As your blog grows, you’ll want to take advantage of its expanded reach. That means moving beyond the pages of your niche blog and into a new era: Your own niche blog network. To drive traffic and grow your audience, you need links to your new blog. This guide will show you how to build links by looking at some common strategies, from guest posts to link exchanges. Follow along as we go over every step of building a link-filled niche blog from start to finish!
What Is a Link?
A link is the connection between two websites. Unlike a URL, which is the specific address of your blog, a link is the address itself. This means that a link is what people will type into Google to visit your site. Not only does a link help you grow with more traffic and more readers, but it also makes you look like a more credible authority in your niche. When someone Googles “business blogs,” you want to be at the top of the list. When someone Googles “finance bloggers,” you want to be at the top of the list. A link from another blog is the quickest way to get your name in front of readers in this position.
What Are Links and Why Are They Important?
Links are important because they help you gain traffic and exposure to your blog. But why should people click on your links in the first place? ¥ You have more authority as a blogger if you have links to your own site. Because authority is one of Google’s primary ranking factors, having links to your site is a strong way to get more traffic from Google. ¥ Links to your site will increase the number of people who recognize you as an authority in your niche. Because authority is one of Google’s primary ranking factors, having links to your site is a strong way to get more hybrid traffic from Google.
Guest Blogging: How to Build Links to Your Blog
Guest blogging is a strategy for sharing your content on other blogs with the goal of earning links to your own site. To execute this link building tactic, you’ll need to find blogs in your niche that have a relevant audience and are willing to accept guest posts. Research the blogs you’re interested in guest blogging for and look at their core topics and audience. Once you’ve found potential partners, send them a pitch and see if they’re interested in having you guest post on their site. Be sure to find a blog in your niche that has a relevant audience and is willing to accept your post.
Newsletters and Other Formats for Links
Like guest posts, newsletters are another great way to build links to your new blog. You can use email marketing to drive traffic and build links to your new blog. That’s because an email is a “low friction” format for readers to click on links. No more than 20% of readers unsubscribe from any given email and almost all readers open emails.
Anchor Text and Internal Links
Anchor text is the part of a link that provides the link’s destination, such as the page’s title or the main keyword. When you use the destination, such as your page’s title, you’re giving readers a clear place to click and link to your site. Internal links are links within your blog’s content that go to other sites. Google places a strong emphasis on the quality of your links. That’s because Google wants to reward high-quality links that are helpful to the reader and are not just for website rank.
Google Points of View on Anchor Text and Links
Google is relatively split on the use of anchor text in links. While 82% of users are more likely to click on links that use the target keyword, 12% are more likely to click on links that don’t. Google has also started penalizing sites that have “poor link practices,” including the use of keyword-rich anchor text and the presence of “thin” or “low-quality” links. Google’s algorithms have yet to catch up to the latest guidelines, so it’s still okay to use keyword-rich anchor text in your links as long as it’s not the only technique you use.
Final Steps
Now that you know what you need to build links to your new blog, let’s take a look at the final steps! First, you’ll want to publish at least one post on your new blog before you start building links. This content should focus on introducing your new blog and showcasing the cool things you’ve got going on. Next, you’ll want to create a link building strategy. Pick one of the strategies we’ve discussed above and create a plan for driving traffic to your new blog using that strategy. Now you’re ready to get to work! Remember, links are the quickest way to get your new blog its first readers. You can check this post on how to start a blog!
