How to Ask for Backlinks (Begging Not Allowed!)

While backlinks may not be as popular as keywords in the world of SEO, they have a major role to play in improving search rankings.

People who aren’t really familiar with SEO often underestimate the power of backlinking. They shrug it off as insignificant, not realizing the impact it can bring on their websites. Little do they know, backlinks are actually more than capable of bringing their sites to the top of relevant search results.  

If you’re among these folks who aren’t practicing the art of backlink building, or you seldom do, it’s definitely time you incorporate it into your digital marketing strategy and prioritize it. As a leading Fort Lauderdale SEO company, we know how much it’s gonna help your website and business grow.  

But now, you may be wondering, where do I start? How can I ask for backlinks? Where do I find them? Can I just beg my way into getting them?

Well, these questions will be answered in this post. Regarding the last one, however, NO, you don’t want to beg for them. Believe us, it will NEVER work.  

Before we can give you the seven most effective ways to get good backlinks, we’d like to stress the importance of earning them in the first place.  

Why Do You Need Backlinks?

In case you’re unaware, backlinks are links on another website that link back to your own site. They’re pretty much like an “internet shoutout,” if you may.  

As a matter of fact, Moz even cites backlinks as the backbone of off-page SEO, seeing them as one of the most critical ranking factors. We 100% agree with them.  

If someone in your industry, particularly those with big names, links your website, then their audience might already see you as an expert in that area. Keep in mind that the more your site is linked, the more authority it gains.  And, higher authority means higher chances of Google ranking you well.  

So, if you’re looking for a trick to raise your organic rankings and build authority for your site, backlinking is the way to go.  

Ways to Ask for Backlinks (Without Sounding Like You’re Begging)

One of the things we’ve learned about backlinks as a Fort Lauderdale SEO company is that building them may take a while. You gotta remember that the backlinking method is no sprint - it’s a marathon.

You may find yourself sitting around and waiting for those backlinks to come pouring in after your efforts, but trust us, it will be worth the wait. As long as you’re using the right backlink-building tactics, you’ll be seeing the results you were hoping for.  

Ready to earn better backlinks? Let’s get started!

1. Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

Ever heard of HARO? It’s an online platform where journalists go to get feedback from the public to use in their stories. Reporters get relevant content and you generate backlinks on authoritative news websites. It’s a win-win!

While signing up is totally free, you’ll need to have a top million website (or write for one, at least) to be qualified to request queries. Finding success with this tactic will require you to provide advice that everybody finds useful and valuable. Also, since you’ll most likely be having tight deadlines, you have to respond promptly.

Follow these steps to obtain backlinks from HARO to your site:

• Sign up as a source on their homepage.  

• Check your email three times a day from on weekdays. You’ll receive a list of articles from HARO that the journalists need information for.  
• Search for articles that cover your topic of interest.  
• Deliver your pitch. Make sure to include your answer, contact details, and a link to your website.

Although there’s no guarantee of getting a backlink from every single HARO query you respond to, most of the responses reporters use will give you a backlink. Plus, you’ll be getting free referral traffic from it.  

2. Turn Unlinked Brand Mentions into Backlinks

It’s not uncommon for sites to mention another site without linking to them. Chances are, there are already several websites out there that have mentioned your business without bothering to link to your site.  

That’s certainly a missed opportunity to build quality backlinks.  

The question is, how will you be able to find unlinked mentions of your site? Here are three simple solutions:

• Use the SEMrush Brand Monitoring Tool to get notified every time your brand is mentioned.  
• Look for existing unlinked mentions using Content Explorer, a mini search engine within Ahrefs.

• Reach out to content writers who have previously mentioned your brand in a positive light and ask them if they can link to your site.  

Unlinked brand mentions are among the easiest backlinking opportunities you can use for your link-building campaign. That’s because these people already like your brand and understand what it’s all about.

3. Try Guest Blogging

Submitting guest posts to well-established online platforms with lots of organic traffic and high domain authority is another way to get backlinks to your website.

Many sites offer a “Write for Us” section or contributor account where anyone can submit a post and get featured. You can even link to your site, either within the text of your content or in the author bio section.

To find sites that accept guest blogs, just run a search on Google. Type in the topic keyword you want to target and add a “write for us,” “guest article,” or “contributor” in the end. For example, you can write “digital marketing + guest article,” and the search engine will filter to show the best results.

If you’re not sure where to start, below are some tried-and-true tricks to get your guest blogs posted:

• Be sure to create unique, high-quality content.  
• Show your credentials by linking to your previously published articles.

• Demonstrate how qualified you are as a writer by providing a couple of testimonials.    
• If you’re just starting as a guest writer, present your pitches to medium domain authority sites.
• Don’t get discouraged when a website turns down your pitches. Keep going.  

4. Create and Post Infographics

Many people love infographics as much as they love sharing them. In fact, they’re among the most popular methods to secure backlinks for your website.  

An infographic is a visual representation of data using images, graphics, and charts. Its purpose is to give a quick overview of a certain topic, breaking down complex concepts into simple visuals that are super easy to digest by everyone.  

To ensure that you create an infographic that will boost traffic, consider these ideas:

• Focus on addressing trending topics.
• Research topics that your target audience finds interesting, relevant, and useful.
• Make your infographic easy to share and promote.
• Create eye-catching images along with well-researched statistical data.

• Take as much time you need to collect information from credible sources.

5. Spy on Your Competitors

If you’ve been in the marketing business for quite some time now, we’re pretty sure studying your competitors has become a part of your strategy.  What we’re not sure of is this: Are you studying their backlinks, too?

If you don’t, well, this should be the best time to start!

Checking out your competitors’ backlinks gives you a better idea of how you can get backlinks effectively to your site.  You’ll end up knowing the sites you want to ask for a backlink, as well as the posts from your competition that your target sites presently link to.  

Analyze your competitors’ backlink building strategy using these ideas:

• Use SEO tools like SEMrush to get a complete backlink profile of any site you enter.
• Identify your competitors’ resource page links and find which of the sites you can add to your connections.  
• Set a Google alert for whenever they publish new content. This allows you to track backlinks to their site.  
• Subscribe to their newsletters to know what strategies they implement.

• Follow them on social media.  

6. Legitimize Your Site

Let’s face it, no brand or person would want to link to a website that looks far from being legit. Your website should look trustworthy so that anyone who visits it will feel safe and secure, which means they’ll stick around longer.  

Below are some ways to give a great first impression to your visitors:

• Cultivate a professional appearance by avoiding unnecessary elements like sponsored ads and too many animations. Choose graphics and images that are high-quality, and go for clean typography and layout.
• Include your contact number and complete address on your contact page. Better yet, post profile photos of you and your team.
• Show your visitors you’re an active business by keeping your content up-to-date.

• Display trust badges so your visitors will know you’re a credible industry expert.  
• Correct errors and get rid of broken links as they leave the impression of an abandoned website.  

7. Write Testimonials

Would you believe that writing testimonials on other sites are an effective backlinking strategy? Many businesses are actually looking for testimonials that will serve as social proof.  

That said, you can offer to write a testimonial for a brand whose products or services you regularly use. Ask them for a backlink in exchange.  

Aside from finding companies that are relevant to your industry, be sure that their websites have high domain authority. Search engines consider links from such sites to be of high quality.  

A Fort Lauderdale SEO Company You Can Count On

By applying these backlinking methods, you’ll never find yourself begging on your knees like a hungry kid begging for candy.  

Getting authoritative sites to link to your website will no doubt improve your SEO and place you high in search results. Do you know what this means? More visitors who’ll eventually turn into customers!

Of course, there are other SEO tactics that can achieve such exceptional results, too - from publishing high-quality content and optimizing your site for mobile to designing a responsive and easy-to-use website. And, guess what? We have a team of experts who will gladly do these things (and more) for you!

At Digital Resource, we’re committed to helping our clients reach their online marketing goals by doing the best we can. Get in touch with us today to learn how we can put your business ahead of your competitors.  

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