HARO: Help a reporter out Link acquisition Tactics

Link Acquisition for SEO

Why is link building important for SEO?

Google assesses the appeal of your content by considering how engaging others find it, primarily through backlinks. Simply creating excellent content isn't sufficient for ranking high in search results. Google prioritises the perceived value of your content by evaluating the number and quality of backlinks to your website.

What are backlinks?

Backlinks serve as an indicator to Google that your website is a valuable source worth referencing. The quantity and quality of backlinks significantly influence your search ranking. By acquiring more high-quality backlinks, you can improve your website's ranking in search results.

Backlinks play a crucial role in determining your content's search engine ranking. They signal to Google that your website is a trusted and valuable resource that others want to link to. Websites with more and higher-quality backlinks often rank higher in search results. Google has emphasised that increasing the number of high-quality sites linking to your pages can improve your site's rank.

What is link acquisition?

Link acquisition involves actively encouraging other websites to link to yours. It's an essential strategy because it boosts your site's credibility and ranking in search results. However, it's becoming increasingly challenging to secure these links manually.

Proactively building links is crucial. Securing links from other websites has become increasingly challenging in recent years. Nowadays, people are more inclined to share content on social media rather than link to it on their blogs. That's why it's more important than ever to actively pursue a good link acquisition strategy. Using tools we mention below like HARO, help a reporter out, is a great way to be proactive in link acquisition.

Informational content, such as blog posts, tends to attract more organic backlinks.

Keep in mind that not all content on your website naturally attracts links. While informational content such as blog posts tends to get more organic links, product pages are less likely to be linked to. However, since product pages directly contribute to conversions, it's crucial to acquire links for them to improve their search rankings. One strategy is to proactively reach out to others for product reviews, thereby building links to these less naturally linkable pages.

Achieving effective link building involves creating excellent content while also actively building links through manual efforts.

In summary, if you're doing SEO without incorporating link building, your efforts won't yield desired results. Effective link building involves combining great content creation with manual efforts to build links.

How to Scale Link Acquisition Using Press Request Alerts

How can relationship-building be employed to expand link building endeavours?

Establishing and nurturing relationships with individuals who may link to your website is essential for scaling your link building endeavours.

But where should you begin in building these valuable connections? Collaborating with prominent publications and influencers can provide access to top-tier links and broaden your audience reach. While partnering with major publications and influencers can pose challenges, the high-quality links and expanded audience exposure make the effort worthwhile.

Establish connections with journalists by leveraging press request alerts. Responding to press request alerts is a straightforward method for fostering relationships with journalists. These alerts present invaluable opportunities for securing high-value links and serve as a gateway to establishing enduring relationships with journalists. These connections can lead to further link building prospects in the future.

Here's a list of link building services to get you started:

1. HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

2. ProfNet

3. SourceBottle

4. Muck Rack

5. ResponseSource

6. Gorkana

7. PressQuest

What is HARO?

HARO, or Help a Reporter Out, is a platform that connects journalists with sources for their stories. It allows reporters to post inquiries on specific topics, and experts, business owners, or individuals with relevant knowledge can respond with insights or quotes. HARO helps journalists find credible sources quickly, while also giving individuals and businesses an opportunity to gain media exposure by contributing to news articles, blogs, or other media outlets. It’s a win-win for both reporters and those looking to build authority in their field.

Be prepared to receive hundreds of requests every day. The challenge with some of these press alert tools is the sheer volume of requests you'll receive, which can be overwhelming. To manage this influx, utilise your email client's filters to prioritise and surface the most relevant requests.

• To get started, choose just one press request alert service to sign up for. Then, spend one to two weeks browsing through the requests without responding. This will give you a feel for what journalists are seeking.

• Next, compile a list of thought leaders within your organisation who could provide relevant quotes on these topics. Reach out to them via email, requesting quotes across the topics highlighted in the requests. This approach will help you respond to the requests in a way that increases your chances of being selected by journalists.

• Organise these quotes into a document categorised by topic, aiming to collect 10-20 diverse quotes that can be easily customised and shared with journalists. Upon receiving these quotes, introduce yourself briefly and provide a one-sentence explanation of the quote, establishing credibility. Avoid directly requesting a link at this stage, but feel free to link your company name to your website for reference. Focus on building relationships with journalists through providing valuable insights rather than immediate link acquisition.

Engaging with press request alerts offers a proactive approach to securing quality backlinks from reputable websites without the need to create extensive new content. By simply providing concise insights or quotes, you can establish connections with journalists, laying the groundwork for future collaboration on larger link building initiatives. If you have more resources at your disposal a you can look at the link building service Fat Joe.

This initial interaction lays the foundation for fostering relationships with journalists, which can be invaluable when pursuing more comprehensive link building strategies in the future.

How Many Links Does Your Content Need to Rank on Page One?

To achieve a high ranking, you'll need a similar number of links to those of other top-ranked results. Aim to acquire a comparable number of links to what's already present in the top results on the first page.

There's no secret trick to instantly boost your page's ranking above others on Google. However, to compete with the top-ranking pages, you'll need a similar number of backlinks to them. Analysing the links of the top-ranked pages can give you a target number to aim for.

How to calculate a baseline target for how many links you'll need on a given web page.
Select a broad subject you aim to be recognised for: For instance, if you own a fish shop, you might opt for a broad topic such as "Buying pet fish."

Here is an example of a link-checking tool which tells you how many root domains (websites) link to that URL.

Let's calculate how many links you'll need on a web page.

First, calculate a baseline target for how many links you'll need:

• Select a broad subject you aim to be recognised for.

• Input that topic into Google and conduct a search.

• Utilise a link-checking tool to assess the URLs of the top 10 results.

• Determine the average number of root domains linking to these sites.

• Investigate the competition for the chosen broad topic.

Afterward, enter that broad topic into Google using an incognito window and perform a search. Record the top 10 results displayed. Then, systematically input each URL into a link-checking tool. For instance, Moz offers a free tool called Open Site Explorer. This tool allows you to input a URL and provides information on the number of root domains, or websites, linking to that specific URL.

Determining the average number of root domains

Let's say that the average root domains linking to a specific URL was 30, you'd require approximately 30 backlinks from distinct websites to rival these sites.

Compute the average number of domains linking to competitors' sites. After assessing all 10 outcomes, compute the average number of domains linking to these sites. This will provide a general indication of the number of links needed to contend with the first-page results on Google. For instance, to compete with page one results for the topic "workout routines," you'd need roughly 30 backlinks from distinct websites. Pages with fewer backlinks that still rank on page one likely reside on sites with high domain authority.

Okay, once you've determined the number of links your content needs to compete in search, you might wonder, "Which piece of content should include all those links?" Once more, refer to the top 10 search results for the same broad topic. Visit each URL and skim through the content.

What patterns and elements do you notice across these pages? Look for common themes in the information, the language used, the content structure, and its length.

Avoid creating content that deviates significantly from what's already ranking well.

Instead, aim to align with the themes and elements present in the top search results. Whether they're long blog posts, videos, or resource lists, mirroring their format and content structure can improve your SEO performance. While uniqueness is valuable, straying too far from established patterns may hinder your visibility in search results.

Assess whether your website already features content structured similarly to the top-ranking results:

• Do you already have content that aligns with those common themes and elements?

If not, your initial step should involve creating new content that mirrors the structure and essence of the top-ranking results. Take a moment to determine if your existing content matches the structure and elements found in the top-ranking pages. If it does, prioritise building links to that content. Otherwise, focus on crafting new content that closely resembles the format and tone of the leading pages before embarking on link-building efforts for that topic.

The Importance of Relationships in Scaling Link Acquisition

In the realm of link acquisition, many find themselves hitting a wall when it comes to scaling their efforts. This hurdle often arises because individuals prioritise scaling specific link building tactics rather than nurturing and expanding relationships.

Building and nurturing relationships are fundamental to successful link building endeavours. Consider this: For a blog post to include a link to your website, there must be a connection with the author. Similarly, to secure the opportunity to publish a news piece on a reputable site, fostering a relationship with the news outlet is essential.

Link building is about building meaningful relationships

Link building entails the deliberate cultivation of significant relationships with individuals who possess the ability and inclination to link back to your website.Therefore, link building isn't simply about mass-sending cold email blasts to every blogger, journalist, or influencer within your niche. Rather, it involves the strategic development of meaningful connections with the appropriate individuals who are capable and willing to link to your site.

Now, let's weigh the rewards of various link building tactics against the resources they demand.

The tactics situated at the bottom left of the graph necessitate fewer resources and offer a modest reward. These are the more routine strategies you might employ, such as "link reclamation," where you request a link when your brand is mentioned on a site without one, or "resource pages," which involve obtaining a link to your site on a listicle.Despite their varying degrees of complexity, all these tactics share a common requirement: the need to cultivate a relationship with another individual or business for them to be effective.

Scaling your link building endeavours becomes particularly crucial when employing lower-risk, lower-reward tactics. The sole method to scale these approaches is by fostering enduring relationships—with bloggers, journalists, partners, business proprietors, and influencers. Through this approach, you can effectively address multiple tactics by nurturing just one relationship over time.

• Freelance journalists are great resources for link building.

One valuable discovery I've made is that freelance journalists are a treasure trove for link building. Why? Their livelihood revolves around pitching stories to various publications and earning from it. By consistently providing them with content to pitch, you're not only assisting them but also simplifying their lives.

Remember: Initiating relationship-building should invariably entail providing value to the individual from whom you seek a link.

Here's a demonstration of fostering a mutually beneficial relationship.

YOU: Hello! I've been following your blog for quite some time and admire your work. Do you happen to seek content on a particular topic for which I could contribute a guest post?

THEM: Absolutely! I'm constantly on the lookout for exceptional content. Could you possibly write a guest post on this specific topic? Remember, relationship-building should invariably commence with delivering value.

When it comes to nurturing relationships, remember that it's crucial to begin by offering value to the person you're seeking a link from.

When initiating a relationship, avoid immediately asking for something in return. This approach is unlikely to succeed. The most effective way to establish a fruitful relationship that leads to backlinks is by providing value upfront. For instance, if you're keen on building a rapport with a particular blogger, you might express your admiration for their blog and inquire if they're interested in a guest post on a specific topic. Understand their personal and business objectives, and present a compelling case highlighting the benefits of collaborating with your brand.

Pause for a moment and assess your progress in relationship-building. Consider the existing connections your organisation has with journalists, bloggers, influencers, and potential link sources. Identify individuals or entities you aspire to build relationships with, and contemplate the value you can provide to kickstart these connections.

The deeper and more meaningful your relationships with individuals who can link to your site from reputable sources, the more efficiently you'll expand your link building endeavours in the long run.

Check our other blog to find out more!

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• Internal Linking

• Link Acquisition