Building high-quality backlinks remains one of the most effective tactics to improve a website’s search engine rankings in 2024. However, many link-building techniques used in the past no longer work or comply with search engine guidelines.
This article outlines actionable and white-hat link-building strategies you can leverage this year to garner more organic search traffic.
Focus on Securing Referring Domains, Not Just Links
Instead of chasing as many backlinks as possible, concentrate your efforts on obtaining links from a diverse range of referring domains.
Having multiple good links from the same domain doesn’t carry as much weight these days. But links from different authoritative or relevant sites signal to Google that many different webmasters think your content offers value for their audiences.
Aim to have at least 25-30 quality referring domains linking back to important pages on your site. Monitor which domains are linking to competitors, and request link-worthy content from similar websites.
Find Out: How to Disavow Backlinks
Find Natural Opportunities to Get Links
A natural or organic link building strategy involves content that genuinely merits a mention on other sites. You earn links because the content offers value to external audiences without having to request links or trade posts.
Examples of organic link building content includes:
Useful Research and Data
Create original reports, studies, surveys or visualizations on your industry. Statistical data and valuable market research often receives lots of natural links when promoted well.
Noteworthy Infographics
An insightful, aesthetically-pleasing visual representation of information or data works brilliantly for linkable content. Ensure infographics are easily embeddable using a sharing code.
Indispensable Resources
Build resources like calculators, interactive tools, quizzes or worksheets related to your field that websites would gladly link out to. For example, HubSpot has a Domain Authority checker that gets referenced by SEO content.
Become a go-to resource for media and blogs by sharing unique statistics and perspective on news events related to your niche.
Strive for Link “Relevance”
The relevance or authority of linking sites matters more than quantity. Obtaining links from websites with high domain authority or sites closely interrelated to your niche indicates stronger topical relevance or endorsement.
It’s best to secure links from websites with organic search traffic, because Google trusts signals from sites doing SEO properly. Earn links from sites appearing for keywords you want to rank for to bolster relevance.
Also build links on pages that relate to the specific page you want to rank, not just the domain homepage. So if you produce blogger outreach software, get links on resources about pitching journalists – not generic technology sites.
Read: Long-Tail Keywords: What They Are And How To Use Them For SEO
Diversify Backlink Types and Sources
Don’t rely solely on one link building tactic or backlink source. The more diverse your backlinks appear in terms of type, relevancy and authority, the more credible it seems in Google’s eyes.
Here are some link types and sources to mix up:
- Expert roundups
- Resource lists from associations
- Interviews on popular podcasts
- Links within unaffiliated blog content
- Contributor posts on news/media sites
The most powerful link building combines both proactive outreach efforts with organic earned links from non-commercial or editorial sites. This helps differentiate deliberate links earned through outreach vs. links freely given.
Aim for a healthy balance – build enough organically earned links to appear natural to Google.
