Building a stronger network of links is one of the core ways of improving your standing with search engines. While it sounds easy, getting the number of links that you need can be a difficult task. Fortunately, there are effective ways that you can add links to your network that can help you grow exponentially and reach the top of the search engine results. Here are 5 effective ways to build your links through content marketing.
Long-Form Topic Guides
One of the easiest and increasingly important and effective ways to build links is through long-form content, specifically through long-form topic guides. Much of the information that companies put on their websites and blogs is short or medium-form content that only reaches 500-600 words. They are effective at creating fresh content and providing information, but it is common and may not provide the deep dive into a topic that is sometimes needed.
Long-form topic guides give you the chance to dig deeper into a topic and fully explore it. Many long-form articles can be used as references for industry professionals and interested audiences. Not only does it have more links than shorter content, getting linked as a reference increases the number of links that you can get. Your company should take advantage of this by creating several long-form posts per year. They may take longer to fully develop, but the trade-off of increased links is worth the added time and effort.
Collaborations
Another way to build links with your online content is to do collaborations with other content developers. There are many skilled content creators out there that focus on similar and complementary topics. Your company can partner with one of those content creators to do a joint content development project on the same topic. This happens often in many advertising circles, including social media, where long-form content is easier to develop.
The biggest benefit of collaborations is that you gain access to another content creator’s audience. It is a chance to reach an audience that you may not be directly connected with on a regular basis. You also get the added benefit of being able to create more valuable content for your audience than you normally would. This could increase your engagement and the quality of your interaction with these audiences while developing more content on multiple channels that link to your work.
The key to making collaborations work is to choose the right content partner. It is as much about the person as it is the topic. You do not want to work with your competitors. Instead, choose someone who is in a related field and cannot draw your audience away from you. Then, focus on delivering a higher quality of value to the audience by combining your areas of expertise to show your audience a level of quality that was not possible before.
Infographics
When it comes to understanding complex data, showing your readers is better than telling your readers in most cases. Infographics are an effective way to do this. Infographics can be short or long, depending on what you need it to be. In some cases, the infographic can be the entire length of your post.
Infographics are becoming more popular for their ability to easily convey information visually alongside detailed written explanations. The result is often a better level of understanding than just reading the content. Audiences also find infographics more entertaining. With a few well-placed infographics, you can excite your audience in a new way.
The difficult part of using infographics is creating them. Unless you have considerable skills in graphic design, you may need to recruit help. Also, your infographics have to be exceptional in order to stand out.
Unless you can use free infographic maker tool that will speed up the process and help you to create infographic in a couple of clicks
White Papers
A white paper is essentially a research paper that discusses a topic in great detail to teach readers about it. In many cases, white papers are developed by companies that want to be seen as experts in a particular area. The white papers that they write can be used as publishable material in trade publications or in place of the company’s newsletter. Your company can also give them away as a part of your marketing funnel. However, you decide to use them, they can be an effective part of your link-building process.
The biggest benefit of creating white papers is that they create a lot of useable content for a variety of uses, and that content is reusable. The links associated with them often reference the white papers as expert-developed content about a topic, placing your company in an expert position. The drawback to white papers is that they can be more expensive and time-consuming to develop. Getting the benefits from them can be expensive and you risk losing those benefits if you do not use your whitepapers effectively.
Reach Expert Status
Perhaps the most difficult, but most rewarding and effective ways to build links through content marketing is to reach expert status. In every industry, there are a set of experts that are widely referred to and referenced because of their body of work. If you can create enough high-quality and informative content, your audience may start to see you as an expert in your particular area.
This is a position that most companies strive for since it comes with benefits that are difficult to get any other way. People will refer you even when they are not trying to sell. Your company becomes a household name with audiences that are involved in your industry. It can make advertising and closing sales much easier as well. The one drawback to reaching this level is that it takes time and investment.
Work with a Marketing Partner
If your company needs help building links, working with a marketing partner may be the answer. At KitelyTech, we can help you create content and build links. Call us at (800) 274 2908 to schedule a consultation with our team.
