How to Get Quality Backlinks for Businesses in Northampton

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is one of the most effective ways to put your name out there. Because it helps your Northampton business rank on search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing, it makes it easier for your target audience or customers to find you on the Internet.

Besides optimising various onsite elements of your website, another way to make your site search engine-friendly is to build quality backlinks. Also known as link building, offsite SEO is the process of convincing other websites to link back to yours.

When you have lots of websites linking to you, this sends a signal to Google that you are an authority in your niche or industry. This helps convince search engines to give you a higher ranking on search result pages. The higher you rank on search engines, the easier it is for your audience to find you.

The Anatomy of a Quality Backlink

While the principle behind link building looks simple enough, our SEO experts would tell you that it is not that easy. For instance, high-quality backlinks, which Google wants and prioritises, can be challenging to obtain. This is particularly true when you’re a newbie in your niche and no one knows you yet. However, when you get your hands on these links, the rewards can be very satisfying

But before we discuss the particulars of link building and the answer to the question “How to get quality backlinks?” First we must define what a quality backlink is. This is to help you understand what you should look for. At the same time, knowing what a quality backlink is can help you avoid potential penalties from Google, which tightened its rules against low-quality backlinks following its Penguin update.

When building quality backlinks, make sure to consider the following factors:

1. Domain authority

A website with high domain authority carries more weight than a website that’s relatively unknown. That being said, make sure that you obtain links from high authority sites because it will reflect more positively on your site.

2. Relevance

It’s also vital to have links from websites that are related or relevant to yours. For example, let’s say you own and manage a bakery in Northampton. It won’t make sense to Google and other search engines if you have a link from a blog post about car parts.

3. Anchor text

 

 

An anchor text is the text used within hyperlinks and sends you from one webpage to another when clicked. It’s a vital piece of the SEO puzzle because it can affect your search ranking as it tells search engines what your content is all about.

4. Contextual links

 

 

When building backlinks, make sure that they appear seamlessly and naturally in your web content. If the links look unnatural or poorly placed, Google might give you a penalty.

5. Dofollow and nofollow links

Since Google doesn’t place any value on nofollow links, you’d want to use dofollow links, especially if you want to secure precious SEO juice. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that nofollow links are entirely without use. Nofollow links can prevent your link building efforts from appearing too “spammy.” At the same time, they can give you quality referral traffic.

Importance of Building High-Quality Backlinks

Apart from helping you rank on search engines, there are many reasons why building high-quality backlinks is very important to your overall online marketing strategy. Here are some of them:

1. They help you establish brand authority

Search engines are not the only one who’s paying attention to the websites linking to yours. Just as Google considers quality backlinks as an indication of your authority, potential customers also see them as a sign that you’re something they should pay attention to.

Aside from giving your SEO efforts a considerable boost, high-quality links also enable you to attract prospects by way of brand association. When customers see that popular and trustworthy websites are linking to yours, they are more likely to trust you. At the same time, it gives Google and other people the impression that you’re an excellent source of information within your niche or industry. As a result, more sites are likely to link to yours, which gives you more natural backlinks that search engines love.

2. They drive referral traffic to your site

Contrary to popular belief, not all web traffic comes from Google and other search engines. A large chunk of web traffic comes from referral traffic or those from other websites.

High-quality backlinks are a great source of referral traffic. In fact, a single link on a popular blog post or website can continuously drive traffic to your site for years to come.

Another benefit of having quality backlinks is that the referral traffic they drive to your site is highly targeted. This means the people they are sending your way are actively looking for information that is related to the products or services you’re offering.

3. They help you build relationships

Let’s say you create a fascinating piece of content and a popular site links to it. If the readers of the popular site enjoyed the content, they will likely click on the link and visit your site so they can get to know you more. This could lead to them signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, or taking other measurable actions on your site.

4. They give you brand exposure and recognition

Highly-quality backlinks can help you build better brand awareness and recognition. When potential customers see your brand name connected to quality content, they are likely to associate your business with topics that are related to the products or services you’re offering. This could result in visits to your website, brand interaction, or even sales in the future.

Getting High-Quality Backlinks

Now that you know what kind of links you should look for, it’s time for you to know how to get quality backlinks. Here are some tried-and-tested methods that can help you obtain top-notch links to your site.

1. Content marketing

If you want authority websites to link to you, you should give them a solid reason to pay attention to you. The most effective way to do that is through content marketing. By creating content that is highly informative, valuable, and shareable, you can pique other websites’ interest and encourage them to link to your site.

However, keep in mind that you can craft well-researched and very entertaining pieces of content, but websites won’t still link to them. Backlinks don’t often just appear out of thin air. You need to make authority sites aware that you have created something they will find both exciting and beneficial. You can do this by launching an outreach programme.

To help ensure your success, here are some tips you should consider when reaching out to other websites and asking them to share your content:

a. Find influencers or bloggers relevant to your niche/industry

It would be much easier to reach out to highly trusted influencers if you have a common point of interest. As such, make sure that you only reach out to those who are relevant to your niche or industry. For example, if you’re providing car repair services in Northampton, it makes sense to build a connection with websites or blogs offering car care advice and other similar resources.

Start by searching the top blogs and websites in your industry on Google. Then, you should list down the sites with a domain authority score of 50 or above.

b. Make sure to create excellent content

As discussed earlier, popular sites are unlikely to link to you if your content is of low quality. Therefore, you should create something they will find hard to turn down. Start by identifying trending or key topics you think the influencers in your list would be interested in. It also helps to create a type of content that will be valuable in the long term, such as a case study, a detailed guide, or original research.

c. Send personalised emails

When reaching out to influencers, consider using a personalised email instead of a generic one. Statistics showed that custom-made emails have an open rate of 18.8% and a click-through rate of 2.1%. In comparison, generic emails have an open rate of 13.1% and a click-through rate of 1.9%.

2. Competitor link analysis

Competitor link analysis is the process of analysing and studying your competitors’ link profiles to identify potential link building opportunities. As a business owner, you probably already know the importance of keeping close tabs on the competition. By knowing what link building strategies your competitors are using, it will be easier for you to create one that is significantly better than theirs.

Here are the steps you should follow:

a. Know who your competitors are

If you don’t know who your SEO competitors are, here’s what you should do. On Google, enter the keyword your site is targeting. Then, list down the top 10 sites you’ll see on the results page.

b. Use a backlink checker

Use a backlink checker to identify the websites linking to your competitors. Then, choose sites that are trustworthy and influential. Consider reaching out to these websites, as well.

c. Follow your competitor’s example

If your competitors have a strong link building game, it’s in your best interest to emulate their example. With the help of a backlink checker, go over the websites linking to a competitor’s site. Then, find out how your competitor was able to score a link on those sites. Did they submit a guest post, a forum post, or an industry directory? Whatever the case may be, make sure you learn from their strategy and replicate it so you can obtain quality backlinks.

3. Guest posting

Guest posting is where you contribute free content to another blog or website in exchange for a backlink to your site. This method has been a very popular strategy because it benefits both parties. One side gets a quality link, while the other receives free content for their audience to enjoy.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

a. Identify the sites that accept guest posts

The first thing you need to do is determine where you can submit guest posts. Popular and trustworthy industry publications are an excellent place to start. However, make sure that those sites are related to your business.

b. Check out your competitors’ guest post

It also helps to scope out your competitors’ guest posts. This will help you identify websites where you can submit your guest posts. Keep in mind that if a site is willing to accept a guest post from a business that is similar to yours, it’s very likely that it will accept one from you, too.

c. Review the site’s submission guides

Before submitting your pitch to make a guest post, you should familiarise yourself with the site’s submission guides. By doing so, you can avoid wasting time and, more importantly, ensure that your guest posting efforts are successful.

d. Look for linking opportunities

When creating content, look for opportunities to link to your site within the body of your post. Blogs and online publications would usually allow you to include a backlink within your author bio. However, if you have the chance, add a link or two to the main text of your content.

4. “Skyscraper” content

Another strategy that you should include in your offsite optimisation arsenal is the creation of “skyscraper” content. While this strategy may be a bit challenging, it can give you great results when done correctly. Not only can it help you build top-quality backlinks, but it also allows you to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

a. Find existing content with quality links

The first thing you need to do is find a piece of content in your niche or industry with high-quality backlinks. You can do this by entering a relevant keyword on Google and then taking note of the top results. If a piece of content is ranking well on the first page of Google, there’s a significant chance that lots of websites are already linking to it.

b. Create a similar yet better content

Next is to create a piece of content that is similar to the one you found, but considerably better. For example, if the content you found is about the top 10 places to visit in the UK, your post should be about the top 20 or even top 30 UK holiday destinations.

However, you might find it very difficult to beat a piece of content that already topped Google’s search result pages. After all, how do you make something awesome more awesome? When creating skyscraper content, take note of the following to ensure that you can surpass the original content:

• Answer all the questions that the original content failed to answer.
• If there are segments of your audience the original piece has been unable to address, make sure to address them.
• If there are instructions in your content, make sure they are easy to understand and follow.

You should make your post as thorough and detailed as possible. However, keep in mind that creating more points for discussion or including more helpful diagrams and images doesn’t necessarily make your content better than the original. You have to make sure that your skyscraper content is also well-researched, well-written, interesting, and engaging. It should also be free from spelling and grammatical errors.

c. Promote your content

As mentioned earlier, quality backlinks won’t just come to you. You have to look for them. That being said, see to it that you actively promote your content once you’re finished writing it. There are many strategies that you can use to spread the word about your post, including sharing it on your social media pages. Another effective way is to promote it to the people you have mentioned in your content.

5. Original content

Most people say that the majority of the content you see online are just regurgitated content. This is why if you have the chance and resources to do something original, it’s very likely that you’ll be treated like a rock star in your niche or industry. After all, if you have something that no one else has, you are a valuable resource.

a. Conduct a study

One type of content that can inspire dozens of top-quality backlinks is original research or study. It is because when other websites or content creators want to use your material as a reference, they have no choice but to link to your research to show their readers where they got their information. The more people who want to reference your study, the more backlinks you get.

However, doing your own study can be a bit challenging since it requires a significant amount of time and effort. Fortunately, there are online tools you can use to collect the data you need. For example, if you want to survey the number of people in Northampton who prefer leather shoes over trainers, you can use Google Forms to collect data with ease.

b. Infographics

If you ask experienced marketers like us how to get quality backlinks, many of them will tell you to create and post infographics and for a good reason. Humans are visual learners by nature. We process images faster than words, which is why we learn more quickly when there are pictures involved. Infographics combine short informative text with beautiful and entertaining images, allowing you to educate and engage your audience at the same time.

Also, people love infographics. Research showed that online users are three times more likely to share them than any other type of visual content. Because they are highly shareable, infographics can help you build top-notch backlinks to your site and attract a significant amount of referral traffic.

You can create infographics on your own, but for best results, it would be wise to seek professional help. After creating and publishing your visual content, you can reach out to other relevant websites and blogs and ask them if you can share your infographics with them.

Strengthen Your Link Building Efforts

High-quality backlinks are essential to the growth and success of your business. However, they don’t just appear out of thin air. You need to have a solid link building strategy to ensure that you’ll get the best results possible. As such, make sure to consider the pointers discussed above. Also, it certainly helps to sign up for quality backlinks service, like the one we’re offering here at Springhill Marketing.

With more than ten years of relevant experience, our team of SEO experts can provide you with all the assistance you need. We’ll help you create a strong off-page and on-page SEO strategy to ensure that you have not only quality links to your site, but also a high search ranking. Speak with us today, and we’ll start you off with a free SEO audit.