Link Building for SEO in 2024

“Businesses that include link building in their content marketing strategy experience a 45% higher success rate compared to those that do not.”

Source: Siege Media

Call us at 03 8669 1773 to speak with one of our Link Building specialist about Link Building services from DigiFix. Keep reading to learn more about Link Building for SEO.

What is a Link/hyperlink?

A link, or hyperlink, is a connection between two web pages on the internet that facilitates easy navigation. You can move from one web location to another easily, by clicking a link. Links are essential for navigating the web and are used to connect related content, sources, and references.

Anatomy of a Link:

A typical link has four main parts:

1.Anchor Tag:

The anchor tag is the starting point of the link. It tells the web browser that a hyperlink is coming up.

2.Link Referral Location:

This part, which stands for “hyperlink reference,” specifies the destination URL. It is the web address that the link will take you to when clicked.

3.Anchor Text:

The anchor text is the visible, clickable text on the webpage. It’s often displayed with visual cues like being blue and underlined to indicate that it’s a link.

4.Closure Tag:

The closure tag signals the end of the hyperlink. It completes the link structure and informs the browser that the hyperlink ends here. 

What is Link Building in SEO?

Link building is a well-known SEO strategy that involves getting other websites to link to your website. Its purpose of link building is to boost the “authority” of your web pages in the eyes of Google so that these pages rank higher and bring more search traffic.

Basically, Google views quality links from other sites (backlinks) as endorsements. The more high-quality backlinks your site has, the more trustworthy your website appears.

Importance of Link Building for SEO of a Business:

Link building is a necessary strategy for any business looking to set up a strong online presence. Here are some reasons that will prove how important link-building is for your business.

1. Improves Search Engine Rankings

Links from other websites are one of the key ranking factors that search engines like Google use to rank pages. High quality links are like endorsements for your site, showing that your content is valuable and trustworthy.

The more authoritative and relevant links you have, the higher your site is likely to rank in search engine results. It will increase the visibility of your business and attract more potential customers.

2. Drives More Traffic

Quality backlinks not only improve your search rankings but also bring direct traffic from the sites that link to you. When a reputable website links to your web page, its visitors may click through to your site, leading to more visits and potential customers.

This targeted traffic is often more valuable because it comes from users who are already interested in your industry or topic.

3. Builds Business Credibility and Authority

Being linked by other reputed websites helps set your business as a leader in your field. This boosts your credibility not only with search engines but also with your audience. Customers are more likely to trust and engage with a business that is recognized and recommended by other trusted sources.

4. Enhances Brand Awareness

Links from high-traffic websites can expose your business to a larger audience, increasing brand awareness. When people repeatedly see your brand mentioned on different sites, they are more likely to remember and trust it. This can lead to more brand recognition and loyalty over time.

5. Supports long-term SEO strategy

Unlike paid advertising, the benefits of link-building can be long-lasting. Quality backlinks continue to drive traffic and support your search engine rankings over time, providing a sustainable and cost-effective method for maintaining and growing your online presence.

6. Increases Networking Opportunities

Link building often involves reaching out to other businesses, site owners, bloggers, or influencers in your industry. This can help you build relationships and create networking opportunities that may lead to partnerships, collaborations, or further promotional activities.

7. Improves site metric

Effective link building helps improve important site metrics like Domain Authority (DA) and Domain Rating (DR), which are indicators of your site’s strength and influence.

Better metrics not only improve your search engine rankings but also make your site more attractive to potential partners and customers.

8. Gains competitive edge

In competitive markets, having a robust link-building strategy can give you an edge over rivals who might not be investing in this area. High-quality backlinks can help you outrank competitors in search results, attract more traffic, and establish a stronger market presence.

9. Supports Content Marketing Efforts

Link building often involves creating and promoting high-quality content that others will want to link to. This supports your content marketing strategy by increasing the reach and impact of your content, making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with your brand.

Investing in a strong link-building strategy can significantly boost your online presence and contribute to the growth and success of your business.

How to Build Backlinks?

Below, you’ll discover the four fundamental methods for building links. Some of these methods are more effective than others.

1.Earn Links

Earning links means other websites link to your website without you asking them to link. They link to your website because they truly want to.

This happens when you have something exceptionally valuable that website owners genuinely want to reference.

The most effective way to earn links is by creating high-quality content that naturally attracts links. Here are some types of content that often earn links:

• Visual assets (infographics, charts, diagrams, etc.)
• Original research and data (industry studies, surveys, proprietary research, etc.)
• Online tools and calculators
• In-depth guides and tutorials

By focusing on creating valuable and relevant content, you increase the possibility that other websites will link to yours, boosting your site’s authority and visibility in search engine results.

2.Asking for links

Asking for links involves actively reaching out to people or teams and persuading them to link from their website to yours. This process is referred to as “link outreach” in SEO.

To effectively ask for links, it’s important to target websites that are relevant to your content/business. This ensures that your request is more likely to be considered and accepted by the website owners.

The initial step of identifying suitable websites to reach out to is known as “link prospecting.” The more effort you invest in finding suitable outreach targets, the greater your chances of success.

But why would other website owners want to link to your page?

Ideally, your content should be so worthwhile that they naturally want to share it with their audience by linking to it. However, not every page on your website will naturally attract links. Therefore, SEO professionals use various tactics to convince website owners to add links to their pages.

Here are some common tactics used in link outreach,

Guest posting: Write an exceptional guest blog post for their website and include a link back to your own website.

Skyscraper technique: Identify outdated content that many websites link to. Create a superior piece of content on your own site and reach out to these websites, suggesting they can link to your improved version.

Resource page link building: Identify pages that list resources relevant to your niche and request to be added as a resource. For example, if you are a web design agency in Australia, you can ask to be added to a web page that lists the best web design agencies in Australia.

Broken Link Building: Find pages with broken links, create a suitable alternative on your site, and notify the website owners about it.

Image Link Building: Identify sites using your images without proper attribution and request a link back to your site.

3.Buying links

Buying links is the simplest method to build links, where website owners agree to link to your site in exchange for payment.

However, this approach has considerable risks. Google views buying links as an attempt to manipulate its search algorithm, which can result in penalties such as your website being removed from search results altogether.

Additionally, there’s a risk of wasting money on low-quality links that provide little to no benefit. These links may not improve your search rankings and could potentially harm your site’s reputation.

Due to these risks and Google’s strict guidelines against buying links, it’s generally recommended to focus on organic link-building strategies that prioritize creating valuable content and fostering genuine relationships with other websites. These approaches are not only safer but also more sustainable for long-term SEO success.

4.Adding links

Adding links involves manually placing your website link on other websites that you do not own.

Common tactics in this category include,

• Creating social media profiles.
• Submitting your business to directories.
• Listing your website on review sites.
• Participating in forums, communities, and Q&A sites.

These tactics are relatively easy to implement but often provide little value in terms of SEO. Google views such links as less valuable because they can be easily manipulated and may not necessarily indicate genuine endorsement or relevance.

Moreover, since anyone—including your competitors—can similarly place links on these platforms, they offer minimal competitive advantage.

Despite their limitations, these link-building tactics shouldn’t be disregarded entirely. Some link builders start with these methods, especially when working with a new website, as they can help establish a basic online presence and initial visibility.

However, for long-term SEO success, it’s crucial to complement these tactics with more strategic and sustainable link-building approaches that focus on creating high-quality content and earning organic links from authoritative sources.

Here are some Directory Submission sites you can link your website to,

Best 70 Free Business Directories Australia in 2024

Free Australian business directory sites

Best Directory Submission Sites for 2024

Effective Link Building Techniques we Recommend!

1.Start with keyword research

Keyword research is foundational to effective link-building because it helps you understand what terms and topics are important to your audience and how they search for information related to your business.

By identifying relevant keywords, you can create content that addresses specific queries and interests of your target audience. This increases the likelihood that other websites will find your content valuable enough to link to.

You can use tools such as SEMrush or Ahrefs, or free tools like Google Keyword Planner to discover what people are searching for.

2.Broken Link Building

Broken link building involves finding pages within your niche that contain broken external links.

In simple terms, it means finding links on other websites that are no longer active and suggesting your own content as an alternative link.

Once you identify these pages, you contact the website owners and propose that they link to your content instead.

It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement—the website owner improves their site’s quality and user experience by replacing broken links, while your page potentially gains a new backlink.

Broken link building is a white hat SEO technique because it focuses on creating valuable content and engaging with external websites in a legitimate manner to earn inbound links.

Ultimately, the decision to link to your content rests with the website owner, based on their assessment of its quality and relevance.

You can find broken links using Ahref’s Free Broken Link Checker.

3.Analyze your competitors’ backlinks

A useful way to determine effective link-building strategies for your content is to spy on your competitors by examining their backlinks.

Additionally, this approach helps you understand the content preferences of your audience, directing you to create SEO-friendly content.

You can use Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool for this purpose. Simply enter a competitor’s domain and click “Analyze.”

4.Write guest blogs for relevant websites

Guest blogging involves creating and publishing a blog post on another website, typically resulting in a backlink to your site.

It remains one of the most popular link-building strategies, but there’s a right and wrong way.

If you’re guest blogging solely to earn backlinks from any available site, you risk violating Google’s guidelines. Instead, focus on collaborating with reputable brands in your industry to produce valuable, informative content.

Start your guest posting strategy with the intention of providing education and look for websites that openly accept external contributions without overtly promoting guest posting opportunities.

How to find relevant guest posting opportunities?

A simple method is to use Google search operators. Type “Your keyword + intitle:“write for us” to find the websites that accept guest blogs.

For example, if you’re looking for guest blogging opportunities related to the fashion niche, you would search Fashion + intitle: “Write for us”

This search query helps you discover websites within the fashion industry that welcome guest articles and are open to collaboration.

However, since many people use this method, these sites likely receive numerous guest post pitches.

To stand out, reach out to relevant sites even if they don’t openly advertise guest posting opportunities. Many are eager to feature free, high-quality content that aligns with their site’s focus.

This approach benefits both parties: you gain exposure, and the host site potentially receives increased traffic. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.

5.Make your website more visible

If you want to attract more links to your website, it’s important to build a personal brand and increase your visibility. One effective method is to invest time in off-page SEO strategies, which involve optimizing factors external to your website.

Here are some key strategies:

• Verify that details such as your name, address, and phone number are correct across different online platforms.
• If your business has a physical location, set up a listing on Google My Business and keep the information up to date.
• Contact relevant websites to claim your business profile and provide accurate information.
• Invest in digital PR, social media marketing, influencer collaborations, and effective review management to boost your brand reputation and visibility.

By focusing on these tactics, you can strengthen your online presence, improve your brand’s visibility, and attract more opportunities for inbound links to your website.

6.Consider Newsjacking

Newsjacking is a strategy in digital PR for getting links by taking advantage of current news. You spot opportunities in the latest headlines and create relevant content that includes your opinions and insights. This tactic also involves promoting your work within the context of the news story.

It works because more people are interested in trending topics, and it helps to show expertise and trust when you provide believable insights and tips.

To succeed, stay updated on industry news, podcasts, and roundups, and be prepared to create content quickly—since news stories typically stay relevant for only 24-72 hours.

Newsjacking is effective across many industries.

7.Create Quality content

Creating valuable content is one of the most effective ways to earn links naturally. Quality content such as articles, blog posts, infographics, guides, and videos are valuable resources that people want to share online.

When you create high-quality content, reputable websites are more likely to link to your site. This not only increases your visibility but also enhances your credibility and improves your search engine rankings.

Once you’ve created content, share it on your social media platforms to increase its exposure. 

DigiFix can help you earn more links

At DigiFix, we specialize in helping businesses improve their online presence through effective link-building strategies. A strong link-building strategy is essential for your website’s success, and our team is dedicated to improving your site’s content and visibility to boost your rankings in search results.

We offer link-building plans to fit various budgets, ensuring we can meet your specific needs. You can trust that we focus on building strategic links that enhance your online authority without risking penalties.

Our goal is your success, and we work hard to earn you the best possible return on investment for your link-building campaigns.

Check out our reviews and testimonials from satisfied clients who love the results we’ve achieved. Contact us today to see how DigiFix can help you achieve greater online visibility and success.