As you know, all websites NEED links from other websites in order to rank on Google. And as you also know, junk links no longer help – they hurt. So any link building done these days has got to be legitimate – nothing faked or phony. Which provides a tremendous opportunity for anyone who knows how to get legitimate, powerful links without having to constantly create new content.
You might be wondering why you want to get links without using or writing content, and the answer is simple. When you can get links without content you’ll find that it’s generally an easier, faster and more reliable process, especially if it’s a new website without a great reputation.
So you can spend an entire day crafting a killer article that may or may not get noticed and linked to by other blogs. Or you can use some out of the box techniques to rack up backlinks faster than a rigged slot machine spewing out quarters. Becoming a link building pro is easier than you think. So let’s get started.
The 26 methods
- The Testimonials Method. Contact vendors and businesses in your niche that you work with or whose products you use. Offer to write them a testimonial to place on their website if they’ll give you a link back.
- The Donations Method. Look for charities related to your niche that have donor pages. These are lists of donors that have made a donation to the charity, complete with URL’s. Then simply make a donation and get a link. Art organizations, student clubs at colleges, theaters, orchestras, etc. are also good places to look for these donor pages. Many of these sites have high domain authority, and some are even .edu links. Make sure you do NOT ask for the link. Simply make the donation with no strings attached. If they have a donor page, you’re very likely to appear on it. Don’t overdo this technique – use it in addition to other techniques and you will get some high authority links for very little time or effort. And you can usually write off the donation, too.
- The Gift Method. Make a list of the authority people in your niche, and then send them an actual gift in the mail. Not only is it a way to get backlinks and mentions – it’s also a great way to build contact with the people you want to know. Here’s how backlinks.com.au went about the process: Using Direct Mail Outreach to Gain Links, Mentions and More!
- The Reverse Engineering Method. There are ways to not only find your competitor’s backlinks, but to also discover if the backlinks are white hat and then reverse engineer the link getting process to make it your Yes, it’s a little complicated the first time you do it, but once you get the system down, you can be a link building master. Just follow this tutorial to see how it’s done: The Ultimate Guide to Reverse Engineering Your Competitor’s Backlinks
- The Free Service Method. If you’re good at fixing things on a website, or pointing out a way to do something better, or offering a bit of advice that can make a big difference, then by all means go for it. You’ll be building rapport with that site owner and getting great backlinks as well.
- The Fiverr Method. Don’t have a service or skill you can offer? No problem. Go to Fiverr and hire a cartoonist or caricaturist to draw a picture of the blog owner you are targeting, and then forward it to them with your compliments. Odds are they will post it on their blog with a link and a big thank you back to you. Or have a silly video done, or any of a thousand other possibilities on Fiverr. Just remember to do this without expectation of getting a backlink. You don’t want to look like you’re trying to buy their link.
- The Local Publicity Method. Unless you’re doing something extraordinary, the NY Times or Wall Street Journal aren’t going to link to you. But your local newspaper and television stations will. Just find something in your community that needs doing, and then do it. Maybe it’s donating coats to the homeless, or cleaning up a park, or repairing a playground, or providing meals to seniors. Whatever it is, let your local news media outlets, bloggers and websites know about it.
- The Infographic Method. Okay yes, an infographic is content, but it can be far easier to put together than a long authority blogpost. Plus, it is much more likely to be shared and linked to than a blogpost. The key is to first of all use interesting information that people want to see, and second of all get a professional to create it for you. Then share your infographic with the authority sites in your niche. If even just one links to it or uses it on their site, it can spread like wildfire and create dozens of great links in one swoop. If you doubt this method works, consider this: KISSmetrics made 47 infographics and in return got 2.5 million visitors and 41 thousand backlinks. Pretty amazing. And to be sure your infographic gets shared and linked to, make it relevant to a trending topic.
- The Chart and Table Method. Similar in some ways to an infographic, a chart or data table is a visual representation of interesting information. But it’s easier to make than an infographic, since it’s basically one chart or graph. Choose a timely topic, such as the results of a compelling survey that just came out. Pick a user friendly tool to make your chart, such as com, or hire someone on Fiverr. Combine relevant data with an interesting, easy to interpret format and you should get content marketers linking back to you.
- The Local Method. Look for reference pages on local authority websites. These might be local business groups, networking groups, council websites or sometimes even local bloggers. These are great links to have and they’re super easy to get.
- The Contest Method. Run a giveaway or contest and encourage people to tell others by giving them more entries for doing it. Many will use social media, but a few will also post it on their sites.
- The Selective Giveaway Method. Choose bloggers in your niche to give your product or service away to. Some of them will respond with a post and a link about your product.
- The Repurpose Method. You don’t necessarily need new content to get backlinks if there is already plenty of quality content in place to work with. Instead, you simply need to find ways to repurpose that content into different formats and then promote it. For example, a webinar could be repurposed into a video tutorial. A power point could become a Slideshare or an infographic. An interview could become a blogpost, and several interviews could be an ebook. Blogposts could become podcasts or newsletters, and so forth. In fact, one great piece of content could be repurposed into all of these things and more. By doing this you will reach a far wider audience as you appeal to those who like to read, those who are visual and those who like to listen. Plus it gives you a great excuse to re-promote your content each time it is repurposed, those increasing views and the potential for new backlinks.
- The Resource Guide Method. This is content, but it’s super easy to create. Whatever the niche, compile a guide with the best resources and ‘how-to’ information. Make it visually appealing and put it into downloadable PDF format. Let every resource in the guide know that you have included them, and send them a copy, too. Many of the companies, bloggers and services highlighted in the guide will link back to you. Plus, if you make your guide extensive and comprehensive, it can go viral and be featured on numerous blogs. This won’t be as viral as a good infographic, but it’s still very worthwhile to do and as an added bonus it makes your site look like an authority site.
- The Be-a-Haro Method. Sign up to the Help a Reporter Out website, com and then watch the requests to find ones that are relevant to your website. By helping out reporters, you can get some very valuable links back to your website.
- The Interview Method. Do interviews and interview roundups with experts, influencers and authorities. Some of them will link back to you and the interview. Doing interviews can be as simple as sending questions via email to your subject (once they’ve agreed to the interview.) You can also do group interviews where you send the same question(s) to each subject in order to compare and contrast different opinions. And you can do a group round-up, in which each contributor shares their favorite tactic or method to solve a problem. The key to getting interviews with movers and shakers is to build relationships first. Read their stuff, engage with them on social networks and establish a level of trust before asking for the interview. This takes a little legwork, but can result in a startling number of high quality backlinks if done well. And make sure you promote the interview(s) through social media to reach more readers.
- The Lost and Found Method.If your branded images appear on other websites, use Tineye to find those sites. Reach out to those sites that don’t link to you, and ask them for mentions. After all, it’s only fair, and it’s also a super easy way to get backlinks.
- The Improver Method. See what other people in your niche are doing, and then find a way to improve upon it. For example, if they post a “How to” article, create a simple step-by-step graphic outlining the steps they recommend. If their post is missing a photo, provide a great one. If they’ve got 7 ways to do something, give them another 1 – 3 ways they hadn’t thought of.
- Put yourself in the blogger’s Method. You just posted your latest blogpost, and less than a day later here comes something that improves it and makes you, the author, look even better. Wouldn’t you use it? And wouldn’t you give a big shout out “thank you” link to the person who provided it? Of course you would.
- The Sponsor Method. Does your local little league or girl scouts have a website? How about Meetup groups – can you find one to sponsor? Any local civic organization looking for a sponsor can be a good fit, and you’ll be featured on their website.
- The Monitor and Ask Method. Monitor the web for mentions of your website using a service such as http://moz.com/tools/fresh-web-explorer or even Google When you see a mention, ask them to turn that mention into a link. You might even create a special landing page as an inducement, such as “Exclusively for the Readers of Joe’s Blog.” Joe will be so flattered, there’s no way he’s going to say no.
- The Old School Method. Network and connect with people in your niche. It’s not always easy to get a stranger to give you a link, but a friend will do it without you even asking for it.
- The Community Method. Get more exposure and get links by joining communities such as
BONUS: Many communities will allow you to place your link in your profile
- The Government Directory Method. With a good amount of research and some patience you should be able to secure some of your very best, most powerful link juice. Look for resource directories hosted on government websites for your exact niche. All of the big industries have these directories – it’s just a matter of finding them. Once you do, meet their specific requirements, send the required information and wait. It might take a few weeks, but if your site is a good fit for that directory, you will get a .gov link.
- The Time Machine Method. Analyze the website’s content inventory to discover which pieces of content brought in the most links in the past. Update that content and send it out again through your various channels such as social media. If the website has a lot of content, this can be an absolute backlinking goldmine.
- The Launch an App Method. Any news related to apps tends to spread like crazy. One good app could produce a multitude of backlinks. It might be a game, something to make things easier, whatever. Apps are hot and apps make news and create links.
So there you have it. 26 ways to get quality backlinks. There are even more techniques you can use than the ones we’ll be showing you here. But these will be more than enough to get you started in the right direction, earning backlinks for your own sites. Or earning payments from your clients if you provide backlinks as a service… a very lucrative business.
Any way you slice it, knowing how to get good backlinks without creating a lot of new content is a very, very valuable skill to have.
Amenorhu kwaku is an author, internet marketer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of SuccessValley, a network community for students and aspiring entrepreneurs. He is also the founder of Republik City News and Whoop, a news portal and a business directory.
