Your opinions and topics as a blogger count, but only if they are found. But your opinion will only be found on Google and other search engines if it is actually worth it. In addition to excellent content and technical optimization of your blog, links are a unit of measurement for this value and that’s why we’re writing about 7 link building tips for your blog.
Why link building is important for your blog!
Tim Berners Lee’s original idea about links on the Internet was to refer to other interesting websites. He derived this principle from scientific work and also used these source references for the Internet.
As a young search engine, Google has made use of these links and developed a link-based algorithm to evaluate website content on the basis of their links and to rank them according to their relevance. Even if the weighting of relevance and content has shifted somewhat in recent years and Google has become more sensitive in evaluating web content, links to your website are and will remain an important part of the Google algorithm.
We want your blog to be successful too, and for this reason we have put together 7 link building methods for your blog for you. But be careful, don’t just go ahead and set random links – especially read the last part of this article!
1: Content is King
Above all else, the blog should contain valuable, funny and definitely unique content. This is how the best links are created and in a way that was originally thought up by Google – namely all by itself. But how is good content created? There are different approaches to this, but it is always about providing information that others want to build on. The incoming links represent the reward for this setup.
Compression of information
This involves putting together existing partial information and reducing it to the essentials. The compression of the information makes life easier for the user. For example, the blog can contain all the information about the refugee crisis in Austria. This is knowledge that is also available elsewhere, but only exists very widely (e.g. at ministries, aid organizations, etc.). The merging in a blog helps visitors to get a quick overview and to understand complex issues. The more extensive the merge, the better the content.
Comment information
Another approach would be to take existing information and offer personal opinions. In the newspapers, this type of content is called a column. Success depends on the uniqueness of the opinion. Many blogs about movies or music take a more negative approach, as criticism is easier to express in unique ways than praise.
Create information
Similar to a diploma thesis, existing information can be assumed, but completely new parts must be created for this approach. This can be done through market studies, surveys or research. Perhaps the simplest example would be blogging about new cooking recipes.
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2: external commenting
As soon as the first good content is available, the blogger should already have a lot of knowledge about his chosen topic. This experience should be used as efficiently as possible. Writing intelligent comments on other people’s blogs shouldn’t be difficult and so attention can be generated for your own project and some links.
3: blog as a guest author
Every blogger can make a name for himself through regular commenting and if the other operators like their own content, there are opportunities for guest posts. Is very progressive in this regard and seeks contact with the other webmasters and bloggers. Turns competitors into (link) partners.
4: Become a forum hero
Your own specialist knowledge can be used in many other places on the Internet. A lot of questions are asked in forums and if your blog has a good answer ready, then the admins won’t mind a link. Of course, it helps to first make a name for yourself in the forums with your own expertise. The same applies to the use of social media channels.
5: Win links with competitions
Many blog topics lend themselves to competitions. Coupons, DVDs, consultations or similar little things can be raffled off. This not only brings attention and interaction with users but also links. The competitions only need to be advertised on various websites or forums. In many cases, the ball starts rolling after the first active advertising measures and further pages’ link of their own accord.
6: Offer useful goodies
Bloggers offer free services in many areas. Small widgets, programs, tools, eBooks or, for example, business card templates for bloggers are offered. The remuneration for such services are again links, which are either included in the widgets and programs or are created naturally.
There are no limits to creativity. And believe me, there are many little gimmicks that can be implemented with a manageable amount of effort and that come across interested parties. To name a few examples from different subject areas and to provide an impetus for brainstorming, here are some ideas:
- A small widget that provides the current gold rate
- A quantity converter for cook blogs
- A small form in a fashion blog that determines the color of the handbag to match the shoes
- An eBook with marketing tips for a special field
- A collection of useful tools
Number 7: Get sponsorship
At first glance, it sounds very unrealistic for a little blogger to provide enough funding for sponsorship. An example of this from the field of e-sports. Many different portals such as strivewire.com offer sponsorship of small tournaments for around 100 to 200 euros. In this way, many links can be generated quickly, because not only on the tournament portals, but also on many other blogs, links to the sponsor arise through news about the tournament.
Only the relevance of the topic has to be considered, but gamers also have to eat, dress or need everyday consumer goods. There are also sponsorship opportunities for many other areas and the value of the resulting links is significantly greater than the commitment.
But be careful: if you overdo it, you will fly (maybe)
Google is of course very aware of these link building methods and there are many people who try to outsmart the search engine algorithm in order to get good rankings. For this reason, it is particularly important to be careful as a blogger when building links. If you only set up links on one side and only use one or a few sources, who do not consider the quality of the pages, the relevance of the topic and the position of the links, you run the risk of being punished.
Penalized means that the rankings of your blog are downgraded either through an algorithmic filter or manual intervention by a Google employee. Where exactly the pain threshold lies here are empirical values and differ from subject area to subject area. It is therefore important to avoid creating patterns in link building for your blog and to make these links look natural.