Have you just launched a brand new website? Are you struggling to build backlinks due to restricted budgets? Well, then you have landed upon the right web page. This post is completely tailored to you. As you would know, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and backlinks are as good as twin sisters. In fact, generating backlinks from authoritative websites are one of the most and foremost activities of SEO. And, here you cannot have 100% control. Further, it plays an important role in rankings because it walks hand in hand with organic traffic.
When search engine website crawlers visit your websites to build a search engine index, they particularly look for backlinks. In case you have good rankings on SERPs but your site lacks backlinks, search engines may assume that your website content quality is low!
A backlink is a web link which on clicking returns to your website. Building a backlink is indeed tough. It requires skills, patience and efforts. But, in this post, we have tried our best to help you out. You will be able to build backlinks to your brand new site without investing your money.
Tips to Build Backlinks When You Have a Brand New Site and No Money
1. Content contribution on other’s sites
In traditional language, it used to be addressed as guest posting where a newbie website writes a blog post for another site and earn backlinks from either author bio or body content. However, things have changed drastically, especially post Panda and Penguin updates. Now it is not about what you write on guest sites. It is all about how your content will help the users of that particular guest site.
To summarise, yes, guest posting is still alive – but only if it is relevant to that website and their readers.
Also, nowadays, a variety of content is being produced since the users have various ways to consume the content. And among all, guests-graphic is the most popular content to contribute and earn authority contextual backlinks. The reason behind it is such content can be easily shared on social networks.
So, research on the most trending topic via tools like Right relevance, Buzzsumo and come up with an engaging title that suits the guest website most. Approach them with your suggested title and on getting approval, submit the best possible guests-graphic. Along with the submission of guests-graphic, offer a small blog-style write up explaining that infographic.
2. Testimonials – the secret sauce to build quality backlinks
When you just read the single term “testimonial”, the first thing that might appear in your mind would be some good words written by your customers for you. Yes, we are also talking about the same thing – testimonials – but the other way round. Try giving testimonials on others’ websites.
For instance, if you are using any social media marketing tool, SEO tool or email marketing software – write good reviews on their portals. On getting your feedback approved, you might earn quality backlinks. Providing you are a loyal customer of that product or service, chances are high that you can build backlinks in exchange for a testimonial. But, make a point that you write a review that actually helps others to make a decision regarding that service. Don’t just write to earn a backlink.
3. Quote industry influencers in your content
This one is a little tricky, especially if your brand awareness isn’t spread to a significant level. Write a long-form blog post and quote experiences, findings or sayings of industry experts therein. While promoting that blog or article, give a shout-out to the quoted influencer on social media. If your content is well written and they like the citation, they might place a link of your article on their website. This way you will earn quality backlinks as well as will get known in their huge and widespread network.
You can use data from the reliable sources in your niche from the sites like Statista, Pew Research and others. While writing such posts, take care of your keywords too. It should not be completely out of the place. This is because your website readers would be habituated of reading some sort of content from you. If all of a sudden, they will find something irrelevant to them, anytime they can unsubscribe.
4. Niche relevant blog commenting, forum commenting
This is a little similar to writing testimonials. It is a bitter truth that not all your testimonials will get approved in a single click; but, then what? You can’t sit and wait to build backlinks. You have to find other ways that also fall under complete white hat SEO. The similar technique is blog commenting and forum posting.
Most of the businesses run a blog and every blogger would love to read comments on their blogs. Identify the best blogs and blogging sites in your niche, and comment on your findings of that content. Do not post sales pitch or offensive content. But, post your overall positive opinion about that post. Also, you can ask to read a sequel or prequel of that post. Such comments have higher chances of getting approved rather than silly comments like “nice article”, “thanks for publishing”, etc.
Coming back to forum commenting i.e. forum participation – it is equally important as blog commenting. Here, you need to identify the active forums of your domain, preferably where industry influencers also visit. Few of the best places (as forums) are Quora, Inbound.org, LinkedIn Groups and Facebook Groups. Start with participating in the trending posts and the most active posts. Once your name and presence get established, you can start creating your own posts and ask for others’ opinion.
In both cases, you need to create a thorough authentic profile with a correct URL to your website.
5. Spread the word about your business
There’s a saying, “Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen.” Here, we are talking about spreading awareness about your business. Unless and until you do self-promotion, chances are rare that you will get noticed in the crowd. It does not mean that in each and every promotion sound too salesy. Rather, help your community by providing value. Build some long-lasting valuable relationships on social media with fellow industry people. Know about them and let them know about you. Once your online presence gets noticed in front of them, you can then make an “ask”.
One of the advised ways is to reach journalists and influencers from your niche through emails. If you don’t get their email ID, reach out to them on social networks. When you pitch them, ensure that your content copy is scrip and to the point. No one in this world has time to sit and read through long boring emails.
6. Become a contributor on the websites having high DA/PA
There are many portals which allow you to post your content and in exchange, you get a backlink to your website. But, post your content only on the sites having high DA (domain authority) and high PA (page authority). This is because your goal is not only to build backlinks but to build quality backlinks. Also, check spam scores of those portals. It should not be more than 2. You can use tools like Open Site Explorer to check these parameters.
Few of the recommended sites are Medium, List.ly, Growth hackers, etc. Try out these if it falls under your niche. Another major advantage you will get is building your brand value. On posting frequently, you will get subscribers to your post and that’s how people will get habituated to hear from you at regular intervals. This, in turn, will boost your personal brand as well as the corporate brand.
7. Difficult but fruitful method – HARO (Help a reporter out)
How many sites you daily come across which offers FREE trials? Too many, right? And there would be surely some portals which can be accessed for FREE forever but what all it requires is your registration.
Similarly, there is a site called HARO (https://www.helpareporter.com/).
HARO provides journalists with a robust database of sources for upcoming stories and daily opportunities for sources to secure valuable media coverage.
Go and create your account thereby filling all required details, including your website URL. You will receive three emails a day with requests to reply to the information that reporters need. Scan through the emails you have received, identify the most relevant to you and post the reply to that particular query. You will not be able to build backlinks for all your replies. But you never know, for which relevant reply you may earn a good one.
Closing Thoughts:
The above-listed techniques are not the only ones, there are many. You can also help hacked sites, fix external broken links, and do social media promotions and business listing. Benefits will come from these areas too. If you are popular in your network but only your site is a newbie, try to get interviewed by an expert and in return earn backlinks.
Hope you loved reading it. Do drop in your thoughts on building backlinks in the comments box. We’d love to hear from you.