Backlinks matter. They’re part of the fuel that gets your piece of content to rank and perform well. Sites with great content and backlinks are what Google likes to see, so they get the top spots in search results. Most companies understand that and are willing to go to great lengths to get backlinks.
Sometimes they’re willing to do anything to get a backlink.
But on that ominous note, we’re not talking about the desperate measures some people take to try and get backlinks. Instead, we’re talking about the measures people take that are well within Google’s regulations and are completely ethical: white hat link building.
What is white hat link building? What are the techniques you can use to build your backlinks? And how do you get started with white hat link building?
What Are White Hat Link Building Techniques?
Let’s start with, “What is white hat link building?”White hat isn’t a term that’s unique to link building, and it’s been used all over SEO for any technique that follows the agreeable SEO practices and aligns with Google’s guidelines. So white hat link building is link building that aligns with Google’s guidelines and is considered an agreeable backlink practice.
White hat link building techniques are the specific strategies that you take to get those ethical backlinks. These are the moves SEOs make that are within the established guidelines and that see results. They’re the opposite of “black hat” link building where SEOs bend rules and go outside of established guidelines all in an effort to get as many backlinks as possible. It’s shady at best.
White hat link building isn’t shady. It’s the best way to get backlinks and get your page ranking. It’s worth noting that sites that use shadier techniques don’t reap the benefits of great SEO. They might end up penalized and deranked. But sites that use white hat techniques are the ones whose content gets prioritized and who see the benefits of link building.
So if you’re looking to get your pages succeeding on Google, white hat link building is the way to go. It’s your route to showing how great your content is and how your company is what people are looking for.
Types of White Hat Link Building Techniques
So white hat link building is a vital practice to getting your pages to rank. It’s the clean way to boost your SEO. But to make it happen, you need to understand some of the specific white hat link building techniques that help make results possible.
The Right Backlinks
The first white hat link building technique to have on your radar is choosing the right type of backlink. That’s right: not all backlinks are created equal. You need to choose the right kind of content and backlinks to get the backlinks that will really boost your SEO. So what are the different types of backlinks to consider? Here are two to get you started:
- Editorial. Editorial backlinks are when your content is referenced on other sites as a source of information. The link might be to a webpage with well-researched and well-written content or to a page with business representative quotes. To garner editorial backlinks, you will need to write (or design) excellent evergreen content that’s reliable and informative.
- Guest posts. Many websites allow guest creators to write them interesting content. Often, these guest posters are allowed to link to their own website, and that counts as a backlink. To get these guest posts backlinks, you should regularly reach out to high-quality sites and ask to post. Don’t forget to build your portfolio beforehand, so you can show these sites that you will produce high-quality content for their website.
Use Data and Graphics
Content isn’t the only way to get high-quality backlinks. You should also use data and graphics to help get your content out there. Creating unique and interesting graphics that succinctly share information is a way to create evergreen content that people want to link to as a source of information.
Don’t forget to utilize data. Data is a great way to share information in an interesting and helpful way. And websites will want to link to that, which is how you can accumulate backlinks.
Content Promotion
We’ve touched on this before: content is king. Having great, interesting content is the key to all aspects of SEO. It’s also crucial for white hat link building. The first step to white hat link building is to write high-quality, relative content, using images and keywords—all the goods of an SEO-ready article. Once you’ve written spectacular content, you can reach out to other websites to promote your content.
When they promote your high-quality content, you get a backlink. Everyone wins: you get a link and content promotion while the other site gets spectacular content on their page.
Build a Network
When you’re looking for a job, what’s the number one piece of advice you get? Network. Believe it or not, the same applies to white hat link building. Building a network gives you opportunities to get your site linked across the web. But building a network isn’t just emailing someone and asking them to link to your content (though that is a totally great SEO strategy as well). Truly building your network is fostering relationships with other brands.
It may take time to build those relationships, and while you’re building them, you might not get regular backlinks. But having relationships and a network can pay off in the long run as a way to get links to your content in the future from brands that trust you and love your work.
Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to promote your brand in general. Getting customers to say great things about your site is awesome. It increases your brand’s trustworthiness. But testimonials are also a great spot for a link back to your website. So encouraging your customers who’ve had positive experiences with your brand to leave reviews can lead to you getting more backlinks and boosting your overall trustworthiness.
Use White Hat Link Building Techniques to Boost SEO
So there you have it: white hat link building techniques can help you boost your SEO and do so ethically. White hat SEO is the best way to build your brand’s online presence, so you want to make sure that you’re always using clean techniques to get your links.
You should also ensure that you’re only working with companies that are using white hat techniques, so your company never has to suffer the consequences of their fallout. With BASE, you can be assured we only use white hat techniques to help our clients boost their SEO.
Contact BASE Search Marketing to get started with white hat link building today!
