By now, it’s common SEO knowledge that inbound linking is necessary in the content you post online for your business. But, beyond their ability to improve your website rank in search engines, they also help to generate more referrals. Here, we’ll discuss 5 ways to best leverage your inbound links and get more referrals for your business.
- Develop a keyword strategy.
A carefully thought-out keyword strategy is an essential part of search engine optimization. Because the first step in getting found organically is optimizing your website for the keywords people are searching, choosing the right keywords is critical to people finding your content and, ultimately, generating inbound links. Some helpful keyword research tools include Google’s Keyword Tool or HubSpot’s Keyword Grader.
- Analyze Your Inbound Links
Make sure to track who is linking to your website. Websites that link to you often could make great targets to help generate referrals, as more inbound links probably means more interest in your business. Also, analyze the authority of the sites that are linking to you. Because an inbound link from a website with high SEO authority means more than an inbound link from a website with low SEO authority, those inbound links should be more valuable to you. HubSpot’s Link Grader is a helpful tool for tracking and determining the authority of your inbound links.
- Build Relationships with Inbound Link Sources
If someone is linking to you, they likely have a favorable view of your business and product. Product evangelism, especially from third party companies, can be a very powerful asset for your business – so why not try to develop and leverage the relationships you have with those companies who already think you worthy of an inbound link? Reach out to the sources of your inbound links and thank them. This opens up a great opportunity to share more information about your business. By developing a relationship, you're making those sources more likely to trust you and refer business to you.
- Target Similar Types of Websites
Research indicates that inbound linking from different websites is more is more valuable for SEO than inbound linking from the same site multiple times. Take note of the websites already linking to you and see if you can develop relationships with other, similar types of websites that aren't yet sending you link love. Generating inbound links from new referring websites will surely boost your SEO cred.
- Track Referral Growth
You need to always be analyzing and monitoring your efforts in order to justify that the work you're doing is generating more organic and referral traffic.
These 5 key tips will help you get a broader group of credible sources linking to your website which, in turn, will grow your credibility. Say good things about the companies you want to be saying good things about you, and thank those that are showing you link love! The inbound linking world can be a very happy and helpful place.
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