In this lesson, I'm going to teach you four methods for off-site SEO. Remember, the reason you're building backlinks is to improve your ranking in Google, which will drive more traffic to your website. When external sites link to your website, it increases your domain authority. This notifies Google that your website is valuable and worth showcasing high in the search results.
Backlinks can also help build exposure for your brand and drive referral traffic to your website when someone clicks on the link. So let's get into the four strategies. Strategy number one is guest posting. Guest posting is when you provide informational content to another blog or media outlet-- ideally, one related to your niche. The idea is that when you guest post on another website, you can include links to your website in the post.
So how do you pick which websites to target for guest posting? Here are two ways to help you decide. Number one, domain authority. Google essentially has their own list of the top websites they track for domain authority. A tool that many SEO marketers use to try and understand domain authority is Moz. I've shared a link in the Resource section below. The second way to target a guest post is relevance.
The more relevant the content around that backlink is to your website, the more it will help you. So if you saw blue jeans and you get a link from a website about indoor plants, it's out of place. This signals to Google that there may be a scam going on. In the Resources section below, I've included a template you can use to reach out for guest posts. Remember, you're looking for websites in your niche with high domain authority where you can write a guest post about a topic that directly relates to the popular products you want to highlight.
And if they have guest posting guidelines, make sure you read them first. The second strategy I recommend is traditional public relations. This is similar to guest posting, but you don't write the post yourself. Instead, you are interviewed by the journalists or content producer, and they include a link to your website in their article. The value of PR is that you get featured in a media outlet.
You benefit from the media outlet's domain authority, and you get your message to their audience. You may think you need a PR team to pitch the media, but that's not the case at all. The PR industry is changing, and it's now easier than ever to make connections with journalists and producers online or through social media and email your pitch directly. So how do you choose what media outlets to reach out to?
Here are a couple of ways. Number one, check out the media outlets your competitors have been featured in. This way, you can see which media has helped them rank. Number two, sign up for a free service like HARO, which stands for Help A Reporter Out. HARO shares daily opportunities to be featured in various media outlets.
If you've never pitched the media before, that's no problem. In the Resources section, I share a template you can use to tailor your pitch to a producer or journalist. The third strategy I recommend is getting product reviews from influencers. Sometimes when a business owner thinks about working with bloggers or influencers, they're thinking specifically about, will this attract sales? The truth is sometimes it will, sometimes it won't.
There are no guarantees. One aspect of a product giveaway that you have more control over is getting a link from an influencer. Sometimes the SEO benefit of getting a backlink from an influencer can be even more valuable than the shoutout. You want them to post on their website as well to take advantage of their search traffic and domain authority. So how do you choose the right influencers?
Start by choosing people who have built an audience that is relevant to your business. If you're a small business, don't be afraid to start with small influencers. They may be more willing to work with you because they don't get pitched as often. Just like guest posting, you can also look at the domain authority of the blog you want to reach out to. The higher the domain authority, the more helpful a link will be.
In the Resources section below, I've shared a template you can use to reach out to influencers. The fourth method I recommend is brand reclamation. Also called link reclamation, this is the process of finding websites that have mentioned your brand but forgotten to include a link to your website. This strategy is best if you've had a business for at least six months and have been actively working on promoting your business.
Now let's recap what you learned in this lesson. The four repeatable strategies I recommend are guest posting, PR, product reviews from influencers, and doing a brand reclamation. Regardless of the strategy you choose, it's important to be consistent. Not every person you pitch is going to say yes, but that's OK.
Try and reach out to five websites every week. Each new link you get will help your website rank better. And remember, there are lots of links building strategies out there. Off-site SEO is one of the most creative parts of SEO, so don't be afraid to think outside the box and have fun with it. In the demo for this lesson, I'll show you how to do link building research so you can find backlink ideas for your own store.
If you decided to try Ahrefs out for keyword research, you can also use it for link research. If not, I recommend using Moz's free Link Explorer tool which offers 10 free searches a month. That's what I'll be using in the demo. Head to the next lesson to see how I do link building research.