Nibletz Staff
Link building is one of the most important aspects of SEO, but it can be tricky for startups to acquire these all-important links. After all, you have no history as a company, and no one knows about you – so why would they link to your site?
However, while it might be tricky to get up and running, it is more than possible to start a positive link building campaign. And today, we’re going to explore how startups can begin looking for and acquiring links. Let’s take a closer look.
Directories
The first step is to get yourself some nice and easy free links in business directories. There are hundreds of these, although not all of them will be suitable. Look for industry-specific business directories, and you can also seek out local directories. In general terms, the best business directories actively check their submissions, and these are the ones you should go for. Avoid lower quality directories – it just isn’t worth the time or effort.
PR
Good old fashioned PR is another great way to get links pointing to your site. It takes a small amount of work in creating a compelling press release. Then, it’s a simple case of finding the right journalists and outlets who might take an interest. Look for industry-specific writers and publications. Just make sure that your story is interesting and relevant to them and their audience. You can also contact local media journalists, who will often laud the praises of local businesses.
Competitor research
You should also be looking at your competitors and finding out where they are getting their links from. Why? Well, if a blogger or journalist has given them a link, the chances are they might do the same for you. Use tools such as Majestic or Ahrefs to find suitable links, and take advantage of your competitor’s hard work!
Bloggers
Links from industry-specific bloggers are also worth investigating. At this stage, it might be worth hiring an SEO company to help, as the process can be time-consuming. The idea is to find bloggers who have authority in their field, and then approach them – known as outreach. If you can strike up a positive relationship with an authoritative blogger, it can have a big impact on your rankings.
Create a linkable asset
Are you struggling to get any traction with your outreach programs? If so, consider creating a linkable asset. It’s a great way to develop a reason for people to link to you, and also for you to reach out to bloggers. But what makes a linkable asset? Well, in simple terms it is just a product or service that people can use to make their lives easier. It should be industry specific, of course, and, preferably, free of charge, offered in exchange for an email address. Not only will it help you build up an email list, but it will also get a lot of organic shares if it is good enough.
These simple processes can take up a lot of your time, but they are essential for getting your backlinks up and running. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
