![\"Link](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/link-building-gurus.jpg\")
Can you still build links if you aren’t any of these gurus?<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/span>Three ways you are not Brian Dean:<\/span><\/h3>\nFirst, there is an experience gap. They talk to a specific audience of SEO experts or at least people who are to an extent knowledgeable in the topic of search-engine optimization. They say things like \u201ccrawlers\u201d, \u201ctrust flow\u201d, \u201cMOZ ranking\u201d, \u201cauthority\u201d, \u201clink juice\u201d. They advise tools which can be quite costly for an individual entrepreneur and are anyway too obscure and overwhelming for someone who only just embarked on their optimization journey.<\/p>\n
The second difference is in scale. They give advice in terms of \u201ccampaigns\u201d and \u201cbudget\u201d thinking of you as of CEO employing a team of people, while instead, you are a one-man army.<\/p>\n
Third and by far most important, there is a magnitude discrepancy. They tell something along the lines: \u201cI\u2019ve written a really cool guide based on my 10 years\u2019 experience in the field, I\u2019ve reached out to a Forbes editor whom I happen to know through a guy I met on networking occasion, I\u2019ve crafted this sweet friendly personalized email and they published my article and linked back to my site. Score!\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, Brian Dean writing to a Forbes editor is not exactly a rags to riches story. He is a celebrity in his own right, why wouldn\u2019t they be interested in his article for the insights and his name\u2019s sake?<\/p>\n
<\/span>1. Don\u2019t outsource your link building<\/span><\/h2>\nGiven all that, I can see how newbies can be discouraged. They feel helpless and unable to replicate this experience. \u201cWell, that\u2019s some kind of rocket science, I\u2019d rather hire a professional to do this for me. Let\u2019s see what Fiverr has in stock!\u201d Stop right there.<\/p>\n
There will come a time when your team is ready to grow. You will be able to crew your business, hire a writer who will create evergreen content for you, maybe even a research paper helper to tackle your strategy. Yet until then, don\u2019t trust the wellbeing of your site with guys who promise to bring you to the top in a week, guaranteed (no less).<\/p>\n
First of all, link building takes time. It is okay, to grow link by link. Sudden outbursts of links look suspicious to Google algorithms and can harm your site instead of improving its ranking. WebCEO’s Backlink Checker<\/a> can help you track and analyze the quality of your backlinks, ensuring they contribute positively to your site’s SEO.<\/p>\nSecond, often those hired self-proclaimed wizards will just link to you from a bunch of low-quality sites they own and you will get zero value for your money or even worse \u2013 get punished by Google for spammy practices.<\/p>\n
<\/span>2. Embrace content marketing<\/span><\/h2>\nBefore we start talking about reaching out to other sites and encouraging them to link to you, there is an option of gaining links naturally.<\/p>\n
The first step here is to create something that other people have reasons to link to<\/a> \u2013 helpful information, a collection of resources, or simply something entertaining they would want to share or reference. For that purpose, you will need to start a blog and make a commitment to create quality content and post it regularly. It is important, however, to stay on the topic and make sure that your content is relevant to your niche.<\/p>\nBy the way, WebCEO’s SEO Content Assistant<\/a> is a great resource for ensuring your content is not only relevant and engaging but also optimized for search engines.<\/p>\nThe second step is to make your content visible. How can you do that without SEO? Through sharing on social media, posting on relevant forums and boards, and even sending links via emails and messengers to acquaintances you think might be interested in it. Be careful not to spam people you barely know, but do promote your content to theme groups and genuinely interested contacts. For people to link to your content, they must know it exists, right? You will have to invest some time to win your first visitors and followers and get your website off the ground, but that is the safest and most reliable way.<\/p>\n
You can also leverage some PR tools. To gain mentions of your brand on other websites, create newsworthy initiatives that have a potential to go viral<\/a> (remember the Ice Bucket Challenge?) and connect with micro-influencers (people with a significant, yet not massive following who can get you exposure and are more likely to answer to your request).<\/p>\n![\"Build](\"https:\/\/big.assets.huffingtonpost.com\/billgatesice.gif\")
<\/p>\n
<\/span>3. Explore community-driven platforms<\/span><\/h2>\nUser-generated sites can be of tremendous value for those who are yet to become an authority in their niche. Thanks to mainstream citizen journalism and participatory culture we have Medium<\/a>, HubPages<\/a>, and many other community-driven platforms, where any member can submit their content and gain exposure. If you think that they are too crowded, you are right but don\u2019t be too hasty to dismiss them!<\/p>\nThey have a tremendous readership and provide you with all the tools to become visible: channels, topical groups, subtopics, and tags are there to ensure that your content will find its audience. It\u2019s a two-way street: a) your article will be shown to the most interested readers in the first place, b) people who will search for something related will easily find you.<\/p>\n
Some of those platforms are true Wild West, but mostly they are moderated and blatantly promotional stuff gets weeded out, so make an honest effort to post good stuff that will provide value to readers and you will get the attention you seek and deserve.<\/p>\n
Another added bonus of this strategy is that by posting to those platforms you build a portfolio of published articles that you could showcase when you outreach to guest blog. This way an editor will be able to appreciate your style, topics you deal with, and your unique take on them.<\/p>\n
<\/span>4. Do handpick sites for outreach<\/span><\/h2>\nGuest blogging is still a great opportunity<\/a> for a small fish with big potential, such as you are. Don\u2019t start with stellar sites, aim for some smaller but relevant ones instead, and reach out to fellow bloggers who already have decent following and ranking.<\/p>\n
Given all that, I can see how newbies can be discouraged. They feel helpless and unable to replicate this experience. \u201cWell, that\u2019s some kind of rocket science, I\u2019d rather hire a professional to do this for me. Let\u2019s see what Fiverr has in stock!\u201d Stop right there.<\/p>\n
There will come a time when your team is ready to grow. You will be able to crew your business, hire a writer who will create evergreen content for you, maybe even a research paper helper to tackle your strategy. Yet until then, don\u2019t trust the wellbeing of your site with guys who promise to bring you to the top in a week, guaranteed (no less).<\/p>\n
First of all, link building takes time. It is okay, to grow link by link. Sudden outbursts of links look suspicious to Google algorithms and can harm your site instead of improving its ranking. WebCEO’s Backlink Checker<\/a> can help you track and analyze the quality of your backlinks, ensuring they contribute positively to your site’s SEO.<\/p>\n Second, often those hired self-proclaimed wizards will just link to you from a bunch of low-quality sites they own and you will get zero value for your money or even worse \u2013 get punished by Google for spammy practices.<\/p>\n Before we start talking about reaching out to other sites and encouraging them to link to you, there is an option of gaining links naturally.<\/p>\n The first step here is to create something that other people have reasons to link to<\/a> \u2013 helpful information, a collection of resources, or simply something entertaining they would want to share or reference. For that purpose, you will need to start a blog and make a commitment to create quality content and post it regularly. It is important, however, to stay on the topic and make sure that your content is relevant to your niche.<\/p>\n By the way, WebCEO’s SEO Content Assistant<\/a> is a great resource for ensuring your content is not only relevant and engaging but also optimized for search engines.<\/p>\n The second step is to make your content visible. How can you do that without SEO? Through sharing on social media, posting on relevant forums and boards, and even sending links via emails and messengers to acquaintances you think might be interested in it. Be careful not to spam people you barely know, but do promote your content to theme groups and genuinely interested contacts. For people to link to your content, they must know it exists, right? You will have to invest some time to win your first visitors and followers and get your website off the ground, but that is the safest and most reliable way.<\/p>\n You can also leverage some PR tools. To gain mentions of your brand on other websites, create newsworthy initiatives that have a potential to go viral<\/a> (remember the Ice Bucket Challenge?) and connect with micro-influencers (people with a significant, yet not massive following who can get you exposure and are more likely to answer to your request).<\/p>\n User-generated sites can be of tremendous value for those who are yet to become an authority in their niche. Thanks to mainstream citizen journalism and participatory culture we have Medium<\/a>, HubPages<\/a>, and many other community-driven platforms, where any member can submit their content and gain exposure. If you think that they are too crowded, you are right but don\u2019t be too hasty to dismiss them!<\/p>\n They have a tremendous readership and provide you with all the tools to become visible: channels, topical groups, subtopics, and tags are there to ensure that your content will find its audience. It\u2019s a two-way street: a) your article will be shown to the most interested readers in the first place, b) people who will search for something related will easily find you.<\/p>\n Some of those platforms are true Wild West, but mostly they are moderated and blatantly promotional stuff gets weeded out, so make an honest effort to post good stuff that will provide value to readers and you will get the attention you seek and deserve.<\/p>\n Another added bonus of this strategy is that by posting to those platforms you build a portfolio of published articles that you could showcase when you outreach to guest blog. This way an editor will be able to appreciate your style, topics you deal with, and your unique take on them.<\/p>\n Guest blogging is still a great opportunity<\/a> for a small fish with big potential, such as you are. Don\u2019t start with stellar sites, aim for some smaller but relevant ones instead, and reach out to fellow bloggers who already have decent following and ranking.<\/p>\n<\/span>2. Embrace content marketing<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/span>3. Explore community-driven platforms<\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/span>4. Do handpick sites for outreach<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Sign](\"https:\/\/site.wstatic.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CTA-build-links.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"