Links remain one of the most important ranking factors for SEO. This comprehensive guide provides startups with specific, actionable tips for building links to boost search traffic and visibility.
Why Link Building Matters for Startups
High-quality backlinks from reputable sites provide multiple benefits:
- Higher rankings in search engines by improving domain authority and page authority metrics. This leads to increased organic traffic.
- Establishes trust and credibility, signaling your brand is a thought leader in your niche.
- Increases brand awareness and visibility through new referral traffic.
- Drives qualified leads and sales by getting your website in front of motivated prospects.
The key is acquiring strategic links from authoritative websites related to your industry. Avoid low-quality links from irrelevant sites.
How important are backlinks?
| Factor | Importance (%) |
|---|---|
| Backlinks | 30% |
| Content | 30% |
| Technical | 20% |
| Topical Authority | 10% |
| User Experience | 10% |
Developing an Effective Link Building Strategy
A diversified approach is key for sustainable, scalable link acquisition:
Content Creation & Promotion
Create useful, engaging content optimized with relevant keywords. Promote your content through various channels to gain backlinks:
- Guides & Ebooks: Develop in-depth guides, ebooks and other long-form content related to your niche. Include relevant data and statistics. Promote your content through outreach and social media.
- Infographics: Design engaging infographics based on unique data or survey findings tailored to your niche. Reach out to industry publications for inclusion in relevant articles.
- Tools & Calculators: Build useful tools like ROI calculators, comparison tools, etc. for your audience. Contact niche sites for product reviews or tool breakdowns.
- Videos: Create YouTube videos that educate or entertain your target audience. Optimize video content and descriptions with keywords. Promote your videos through outreach and social platforms.
Guest Posting
Contribute posts to reputable websites accepting contributor articles in your space. Avoid overly promotional guest posts. Focus on providing value through original insights and perspectives.
- Identify guest posting opportunities on high-authority sites related to your niche. Tools like Pitchbox and BuzzSumo’s outreach database can help.
- When pitching, briefly explain your expertise in the niche and highlight 2-3 relevant topics you could cover.
- Write compelling content that fits the publication. Include 1-2 natural links to relevant pages on your site.
Influencer Outreach
Build relationships with industry influencers. Provide value by contributing quotes, expertise or guest posts for their content. This can earn backlinks and exposure.
- Use BuzzSumo and Followerwonk to identify relevant influencers around key niche topics.
- Personalize connection requests highlighting their top content. Offer unique insights for future collaborations.
- Avoid overly aggressive self-promotion. Establish genuine relationships.
Broken Link Building
Find broken links on high-authority websites in your space. Inform site owners and provide relevant replacement content from your site to earn a backlink.
Niche Directories
Submit your startup to quality local and industry-specific directories like:
- Yelp
- Manta
- AngelList
- ProductHunt
- IndieHackers
Optimizing with relevant keywords can help improve local SEO.
Link Building Outreach Best Practices
Securing backlinks often requires personalized outreach. Follow these tips:
1. Research Website and Authors
Understand the brand voice, content style and tone before outreach. Read author bios to personalize your pitch.
2. Craft a Value-Focused Pitch
Highlight your expertise in their niche. Provide ideas for exclusive content that would benefit their audience.
3. Follow Up Politely
If no response, send a short follow up expressing interest in contributing. Consider offering alternative ideas or incentives.
4. Establish Relationships
Avoid aggressive sales pitches. Initiate conversations, understand content needs and find opportunities to provide expertise.
Sample Outreach Template:
Subject: Guest Post – [Topic] + [Your Expertise]
Hello [Name],
I’m a long-time reader and fan of [Publication]. As a [your experience] in the [industry] space, I love the in-depth [content type] you create for founders and startups.
We recently published a [type of content] on [topic] that I think your audience would find tremendously valuable. I’d be happy to adapt and expand it into an exclusive guest post for your site.
Please let me know if you are open to a sponsored post or having us contribute an article. I look forward to sharing ideas and content that provides value to your readers!
Best, [Your name] [Your site]
Finding Quality Link Building Prospects with Ahrefs
Ahrefs helps identify and research potential sites to reach out to:
- Review top domains ranking for your target keyword/niche.
- Prioritize sites with high Domain Rating, organic traffic and relevant link profiles.
- Analyze which sites they currently link out to. Pitch similar ideas tailored to their brand.
- Use Content Explorer to find popular articles to pitch guest posts to the authors.
Red flags:
- Overly promotional sites with little substance
- Thin affiliate pages optimized solely for SEO
- Sites with spammy engagement and comments
Optimizing Anchor Text
Anchor text optimization is crucial but avoid over-optimization:
- Include your target keyword naturally within relevant content.
- Sprinkle related secondary keywords and LSI phrases as anchors.
- Most anchors should use generic phrases like “read more” to appear natural.
- Vary placement of anchor text across paragraphs for better flow.
Link Building Costs and Investment
- For startups, focus on free tactics like content creation and manual outreach.
- Hiring an SEO specialist or agency provides experience and bandwidth for larger campaigns. Can cost $3,000-$10,000/month.
- Sponsored guest posts on authority sites range from $200-$1,000 based on domain metrics.
- Influencer collaborations with content promotion can cost $5,000-$20,000 depending on audience size.
- Allocate minimum 10-20 hours/month for link building. Review ROI and optimize budget accordingly.
Digital PR for Link Building
Media publicity complements link building for increased brand visibility and authority:
- Media placements in industry publications
- Expert contributor articles in niche blogs
- Influencer endorsements and sponsored posts
- Earned media through press releases, PR pitches
- Brand mentions through customer testimonials, reviews etc.
Focus on placements and links that boost brand authority in addition to traffic. Measure success through metrics like share of voice, media impressions and brand mentions.
Key Takeaways
- Quality over quantity – vet sites carefully before outreach.
- Build a diversified strategy combining content, guest posts, outreach, etc.
- Focus on value-added communication instead of aggressive sales pitches.
- Use Ahrefs, Moz and BuzzSumo for research and tracking.
- Monitor link metrics closely to avoid over-optimization risks
