Outreach for link building is the process of reaching out to website owners, bloggers, or influencers to request link placement or collaboration. However, since there’s no one right method of outreach, the process can get quite a bit messy, challenging, and hectic.
And this, in turn, can bury link-building (particularly via outreach) somewhere deep under your massive list of SEO tasks. You’d naturally keep scheduling it for ‘later’ when you have no proper and strategic plan in hand.
So, in this post, we’ll show you how to approach the outreach process systematically and effectively. We hope it helps you get more organized and prioritize link-building, especially via outreach.
Let’s get started!
Why Opt for Outreach?
Apart from outreach, there are several other ways of link-building. These include:
- Content creation and promotion
- Guest blogging
- Resource link building
- Broken link building
- Internal linking
- Social media engagement
- Public relations and media coverage
- Business directories and listings
All of these are excellent sources of link-building. But it really comes down to your specific use case to determine which of these would prove to be the best for you.
Given that, outreach link building is most suitable for you if you wish to achieve any of the following:
- Build brand authority
- Develop the repute of a thought leader in your industry
- Build relationships with other local businesses
- Strengthen network
- Build a community and long-lasting partnerships
- Get an edge over competitors (via a strong network)
Zooming in, outreach is also the quickest route to success if your goals look like this:
- Rank higher for keyword X
- Grow ranking authority of a domain, subdomain, or a subfolder
- Sending high-value traffic to another page from the ranking page
- Grow topical authority
- Redirect the audience from social media to a specific web page
Of course, your goals could be more detailed. But they’re likely to be around ranking and redirection. Make sure you know what you’re aiming for before you begin the process.
Understanding Prioritization in Link Building
Once you have your goals set, you’ll be able to focus on the link-building process itself. Now, ‘prioritization’ basically refers to determining which opportunities to focus on first. Ideally, you should prioritize link placements that best help your website goals and have a promising impact on your growth.
The following are a few factors that you must consider when prioritizing a link-building opportunity:
- Relevance: Target websites and pages that are highly relevant to your niche or industry. That’s because links from relevant sources carry more weight in search engine algorithms and are more likely to generate quality traffic. For example, if you run a fitness blog, obtaining a link from a reputable health and wellness website would be more valuable than a link from a digital marketing website.
- Domain Authority (DA): Assess the authority and credibility of potential linking domains. Websites with higher DA are more likely to pass on link equity and positively impact your website’s search rankings. We recommend using tools like Moz’s Domain Authority or Ahrefs’ Domain Rating to evaluate the authority of websites you plan to target.
- Traffic Potential: Consider the potential traffic you can receive from a linking source. Links from websites that have a significant audience and attract relevant visitors can drive direct referral traffic to your site. Analyze website traffic metrics and audience demographics to gauge the potential impact of a link.
- Competitor Analysis: Analyze the link profiles of your competitors to acquire valuable insights. Identify which websites are linking to your competitors and evaluate their quality and relevance. This can help uncover potential linking opportunities that you may have otherwise overlooked.
- Goals and Objectives: Define your link-building goals and establish metrics for success. For example, if your objective is to improve search engine rankings, prioritize opportunities that have a high potential to positively impact your rankings. If your goal is to increase brand visibility, focus on links from authoritative websites that can generate exposure.
Outreach Strategies for Link Building
Now that you have narrowed down your list of opportunities and found the ones you must prioritize, it’s time to get your outreach strategy into action.
If you don’t already have an outreach strategy planned, here are a few key ones to consider:
- Personalized Email Outreach: Craft customized outreach emails tailored for each recipient. Begin by introducing yourself, highlighting the value you can provide, and explaining why a collaboration or link placement would be beneficial to both parties. Remember, personalization reflects your genuine interest and increases the likelihood of a positive response.
- Guest Blogging Pitches: Identify authoritative websites in your niche that accept guest contributions. Develop well-researched pitches proposing unique and valuable topics that align with their audience. Make sure you highlight your expertise and the benefits of your content to increase the chance of a positive response. But note that sometimes winning a guest post opportunity can take months. So, if you’ve already tried with no luck or happen to be short on time, you can also consider VelSEOity’s best blogger outreach services. You can get quality blog posts on the most relevant links for only a small fee.
- Building Relationships on Social Media: Engage with industry influencers, bloggers, and website owners on social media platforms. You can share their content, leave thoughtful comments, and establish a rapport. It will lead to opportunities for collaboration and link placements as you build relationships over time.
- Expert Roundups and Interviews: Offer your expertise to websites or bloggers who conduct expert roundups or interviews. It will position you as an industry authority and get you a link back to your website. For this, you’ll have to monitor relevant opportunities and proactively reach out to be included in such features.
End Note
By now, we hope you have clarity on how to prioritize and outreach for link building. Remember, successful outreach strategies require highly personalized communication and genuine relationship-building. So, make sure you give due time to research!
