How to Get Free Backlinks for Your Blog: 10 Proven Tips

Getting powerful backlinks to your blog post is a vital part of SEO and can help improve your blog’s visibility. Unfortunately, link building is the hardest part of search engine optimization. No wonder 95% of online content has zero backlinks.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll introduce you to the world of earning backlinks and explore various methods to acquire them without spending a dime.

You will learn:

The benefits of backlinks.
The different types of backlinks.
Proven tips on how to get free backlinks for your blog.

By implementing these strategies consistently, you can establish a robust network of quality backlinks that will boost your blog’s visibility in search engines.

What are Backlinks?

A backlink, also known as an inbound link or incoming link, is a hyperlink from one website to another.

When another site or article includes a link to your blog, that is considered a backlink for you — an inbound connection. Search engines like Google use these links as signals when determining how relevant and authoritative your content is compared to others within the same niche.

Types of Backlinks

There are two main types of backlinks: dofollow and nofollow

Dofollow links: These are standard hyperlinks that pass SEO value (also known as “link juice”) from the linking page to the linked page. Dofollow links contribute positively towards improving search engine rankings.
Nofollow links: Nofollow links have an attribute (<a href="URL" rel="nofollow">) that tells search engines not to consider them when calculating SEO value or ranking positions. While they don’t directly contribute towards improving search engine rankings, they can still bring valuable referral traffic and diversify your overall link profile.

Benefits of Backlinks

The importance of having quality backlinks cannot be overstated. Here’s why you should build backlinks as soon as you start your blog.

Increase in organic traffic: When your blog is linked to other authoritative websites, it increases the chances of people discovering and visiting your site through those links.
Improved search engine rankings: High-quality backlinks signal to search engines that your content is valuable and worth ranking higher in search results. This can lead to better visibility for your blog on platforms like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Establish authority: Earning backlinks from reputable sources helps establish you as an authority within your niche. This credibility can attract more readers, social media shares, and even additional backlinks over time.

In the following sections, we’ll explore 10 proven strategies for obtaining free backlinks for your blog to boost its organic traffic growth.

Image source: Moz

How to Get Free Backlinks for Your Blog

Learning how to create backlinks is crucial for improving your search engine rankings and bringing more visitors to your site. Here are 10 proven strategies on how to get free backlinks for your blog.

1. Guest Post

Guest posting involves writing articles or blog posts for other websites in exchange for a link back to your own site. Guest posting can provide a double benefit – not only does it generate quality backlinks, but it also gives your content the chance to be seen by new people, thus potentially increasing its reach.

How do you write as a guest blogger?

Find blogs that are popular within your niche that accept guest posts.
Create unique, engaging content tailored specifically for their audience.
Contact the website owner with a pitch outlining the topic and key points of your proposed post.

2. Create Quality Content and Share It Online

Blog posts containing 1,000+ words consistently receive more backlinks than short-form content, making long-form content a crucial tool in generating backlinks.

The foundation of any successful link-building campaign is creating high-quality, shareable content that people want to link to naturally. Some tips include:

Focusing on evergreen topics relevant to your industry or niche.
Incorporating original research, data-driven insights, or expert opinions into your content pieces.
Promoting quality content through social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn groups related
to your industry/niche.

3. Reach Out to Influencers in Your Niche

One effective way to create backlinks is by reaching out to influencers within your niche. These influencers boast a sizable following on their blogs and social media accounts, carrying with them the potential to share your content with a wide-reaching crowd. To do this:

Identify the top influencers in your industry who share similar content as yours.
Create a personalized email pitch explaining why their audience would find value in reading or sharing your post.
If possible, offer them something valuable in return (e.g., promoting their content).

You may also consider using tools like BuzzSumo or Ahrefs Content Explorer which allow you to discover popular articles within specific niches and identify potential influencers who might be interested in linking to or sharing your content.

4. Implement Broken Link Building Tactics

Broken link building is another effective strategy to build backlinks without spending any money. This technique involves finding broken links on other websites related to your niche and offering the webmaster an alternative resource (i.e., one of your blog posts) as a replacement for the dead link. Here’s how it works:

Find blogs and websites in your niche and look for broken links using tools like Dead Link Checker or the Check My Links Chrome extension.
If you encounter a link that’s no longer working, see if there’s a related blog post of yours that could be used as an alternative.
Contact the webmaster of the site with the broken link, inform them about it, and suggest your content as an alternative resource.

This strategy not only helps you generate backlinks for free but also provides value to other website owners by helping them fix their dead links.

5. Take Advantage of Resource Pages

Resource pages are curated lists of useful resources within specific niches. These pages can be goldmines for acquiring powerful backlinks since they’re designed to provide valuable information to visitors.

To leverage resource pages and start generating backlinks:

Search for relevant resource pages in your niche using search queries like “your keyword + resources” or “your keyword + helpful links.”
Analyze each page’s content and determine whether one of your blog posts would make a good addition to their list.
Contact the owner of the resource page via email, introduce yourself, explain why your content is valuable for their audience, and request inclusion on their list.

Note that this method may require some persistence. However, getting featured on popular resource pages can result in numerous powerful backlinks pointing to your blog.

link building tactics for how to get free backlinks for your blog

Building links from resource pages is the second most popular tactic among SEO professionals.

6. Create Visual Content

Infographics are a powerful tool for generating external links because they present complex information in an easy-to-understand, visual format.

To create infographics, use free online tools like Canva or Easel.ly. Once you have created an infographic, share it on social media platforms and submit it to infographic directories such as Visual.ly, which can lead to valuable external links from other websites that find your content useful.

7. Generate Backlinks from Webinars

Webinars offer another way to build high-quality backlinks with minimal effort. By hosting informative webinars related to your niche, you not only provide value but also increase the chances of attendees sharing the webinar link on their blogs or social media profiles.

Platforms like Zoom Webinar and GoToWebinar make hosting webinars simple and affordable. Participating in online discussions and forums that are relevant to your industry is another effective method to build high-quality backlinks.

Websites like Quora and niche-specific forums provide opportunities to answer questions, share your expertise, and include relevant links to your blog in the process. Remember to always add value to the conversation and avoid spamming with self-promotional content.

8. Monitor Backlinks Regularly

Regularly monitoring the performance of your external links will help you identify any issues or opportunities for improvement. Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz Link Explorer, or SEMrush Backlink Analytics to track key metrics such as domain authority, anchor text distribution, and referring domains. This information will allow you to make informed decisions about which links need attention and which strategies are working well.

Screenshot of Semrush Backlink Analytics

9. Update Old Content with Fresh Links

Your older content may still be valuable but might have outdated or broken links that could harm its SEO value. Periodically review your old posts and update them with fresh links pointing to relevant resources or newer articles on similar topics within your site. This not only improves user experience but also signals search engines that your content remains up-to-date and valuable.

Create a schedule: Set aside time every few months to update old content with new links.
Prioritize high-traffic pages: Focus on updating popular pages first since they likely contribute more significantly to overall website traffic.
Audit internal linking structure: Ensure that your internal links are well-organized and point to the most relevant content on your site.

10. Engage with Existing Link Partners

Maintaining relationships with websites that have already linked to you is crucial for long-term link-building success. Engage with these partners by:

Sharing their content on social media or mentioning them in blog posts.
Sending occasional emails thanking them for linking to your content and suggesting new collaboration opportunities.
Offering exclusive resources, such as infographics or case studies, which they can use in their own content (with a link back to your site).

This ongoing engagement not only helps maintain existing backlinks but also opens up possibilities for future collaborations and additional high-quality linkbacks from trusted sources.

FAQs – How to Get Free Backlinks for Your Blog

What is the most effective way of building backlinks for free?

The most effective way of building backlinks for free is by producing top-notch content that naturally attracts links from other websites. Share this content across various channels like social media, online communities, and forums related to your niche.

What is the easiest way to get backlinks?

The easiest way to get backlinks is through leveraging existing relationships with industry peers or influencers who may be willing to link to your content if they find it valuable. Participating in relevant online communities or forums can also lead to easy opportunities for gaining natural links as you provide helpful information within those spaces.

How do I rank my blog without backlinks?

Ranking your blog without relying solely on backlinks involves focusing on other SEO factors such as keyword optimization, user experience (UX), site speed, mobile-friendliness, schema markup implementation, and consistent production of high-quality content tailored towards satisfying searcher intent.

Conclusion

These 10 effective strategies on how to get free backlinks for your blog can help you get the word out there and invite other authors to link back to you. To ensure the best results, use strategies such as guest blogging, broken link building, content creation, and social media outreach.

Additionally, focus on creating quality links by using anchor text that accurately reflects your page’s content.

Lastly, maintain high-quality links through regular monitoring of link profiles and removal of any outdated or irrelevant ones. By following these tips you can get free backlinks for your blog quickly and improve your search rankings.

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How to Get Free Backlinks for Your Blog: 10 Proven Tips

Table of Contents:

What are Backlinks?

Types of Backlinks

Benefits of Backlinks