Gap link analysis- See where competitors are getting links from and get links from them.
- According to Google: quality of backlinks is more important than quantity
- Black-hat link building works for a short time but fails over time (like other black-hat SEO strategies)
Backlink Building
- What do we have to offer in exchange for a backlink?
- What content do we have that we can present in a different way?
Make a list of backlink sources
- See where competitor links are coming from
- Which other brands in your space are doing a good job with content?
- Can even look outside competitors to other brands you admire
- Look at other sites ranking for terms you want to rank for
- Use Link Intersect tool on Moz
- Export CSV and remove any that aren’t from publications or aren’t relevant
Dig into those links
- See what was linked and why
- Make notes on spreadsheet
Create content deserving of links
- What did the other brand create to get the link?
- Can you do the same thing better?
- What type of content performs well on the target site? (Use Buzzsumo to find out)
- Which writers publish regularly who you can build a connection with?
- What specific niches do the writers cover?
Start small
- Do you have content that would already work for them?
It’s worth it
- Quality content helps
- You may get more than one piece of coverage when you create something good
- You’re more likely to build relationshps with writers
- Results impossible to get any other way
Pitching content
- Build a pitch list
- Pitch for exclusive coverage
- Pick your favorites
- Offer an exclusive
- Gives you an edge because no one else has the content
- Pitch for all other coverage
- Do this after exclusive goes live (It’s really a timed exclusive)
- Collect and report on results
Pitch email tips
- Target pitches or you will make journalists hate you
- Show you know the author and/or publication
- Keep pitches short (under 200 words)
- personalization of 1-2 sentences
- brief body of pitch