According to Google “Webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages.” Link building is a long standing strategy that a lot of marketing experts have in their toolbox. But you don’t need to be a marketing expert to create a backlink strategy that will bring long term benefit and rank increase to your website. In this post we will discuss the top six different types of links and go through how you can use them, what not to do, how well the link works, and where to find the links. Once you finish this post you will be able to create your own link building strategy that works for your website and will increase your rank.
High Value Press Release (PR individual like Richard)
A high value press release has a high price tag but this strategy has a worthy outcome. A high quality press release can shed positive light on your business, provide backlinks, and are completely natural and will prevent your site from getting penalized. When you publish a press release with a high value firm you will also receive even higher authority backlinks because of their premium distribution channels like USAToday, Forbes, Inc, etc.
- How to use them: You want to use these for the most important page you are trying to rank on your site and your most important keywords. This type of press release is not cheap because of the value it holds so you want to make sure you use this for your most important page. When creating the press release it is important you create a title that will catch the reader’s attention and drive even more clicks to your site.
- What not to do: You do not want to use this type of press release in a rush and without making sure the content is quality. You also want to make sure you use the proper links within your press release or majority for the value will be lost. When we work with our clients we are always looking for major announcements we could create a press release about and then tie in our important page and keyword that will gain the value.
- Where can you get this link: There are a variety of high value press release firms that you can contact. Some examples include
- How well does this link work: This is one of the best links money can buy. You will receive hundreds of high quality authentic links. When using this strategy you want to think quality over quantity – use sparing but for your important pages.
Editorial Links
So far we have covered higher price tag items and heavy lift strategies but editorial content can be an easy way to drive links to your site without paying for an expensive service or spending time creating a website. An editorial mention is when another website links back to your website or mentions your site in a piece of content. Some examples of editorial links are citing someone from your company, linking to your website as a resource for information, citing your website as the creator of an graphic, image, or infographic, or an interview with someone from your website
- How to use them: To get editorial mentions you want to start creating content on your site that could be considered a “go-to source of information” Having high quality blog posts that pertain to a specific industry could lead to other platforms sharing your expertise or linking back to it to drive customers to the source of truth. You also want to create content that could easily be shared like creating informative graphics, having guides, or checklists that people can use secondhand and credit your site for.
- What not to do: Spend your time creating high quality content that is not what your industry is looking for. Make sure to keep up on current trends and complete keyword research to understand what the industry is looking for so your work is actually of value.
- Where can you get this link: You can get this link by creating high quality content on your site and getting it shared throughout your industry.
- How well does this link work: The value of these links are completely dependent on the site that is linking back to yours. If you get a link from your local newspaper compared to Forbes.com the value will change but this should be viewed as an ongoing marketing effort that will provide long term benefit.
Guest Post Links
Guest posting is another way you can acquire links for your website. Guest post links are generated when you submit a guest post another website and include a link back to your website. These types of links help to build trust and are another ongoing strategy that should be added to your websites marketing toolbox. In an article written by ahrefs they discuss how using guest post blogging can help you build links at scale.
- How to use them: What not to do: You do not want to be a guest blogger once and expect an increase in your websites SEO. You also want to make sure the guest posts you are creating are in relation to the website and industry you are trying to drive value towards.
- Where can you get this link: In order to get these links you will want to find guest websites that will allow you to be a regular guest blogger and start creating content to post on guest sites that will help you build trust within your industry and be newsworthy to the guest site.
- How well does this link work: If you use this link building strategy consistently over time this can become a very powerful source of authority for your website and allow your site to become an “expert” in the industry you are guest blogging for.
Tiered Links
Tiered links is the process of creating building tiers of links to a target site. The first tier you want to create high quality content links such as the high quality press release. Next you would drive a hundred links to that first tier of high quality links to increase the value called second tier links. In order to not get penalized you want to make sure the second tier of links to your high quality are not spammy and these could be guest blog posts or even you reaching out to other companies and asking them to link to your site. Next you want to create your third tier which you can build by hiring someone on Fiverr that has great feedback and good history.
- How to use them: Find someone reliable on Fiverr or Upwork who has good feedback and consistently delivers.
- What not to do: You do not want to pay 5 dollars for hundreds of spammy links that could penalize your site and flag it to Google.
- Where can you get this link: To create the first tier you need to use the press release strategy which will get you the foundation of the high quality links. To get the other two tiers you can go on Fiverr and Upwork and find someone with high reviews and good quality tiered links.
- How well does this link work: These links work well but need to be used in moderation. You cannot use this method multiple times for the same site in a month or you will get flagged. Just like the press release is only used for your most important pages and keywords this should be used as an add-on when you use the press release strategy to enhance the value.
Buffer Links
A buffer link is created when you build out a website dedicated to a specific topic and post high quality content on a weekly basis that links back to multiple different sites with the same topic, sometimes your site. Buffer links are one of the more riskier techniques and we recommend doing extensive research before implementing on your site.
- How to use them: In order to create buffer links you will need to have a website created that is providing expertise on a specific topic. Some sites you can use include Jimbdo, Webnode, and Weebly. You want to make sure the site is fully built out with proper information and that high quality content (900+ words) is posted on a bi-weekly basis. When you post this content you are able to link back to your site creating a stream of backlinks related to the exact keyword you are looking to improve rank on.
- What not to do: You do NOT want to create a 2 page site and add short low quality blog posts every once and a while.
- Where can you get this link: If you don’t have time to create high quality sites to generate links you can also buy links. There are a variety of services that allow you to purchase links on their buffer sites. You want to be weary of these services and make sure you are trusting ones that have a good track record and experience.
- How well does this link work: This link is one of the more powerful links but it does take a lot of time and energy to create multiple sites and have consistent bi-weekly content pieces that will bring the value your site needs. If your business has the resources, this strategy would be well worth your time. It is also important to be mindful that the buffer link technique is riskier than others and can sometimes be considered a black hat technique. If you are using this strategy it is important to know all the details and implement it according to webmaster rules as possible to avoid penalties of your site.
Authority Links
Authority links are links from other sites that have established substansial trust and authority with search engines. This can be caused by the sites age, quality, size, and activity level. Examples of authority sites include government sites, educational organizations, large institutions, or leading industry sites. The higher the authority on the site – the more rank power it will bring to that link.
- How to use them: You want to use high authority links for the pages you need help ranking that are currently on the second page but need to be put on the first page
- What not to do: You do not want to expect to pay $200 for 100 high authority links. They are powerful because they are hard to get.
- Where can you get this link: One way to get this link is to create high quality content that would be of interest to a high authority site. You can offer this content and put a link to your site within the content. You can also order a high authority press release which can get your press release distributed to a variety of high authority sites. The last tactic, although does not always work, is simply asking or emailing high authority sites to link to your site. According to Neil Patel there are 11 ways you can get authority links which you can find here.
- How well does this link work: High authority links will stick with your site for a very long time and bring a lot of value. They are not easily accessible or cheap but when built into a long term strategy can eventually give your site more authority.
When it comes to SEO there are a variety of different links that can bring value to your website. We recommend that you add link building into your short term and long term strategy to receive maximum benefits. If you want to figure out how many backlinks you have pointing to your site we recommend using this free backlink checker tool.
If you want more insight on the authority of the links going to your website you can get a backlink authority audit with our FREE local marketing dashboard.
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SEO Consultant Roger Bryan