See How Visual Marketing Can Skyrocket Your SEO Today
When search engines provide their results for searches, websites are listed according to the quality of the content they provide. To improve a site’s ranking, it will need to have high quality backlinks. The more high quality backlinks a site has, the more important it looks to search engines, thus earning it a high ranking on a search engine results page. The goal is to have the site appear as a primary search result. And even though there are many methods used to build high quality links, content marketing has proven itself to be the most effective. Let’s take a look at how to get high quality backlinks through content marketing.
Step 1: Understand What Google Wants from Your Content
To earn high quality backlinks through content marketing, you first need to understand what Google wants. Google is the number one search engine, so you need to be creating content that is centered around the search engine’s preferences. Google knows that there is always more information out there about any topic that is being searched, and it also understands that the key to meeting searchers’ needs is to deliver relevant content, cutting out any fluff. With this in mind, to build links without getting penalized, you will need to ensure your content is well-organized and that the sites linking to yours are relevant to the content being provided.
Step 2: Create Content that is Similar to Content Receiving High Rankings
If your topic is content copyrighting, then you need to perform a Google search for “content copyrighting.” Now, take notes from the content that has high rankings and develop ways in which you can provide even better content. Next, create an outline for your content and continue the content development process. Keep in mind that in order to provide better, more in-depth content, you will likely need to produce long-form content on the topic being discussed. Long-form content not only helps to ensure that your content is extremely informative but also that you are in a better position to get recognized by Google and other search engines. According to SerpIQ, the content exceeding 2,450 words in length had the best search engine rankings.
Step 3: Don’t Forget about the Value of Infographics
Creating engaging content has always involved the use of good visuals, including infographics. And while infographics most definitely improve the engagement of content, they also tend to earn high quality backlinks. According to HubSpot, content pieces including infographics are shared three times more than other types of content. Why is this? Well, studies have shown that readers pay very close attention to images that contain information. In fact, Search Engine Journal states that an infographic, when compared to a text article, is 30 times more likely to be read.
What you need to be asking yourself is “what elements do successful infographics have?” Let’s look at three of these elements.
- Well-researched statistics: An infographic that attracts and keeps a reader’s attention will present well-researched information. Interesting statistics are a must.
- Amazing design: The design of the infographic should be very appealing and should have a professional appearance. It should be easy to skim over and not appear cluttered. If too much information is provided in a small space, this will deter a reader’s attention.
- Promotion and outreach: A viral infographic needs good promotion across a variety of social media platforms.
Step 4: Take Advantage of Newsjacking
There is never a better time to create linkable content than when a popular news story is being searched on the Internet. By putting your own spin on a news story, you can easily inject your brand into a conversation. And when you do this, you are sure to receive high quality backlinks. What you need to remember, however, is that you need to ensure the facts of the story are being presented and that your opinion is not overtaking the content you are distributing. You want your content to attract the attention of your readers but you don’t want it to give your brand a bad reputation.
Step 5: Use Collaborative Content to Earn Links
To understand how collaborative content can earn your site high quality links, you first need to understand what collaborative content is. According to Eric Enge with StoneTemple.com, “when two complimentary brands create content together, also known as collaborative content, the outcome can be mutually beneficial and goals can be reached that would not have been possible without working together.” Collaborative content is so powerful because it gives each party access to one another’s audience(s). Essentially, it expands your audience and increases your chances of acquiring high quality backlinks. And not only does it increase your ability to earn backlinks, but it also helps save time and resources because you will have two or more parties involved in the creation and promotion of the content.
Step 6: Focus on Quality and not Quantity
Many websites focus on producing a certain number of postings on a regular basis, thinking that the more content they produce and share, the better their chances of earning backlinks. What they fail to realize, though, is that regardless of the number of pieces of content they produce, if the content is not engaging, it is not going to attract the attention of readers. This is why it is so important to focus on quality rather than quantity. If you go from producing five blog postings a week to only two, yet the two provide more in-depth content that attracts the attention of readers, then this will lead to the site’s ability to earn more high quality backlinks.
The Takeaway
Remember, earning high quality backlinks is key to earning high search engine rankings, but you must go about it in the right way. This starts with understanding what Google wants, followed then by creating engaging content that meets the reader’s needs and provides in-depth, interesting content that the reader will feel compelled to share.
See How Visual Marketing Can Skyrocket Your SEO Today
