One of the many critical elements of ranking well on search engines is ensuring that your website is getting inbound links. Also referred to as backlinks, an inbound link is when another company creates a hyperlink on their website that sends a visitor to your website. This often means that the specific page or post that they are linking to is of high value, worthy of sending traffic away from their site and over to yours. As you can imagine, this really helps to boost your SEO rankings as it’s a sign that your website commands authority.
What types of content result in the most inbound links?
As we’ve recently discussed on our blog, visuals are far easier for our brains to process, so it’s no wonder that some of the best types of content to attract inbound links include some sort of visual. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure that your content can withstand the test of time whenever possible so that it can continue to be shared. The following are some of the most popular types of content to boost your chances of getting a backlink:
Evergreen Content: Content that can be used again and again is a smart way to attract inbound links. When creating evergreen content, you want to write in a way that not only establishes authority in your industry, but with the idea in mind that your specific article, photo, video, or other visual could be shared months or even years down the line and still be relevant. Think of different ideas like expert tips, FAQs, how-to lists, or guides. These types of content often withstand the test of time and will thus become an essential part of your overall content marketing and SEO strategy.
Videos: As you may know, the rising popularity of videos on social media platforms and websites are an excellent way to build trust with your audience, and they are very easy to consume and share. One of the key benefits to videos is that often your company name, logo and face are on the video. This puts you in a much better position to get an inbound link as your video gets consumed and shared.
Charts + Graphs: If your company can help others organize and understand complex data it’s a huge plus in terms of getting inbound links. Data and information, in general, are all over the place so if you can be the one to cut through the noise and create high-quality charts, graphs or other visuals that help someone quickly understand a more complex topic, you’re in a fantastic position to get inbound links. Additionally, you can brand all of the graphics so that anyone referencing the visual has to give credit (a link back to your site).
Tips for creating magnetic content:
Now that you know what types of content are going to be the most link-worthy, let’s explore a few tips for creating this content to ensure a positive response.
Tip 1: Write for a human, not a search engine. All too often we see what happens when a business is trying to hit all the keywords rather than trying to have a conversation with another human. The result, the content sounds and feels complex, lacks flow and might not even make sense. When it comes to writing articles or also producing videos, try to put yourself into the mindset of those who need your product or service. This will naturally produce more conversational writing, thus attracting the potential for inbound links and even new customers!
Tip 2: Tell a story that appeals to your ideal audience. Maybe it’s from all the books we read as children, but there’s something about a great story that can just hook a person in. Try to keep this in mind when writing or recording so that your content is more magnetic to those who are reading or watching. Stories grab your attention, they keep you engaged, and they have a natural flow. If you want to create content on your website that attracts inbound links, just remember the power of telling a story.
Tip 3: Write exclusive articles for another company or industry related publication. While your own website and social media platforms are highly beneficial places to house your link worthy content, don’t forget about the power of writing articles for another company or well-known and industry related publication. Also known as external articles, any content that you publish on a platform other than your own is going to broaden your reach and attract new customers and opportunities.
With all of these new strategies in mind, don’t forget to return the favor and link out to content that aligns with your brand message!
Looking for more ways to polish your content marketing strategy and get more inbound links to your website in the process? As always, be sure to reach out to our friendly marketing and SEO team for guidance.