3 kinds o’ bait for back-link fishing
Getting back-links has obvious benefits. Google gauges not only what you’re on about, but also how important you are based on both the quality and amount of links sending readers your way.
The other positive of gaining back-links is that it widens your potential readership. When you promote your blog through social media, only your followers are likely to read it – but when it gets promoted on somebody else’s site, you’ll have access to new readers, and if they like what you’ve said you might get to keep them.
With all that in mind, let’s look at three techniques we’ve used at Bluewire to successfully attract back-links to our blog.
1. Guest posts
Write content for somebody else and have them post it on their blog. They get the benefit of new content from a different perspective, and you get a back-link with the anchor text of your choice.
Tip: When optimising your back-link, pick a popular search term, rather than your own name or your company’s name. This way, you’ll attract viewers interested in the topic, rather than just people who already know about your company.
For example: My byline would be – Sarah McVeigh, Brisbane Copywriter for Bluewire Media.
2. Reviews
Did you just read a new e-book, attend a seminar, or try a product related to your work or readership? The person that wrote said e-book, spoke at said seminar or created said product is probably monitoring what’s being said about it online. If you offer opinion, feedback or commentary, chances are they’ll take notice.
They might include a quote of yours in a “testimonials” section, and you can request a back-link to your review. If you don’t think they’re monitoring the dialogue, you can always send them a link to your review and encourage them to use it.
Tip: The number one key to blogging is authenticity. Provide honest opinion, and champion things you believe deserve it, not necessarily what will get you the most attention. Your readers will respect you all the more for it.
3. Interviews
At Bluewire we regularly interview thought-leaders and inspiring people in our field, many of whom have attracted great followings for their expertise. Not only do you get to share with your readers or viewers advice from people you respect, and ask those questions you’ve always wanted to ask, but you also have the chance to register on a radar far more prominent than your own. Bluewire is a young company, so it follows that we don’t have the readership of experts like David Meerman Scott or Verne Harnish, but by interviewing them and sharing that content for free, you’ll be recognised for your content on your interviewee’s site.
Tip: Email someone you admire in your field and ask if you can interview them either online, or by meeting up if it’s possible. The worst they can say is ‘no’.
Blogging Brisbane: Need help writing relevant content and getting readers to your blog? Call us for a chat, 1300 258 394.
This post was created for Problogger’s ‘31 days to build a better blog‘ challenge.