How To Get Backlinks: Everything You Need To Know

Last updated on

March 10, 2024

Do you want to learn how to get backlinks?

As SEO (Search Engine Optimization) professionals, we all understand the power of backlinks. These golden threads woven throughout the web act as votes of confidence for your website, influencing search engine algorithms and ultimately, your website’s ranking in search results pages (SERPs).

While getting quality links to your site can be tricky, you don’t necessarily need to buy backlinks, though many content creators do.

So, before you break the bank on backlinks, you should know there are many easy ways to build backlinks for free.

In this guide, I’ll tell you how to get backlinks for your website, equipping you with the knowledge and strategies to craft a robust backlink profile that will send your website to the top of the SERPs.

First, we all know that backlinks are important, right? But why? And what the heck are they, anyway? Keep reading to find out!

What Are Backlinks?

Backlinks, also known as “inbound links” or “incoming links,” are links from one website to a page on another website. They are crucial to SEO strategy because they signal to search engines that others vouch for your content.

Here’s a backlink example to help you understand:

As you can see, the website LonerWolf.com has a backlink on the OptinMonster site.

Essentially, backlinks to your website are a signal to search engines that others find your content valuable and trustworthy.

If many sites link to the same webpage or website, search engines can infer that content is worth linking to and, therefore, also worth surfacing on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Thus, earning backlinks can positively affect a site’s ranking position or search visibility.

In the context of SEO, not all backlinks are equal.

The value of a backlink depends on several factors, including the authority of the linking site, how related the linking site’s topic is to the site being linked to, the freshness of the link, the anchor text used on the linking site, and whether the link is followed (i.e., whether the link passes SEO value to the site being linked to).

Backlinks can be categorized into two types:

DoFollow Backlinks: These links allow search engines to follow them and reach your website, giving you link juice and a backlink. DoFollow links are beneficial for SEO because they pass on the authority of the originating site to the linked site, helping improve its ranking in search engine results.
NoFollow Backlinks: These links include a NoFollow tag and do not allow search engine bots to follow the link. This means they do not pass on link juice, and although they are less valuable for boosting your site’s rank, they can still be beneficial for driving organic traffic and diversifying your backlink profile.

Backlinks are a fundamental part of the web and are critical for SEO because they help to build the credibility and authority of a website, improve search rankings, and drive traffic.

Now that you know the importance of backlinks in SEO, let’s jump on to how to get backlinks to your website.

1. Write Quality, Link-Worthy Content

Give other bloggers and industry leaders the opportunity to link back to your site by creating your own content.

You can’t write just any type of content though, you need to earn those backlinks by writing quality, link-worthy content. Other bloggers and websites will only link to your content if it’s valuable, actionable, unique, and relevant.

Want to learn how to create quality content? Check out our easy tips for writing blog posts that convert.

There are also certain types of content that get more shares and backlinks than others. Here are some examples of content that earns the most backlinks:

How-Tos:

How-to articles that teach readers how to do something are great for getting backlinks to your website.

For instance, you can write a blog post on “How to Save Money for a Vacation” that can get linked to by travel blogs, budgeting and finance websites, travel agent websites, and more.

Some How-tos article examples are:

List Articles:

List articles, also known as listicles, are simply articles written as lists. List articles are incredibly popular online because they’re so easy to read.

Because of the numbered list, readers are easily able to scan the article and read the parts that are interesting to them.

Some list article examples are:

Quizzes:

Quizzes get a ton of shares online because, well, they’re fun! Just take a look at the quiz below from Buzzfeed.

But, if you want to get more backlinks for your site, you probably shouldn’t create a quiz like this, no matter how fun it seems. As we mentioned previously, you need to get relevant backlinks.

So instead of creating a cute Buzzfeed-esque quiz, create a quiz that’s relevant to your niche to get more backlinks from relevant websites.

Definitive Guides:

Bloggers love linking to definitive guides because it lets them explain a concept to their readers without having to go into too much detail themselves. So, create lengthy, detailed guides to get more backlinks.

At OptinMonster, we’ve created many popular definitive guides like:

Statistic Roundups:

Statistics are often used by other bloggers and websites to back up their claims with data. Take advantage of this and create a statistic roundup post of your own.

Take a look at this example from IsItWP. They created a blog post of 100+ WordPress statistics and facts. This post gets a lot of backlinks from other WordPress related websites and articles.

Any of these blog post ideas can help you easily get backlinks free and naturally, and therefore promote your website for free. But we also have to mention another specific type of content called Skyscraper content.

Let’s talk about Skyscraper content in the next section.

2. Create Skyscraper Content

Skyscraper content is a link building strategy that involves finding existing popular content online, improving it, and duplicating the backlinks.

Simply search Google for your topic of choice. For example, if you want to write a guide on social media marketing, type “social media marketing” into the search bar. The results that show up on the first page are the most popular and should have the most backlinks.

Choose an article from the first page of search results and write your own post that’s 10X better. You can make your article longer and more in-depth, add quality images that the original article is lacking, or add extra information that wasn’t included.

Your new and improved piece of great content should soar high above the existing content on search engines.

Then, use a backlink checker tool like the one from Ahrefs to discover the original article’s backlinks. Once you find all of the sites that are linking to the original post, you can reach out to those webmasters, introduce your superior article, and encourage them to link to your article instead.

Recommended Resource 11 Tricks for Sending Effective Outreach Emails

3. Start Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a tried-and-true way to introduce your business to a whole new audience and each guest post you land will also earn you at least 1 backlink to your site via the byline.

For example, in the byline below, the author of the guest posts gets to tell the readers a bit about their experience and expertise and they get to add a link pointing back to their own website.

Plus, many publications let guest bloggers link to their own website within the article as well. This means you have control over which specific pages or posts on your website get linked to in the article.

Reach out to popular blogs accepting guest posts. To find blogs that are accepting guest posts, just do a simple Google search for phrases like:

[topic keyword phrase] + “write for us”
[topic keyword phrase] + “guest article”
[topic keyword phrase] + “become a contributor”

Once you find blogs you can contribute to, it’s time to send your pitch!

Come up with a great topic idea, include a brief description of the post, and convince the site owner that your content will be helpful to their readers. A good guest blogging strategy can help you generate a ton of backlinks and get a boost in website traffic.

4. Create Infographics

Aside from creating long, in-depth blog posts, which can be time consuming, you can also use infographics to build links.

Infographics are graphic representations of information or data used to present knowledge quickly. Because infographics are visual, they’re one of the most shared content formats online.

For example, this infographic, The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People, currently has 656 links to it from other websites.

Other blogs and publications can use informative, engaging infographics to spice up their own content and they can link back to the original creator—you.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a pro designer to create an awesome-looking infographic. There are a number of visual content creation tools that let you easily create infographics. Canva and Piktochart are a couple you can use for free.

5. Comment on High-Quality Blogs

One of the easiest ways to get backlinks is to comment on blogs. But, blog commenting has to be done right. You can come across spammy if you comment on a ton of blogs without any reason behind it other than to get more backlinks.

To avoid coming across as a spammer, think about blog commenting as a way of engaging with the community. Leaving comments on blogs gives you a chance to interact with your peers and contribute your thoughts or advice.

When leaving a blog comment, follow these steps:

Acknowledge the original poster by name and add a compliment. For example “Hey John, another awesome post!”
Offer some tips you use that could help the author or other readers
Add a link to your site or a relevant blog post of your own

Be aware though, when adding a link, the blog owner could trash your comment thinking your link is spam. To avoid this, you should have an account to comment or use the comment tool to add your URL in the right place.

Don’t just comment on any blog though. Avoid low-quality blogs, focusing on those with a domain authority of 60+. You can check the domain authority of a blog using a tool like MozBar by Moz.

This backlink strategy works just as well for online forums. Try searching the web for forums related to your niche and join in on the conversation there too.

6. Respond to Questions on Quora

Similar to commenting on blogs, you can also respond to questions on Quora.

Quora is a question-and-answer site where questions are asked, answered, and edited by users on the Internet. You can find questions related to your niche on Quora, answer them with your expert advice, and add a link back to your website.

Start by creating a free account on Quora.

Then, in the search bar, type in your keywords to find topics related to your niche. For instance, if your niche is fitness, type “fitness” into the search bar.

Click on 1 of the fitness-related Quora Spaces and browse for a question you can answer. Be sure to provide a thoughtful answer to the question, not irrelevant information, because Quora can flag your post or delete your account.

Simply answer the question and add a link back to your website within your answer. This not only helps you get more backlinks for your site, but it encourages Quora users to visit your site to see what other advice you have to offer.

7. Give Testimonials

You can also get more backlinks to your site by giving other businesses some love. If you love a product/service, you can offer to give that company a testimonial in exchange for a link back to your website.

Most companies use testimonials for social proof and they’ll display them prominently on their homepage or a page dedicated to customer success stories.

For instance, these happy Shopify users shared their testimonials and got a link back to their own websites.

Choose products and services related to your industry or ones that help you run your business.

Remember, make sure the products you choose have a website with a high authority (over 60). Associating your website with a big-name website will give you high-quality backlinks.

8. Look for Resource Pages

Resource pages contain a list of resources and links that website owners think are helpful for their audience.

For example, a website geared towards fly fishing may have a resource page that contains links to recommended fishing equipment, lists of the best places to fish and fly fishing tips for beginners.

If you blog about fishing or your company sells fishing-related products, you can reach out to the owners of these resource pages and ask them to add you to the list.

Keep in mind that many sites only put products on their resources pages that they know and use. Instead of straight-up asking for a mention, try offering a collaboration. This lets the website owner get to know your product and you have a much better chance of developing that relationship.

To find relevant resource pages, do a simple Google search for your niche keyword with terms like “helpful resources,” “useful links,” or “resource list.”

Getting added to relevant resource pages will help you build more backlinks to your site and generate more organic traffic from your ideal customers or readers.

Similarly, getting your website listed on directories, such as any business association, is also an opportunity to secure a backlink.

9. Help a Reporter Out

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is an online platform where journalists can get feedback from the public to use in their upcoming stories. This not only helps reporters with their stories but provides you with opportunities to get backlinks for your website.

For example, if you own a snow removal company you could give a reporter your advice to help homeowners prepare for heavy snowfall. They can add your insights to their article and of course, include a link back to your site.

All you have to do is register with HARO and they’ll send source requests that are relevant to your industry expertise or experience straight to your inbox. Pitch to them and the reporter will contact you if they’re interested.

10. Get Interviewed

Aside from signing up for HARO, you can also reach out to publications, bloggers, and even vloggers to get interviewed. Getting an online interview published is a great way to earn a backlink to your site.

Do some research online to find websites and publications that regularly run online interviews relevant to your industry.

For example, if you’re a blogger, the website BloggingTips.com once had an interview series called “Meet the Bloggers.”

You can contact the websites you find with a friendly email to let them know that you’re interested in giving an interview. Remember to include a little bit about your experience and how it would be of interest to their readers.

Once you’ve become an authority in your industry, you won’t have to chase down interviews, interview invitations will start rolling in.

11. Use Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has become increasingly popular in recent years. Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing where products/services are endorsed by social media personalities with a dedicated following.

When you strike up a deal with an influencer, they can promote your website, link to it, write about you, share you on social media, and more.

Paying an influencer to promote your website might seem pricey, especially for influencers with millions of followers. But luckily, you can work with micro-influencers (with followings ranging from 10,000 to 100,000) for a more affordable price and typically, more engagement.

Plus, some influencers are willing to promote your website in exchange for free products instead of cash. So, work out a deal that benefits both parties.

To find influencers related to your industry, you can check out a website like BuzzStream. You can use Buzzstream to research influencers and build relationships with them.

12. Reclaim Your Mentions

When someone mentions your website on their site but doesn’t link to you, that’s a missed opportunity to gain a backlink to your site. To solve this problem, you need to make it your mission to reclaim your mentions.

To find out if your business has mentions floating around on the internet without a link, you can use a tool Awario. Awario will send you an alert anytime you’re mentioned on the web. If you find a mention without a link, it’s time to take action.

Since the author of the content mentioned your business, they already know who you are. So, all you need to do is contact them with a friendly email requesting them to add a link to the mention.

Just make sure you’re only reaching out to authors that have mentioned your business in a positive way. For instance, if you find a blog writer that rated your product poorly, you don’t need that mention.

13. Fix Broken Links

Have you ever clicked a link on the web that led you to a 404 error page? You probably have because it’s pretty common.

But, did you know that you can use a 404 error to get more backlinks to your site?

When you come across a resource page that has a broken link, it’s the perfect opportunity to replace that broken link with your own. A 404 error is the result of a website being taken down. And that broken link is not good for the SEO of that website.

So, reach out to the website owner and let them know you found a broken link on their resource page. You can offer the website owner your own content to replace it.

Of course, finding broken links on resource pages is like finding a needle in a haystack. Luckily, you can use a Chrome extension like Check My Links to make finding broken links easier.

14. Use the Moving Man Method

The Moving Man Method, a term coined by Brian Dean at Backlinko, is a similar strategy to fixing broken links.

This time, instead of looking for 404 pages, you’re looking for sites or resources with links to websites that have shut down, changed names, moved, or discontinue a product/service.

When a site links to another site that has undergone any of these changes, it will typically lead users to a blank page.

This is different from broken link building because the links aren’t actually broken, they’re just outdated.

To find pages that have changed or moved you can do a simple Google search like:

KEYWORD + “page no longer exists” or KEYWORD + “service no longer available”

Once you find a page that meets the criteria, you can use a tool like Ahrefs to find all of the links pointing to the outdated page. Then, notify the site owner that links to it and offer your own piece of content to replace it. Chances are they’ll be happy to update their site with your backlink.

15. Spy on Your Competitors

Finally, if you want to get more backlinks to your website, it’s wise to learn from the best. By spying on your competitors, you can see the link-building techniques that make them so successful.

There are a number of ways you can spy on your competitors’ link-building strategies, like:

Signing up for their email newsletter to get notified each time they publish new content
Creating a Google Alert for their company name to see each time their mentioned online
Using a tool like Monitor Backlinks to check the backlinks of your top competitors

When you discover which link-building techniques your competitors are using the most, you can do the same to replicate their success.

Spying on your competitors will let you become just as good at backlink building as they are. Soon, with time and some practice, you can surpass them in the search engine rankings.

There you go! Now, you shouldn’t worry about how to get backlinks to your site. You have 15 new ways to get backlinks and boost your Google ranking.

Start putting some of these suggestions into action and soon your website will rise to the top of search engine results.

More on SEO:

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17 responses to “How To Get Backlinks: Everything You Need To Know”

Ellen Cortez

October 15, 2019

Thanks for all the great information Allison! I’m just starting up an online presence and your strategies will be of tremendous help to me!

Reply
Annika Bloch

October 16, 2019

Thank you, they are really useful tips and I have a whole list of things I need to do now to improve my SEO!

Reply
Adesokan Ayodeji

December 10, 2019

Thanks, Allison, This is the best post I have read so far online concerning backlinking, it really helps

Reply
Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka

January 25, 2020

Allison Hott, this is a good one. Getting backlink to my blog has been difficult. To be frank, it is the most difficult part of my blogging career. Nonetheless, I love the strategies you just shared here. I will definitely give them a try. Thank you very much.

Reply
sean

February 18, 2020

Brilliant article Allison,

I’ve got a long way to go with my site but this will absolutely help me on my way!

Sean

Reply
Giuseppe Rutiaga

April 2, 2020

Interesting & Useful. Thanks for sharing these great studies!!

Reply
1. Nathan Thompson
  
  April 3, 2020
  
  It’s our pleasure! Thanks for reading 🙂
  
  Reply
Neal Khora

April 7, 2020

This is great information. I have definitely got some work to do.

Reply
Arun Kumar

April 29, 2020

Awesoem information. I have definitely got some work to do.

Reply
1. Nathan Thompson
  
  April 30, 2020
  
  Happy you enjoyed the information. Good luck on getting those backlinks! 🙂
  
  Reply
Sumit Blogger

May 23, 2020

lovely interesting article.
I have bookmarked your blog .
Thank you and I’m really impressed with what a piece of amazing information that helps me as well as advance SEO workers.

Reply
PARENTNashik

June 21, 2020

Great article that helps a lot, thanks.

Reply
Mayank

August 28, 2020

Really a useful blog and the HARO is very useful platform. I really appreciate this blog.

Reply
James Nguma

October 7, 2020

Thanks, Allison Hott

I just heard about the ” the moving man method” but didn’t know what it was in detail. I now have a clear idea of what’s all about.

Reply
Lupe Gonzalas

January 10, 2021

Geeze, this is some awesome content! Really appreciate you building this for us!

Reply
branding agency bali

April 7, 2023

A great post without any doubt.

Reply
Davide

March 14, 2024

Great article! I found it a goldmine for anyone looking to boost a website’s visibility through backlinks. It’s like a roadmap guiding you through SEO. I will definitely try to apply some of these tactics in order to improve my SEO!

Reply