Link building remains one of the hardest aspects of SEO. Yet, it is also one of the most rewarding.

When done right, link building can help set you up as an authority in your niche thus improving your search engine rankings. On the other hand, if you buy the links, the search engines will punish you. It’s a violation of the search engine guidelines and don’t be surprised when your rankings disappear.

Given the effectiveness of link building as an SEO strategy, it attracts several sites. A survey by Semrush involving business owners, SEO consults, in-house specialists, and SEO agencies found nearly 65% are experienced in link building.

Given the competition, you understand that if you are going to use any link building strategy then you have to do it right. You need various skills like content creation, PR, and detailed keyword research to set you apart.

The best option is to stick to any single strategy for some time before realizing any tangible results. At the same time don’t shy from trying out new ideas.

With that information, here are some of the best link building strategies to use for your content.

• Reach out to relevant sites

Finding backlinks to your page in the early stages is quite hard. By then no one that matters knows of your existence. At the same time, they might also be linking to your competition which they are well conversant with.

It’s time to get to the relevant sites and let them know of your existence. Reach out to the various sites in your niche and let them interact with your content. The outreach also works with products, services, and brands.

The best way to go about the outreach is by staying relevant. For example, if you have a marketing tool, then look out for entrepreneurs and startups for link building. The usefulness of your solution also determines your chances of getting backlinks.

Reach out to those who have mentioned your target keyword in their content and those who have linked to similar content as yours. The more you interact with the various sites, the better you will understand what content works best.

• Guest blogging

Guest blogging remains one of the oldest yet successful means to link building. Whether a small business starting out, a new content creator, or experienced, guest blogging can work for your content.

Guest blogging when done right sets you up as an authority hence leads to quality links. There are several sites looking to accept guest posts. A simple search using your niche +write for us will land you several pages looking for your content.

However, there is a challenge with doing what everyone else does. With everyone sending out guest posts most of the pages receiving them are overwhelmed. It takes so much time and effort to get accepted.

Make your work easier by looking for alternatives. Don’t wait for a site to explicitly state that they accept guest posts. Instead, look for relevant sites then cold pitch for a guest post. Rarely would a site reject high-quality content that would also build their content marketing.

• Find unlinked mentions

There are cases when one would mention you or your business in their content without linking to you. Search for these instances then let them link to your work.

This is one of the easiest ways to get backlinks. Having mentioned you, the content creators are also familiar with your products. There is the likelihood they are impressed with whatever you provide and would not hesitate to link back to you.

• Forums and blog comments

The other way to get quality backlinks is by being active in various forums and blogs like questioning platforms like Quora and imageboards.

Look for an appropriate forum with relevant content. You can then give insightful contributions and leave a link to your page at the end. Even though most of these sites provide for no-follow links, when you prove insightful, most people from the forum will look for your content.

• Repurpose content

Not all your link building strategies should be about others. Instead, you can use your existing content in various formats to secure backlinks. For example, you might have a well-written long-form guide with links that works alright. Consider changing it into an infographic or podcast to reach more audiences.

Not everyone interacts with your content the first time you put it out. Repurposing your content gives you another chance to reach the target audience you might have missed. It also allows you to reach a new type of audience as various people prefer different content formats.

Bottom line 

Building a backlink portfolio remains one of the most effective ways to improve your ranking and boost traffic. The above ideas are some of the ways to get you started. The various link building strategies are distinctive such that you can use them at the same time.