6 Ways To Build Links When You Don't Have Time For Guest Posting

This is a guest post from Neil at Only Way Online, a Marketing Agency in London.

Backlinks have long been one of the main backbones of SEO, you could even go as far to say they are the holy grail of SEO.   A recent study which analysed over 1 million Google results and looked at the trends found that the number and quality of backlinks to a website correlate with its ranking in Google.

One of the most effective ways of getting high quality backlinks to your website is through Guest Posting, but this strategy does take a significant amount of time and cost.  There are other ways to build links which can also be effective.

So lets go through 6 of them now!

Method 1: Provide Testimonials

This is where you write a testimonial for another website and they link to you out of respect.
The cool thing about testimonials is that they are generally seen as being a winning situation for everyone involved. Look at it this way.

You go to a site where you have used their product or service and leave a testimonial. In that testimonial you can setup a link to your own website.

They benefit from your feedback and you benefit from a link back to your website.

I did this recently. I left Nik a testimonial for being an SEO expert and great guy and he thanked me the best way he could, with a backlink. 

Method 2:  Take Advantage Of Directory Submissions

Directories seem to have been around since time began and a quick search is going to throw up thousands of them that you can go and add your website to. However, that would be a kamikaze approach and will only result in you falling into the belief that the more links the better.
Instead, the Google algorithm is set up so that it focuses more on quality rather than quantity.

This means directories don’t carry a huge amount of weight when it comes to links but when you’re just starting up with attracting links, 20-30 directory links is not going to harm your site.
The more relevant the directory is to your business the better, but don’t overthink it.

This is meant to be a small “quick” win. Emphasis on “quick”.

Directories also happen to help diversify your anchor text, so that’s another benefit right there for. Just in case you needed some convincing.

To help you along the way, here’s a list of directories.

Method 3:  Use Social Media to Your Advantage

If you look at the profile pages of the likes of Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit and so on, then you have space for one link. Use it!
Leaving this space blank is a missed opportunity because even though they are typically no-follow links, these sites are high quality and authoritative. Always, always have a link to your website because you will still benefit from the power of these social media websites without putting in too much work.
It’s not going to blow your SEO out of the water, but will help you build up your SEO presence slowly.

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Method 4: Work on Your Relationships

Focus on building your relationships online as they can lead to a fantastic network of backlink opportunities.

Consider this. You have a blog and there is a community of other bloggers out there. If you spend time fostering relationships with others in the community then they may feature you on one of their posts.

When you’re top of someone’s mind and they are writing about a topic relevant to your niche, it’s easy for them to share your expertise with their audience.

For instance, a good friend of mine who teaches blogging online, recently asked me to do a podcast teaching her audience about SEO. I’m sure she will also write about this in the future and mention my website (i.e. link to it).The more you build up your authority, the more other bloggers will trust you and link to you.

Remember, relationships are a two-way thing. That doesn’t necessarily mean linking to their website as well, but simply finding out how you can help them.


Method 5: Make Your Content Amazing

Content has always been a fantastic way to build backlinks, but just as it has become more important for the quality of the links to be high, the same can be said for the content itself.

If your content is amazing and relevant for your purpose, then it is also going to be relevant and an attractive proposition for those that want to reference quality expert advice. Your content has to be able to achieve this.

Quality content gets shared naturally and people talk about it. Is your content share worthy? If you were one of your readers, would you mention it to someone else who was in need of advice?
High quality content is a major ranking factor for Google, Search Engine Land wrote about it’s importance.

So if you’re already creating epic content, then you’re starting SEO on the right foot.

Method 6: Making Use of Resource Pages

Now, you might never have heard of this, but using resource pages is a fantastic way to build those links. So, what are resource pages? Well, think of them as being the Internet and website equivalents of a bibliography in a book.

In a bibliography you get a list of the resources that were used or recommended to you and each thing is seen as being relevant to whatever the book spoke about.

For resource pages, you will find a series of links that are relevant to a particular topic or product. Getting your link onto these pages is going to count for a lot as the links on resource pages are seen as representing those that are an authority in that area.

There may have been a number of changes to backlinks, but being an expert still counts.

If you want to see a detailed guide on resource pages, I’d take a look at this post.

So, there you have it. Six different methods to get backlinks without you having to resort to guest posting. In my opinion, you need to do as many of these things as possible to really benefit. Link building is a regular activity for our client sites and we’ve seen the growth.

I know, at times it can feel too slow to see any reward, but when you do, it becomes addictive!

Neil has a free SEO course over at Your Brand Found and also runs a Digital Marketing Agency in London, Only Way Online, helping businesses to get found and grow their business online.