SEO Link Building Tactics From The Pros For 2015 [Infographic]

There is a sea of information on link building tactics and some are from real experts and some from self-proclaimed local experts. Here is a list of 30 SEO link building tactics from the pros in an Infographic that is easy to consume.

If you like this infographic share it; if you love it re-use it in your site with a link back to this post.

Tactic #1: Use Skyscraper Technique

This is one of Brian’s popular techniques where you find a piece of content that has already performed well in social media. You can use tools like Buzzsumo or QuickSprout to find popular content in a topic. We are looking for 1,000s and 1,000s of social media shares – the bigger the better. You can then create a bigger piece of content.

Let’s say for example – you find 10 Social Media Strategies that has done really well. Why not create a list of 20? Of course, you would have to do research to check if anyone else has created a bigger list, if not go for gold.

Tip: Remember; no one remembers the 3rd largest building in the world. OK, may be very few do but you get the point  build the largest tower to build backlinks.

Tactic #2: Provide Testimonial to Get Links

You must be using plenty of services and online tools in your day-to-day activities. Why not reach out to the providers and give them a testimonial to get a link back to your site? If the tool or service is genuinely good and you wouldn’t mind recommending it then shoot for the stars. Oh, one more thing you might want to check the provider’s site metrics like page ranking and who else has provided testimonials.

Tactic #3: Resource Page Link Building

Often blogs have a resources page that lists a bunch of useful resources in their niche. Generally, blogs with resources page will link to content pages rather than the home page.

Here are some search parameters you can use to find resource pages in your niche:

• “keyword” + inURL:links (to find pages with the word LINKS in the URL)
• site:.edu “keyword” links (to find .edu sites)

You then have to ask for a link with an appropriate resource from your site.

Tip: If you find a resources page with many links on a topic you don’t have then create a post to get a link.

Tactic #4: Content Creation and Social Amplification

Create pillar content and promote it in social media to get ongoing links and traffic. One of the secrets of this SEO link building tactic is to produce awesome content on a consistent basis. Other factors that influence the success of this tactic is having a target market in social media and providing them content they love so you can take advantage of their social following. You have to keep the content interesting and super useful.

Tactic #5: Leadership and Interviews

Each interview that features you will get you a link back but the difficult job is to be recognised as a leader. Imagine, the number of interviews and quotes from Rand Fishkin and Neil Patel that are featured on the blog hemisphere on a daily basis. They all link bank to these leaders’ sites.

It takes time to be recognised as a leader but once you are there your link building will be on auto pilot.

Tactic #6: Interactive Data and Online Tools

Creating online tools can be a tough one; it may take time, effort and may even take some money but if you create something that is useful and unique – you will surely create some noise and links.

Here is an awesome interactive data that has plenty of social media love and links which displays the Internet statistics in real time.

Tactic #7: Create a Service or Product

Creating a good product or a unique service can lead to more links. This can take time and may be a bit of cash but the end result can be awesome link building and relationship building opportunity.

Tactic #8: Infographic Creation

Creating an Infographic or two is one of the best ways to get links easily. This of course is my favourite tactic and I learned it from Neil Patel & Brian Dean.

Some people think Infographics are very expensive to create and they don’t have to be. In fact, we offer a reasonably priced Infographic creation service.

Create an Infographic that teaches people something and make people share it. This will give you links and traffic. You can also guest blog using your Infographics to get more visibility and further links.

Tactic #9: Guest Posting

One of the most common tactic preached by the experts for building back links is guest blogging.

Guest blogging when done right can bring in traffic, recognition and a link or two as an added bonus.

Tactic #10: Competitor Backlinks

You can use a link monitoring tool or a keyword research tool to investigate competitor backlinks. Once you get a sneak peek at the competitor’s links you can try to replicate them.

If your opponent has a link from guest blogging you can try the same. If they have a link from providing a testimony you can attempt that too.

Tactic #11: Wikipedia Backlinks

For almost any search in Google one of the top results seem to be from Wikipedia.

Wikipedia has a wealth of information and is maintained by volunteers. Anyone can contribute or help maintain Wikipedia pages and get links. Don’t get put off by the thought of creating something in Wikipedia; you could simply find a broken link that relates to a Wikipedia page in your niche and offer your link.  Be aware your edits are manually verified by administrators and may get a knock-back.

This is a whole strategy on its own and you would need to spend time to understand how to go about it.

Tactic #12: Private Blog Networks

A private blog network (PBN) is not every ones cup of tea as it takes time and money to build one. But once you have a PBN you can create links for many sites and rank them.

Tactic #13: Broken Link Building

This is a classic link building tactic where you find an authority site in your niche and find broken links. You then contact the webmaster with the broken link information and offer your link. This is a proven tactic most SEO experts recommend. What is great about this tactic is – it can work in competitive niches very well where other link building tactics may not bring the best results.

Tactic #14: Link Building through Expert Round-up

Doing an expert round-up always gets good attention. It is also good for traffic, additional social media sharing and link building. Your round-up has to be good but if done right you can get some links. Check out these 50 Expert Blogging Tips Infographic that got my first few links.

You can do this in reverse by participating in round-ups but to get invited you need to establish yourself as an expert in your niche.

Tactic #15: Infographic Link Building in Neighbouring Markets

If you are in a very competitive niche then getting links even with the help of Infographics can be hard. That is where you can create your Infographic with the neighbouring market in mind.

For example, let’s say you are in the Finance niche, you could create an Infographic that touches on Real Estate and pitch to sites on this niche to get links.

Tactic #16: Create Link worthy Assets

If you don’t have any pillar content then create some. Your pillar content could be an Infographic as well. The key is to create a few pillar posts that people in your niche would like to talk about and link to. You have to do the research and create content that is better than what is currently in your niche.

Tactic #17: Blogger Outreach

Once you create your pillar content, reach out to fellow bloggers in your niche to show case it to them. Blogger outreach is one of the best marketing and link building tactics.

Don’t reach out to the same blogger all the time and target different bloggers. Also reach out to them with awesome content and not just any piece of content.

Tactic #18: Build Good Quality External Links

Link building is not just about inbound links; it is also about outbound links. Link out to the best content to give your readers further information or to back your point with research data and statistics. Many SEO’s believe the number of external links and their quality is a search engine ranking signal.

Tactic #19: Link Baiting Content

Create content with the sole purpose of attracting links. This could be an awesome design like what Neil Patel does for his in-depth guides, using industry expert interviews or quotes. You could also be creating epic content that is better than your competition.

“Creating content that’s educational, funny, entertaining and link worthy is hard but also very rewarding” – Chris Gilchrist.

Tactic #20: News Breaker

Making a habit of breaking news and promoting it can create link exposure. Let’s say for example, you are in the SEO niche where the SEO world keeps evolving on a regular basis. You can break news of Google updates and new link building tactics to get backlinks.

Tactic #21: Link Building through Crowdfunding Projects

You can invest in a crowdfunding project from $1 to $1,000s but the lower $1 amount can give you a link. You are helping a start-up but also getting a link for a cheap price. This link can give you visibility and traffic depending on how the project goes. Like any other link building tactic this one has its own pros and cons that you would need to explore.

Tactic #22: Reverse Guest Posting

Find bloggers in your niche that have a reasonably large following and authority. Get them to guest post on your site on a regular basis (This will most likely come at a price). The guest authors will naturally share their content with their following and this will create more exposure, traffic and natural links to your site.

Tactic #23: Present Visual Data in a Unique Way

You can present visual data in a unique and engaging manner. You can also combine the data to create something unique and interesting.

For example, “most people who like the taste of beer are also more likely to sleep with someone on the first date” – Peter Attia.

Tactic #24: Ask for a Link from Fans

Find out who your biggest fans are – the ones that comment or share your post often and see if they have a blog or web site. You can offer a product for review or a mention to get a link.

Tactic #25: Internal Linking

Link building is primarily focussed on external links to your site but it is also important to have internal links to pass on the link juice to your other posts. Internal links also help the user find relevant content on your site.

Tactic #26: Commenting on Blogs with Dofollow Links

We have covered quite a few link building tactics and here is one that does not require epic content or take huge amounts of time. Find blogs that offer a do-follow link. You can also search for blogs with ‘CommentsLuv’ which provides a do-follow link.

Tactic #27: Get .edu or .gov links

This is a tough gig, getting .edu or .gov link is hard work but they have a high page rank and pass on a high link juice. When creating content keep in mind what educational institutions will like. Don’t produce a self-promotional piece of content or content with lots of affiliate links and expect to get .edu links.

It is easier to hit educational institutions that you have a connection with, like where you went to college as there is a better chance they will respond.

Tactic #28: Create a Library of Premium Images

This is a long-term strategy and requires some photography skills or a budget to compensate the lack of skill. If you can create a library of free images you can then reach out to bloggers and give them access to your image bank in exchange for an attribution link.

Tactic #29: Update Outdated Content to Get Links

There are plenty of content that are time sensitive. Find content that is outdated and either help the blog owner update it with your content and a link back to you. You can also see if the owner will redirect his page to one of yours. For example, content about WordPress security in a very old version of WordPress is outdated.

Tactic #30: Improve Content Discovery through Promotion

The last tactic on the list is making your content visible and easy to discover through content promotion. You can keep producing great content but without the marketing arm it will not get a lot of attention and links.

Conclusion

Remember some SEO link building tactics take longer and some will give you better quality backlinks. Choose what best fits your situation and goals. The important thing to remember is not getting involved in bad SEO practices or black-hat link building tactics.

References:

• 33 SEO Experts Share their Most Effective Link Building Strategies – Wordtracker.com
  (Special thanks to Loz James from ContentChampion for his excellent round-up)
• 12 Scalable Link Building Tactics – Moz.com