Lesser Known White Hat Link Building Tricks That Work
There are no shortcuts to white hat SEO, but it significantly expands the reach of your business. One technique you can use in digital marketing is link building. We are not talking about stuffing a blog post with broken links or ones that lead to dead websites.
Successful link building involves a little more work but allows you to reap many benefits. Here are four link building techniques you can use in your SEO strategy today.
Don’t discount blog commenting
Genuine comments can help you promote your content, diversify the anchor text, and come up with a natural link profile. Never automate your comments on other websites. It’s spammy, and it could also get you penalized and your search engine ranking demoted.
Link building through comments starts with finding blogs and websites related to your business. Start reading and subscribing to people in your industry. Doing so is both good for keeping your pulse on what is new and laying down a link building strategy.
You can use search operators on Google. For instance, if you want to promote your online leather bags store, you could search for terms like the following:
- leather bag trends “comment”
- care for leather bags “submit comment”
- leather bags for gifts “leave comment”
- leather bag stores “leave a reply”
Typing your search request in this way tells Google that you are looking for a blog that contains both your keyword and “submit comment” or similar phrases. You will get websites that have enabled comments on their blog posts. You can use a Batch Analysis tool to see which results are the most valuable for your business.
Refine your keyword research
Start with publications near your business and search for people who cover your industry. For instance, a bakery might want to look up food columns in local newspapers or magazines. If you are in Miami, you could look for actual column names and journalists using the following:
- site:miami.eater pastry events
- site:miamiherald.com restaurant news
- site:local10.com bakery
- site:miaminewtimes.com bakery
These search queries will make Google sift through the entire website and bring back pages that contain the keyword specified. For example, for Miami Eater, you will see all the results from that website that have the keyword “pastry events.”
Experiment with keywords to find the best ones for your business. You can also use “inurl:” or “intitle:” when you do not know which local websites cover your industry.
Make your business newsworthy
Journalists have many things vying for their attention. Instead of spamming people for coverage, adapt your digital marketing to the type of news they are after. When you’re building a link, you should adjust your business—or at least the side of it that you want them to cover—to their body of work.
For instance, a bakery could set up a food drive for local shelters in the area and donate baked goods. Activities like this would get local journalists who cover community programs interested in your business.
Be intentional when making online connections
Some news sites provide email addresses, but others do not. You can still connect with writers through LinkedIn. You can conduct a Google search that says “Author Name + LinkedIn + News Publication.”
Connect with the writer before sending them a message. If they accept, send them a note—don’t make your first contact with them a story pitch. Have something structured like the letter below.
Hey [Name],
I am a long time reader of your stories on website.com, and I like your recent piece on [something in your industry]. If you’re interested, I know a local business doing something that fits with your column!
Journalists are always on the lookout for tips, so if they are interested, they would respond. There are several steps to it, but you are sure that you are getting the best possible outcome.
Conclusion
White hat techniques are labor-intensive, but they provide quality results. If you put time and energy into your link building, you will see your efforts reflected.
If you’re a local business in Indiana, pair up with a company that knows how to make a difference locally. Magnitude Marketing is a Greenwood SEO company that helps brands create custom strategies for their needs. Request a consultation today for more information!
