In 2021, link building is highly competitive. As more and more brands invest big bucks into link building, getting quality backlinks is increasingly becoming challenging. 

And marketers are sharing the same sentiments, too. In fact, 65% of marketers consider link building to be the most difficult SEO tactic to implement, according to SEO Tribunal. 

These days, you have to use unique strategies to get high-quality links. The same old techniques don’t cut it anymore. 

In this article, we’ll look at the strategies you should prioritize this year to get more online visibility. 

1. Creating Infographics

Image from Pixabay

Visual content appeals more to users than text alone. They’re much more enjoyable to look at, and your audience is more likely to remember their messages. They help you present data-heavy topics in a fun, digestible way. 

It’s for this reason that infographics often go viral, picking up hundreds of links. They allow bloggers to break down complex information to their readers, without putting them to sleep. Add to the fact they’re easily memorable, and you get a powerful link-building tactic. 

The following statistics show why sketching infographics should be among your top strategies:

• They get 3x more shares than blog posts and other forms of content.
• 40% of marketers cite them as the most attractive types of content, according to a recent survey.
• Blog posts featuring them get 178% more links compared to standard blog posts. 
• The same blog posts are also viewed 72% more than standard articles.

Surprisingly, designing infographics is cost-efficient. You don’t need a huge marketing budget to come up with an attractive infographic. Thousands of free and premium templates are available online, so you don’t have to start from scratch every time you’re creating one. 

Most web owners draft their infographics using research from elsewhere. Though tempting, this approach may not bring you the best results. Try to come up with fresh ideas and include recent scientific studies that have just been released. 

2. Organizing Virtual Events

Virtual events present an invaluable opportunity for brands to not only expand their reach but also create extra backlinks. Consider sponsoring online concerts, workshops, or conferences. In the process, you’ll get to improve local SEO by working with local businesses. 

This approach helps you build awareness for your brand. It puts your name out there and provides an opportunity for you to build relationships with similar brands. These relationships enable you to connect with industry experts who may link back to your company’s website. 

At a time when organizing physical events isn’t possible, expect to see more virtual events coming up. Take advantage of this opportunity to build your business’ online presence. 

3. Creating Valuable Content 

Dubious strategies such as spamming links no longer work in 2021. Search engines now measure the quality of your link to determine how high you’ll rank. To appear in the first Google pages, your links need to come from reputable, authoritative websites. 

The only way to get such links to you is to produce helpful content. If you rehash what’s already on the internet, you’ll find it difficult to earn high-quality backlinks. Your articles need to answer the reader’s pain points and should be unique to others in your industry. 

That said, you need to ensure your posts are properly optimized for SEO. An experienced SEO agency can help refine your content for search engines. It can identify problems in your pages that prevent you from ranking and fix them for you. 

4. Podcasts

Image from Pixabay

The podcast has rapidly grown in popularity in the last 10 years, going from a relatively unknown storytelling platform to a disruptive marketing trend. Listeners can now choose from a pool of over 800,000 podcasts. 

When it comes to link-building, podcasts can give you an edge over other websites. The audio platform offers you an opportunity to pick up tons of backlinks, both as a host and as a guest. 

When hosting, your guests often share your podcast episode link to their social media channels. Fans of these guests then distribute your link to their platforms. These links can generate high-quality referral traffic, too. 

When participating, your site often gets a link on the episode description. Your host may create a custom intro that informs listeners about your brand. 

You also get to grow your organic traffic. If you offer valuable insights, listeners may be tempted to search for your business. Your organic ranking then improves, as your site gets more incoming traffic.  

The future looks bright for podcasting. More big players will probably join the space, creators may earn more money, and listeners may enjoy better technology. This means that businesses using podcasts for link building may continue to thrive online. 

5. Focusing on Local Listings 

Local SEO is an untapped opportunity that many marketers are missing out on. Consumers are increasingly seeking local brands they can support. A recent study found that 46% of Google searches are from users looking for local information. 

Getting a backlink to an authoritative, local-listing website can help boost your Google Maps ranking. Luckily, there are several sites that provide you with such an opportunity. They include Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, among others. Even though you’ll mostly get nofollowed links, you’ll at least win your company more visibility. 

The best part about this tactic is that it requires very minimal effort from you. In return, it provides you with several perks in the future, even though you can implement it within a day. 

Also, you can increase your chances of ranking at the top by receiving backlinks from other businesses in your region. Getting more incoming links builds your authority and indicates to search engines that you’re a credible source. 

Conclusion

In a landscape where new techniques are constantly cropping up, it’s easy to use outdated strategies. Marketers have to adapt to the changing times to ensure their online presence continues growing with link building. Hopefully, with the trends above, you’ll be able to take on new ranking opportunities.