In this uncertain SEO landscape, we can all agree on one thing: Every search engine strives to serve the best content possible to its users.
When you receive a backlink from an authoritative website in your space, you get a powerful vote of confidence.
As a result, your content appears more trustworthy in the eyes of search engines like Google, which boosts your organic rankings.
Now, content marketing is probably the most effective long-term link building strategy. But, you need to be strategic about it.
In this guide, I’ll tell you how to do link building with content the right way.
Let’s dive right in.
What is the Ultimate Guide to Link Building with Content for SEO
Here’s how you can use content marketing to build relevant, high-quality backlinks.
What are the 11 Ways to Build Links Through Content Marketing
Case Studies
Case studies are a great way to tell the world about your work.
People love real-life case studies because of the actionable insights they tend to offer.
There’s no better link magnet than a detailed, data-driven, and insightful case study.
Expert Contributions
Journalists and media publications are always on the lookout for topic experts for their audience.
If you can offer helpful content on a topic, sign up for HARO and respond to the right queries regularly.
Start by creating a free account as a source.
Then, sign up for queries related to your industry.
You can do that by going to the HARO preferences option.
Tick mark the categories you want to receive requests in.
Depending on what you choose here, HARO will send queries right to your inbox.
Here’s an example of a general HARO queries list:
Send your content to the most suitable ones.
The probability of you getting a response from a journalist depends on two things:
- Your reputation as a subject matter expert
- Your answer
To get your pitch noticed by journalists, write insightful and comprehensive answers.
The key to writing an effective HARO pitch is:
- Thorough research
- Sticking to the point
Expert Roundups
Although not as powerful as they once were, expert roundups can earn you high-quality links from other content creators.
Link building with expert roundups is simple:
- Ask a question from a bunch of influencers and experts
- Piece them all together and create a post
- Mention them in the roundup
Let them know you’ve mentioned them in a post. Most influencers would be glad to share it with their audience.
Interviews
Interviewing industry experts for tips and advice on a topic is another way to build links with content marketing.
The key to conducting sharable interviews is asking the questions your audience is genuinely interested in.
A well-put-together interview with the right expert and all the right questions is bound to attract high-quality links.
Long-Form Guides
Long-form or ultimate guides pack a lot of value, which makes them highly sharable.
Creating an in-depth guide is an effective way to build links from resource pages.
What you can do is create the guide and find resource pages on that topic.
Then, reach out to the owners and present your link as a valuable resource.
Long-form content is your best bet for generating links organically.
However, it needs to cover every important sub-topic under the main topic.
In other words, make sure it’s as comprehensive as possible.
Use Google Autocomplete, Quora, Reddit, and AnswerThePublic to find these subtopics.
Content Campaign Collaboration
Sometimes, working with someone who’s not a direct competitor can pay off quite well.
However, finding a brand to collaborate with can be tricky.
The tricky part is to make sure they’re not a competitor.
For instance, let’s say you own a coffee shop. What you can do is work with a bookstore and talk about how books and coffee make a perfect combo.
Local PR
Local publications and newspapers are a great place to get brand coverage and build relevant links.
They need high-quality content simply because it eliminates the need for them to produce it.
Although you might be more inclined towards bigger publications, don’t ignore local ones as they’re much easier to work with.
Infographics
Infographics used to be perfect for link building.
However, like most link building tactics, this one got less effective over time.
Why? Simply because more people started using it to build links.
As a result, it has become harder to stand out.
Having said that, action-packed infographics with high-quality content still work great.
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a designer to create great-quality, helpful infographics.
Tons of online graphic design tools can help you out.
Canva is one of the most popular ones and for good reasons.
If you know what a good infographic looks like, you can make it with Canva.
You have the option to select a pre-designed template and make edits to it.
Or, you can start from scratch by creating a new project.
Alternatively, you can outsource the task to a Canva freelancer like this one.
Research Paper and Whitepapers
When it comes to link building with content, there’s probably nothing more powerful than original research.
Creating a whitepaper may involve some investment. You can always team up with local university students and create a win-win situation.
Become an Expert On a Topic
Becoming a topic expert takes a lot of time.
Plus, most people may not consider it a proactive SEO strategy.
However, think of it this way: When you’re an expert on a topic, it’s easier to work with others.
So, whether it’s HARO link building or guest post outreach, you’ll stand out among the competition.
Of course, you don’t want to solely rely on personal brand building. Complement it with other more proactive link building strategies.
Use Surveys
Conducting surveys can be expensive and/or time-consuming.
However, they provide you with valuable data.
Data you can use to attract links from newspapers, publications, and other authoritative websites.
Note that you will need a fair number of participants (Often over 2000) in order to draw any conclusion from a survey.
Make sure the sample size is big enough to attract large publications and journalists.
Also, surveys tend to generate a lot of unlinked brand mentions.
So, don’t forget to carry out an outreach campaign after a while and turn them into backlinks.
Promoting Your Content
For many people, link building with content is only about creating link-worthy content.
It could work in an ideal world, but to get your content noticed, you need to promote it.
You want to create a promotional strategy that you can replicate for every piece of content.
Don’t think about backlinks immediately. Your content needs eyeballs first.
Share It on Social Media: Probably the best way to do that is by sharing it on social media.
Just make sure you’re sharing it on the right platforms.
For instance, if you’re in the B2B space, LinkedIn would be perfect.
Another way to get lots of eyeballs on your content is by boosting a Facebook post.
Sent It to Email Subscribers: There’s nothing better than having a high-quality email list.
You don’t have to persuade an email subscriber to read your new content.
They’re already interested in what you have to say.
So, just send them a quick update on your new post and why they should be reading it.
Link Building with Content: FAQs
Let’s answer the most important frequently asked questions about building content links.
Is Link Building Content Marketing?
A link building campaign aims at building links to your website, whereas content marketing refers to using content to promote a business. Link building content marketing is when you use content to build links to your site.
What are 5 Types of Content That Naturally Attract Links?
The 5 types of content that naturally attract links are infographics, white papers, data/research, case studies, and interviews. The more important thing, however, is how valuable and helpful your content is.
Why Is Content Based Link Building Effective?
Content-based link building is effective because it lets you build authority in your industry. Creating helpful content on in-demand topics is a perfect way to get in the good books of Google. Plus, building links to a quality piece of content is much easier than building links to a homepage.
How Do I Create a Linkable Content?
There are many ways to make a piece of content more linkable. But, the most important thing to keep in mind is does your content solve a particular problem? If so, what’s your target audience size? Linkable content solves a problem for a large group of people.
What Kinds of Content Are Considered Valuable When Link Building?
Content that has a lot of value tends to be sharable, which makes it linkable as well. Some of the most commonly used content types in marketing link building are infographics, in-depth guides, interviews, research studies, and case studies.
Conclusion
Content marketing is the most natural way to build backlinks. A variety of content types have proven to work, but one thing remains constant: You need to provide a lot of value! In addition to attracting backlinks, great content helps you build connections and establish authority.
The key to creating linkable assets is to understand what your audience wants and satisfy the searcher’s intent.
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