Simple Ways to Build Backlinks

Here's something no SEO agency wants to admit: Building backlinks directly to product pages is usually a complete waste of money. Google knows no website owner naturally links to product pages unless they're being paid or have an affiliate deal. These links look manipulative to search engines, so they're often devalued or completely ignored. Yet I constantly see brands spending thousands on backlinks to product pages wondering why they can't crack page one. Through 4+ years of testing with 70+ e-commerce brands, here's the strategy that consistently delivers results: 1. Build 50% of your links to your homepage using branded anchors 2. Build 25% to collection/category pages using relevant keyword anchors 3. Build 25% to informational blog posts that internally link to your money pages This distribution naturally mimics how websites are typically linked to on the internet. For most keywords, you only need 10-20 high-quality, relevant backlinks (not thousands of spammy ones). And don't overpay. Quality backlinks typically run between $100-400 each. If someone's charging you $2K+ for a single link, you're likely getting ripped off. The key is relevance. A DR40 link from a site in your niche is worth infinitely more than a DR80 link from an irrelevant site. This exact strategy helped us take a skincare brand from page 5 to position 2 for their main collection page targeting "organic face moisturizer" with just 12 strategic links. And my #1 piece of advice on backlinks? Always aim for quality over quantity.

I've tested over 50+ different link building methods since 2009. Most are a waste of time in 2025, yet some SEOs are still using them. These 5 methods are the ones consistently delivering ROI right now: 1. Digital PR campaigns The holy grail of link building in 2025: • Create newsworthy content based on original research or data. • Target journalists that are already covering your topic. • Use tools like Muck Rack or Prowly to pitch them. • One campaign can generate 40+ high-authority links in a single month. 2. Strategic guest posting Not the spray-and-pray approach most use: • Reverse engineer your competitors in Ahrefs. • Pitch sites that already accept guest posts and rank for your keywords. • Offer value in the pitch: optimize a post for a keyword they’re missing. • Focus on quality over quantity - one DR70+ link beats twenty DR30 links. 3. Link insertions in existing content A quick way to get high-quality links: • Reach out to site owners and offer to update an old article for free. • Google: site:example. com intitle:2024 to find outdated pages. • Rewrite the piece to bring it up to date, with your link naturally added. • Link insertions alone can look unnatural. Mix in other types of links in your profile. 4. Reactive PR opportunities The HARO(RIP) replacement strategy: • Monitor journalist requests on Twitter, Linkedin, Qwoted, and Featured. • Set up alerts for topics in your expertise. • Respond quickly with concise, quotable insights. • Include relevant credentials that make you citation-worthy. 5. PBNs (grey hat, not for newbies) Still one of the best ways to get quick rankings if done right: • Build or buy clean expired domains with relevant backlinks. • Avoid spammy link farms. Look for sites with real history and traffic. • Or join a reputable PBN network. (like RankClub. io)

17 (simple) linkbuilding tips for those who are new to it: 1. Focus on relevance, not just Domain Rating 2. One great link > 20 random ones 3. Build links to commercial pages, not just blogs 4. Avoid spammy directories and link farms 5. Personalize every pitch, generic emails flop 6. Prioritize placements your ICP actually reads 7. Don’t pay for links unless you know what you’re doing 8. Build relationships, not just links 9. Don’t just chase DR , chase trust + traffic 10. Use internal linking to pass authority wisely 11. Diversify your anchor text (or risk penalties) 12. Make sure the content your link is in actually ranks 13. Use HARO/Help a B2B Reporter for fast press wins 14. Check if the site has real traffic before pitching 15. Avoid sites with “Write for Us” pages full of outbound links 16. Always ask: will this link move the needle? 17. Track outcomes, not just how many links you get Start here. Master the basics. Then scale what works. What’s one linkbuilding tip you wish you knew earlier?

I was talking with one of our SEO clients recently and he said to me, “Roman, I’ve got so many calls coming in for our business; I’m missing half of them!” Highlight of my day! 😄 These kinds of results are what we’re aiming for at Summit Digital Marketing: A total influx of leads and sales for our clients. Want to improve your company’s SEO? Here are two areas your team should be focusing on: 1. ON-PAGE SEO: Optimize new and existing content around non-brand keywords. The goal here is to create unique and useful content that prospects engage with, and that search engines understand and reward. On-page SEO helps search engines understand your content, so be intentional with your keyword research and placement of the target non-brand keywords in your pages: - Headlines - Copy - Keyword density - Page titles - Meta descriptions - URL architecture - Internal linking (and anchor texts) - Images and other media The goal here is to rank for words and phrases (keywords) your ideal customer is searching for. Incorporate both (a) high volume top of funnel keywords, as well as (b) intent-rich specific queries. 2. LINK BUILDING: Build links to your website from other websites. It is well known in the SEO-world that links are a huge SEO ranking factor. (Google leaders have publicly acknowledged this, as well 😉) Your website needs other websites linking to it. Here are five practical ways any business can begin building backlinks to their website: (a) Partners: trade shows, events, associations, service directories, certifications, hiring websites. If your business participates in any of these, there is usually an opportunity for a backlink. (b) CREATE useful and relevant free content: Encourage organic backlinks with content that people find useful and worth sharing. Sounds simple (because it is), but so many businesses don’t do this to their peril. (c) PROMOTE that content on organic social media: The previous bullet is about content CREATION. This is about content PROMOTION. Both are important in link building. Not only are social signals a ranking factor (especially for Microsoft Bing), but as you share more and more on social media, your content will get picked up and linked to by other companies, journalists, bloggers, etc. (d) Digital PR: Work with journalists, influencers, bloggers, and podcasters. (e) Social media profiles and articles + review site profiles: Review sites like TrustPilot allow your business to share it’s website URL in its profile. Social media sites like LinkedIn and X have features where you can publish articles and link back to supporting content on your website. This is not an exhaustive link building playbook by any means; it is a starting point for any business looking to get more serious about their search engine optimization (SEO). With link building, prioritize quality over quantity. Hope that helps!

How we raised a moving company’s organic website traffic by 40% Last month, I worked with a moving company that was struggling to rank on Google. They had zero backlinks. They knew they needed to build a strong backlink profile, but they didn’t know where to start. That’s where I came in. Here’s how we approached it: 1. Competitor analysis We started by analyzing their top competitors in the area. ◾ Step 1: Identified local movers ranking for keywords like “movers in [city name].” ◾ Step 2: Used tools like Ahrefs to analyze their backlink profiles. ◾ Step 3: Found patterns—most competitors were getting backlinks from: ◽ Local directories. ◽ Industry-specific blogs. ◽ Review sites. From this, we prioritized high-quality, local backlinks that would have the biggest impact. 2. Content creation & outreach Next, we focused on creating content that others would want to link to. ◾ Blog Posts: We created articles like “10 Packing Hacks Every Mover Should Know.” ◾ Infographics: Designed a visual guide on “How to Safely Pack Fragile Items.” ◾ Videos: Produced short videos highlighting the moving company’s services and customer stories. For outreach, we: ◾ Pitched guest blog posts to local websites and moving industry blogs. ◾ Used HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to position the client as an expert for journalists. ◾ Shared content across social media to increase visibility. 3. Local SEO & citations We optimized their local presence with: ◾ A fully updated Google My Business profile (with accurate NAP info and new customer reviews). ◾ Listings on directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, and local chamber of commerce sites. ◾ Consistent online citations across all platforms. 4. Broken link building We identified broken links on local websites and reached out to the site owners. ◾ Suggested their blog posts and guides as replacements. ◾ Secured several quality backlinks through this strategy alone. 5. Building relationships We also helped the client establish local partnerships to generate backlinks: ◾ Collaborated with real estate agents and storage facilities. ◾ Sponsored local community events for exposure and mentions on event websites. Within 3 months, here’s what we achieved: ✔ Added 25 high-quality backlinks from local and industry-specific sites. ✔ Improved their local Google rankings by 2 positions for key keywords. ✔ Increased organic website traffic by 40%. Backlinks aren’t just about volume—they’re about quality, strategy, and relationships. P.S. I’m offering free consultation call (Link in bio) to help you: ◾ Identify backlink opportunities tailored to your niche. ◾ Build a roadmap for sustainable SEO growth. ◾ Start ranking higher and attracting more customers.

11 Proven Ways to Build High Quality Backlinks (to rank on Google & ChatGPT): 1. Guest Post on Authority Sites → Not just blogs...go for newsletters and industry publications → Think: niche newsletters, Substack guest editions, local biz sites 2. HARO + Featured Mentions → Still works, but now also try: Terkel, Qwoted, Help a B2B Writer → Faster and often more responsive than HARO 3. Partner Collaboration Pages → Add a “Partners” page and ask vendors, clients, and tools to do the same → You link to them, they link to you 4. Resource Pages & “Best Tools” Lists → Search: intitle:resources + [your industry] → Pitch your brand/tool/blog as an addition 5. Launch a Public SOP Library → Create step-by-step SOPs in your niche → People love linking to process docs + free templates → Bonus: Update monthly, turn it into a backlink magnet 6. Create an Industry Data Report → Run a survey, publish the data, design a PDF → Add original charts + insights → Outreach to bloggers who cover your space 7. Build a Free Tool (Even a Simple One) → ROI calculator, audit checklist, SEO grader, etc. → Tools get 10x more backlinks than blogs...if they’re useful 8. Interview Your Customers or Influencers → Turn interviews into long-form blog posts → The person you feature will often link back to it → Works great for consultants, coaches, service businesses 9. Turn Your Blog into a Book (Then Launch It) → Turn 5-10 pillar posts into an ebook → Publish on Gumroad or Amazon → Promote with a “Free Resources” campaign...backlinks follow 10. Sponsor a Niche Newsletter or Creator → Pick ones with solid SEO sites (Substack, Ghost, Medium) → Your brand gets a mention + backlink in the archive 11. Create an “Ultimate Linkable Asset” → Think: “100+ stats for [industry]”, “Complete guide to [X]”, “Tool comparisons” → Make it better than anything on Page 1 → Promote it once a month on social + through outreach --- Link building should start before outreach. If it’s not worth linking to, no one will. Most SEOs avoid doing hard work → that’s your edge. Give people value + reasons to reference you. Create once, promote monthly, stack links over time. --- Whatcha think? Agree or disagree? Repost ♻️ and let's start a discussion around backlinks. P.S. I'm Connor Gillivan. Follow me and hit my 🔔 for daily Marketing insights.

Stop guessing. Start doing. Here are 5 link building tactics delivering results in 2024: 1️⃣ Podcast Guesting 2.0 Don't just show up create a resource page for every episode. Hosts link to it. You get 2-3 links per appearance. 2️⃣ Original Data Studies Survey your audience. Publish findings. Journalists and bloggers cite original data. One study = links for 2+ years. 3️⃣ Broken Link Building (But Smarter) Don't just find broken links. Find broken links on HIGH-TRAFFIC pages. Use Wayback Machine to see what content existed. Recreate it better. 4️⃣ Help a Reporter Out (HARO) 2.0 Skip the daily firehose. Use Connectively (HARO's replacement) with specific filters. Respond within 2 hours. Success rate jumps from 2% to 15%. 5️⃣ Linkable Asset Strategy Create tools, calculators, or templates. Not blog postsnUTILITIES. Example: "SEO ROI Calculator" > "SEO ROI Guide" Tools get 10x more links. Which one will you try this week? 👇v