In the SEO world, links are pretty important. Links to websites, along with a number of other SEO tactics, have a significant impact on how prominent a brand will be in search engine rankings, and therefore affect the amount of organic traffic a site will receive as a result. It is logical to assume that the higher a company's site appears in the search results, the more likely it is that a user will select that result and show interest in the respective brand. For this reason, an effective SEO strategy is directly linked to the success of an organization, and a backlink profile is an integral part of what that strategy should include.

That being said, it's not just any backlink to a website that can help brands grow online. Gone are the days when SEO strategies aimed at link building were considered acceptable and even effective. Authoritative, well-earned and relevant links are the ones that matter for backlink profiles today. On the other hand, links that are paid (for example, on bulk listing sites or directories), "planned" or completely irrelevant will not be very useful in terms of creating a backlink profile that contributes to overall search engine rankings. Indeed, "link building" schemes that do not follow Google's guidelines and best practices can actually negatively impact rankings, which in turn can reduce profitability and growth quite quickly.

So in such a competitive marketplace where SEO has become common practice for many organizations and digital real estate is hard to defend, how do you get meaningful and effective links to your website?

Traditional PR initiatives

On a simplistic level, it makes sense that traditional PR initiatives can help you naturally accumulate links to your website. If you are promoting your organization, your products or services on a relevant news agency, it is likely that if they are going to link to any of the above in their article, they are going to include a link to your website. to provide the reader with some context or even a source of additional information.

Consider the article in the online beauty magazine, which is the editor's pick for the 5 best hair serums of the year. If you've piqued an editor's interest during their media work and they choose to include your product in their story, they are going to include a link to your website so that users can purchase the product if they so desire. ... On the other hand, let's say you are a B2B offering website design services. If a relevant journalist is writing an article that falls within your brand's purview and you were able to offer valuable information to help complete the story, you are more likely to get a backlink to your website, even if you only “quote” a spokesperson in as a source.

Working with the media can be incredibly helpful in protecting your links. Use media liaison tools like Cision to identify the right reporters and editors to cover articles in your industry, or even sign up for free tools like HARO that connect sources to reporters working on specific articles in real time. By sharing your experiences or highlighting your product offerings in a way that will benefit their readers, editors are more likely to add a backlink to your website when they link to your ideas. As with any PR initiative, it's important to remember that relevance is key.

Interesting and engaging content

This may sound obvious, but if your content isn't unique or engaging, users probably won't want to read it, and reputable sources probably won't want to link to it. Logically, any reputable platform (regardless of industry) wants to offer its readers something valuable and really interesting. When you create content to reach a wide audience, think about the needs of your users and how you can satisfy them in a way that is useful and does not flood the Internet yet.

Infographics, video tutorials, FAQs, and even case studies tend to work well in terms of reach and engagement. This type of content offers users an enjoyable experience, but it also offers great value and is much more likely to be picked up or distributed in retail outlets covering a similar topic. This kind of content tends to go viral on the Internet and is spread by many people on social media, thus reaching a significant audience.

Brands often make the mistake of thinking of content as strictly copy-based blog posts, when in fact they are not. Take the time to design and create unique content items that can actually serve a purpose for the consumer, and you'll find that your content naturally builds links for this very reason. From the point of view of the average consumer viewing their social media feed, you are much more likely to stop to read an article that has some kind of multimedia, images, or unique differences. If you can grab the attention of your audience and relevant news outlets with your content when they share it with their readers, you are more likely to get a backlink to your site when they provide the “original” information.

Contributions to content

The idea of thought leadership as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy is very important. Thought leaders are people who represent your organization and are considered true experts in the industry. By leveraging the insights that influencers in your company have in such a way that you can connect with your audience, you can not only build brand awareness, but can also probably build up some links.

Whether you are a service provider or a CPG brand, there are undoubtedly relevant niche posts that your audience is likely to visit frequently. Many reputable sites offer member programs in which third-party experts can write and write complete articles in their area of expertise. Sometimes the captions to these articles will include a backlink to your website, but even if they don't, that doesn't mean the content doesn't contain "link value." Once your article is published or published, you can post it on social media (and hopefully post will do the same) to expand your reach.

Create a backlink profile

Building a backlink profile is one element of a strong SEO strategy. In addition to the link value these placements have to your brand, if the points of sale linking to your site are relevant and authoritative (which they should be), there is definitely some value in traditional branding. As with any digital marketing tactic, it's important that throughout the entire process you think about how you can benefit your users.