Top 10 White Hat Link Acquisition Strategies That Work Like a Charm
Editor / November 26, 2024
Link acquisition is a key strategy to rank high in online search results and it involves getting links to your pages from other websites.
In this FastLinky post, I’ll discuss 10 strategies that will help you implement this difficult but essential SEO technique ethically and effectively.
Important Technical Terms and Their Meaning
| Technical Term | Meaning |
| Backlinks (inbound links) | Links to your website from other domains are called backlinks or inbound links. |
| Referring Site | A site that links its pages to your site is called a referring site. |
| Target Site | What a referring site gives you a backlink, your site is the target site for that link. |
| Linkable assets | Content on websites that are designed to attract backlinks. |
| Link Juice (also known as Link Equity) | When a reputed site gives you a backlink it shares some of its authority and reputation with you. This is called link juice or link equity. |
| Link Acquisition | Acquiring quality backlinks to your site is called link acquisition. |
| White Hat Link Acquisition | Backlinks acquisition techniques that align with Google’s link acquisition guidelines. |
| Guest Blogging | When a writer posts content on a third-party blog or website, it is called guest blogging. |
| Resource Page Link Building | Building resource page links involves getting your site included on a site that lists valuable content on a specific topic. |
| Image Link Building | Creating and sharing visual content like images to get backlinks is called image link building. |
| Unlinked Brand Mention | When a site mentions your brand but doesn’t give you backlinks, it is called unlinked brand mention. |
| Broken Links | Links that do not direct users to the intended page are called broken links. |
| Broken Link Building | Broken link building is the process of finding broken links on a domain and replacing them with backlinks to your site. |
| Link Exchanges | The agreement between sites to give each other backlinks is known as link exchange. |
| Skyscraper Technique | Creating better content than a high-ranking page and then promoting your content for backlinks is called the skyscraper technique. |
| Competitor backlink Analysis | Analysing your competitors’ backlink profiles and using the insights to improve your backlink-building strategies is called competitor backlink analysis. |
| Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) | Optimising the structure and content of a website so it secures a higher ranking in search results is called Search Engine Optimisation or simply, SEO. |
| SERP (Search Engine Results Page) | Pages search engines return against a search query are called SERPs. |
| Referral Traffic | The number of visitors who come to your site after clicking on a backlink to your site is called referral traffic. |
Link Acquisition–What is It?
Link acquisition means getting your site backlinks from other domains. This is a key SEO strategy as search engines consider backlinks a major ranking metric.
Why Link Acquisition is Essential
The acquisition of backlinks serves several purposes. Here are some of them.
Improves SERP Ranking
Inbound links are a key ranking factor for search engines like Google. Backlinks to your site from reputed referring sites improve your pages’ ranking on SERPs.
Proves Your Authority
When an authority site links its pages to another site, it tells Google that the target site contains valuable authoritative content.
This link juice, which flows from the referring site, helps the target site get a higher SERP ranking and improved online visibility and traffic.
Helps Get Referral Traffic
Through backlinks, visitors to a site will be redirected to your pages for valuable additional information. Thus backlinks will help you get referral traffic.
Remember, traffic, no matter how you get it, is important for your brand and business.
Link Acquisition is Difficult
However, link acquisition is not easy. Two main reasons.
First, backlinks should come from sites that deal with the same topics as yours. In short, your competitors’ sites.
Do you really believe in this fiercely competitive digital landscape your competitors will give you backlinks so you can beat them in their own game?
The second reason is, that your strategies to acquire backlinks must align with Google’s link-building guidelines. In short, they must be white hat strategies.
Any efforts to game the system may prompt search engines to blacklist your site, resulting in a worthlessly low ranking. Even vanishing from search results altogether isn’t entirely out of the question.
But you must get quality backlinks. I hope you now realise what kind of jam you are in.
But no worries, I’ve got you covered in this post.
Top 10 White Hat Link Acquisition Strategies
There are several strategies to build a strong backlink profile for your site. Here are 10 time-tested strategies to do it successfully and ethically.
1. Go for Quality Backlinks
One backlink from an authority page is at least 10 times more valuable than 20 backlinks from low-grade disreputable sites.
So your first link acquisition strategy should be putting quality over quantity and focusing on getting backlinks from high-quality, authoritative and reputed sites.
Here are some indicators of a quality backlink.
- It comes from reputed sites that are relevant and closely related to your niche.
- It should be placed naturally and must make sense in the context.
- It should come from diverse sources like blogs, websites and relevant industry directories.
2. Build Linkable Assets
Linkable assets attract backlinks. Your pages must contain high-quality stuff that other webmasters will want to share with their audience.
Here are assets that attract inbound links.
- Superb Content: Create content so good that webmasters of relevant pages get inspired to refer their audiences to your site for additional valuable information. Use keywords-rich text and meta-descriptions and outstanding headings and subheadings.
- Free Tools: Tools address users’ pain points. When others find a useful free tool on your site, they are likely to share it through backlinks.
- Original Research Work: Original research is a great linkable asset as it is unique and hence, compels others to refer their traffic to it for additional information.
3. Do Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is another good link acquisition strategy.
If you write a few blogs for other relevant websites, those webmasters will likely give links to your site or social media accounts.
4. Resource Page Link Building
Resource pages collect and list valuable industry resources. If you can get your site listed on relevant resource pages, you will get backlinks to your pages.
Resource page link building involves reaching out to the appropriate resource pages and convincing their owners that your assets align with what they want.
5. Indulge in Image Link Building
This is another white hat technique to get backlinks. The process goes like this.
- Create outstanding images, videos, infographics etc on your site.
- Reach out to people who want to use those visual content on their pages.
- Get credit from those sites as backlinks to your pages.
- Use Google Reverse Image Search to detect who is using your visual content without giving you credit.
- Contact those guys and ask for immediate backlinks.
5. Unlinked Brand Mention
This is another effective white hat link acquisition strategy.
This technique involves finding pages that mention your brand or anything related to your brand without giving links to your pages.
Then reach out to those sites and request them to turn those mentions into backlinks to your site.
This strategy to get backlinks is easy. If properly used, it can get you a lot of link juice.
Remember, those webmasters have already appreciated your brand by mentioning it on their pages.
All you need to do is to reach out to them and ask for backlinks. They usually comply.
You can use the advanced search parameters in Google search to find out who has mentioned your brand without giving you backlinks.
6. Broken Link Building
In this technique, you will find sites with broken links and reach out to their owners with a friendly request that your content can be a valuable replacement for those links.
Those site owners will have to address this issue and have no reason not to link back to you if your assets are of high quality and relevant to their niche topic.
You can use a broken link checker or Google Search Console to find broken links.
7. Link Exchanges Strategy
To use this technique, you will reach out to sites whose content supplements yours and clinch an agreement with their webmasters to exchange backlinks between you two.
Suppose you deal in food supplements. The owner of a fitness site can easily insert links in his pages to your site because you two deal with supplementary topics.
But use this effective link acquisition technique carefully. Too many exchanges of links between two sites may violate Google’s guidelines and attract punishment.
8. Use Skyscraper Technique
To utilise this strategy, just identify a high-ranking page in your niche topic and create better content than it.
Then go to the webmasters who gave backlinks to that high-ranking site and request them to replace those backlinks with backlinks to your pages as they contain better content.
But you need to create content so good that those inbound link givers will be compelled to give you backlinks.
9. Competitor Backlink Analysis
This link acquisition technique lets you identify link-building strategies that are helping your competitors get quality backlinks and apply those strategies to get backlinks for your pages.
First, identify your potential competitors and domains that are giving them backlinks.
Then identify the linkable assets that are getting backlinks for your competitors and build those assets on your site.
There are many tools to do this analysis. Find one that suits your purpose and go.
10. Hire A Link Acquisition Service Provider
As we have seen, link acquisition is a complicated, time-consuming process that requires high technical and logical prowess and massive resources.
You may not be able to do it yourself. In that case, you can opt for a professional agency that provides backlink-building services.
A reputed, honest and efficient link acquisition SEO services provider like FastLinky will be a cost-effective alternative.
How to Choose a Link-Building Agency?
Selecting the right backlink services provider for you is important, as many fraudulent agencies are there to cheat you.
Here is a guide that should be your starting point in your hunt for the right agency.
Services They Must Provide
Their packages must include services that align with the backlink-building strategies I’ve discussed in this blog.
They may provide some additional services, but these are the basic services that the offered packages must include.
Do Some Homework
Select a few link acquisition service providers and then do some research yourself. You may consider the following factors.
Focus on Reputation
Always go for the best and the best are always reputed.
Finding out the reputation of the agency is the first step to choosing the right agency for your link acquisition needs.
Check Out Experience
Different industries need different backlink-building strategies. Make sure your selected agency has a proven track record and experience in your niche industry.
Reviews and Case Studies
Read customer reviews and case studies. An efficient link builder will have many positive reviews and remarkable case studies.
Reject Smooth Talkers
Anyone making unrealistic promises like a specific SERP rank or lightning-fast results cannot be trusted. These people never walk the talk. Tick them out immediately.
Focus on Ethical Agencies
Ensure that your selected agency implements only white hat strategies.
Many agencies indulge in unethical link-building practices that may damage your reputation and even attract punishment from Google.
Focus on Cost
The link acquisition process takes some time to yield results. Make sure your agency’s price structure aligns with your budget so you can financially support it for some time.
Ensure Clear Communication
Your selected link-building provider must communicate the progress and results of your backlink-building campaign to you.
Any reluctance to do it indicates something is very wrong. Be careful.
Conclusion
To conclude, link acquisition is a key SEO strategy that requires patience, expertise and effective implementation of proper strategies.
Backlinks from diverse and authoritative sources will help your brand register improved visibility and ranking in search results.
The strategies I’ve discussed in this post will help you build a strong backlink profile for your site.
If you cannot do it yourself, a professional link-building service provider will be a cost-effective alternative. However, you must choose it carefully.
Best of Luck.
FAQs
Q. What is link acquisition?
A. Getting backlinks to your pages from reputed domains is called link acquisition.
Q. Why should I acquire backlinks?
A. Backlinks from authoritative sites are a major ranking metric for search engines. They may help your site bag a higher SERP ranking and drive traffic to your pages.
Q. What is a link-building agency?
A. A professional agency that provides businesses with backlink acquisition services is called a link-building agency.
Q. Are link-building agencies illegal?
A. No, it is a standard SEO practice to outsource your backlink profiling. But you must choose the right agency as there are many fraudulent agencies.