How to get quality inbound links using content marketing

Link building, second only to quality content marketing, is the holy grail for organic traffic if you are a digital marketer.

Earning inbound links through content marketing can seem like a daunting goal. Where do you start? How can you do this?

This article will cover the basics of Inbound Links, their importance, and some specific strategies to help you earn them with content marketing.

Take-outs

• Inbound links increase your brand's authority and reputation on the topics that are most relevant to your audience.

• A blog that is active is the foundation of any link-building strategy.

• Visual content and downloadable templates can be shared widely and are effective in generating inbound links.

• Strong link building takes time and requires you to understand your niche.

Here's the lowdown on inbound linking

They are

Inbound links are links from other websites to your website. Inbound links are when another website links to your content as an appropriate resource, such as in a blog post. An outbound link is the opposite of an inbound linking. It is when you link from your website to another website.

Let's take a look at one example.

Below is a screenshot taken from a blog post I wrote about perfecting calls to action. As you can see, I have included a link to the source statistic in my copy about CTAs increasing conversion rates.

This hyperlink takes readers to one HubSpot blog, which covers the research behind 200%. Marketing Insider Group considers this an outbound link. It is a useful resource for my readers. It's an inbound hyperlink for HubSpot. This is a source traffic to their site. It's also one of the reasons they have such high domain authority.

They are essential for your success

SEO rankings are influenced by inbound links. Google and other search engines can tell if other quality websites link to your content that you are a trusted authority on the topic. Google uses inbound links to assess the value of your content beyond keywords and other common techniques. They can help you rank higher in your niche over time.

High-quality referral traffic can also be generated by inbound links. They can be viewed as an endorsement. You can think of it like this: If you read a blog post from a website that you trust and enjoy, and the blog link to another website, then you are more likely to trust that site. You may even browse their content or explore their offerings.

Six ways content marketing can help you earn inbound links

How do you get inbound links? It is not easy. It takes effort and time to earn enough inbound links that drive real results. There are many ways to achieve this, and I will share 6 of my recommendations.

A blog that is active

Content marketing success is dependent on consistency. This is also a key to earning inbound link. Hubspot research found that companies of all sizes that publish 11+ blog posts per month earn twice as much or even triple the inbound traffic.

Source: Image Source

This is due to a number of factors. First, optimizing more content leads to higher organic search ranking over time. This increases brand awareness and improves overall brand presence.

Your brand will be more visible once you have a rich content library. This shows authority, thought leadership, reliability, and trust to other brands who visit your site. This makes it easier for them to trust your content and make it shareable on their sites.

Evergreen content

Optimized SEO content that doesn't expire is called evergreen content. It is based on your core content pillars, and when written correctly, it stays relevant for many years.

You can use evergreen content to build authority and traffic over time.

Image Source : Cognitive SEO

Because other brands share content that is timeless, they are more likely to return the favor. This establishes you as an expert in your niche and encourages people to share it again when they are in need of other content.

The most popular topics

You can increase your inbound links by creating content that is related to ttrending topics in pop culture and news. You can create infographics or other visuals that are related to your topic to increase the number of people sharing it. Why? They're creating content on the same topics. Your visuals can help.

It is important to find a way to connect the topic to your industry and to your audience. Let's take an example. Organic search agency Fractl developed an infographic to show the home countries of Marvel heroes when the movie was released.

The infographic was a huge success. It gained Movoto exposure on sites such as MTV, Yahoo!, Business Insider and People, Glamour, The Huff Post, and many others.

Image Source: Fractl

This tactic can not only generate inbound links, but it's also fun and creative.

Infographics

Infographics are a great strategy for building inbound links, regardless of what topic they cover. Infographics are able to simplify complex content and make it easy for users to understand. Infographics are great for sharing statistics, step-by–step instructions, technical information, and high volumes of information.

These links can also be used to promote your content to other audiences, in addition to directing them to your site.

Marketing Insider Group chose to use the infographic approach to create the perfect blog post. We had so many details to share about the anatomy of a blog post as well as our 20-step checklist that we felt we needed visual support to make it all fit into one post.

These infographics can be downloaded and shared easily. This means that other brands could link to the post or share the images on their sites.

Image Source

Templates and tools that can be downloaded

Brands create content that helps their audience solve problems or accomplish important tasks. This is possible by providing templates and tools that they can use in their jobs. It's no surprise that list posts linking to downloadable content are so popular. There is a lot of demand and the users get tons of value.

Guess what? Each of the templates and tools included in a list post are an inbound link to the brand that created them.

Marketing Insider Group regularly creates lists posts such as this, most recently for content marketing calendars and templates. Although these tools and templates are not all created by us, our audience will continue to return to our blog for additional resources. This is why they are worth publishing and why templates and tools that fit in posts like this can help you earn inbound traffic.

Guest posting

Guest posting on sites related to your industry is a great strategy for building inbound links. It is a win-win situation for all involved. Partnering with a site that you trust and has a large audience means that you are able to build authority and brand exposure, as well as gaining an inbound link to your website.

How do you get started with guest posting? Here is the tricky part.

You may be asked to guest-post on other websites for brands you have a good relationship with, or who consider you an expert on the topic you are covering. This takes a lot of time and a good reputation.

You can also reach out to other brands directly to inquire if they are interested in featuring your content. This route is popular and can be very profitable if done correctly.

You might also find broken links on other websites. Reach out to the owner and suggest one.

This is the key to your success. Make sure that the content you offer to guest post on the site you are pitching is of high quality and relevant. There's more to it. Neil Patel has a great guide for guest blogging. I highly recommend it.

Own your niche

Inbound links can be earned consistently and at high volumes. This requires you to know your niche.

These are just a few of the many ways you can earn inbound links. However, I also recommend some more strategic steps. These will help you gain a better understanding of the content landscape in relation to topics and subjects you are looking for authority on and for which you can earn inbound link.

First, a competitive analysis can help you see where your competitors are ranking higher than you and therefore likely inbound links. The ultimate guide by SEMRush to competitive content analysis is a fantastic resource that guides you through the entire process.

You can then use the skyscraper technique to create better versions of the content that your competitors are creating. Ahref's has an in-depth guide that will help you do this.

These strategic steps can be combined with the tactics in the previous section to see results.

With content marketing that delivers, you can earn inbound links

Content marketing is about creating high-quality, consistent content that provides value to your customers. Marketing Insider Group's SEO and writers can provide you with optimized content that is ready to publish every week for a whole year. ).

To learn more, visit our SEO blog writing service or to schedule a consultation with me to get going!