A Simple Guide to attracting links from authority websites
In the SEO world, getting authority websites to link to your site has long been one of the most effective methods for improving search engine rankings. The authority of the sites linking to your site account for a significant portion of your website’s search engine authority. So, the more influential the site that’s linking to you, the more valuable the backlink is. But attracting links from authority websites is easier said than done.
There are two types of authority websites: absolute authorities and relative authorities. Absolute authority websites are large, popular websites with a vast presence, like Wikipedia or the Huffington Post. Relative authority websites aren’t as big, but they dominate their respective niches. While links from relative authority websites aren’t as valuable as links from absolute authority websites, they still carry a lot of weight, particularly if they’re relevant to your industry.
Create Quality Content
You’ve probably heard time and time again that “content is king” because quality content is ultimately what attracts links. Types of content that do well in terms of attracting links include controversial, opinionated articles, articles featuring expert advice that demonstrate your authority in a subject, and personal articles that give a glimpse of who you are and where you come from. Now, don’t assume that creating this type of content will automatically attract a ton of links for your site. You need to develop a solid archive of quality content in order to prove yourself to the so-called Linkerati.
Once you have created a lot of great content to share, get in touch with authority sites, giving them a good reason to link to your content. For example, if you’ve written an article about the owner of an authority website, that person might be interested in sharing it with his followers. Another effective way to get an influential person’s attention is by writing an article that critiques something he did. This might also bring some haters to your doorstep, but you can’t expect to achieve worthwhile results with your linking efforts unless you dare to stand out!
Hang Out where your target audience hangs out
Determine exactly which authority sites you’d like to have link to you and then hang out wherever they are. For example, if you are a social media marketing consultant and would like to get links from authority websites in the social media marketing niche, go to social media conferences and rub shoulders with A-list social media marketing bloggers and website owners. You’d be surprised at how far face-to-face interaction can take you. It’s a lot more personable and memorable than an email.
Write Guest Articles
Guest blogging has become an extremely popular link-building technique for one reason: it works. Authority websites in various industries are always in need of great content, so you can help them out by offering well-researched, entertaining, and informative articles for their readers. Simply include a link back to your website to get some link juice out of it. Writing a monthly column is another great way to accumulate valuable links and drive targeted traffic back to your site. You can also approach authority websites, ask them what kind of content they need, and then offer to create it for them if they include a link back to your site.