What backlinks strategy should you put in place on your site?
A few months ago, I shared with you the plan I would use when launching my own e-commerce site. Today, I would like to deepen one aspect of this strategy by offering you various ways to get quality backlinks.
I will remind you first what a good backlink means. Next, I will explain various methods for get high quality SEO related links.
Finally, read the best practices for writing an SEO-optimized article.
What is a good backlink?
It’s no secret for you (at least I hope so ^^), Google will take into consideration the inbound links of a website to determine its reputation and, therefore, determine the position that the page will have in its results for such or such keyword.
Since the last Google algorithm update, it has become essential to follow various good guidelines to ensure that a new link is good.
As a reminder (just in case) A quality link consists of an anchor (destination URL) and an anchor, i.e. the phrase that the link is placed.
Learn more about how to create an SEO optimized product page?
1. A do-follow link
The most important element of a good inbound link is the fact that the link is do-follow. This means that Google robots will take into account the anchor in which the link is placed. Therefore, Google will associate the link (and therefore your website page) with a phrase. Therefore, Google will consider this page to be relevant to the phrase in question.
Please note, this method has been widely used by all sources for a long time, Google has updated its algorithm and now penalizes websites with too many anchors. Indeed, Google now considers that content authors should not all use the same anchor (because humans think and write differently).
If you need to have multiple hyperlinks (from multiple websites) on the same page of your website, be sure to change the anchors so that they appear as natural to Google’s algorithms as possible.
For example, “washing machine”, “washing machine”, “washing machine”…
In addition, the more your site is placed on a site considered authoritative (thematic site with significant seniority) and regularly updated content), the more weight your link will have.
1st element: a do-follow hypertext link if possible, on a trusted site
2. The link is in a thematic context…
The other aspect to consider in determining an effective backlink is the content of the content in which your link is located.
Indeed, Google now scans the web pages in which the link is placed and ensures that the hyperlink is in line with the theme to which it points.
It’s a way to avoid some illegal practices from SEOs who created blogs from scratch, and wrote the content to place links there.
2nd item is a link that is contextualized as part of the hyperlink theme.
3. … that is over 500 words
The third aspect to consider when determining the credibility of your hyperlink is that your link is located in a topical article that is longer than 500 words.
This time, Google wanted to avoid false information with this type of condition always with the aim of being as accurate as possible.
3rd element: a hyperlink with thematic content of more than 500 words.
4. The location of the link in this content
THE fourth crucial element to consider for the good quality of your backlink is its location in the text.
In Google’s eyes, the higher a link is placed in the content, the more importance Google crawlers attribute to it.
THE 4th element is a hyperlink to the first paragraph of the content
5. The frame in which the link is located
The final aspect to consider when determining a high quality inbound link is the framework in which it is situated. When I say environment, I refer to all content.
For your link to be magnified by Google robots, it is recommended to place it on a page including images (named with keywords related to the subject discussed).
In addition, it is recommended to include in the content a hyperlink to another external website. This is especially important when the link points to a specific site.
This last feature will give a natural look to Google.
What is a good link?
If I summarize, for an internet link to be considered as quality by Google, it is essential that it be located in the thematic content of a reputable site, that it be more than 500 words in a framework that seems natural , on a miscellaneous anchor, and with do-follow.
This excludes links at the bottom of web pages or directories. These are not as interesting for Google.
What strategy can you implement to get quality backlinks?
I will now show you different methods for get quality backlinks.
As I explained in my post on the strategy of launching an online store, it is essential to modify the links between the categories do and no-follow.
However, as I said in the previous paragraph, the links that will interest you the most are those that are do-follow.
I suggest you focus your efforts on buying do-follow links, and leave a small portion of your budget for buying no-follow links.
Get high quality no-follow links for free.
1. Use forums and blogs in your area of interest
An easy method to get free no-follow backlinks is to target various forums and blogs in your website theme and join the community.
In fact, many blogs include a comment option at the bottom of each post. Most of the time, you will be able to provide your name, email address and site URL. The site URL will be displayed in your username (which will serve as the anchor). The link will generally be no-follow.
The purpose of this strategy is to ensure that you regularly comment on bloggers’ posts, using your name as the anchor first. Once you have been recognized and accepted by the blogger and his followers, it will be easy to replace your initial name with the name of the keyword on which you want to position yourself. Thus, each time you comment on an article, you will receive a link that will not be followed.
Forums work exactly the same way. Begin by participating in discussions in a positive and disinterested way. After being recognized by the community, add an email address in your signature to the anchor you prefer.
This method is not necessarily sexually attractive, but it is a first draft of a real netlinking plan (strategy for obtaining quality hyperlinks). It’s a long-term job but it will allow you to be recognized by the community in your field of activity.
2. Use social networks
It’s no secret that Google is exploring social media. Every social media platform, except Google+, no-follows links that are shared by internet users.
It is therefore vital to be present on the social networks you use by sharing content using hyperlinks.
As I am not an expert in social media strategies, I will not go into details.
If you have any bloggers who have shared their social media strategy for an e-commerce site, please do so in the comments.
Find quality do-follow links
1. Link exchanges can be done
The most exciting and fastest way to get high quality links is to exchange links with other websites.
The biggest advantage of this method is that it is free! In addition, you will need to make the effort to get in touch with the various blogs on which you would like to exchange information and to write the content that you would like to publish there, if they are willing to exchange.
To save you time, know that there is a platform on Joptimisemonsite, which I have registered: The Time Merchant
The platform does not ask for money. Simply register your website(s) where you are willing to accept trades. Each time a blogger asks you to write an article, you will earn credits. These credits will allow you to use them to obtain hyperlinks from other websites registered on the platform.
For example, when an online site decides to publish on Joptimisemonsite, it will cost 4 credits. Therefore, once I publish the article, I get 4 credits, which I can then use to purchase articles from other websites that are registered on the platform.
This site does not have an information page. As it is a community, you will need to register to access the interface. It’s kind of like a hidden bar or restaurant.
It is very easy to use and will help you get quality SEO links to your site for free.
2. Solicit guest-blogging
As I said, guest-blogging is a great way to earn high quality links.
I placed it in second position among the strategies to earn backlinks because I was able to confirm for myself that it is much easier to get a guest blogger (and also cheaper) in case you already have a blog. To help you remember, I’ve provided three work streams for e-commerce sites on Miss-SEO-Girl’s SEO blog.
In fact, many bloggers are willing to open the door to internet celebrities. This allows them to create interesting content for their readers and the person who writes the guest-blogging will usually post a few links according to their own preferences. Everybody is happy.
If the blogger wants you to contribute to the publication of his article, you can negotiate the conditions relating to the quantity of links, the status of the hyperlinks…
This method takes a lot less time than creating a blog or two, but it will usually cost you more.
3. Buy your links
There are several ways to buy your links. The first method is, of course, to contact the sites and blogs that interest you and negotiate directly with them the price they charge for buying links.
The problem with this method is that the results could vary by as much as four times (or more) depending on the blogger or site you are communicating with.
Also, be sure to buy a link from the site that will help improve your ranking in Google results. It is strongly recommended to check the SEO metrics of this website including traffic, domain authority, etc. This usually requires the use of paid tools.
To make it easier to justify the cost of these purchases, link buying marketplaces have been created. There are a lot of them, and I suggest you sign up both to buy links for your site, but also to suggest other websites buy links for your site or blog. Once you have the amount you can recover, you will use it to buy links for your site without having to take money out of your pocket, or to provide yourself with additional income.
Here is a list of platforms on which I have registered some websites:
- Semjuice is the most active platform right now, as it has an engaging positioning.
- Getfluence is a French platform which is also available in four languages.
- Seeding Up is the most international platform. It is a German platform, and it is linked to many websites around the world. Very useful if you want to expand internationally.
As a reminder, even if you do not intend to buy links, it may be interesting to register on these sites to offer your site(s) as a publisher. You will then be able to receive proposals for publishing links that will allow you to earn a few hundred dollars for each article published.