunities.
- Filter out the spammy or low-authority sites.
- Reach out to the site owners to pitch your guest post. Focus on the relevance and value of the proposed content, not on your desire for a link.
- Create the content following EAT (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) guidelines.
- Place your link naturally in the guest post so that it makes sense and is relevant.
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Build Linkable Assets
To get more backlinks, you must offer an asset to the sites providing the links: useful, valuable, interesting, relevant, and unique content. Focus on building these linkable assets on your pages, and the links will follow.
The opposite of a linkable asset is bad linkbait, and you should avoid it. This “cheap” content may draw readers initially, but the effect won’t last. You may get a spike in links and traffic, but it will drop off quickly.
Examples of content types that make good linkable assets include infographics, ranked lists, online calculators or tools, tutorials, definitive guides, and studies.
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Influencer Marketing
An influencer in your industry can be a powerful ally. The right influencer has an established audience that has an interest in what you’re selling. For example, if you sell specialty kitchen equipment, a food blogger outreach service with a big following has precisely the audience you need.
Once you’ve found an influencer that meets your needs, contact them and establish a relationship. You’ll offer them payment to create and post content relevant to your products. You’ll also provide them with a freebie or discount code that they can share with their readers.
This strategy gets you a link right away in the content created by the influencer, but it can also lead to more links. You’re getting the eyes of their entire audience on your products and pages. Some readers may then add their own links if you have linkable assets they want to share.
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Hunt for Unlinked Brand Mentions
Finally, search for unlinked brand mentions. These are instances of content with your brand in it but no link. Maybe a page written about exercising your cat mentions a particular to you sell. If the content creator didn’t link that mention back to your page, you have an easy opportunity to get one. Contact the site owner and request a link.
This is a straightforward way to get a natural link because it’s already set up for you. Of course, there are limitations here. If your brand is new or not well-known, you may not find many unlinked mentions. Come back to this strategy later as you build your brand.
Context is Everything
All of these strategies are valid ways to get links, but always keep the focus on context. Link building without context is a waste of time at best. At worst, it can actually hurt your page rank. Find the right context, provide value, and the links will follow.