The internet is more than just a digital web, it’s a series of webs that are connected in more ways than we can possibly fathom.
Your site is another piece of this massive digital world, but unlike tying your shoes this is something you want to be tangled.
We strengthen our sites through backlinks. These invisible highways
run from other websites straight into your own, thereby bringing you
traffic and rankings.
They are built and they are earned. We need them to rank.
What You Will Learn
- My proven technique to get authoritative backlinks
- Exactly how you can do it as well
- It is 100% free to implement
My Proven Technique for Earning Authoritative Backlinks
A major part of earning links to your site and your posts is having
that pitch perfect content that is an undeniable asset to anyone who
reads it. That’s only a piece of the puzzle though, you need to bring
the links to you.
Today we’ll covering one of the most powerful methods for earning backlinks without guest posting: The Skyscraper Technique.
Creating phenomenal content is one of the key ingredients in the
recipe for success, but it will drown in the sea of the internet without
a little survival kit known as promotion. Brian Dean over at Backlinko
swears by this this technique and
he has the case studies to prove it.
By utilizing the Skyscraper technique, Brian was able to generate a
boat load of quality and relevant links to that specific page. As an
added bonus, he was able to increase Backlinko’s organic traffic by
two-fold in 14 days. Yes, that’s just two weeks.
So, let’s make it work for you, shall we?
Step One: Find Content That is Getting Links
Human beings are obsessed with being the best. It’s a natural and
competitive drive that pushes us to top everything. This technique is
meant to help you find the tallest skyscraper in your niche and do some
renovations of your own to beat it.
The term “Linkable Asset” is perfect here. You need a page with so
much to offer that people will have be scrambling over their keyboards
linking to it. Remember, it has to be valuable and useful.
To make sure you’re on the right track, you need to find content that’s already working. Here are some ways to make that happen:
Open Site Explorer
Consider your niche, what topics you work in and what people want
from you. Do a quick Google search for other sites that exist in that
same sphere. Take the top three results and enter the URL into
this tool.
Once you’ve received results, select “Top Pages” from the left side
of the page. You will then see a set of results that looks like this:
We’re looking for pages with a high number of linking root domains.
These pages are getting backlinks like it’s nothing. Topics and
resources like these are going to be the target of your own pursuits.
Keyword.io
Go ahead and search a keyword related to your niche and you’ll find just about everything you could want:
- Autocomplete suggestions
- Relevant pages
- Top keywords
- Term statistics
All of these things can point you to top ranking competitors and
concepts, which you can then plug into the first tool to narrow down
those results into specific pages. I love it when a plan comes together.
Step Two: Take the Concept, Create Something Better
Step two is easier said than done, but there are actually a number of
different ways to improve upon something. Here are some ways to make it
happen:
Increase the Length (More is Better)
Let’s say you’ve found a list of the “Top 50 Blog Post Ideas” and
you’re thinking, wow, I could think of a hundred of them, no problem!
That’s the answer then, write a piece that surpasses the one you found.
Increasing the length of an article is sometimes all that’s needed to
make it fresh and new again. Adding a few more words won’t do the trick
though, you need to really raise the bar. Or you know,
you could try doing what I did…
…Yeah. It’s not easy blowing the competition out of the water, but
doing so will place the limelight where it belongs; on you! You can also
use a similar list length, but add details and additional information
to each tip.
We’ve all seen those lists with a bunch of bullet points and nothing
to elaborate. You can be the one to do it again and do it better.
Make Something Relevant Again
Not every single piece of content is evergreen. Sometimes you need to
spruce things up and put on a fresh coat of paint. If you come across a
popular topic that’s grown stale, write and newer and more up-to-date
version of it.
Depending on your topic or niche, there are probably a number of
article concepts that age with time. Look among your competitors for
articles like these that have recently seen new updates and write your
own modernized version.
Make Your Page Visually Appealing
Your information can be top-notch quality, but if the page you place it on looks anything like this one…
You’re going to have a serious problem. This is obviously an
exaggeration, but there are plenty of good articles out there that could
be easily doubled in quality with a better visual design. Improve the
layout and design with these helpful tips:
- Break up paragraphs (2-3 lines max)
- Use bullet points and numbered lists (easier to read)
- Pictures are a great way to keep the visual spice high
- Use a simple and easily readable color scheme
- Make sure the page is mobile-responsive (easy to read on various devices)
Step Three: Reach Out and Promote Your New Content
The final step is the icing on the cake, the condiment on the
sandwich and the final piece of the puzzle. You need to make sure this
beautiful work you’ve done gets seen by the right people. You need to
use an email template to showcase your content to influencers.
Finding the right people to contact involves looking for three specific things:
- A website within your chosen topic or niche.
- Someone who would be interested in your topic.
- A website that has already made links to similar content
- Finding These Contacts
You can download a spreadsheet of all the backlinks to the article
that inspired your piece of content using the aforementioned Open Site
Explorer, or Ahrefs which is a similar tool. Once you’ve pulled up the results, look for an export options like this one:
Choose the option to download a CSV file as that will create a
spreadsheet for you to use and edit. Remove any odd pages like forums,
directories and other places that wouldn’t make sense to contact for
this purpose.
Once you’ve created your list, visit those websites and compile their
email contact information. This is going to be your master list.
Create an Email Template to Send
You want your email to be short and sweet. Straight to the point,
just like your article, is the best method. Here is a great example you
can feel free to use:
Click the button below to get instant access to the email template.
By clicking on the button(s), you agree with Terms of Use, Privacy Policy
Your responses may vary, but keep in mind that a few high quality
links are more valuable than a bunch of low quality ones. Don’t be
discouraged if you only get a few, these things take time.
The Value in Guest Blogging (And How to Find The Best Ones)
Another way to guarantee backlinks to your website is by writing
guest posts for other blogs. Many popular blogs offer guidelines for
other writers to submit their own posts and make a small mention of
their own blog for backlinking purposes.
It’s tempting to simply find a blog with a high Domain Authority and
PageRank, but this isn’t always the indicator of a great guest post
opportunity.
As Matthew Barby at Moz states in
one of his blog posts:
“The link must have a genuine potential to generate traffic back to the blog.”
In that same post, Matt (great name by the way) talks about looking
for blogs with a lot of comments and reader engagement. A lower site in
the PA/DA department with a lot of shares and comments is more lucrative
for guest posts opportunities and payout in the form of traffic.
The idea is to really dig deep into these blogs and gather data for
continued backlinking and long-term relationships with the blog owners.
It’s quite the task, which is why outsourcing the research is becoming
more and more viable.
With websites like
Odesk and
Elance
offering plenty of talent for such tasks, all you need to do is pay a
small fee and let someone else do the research for you. That way your
hands are free to work on other things, like the Skyscraper Technique.
Put together a list of things you want the freelancer to find for you
and place in a spreadsheet. The cost of this research will most likely
be less than $40 and you’ll have a long-term resource for finding guest
post and backlinking opportunities.
Tell them to look for blogs in your niche and provide criteria like these:
- The website URL
- The name of the blog
- Contact information (name and email, contact page URL)
- Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn profile URLs
- A title and URL for the most recent post on the blog
With this information, you can find the ideal blogs to write guest
posts for. Keep their guidelines in mind as you write and remember to
place a link to your homepage or a relevant post on your own blog for
that sweet backlink.
Provided you create a high-quality guest post on a blog with a lot of
reader engagement, you’ll find yourself getting plenty of traffic from
these backlinks.
Wrapping it Up
Backlinks are the foundation of any good website. Think of them like
personal letters of recommendation from some of the best people in your
niche. They can be built with methods like the Skyscraper Technique and
they can be earned through guest blogging.
Remember to use all of the blogging tools are your disposal to
maximize your research and target the right topics and blogs. Other than
that, keep doing what you do best: crafting high quality content.
Thanks as always for reading and please share your personal experiences and techniques in the comments below!
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