In 2018, backlinking is still one of the most important SEO strategies and has even been confirmed by Google. If you’re new to backlinking you will know how hard (and rare) it can be to build a link. Especially from websites who have a higher authority.

However, there are ways in which you can target these websites, and they are pretty easy too. With the five strategies below, we will take a look at how you can get a grip on link building in the easiest manner possible.

Target broken links

Websites get updated all the time and typically with that, pages get removed or links are lost. Using your favourite backlink tool, keep an eye on any links that are lost. If you notice any lost links that are a result of a broken link (typically a 404) be sure to reach out to the website owner and let them know about the missing pages, they may be grateful for the information.

It's also a good opportunity to build on the content on the lost link, has there been any changes since you last provided the website with the information?

If you are targeting a website but can’t seem to be able to get a link back from them, take a look at their websites to see if there are any broken links. There may be a lost link to a competitor that you could swiftly fill in with better or updated information.

Competitor Analysis

You may be in a situation where your competitor has a better backlinking profile than you. Don’t worry – you are not alone on this. The best thing you can do to start to catch up with them is to be proactive and make a start on link building as soon as possible.

With your favourite backlinking tool, record all of the links your competitor has and put that side by side with your own list of backlinks. You can use Microsoft Excel to easily find websites that you both have backlinks from, highlighting the ones your competitor has, but you don’t.

Analyse those websites, are they relative? Do they have authority? Pick and choose the websites you think you could get a backlink from and approach them.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging can be one of those long and painful tasks that give little benefit for link building. However, if you target websites that are actively seeking guest posters, you will have a few quick opportunities. By doing a quick google search with the terms below, the search engine will highlight websites that are actively accepting guest posts. This will not only save you time but also money as a lot of websites are charging you to build a link (or simply publish) content on their websites.

• “industry” inurl:write for us
• “industry” inurl:accepting guest posts
• “industry” intitle:write for us

Providing Testimonials

If you are working in digital, you must be using some kind of tool to do your everyday job. This could include your favourite backlinking tool or even as far as your favourite image editing software.

List all of the tools you typically use on a day to day basis, you might be surprised to how many different services you use and you will certainly have your favourites (I know I do)!

When you decide to approach your favourite tool providers for that all-important backlink, be sure not to be so direct with what you want from this communication. Explain to the provider why you love their tool so much and the kind of successes you have had because of them. They will love to hear that the good work that they are doing is helping people like you. Be sure to explain why you like the program/tool so much but keep it short, this will increase the chances of getting that testimonial published.

Directory/Business Listing

Even though directory and business listings don’t pack as much of a punch like they used too, these kinds of links can be great for local SEO. This is because they feature geographical areas quite heavily if you are after a little bit of local exposure, directory listing is a solid short-term strategy.

The reason to why this is a short-term strategy is because the majority of directories out there will be unrelated to your industry or simply be spammy. Performing some research into this may give you a good amount of websites to list yourself on but you should never depend on directory listings for long-term goals.

If you can’t find any directories in your industry or local area, try some of these searches in Google to get some results.

• “industry” inurl:directory
• “industry” inurl:links
• “industry” intitle:directory
• “city” inurl:directory
• “city” inurl:businesses
• “city” intitle:directory