Backlinks, the links from other websites to your website are really important for SEO. Not all backlinks are the same. Some can improve your SEO score a little bit, others can improve it a lot, and some can even hurt your rankings.
Earned links are backlinks that you didn’t have to pay for, and they really are great for SEO.
In this post, we’ll talk about what earned links are, why they are important for SEO, and how you can get lots of good links to your website.
What are Earned Links?
Earned links, also known as organic links, are when someone links to your content because they find it interesting or relevant. They are the opposite of links that are paid for. Doing well in SEO takes a lot of time and never really stops.
If you have a high SEO ranking, you can’t relax and be satisfied because there is always new content being made that can replace yours. Furthermore, you need to make some changes and improvements according to the latest updates in Google’s algorithm.
One thing that has always been important, even with many changes to algorithms, is having backlinks. These are also called inbound or external links. However, Google now prefers a certain type of backlinks. Not all old backlinks are good for your website.
There are many types of backlinks that can hurt your SEO score because they are considered fake. Earned links are the best backlinks because they show that your content is good and real. They are “earned” because your content or website is really good and another site chose to link to it instead of other options.
Leading SEO service providers prioritize earned links as a cornerstone of their strategies, recognizing their unmatched value in boosting a website’s authority and organic search visibility.
How Do You Earn Links?
Links are usually earned when the content being linked to is really good or popular, like:
Educational – It describes an idea or concept very well.
Inspirational – It encourages and energizes people, or gives them big dreams.
Informational – It gives good, reliable information about something.
Entertaining – People enjoy it. Consider how popular and easily spread a successful meme can be.
When a piece of writing is really good, other websites might want to link to it because they think it’s worth sharing, not because they were paid or pressured to do it. In a little while, we will see that there are honest and ethical ways to get more links to your website.
SEO and Earned Links
Even though we may not know all the details of Google’s algorithm, the goal of the algorithm is clear. Links are very important on the internet. Whether you call it link equity, link juice, or page rank, the basic idea is all the same.
Links pass on value from one website to another, like giving a vote of confidence or recommendation for the other website. The more often this occurs, the more Google believes your website is important and trustworthy, and deserves to be at the top of its search results.
Because of this, many shady ways to build links have been used. These are also called black hat techniques. People have tried everything from selling links on directory websites to posting links in comment sections and forums to promote their websites.
Google is getting smarter and finding out about these tricks. It lowers the value of those links and may even make them hurt a website’s SEO score. Because of this, the SEO world is now focusing more on earning links instead of just building them.
The goal is to stop using short-term solutions and instead focus on making plans that will help a website grow and be valuable in the long run. Links on a random website that is not related to what you are looking for and only exists to sell links will not be helpful.
On the other hand, links from websites that are important in the same topic are considered more important. Links from smaller websites also help, but not as much. The types of websites that link to a page and the total number of good links are important for the page’s overall ranking.
For instance, having 100 links from two websites might not be as good as having 100 links from 100 different websites. That’s because the second example sounds more normal and real.
Advantages of Earned Links
Getting earned links is the best kind of links because it shows that the content being linked to is really good. Here’s why it’s worth it to focus on getting earned links:
Provides Safety
Acquiring earned links is good because it helps keep you safe. Earned links are links that you get naturally because people like your content, not because you paid for them or tried to trick others into linking to your site. When you get links from reliable sources, search engines are more likely to think they are safe and trustworthy.
This makes it less likely for your website to get punished or to have a bad effect on its search engine ranking. Furthermore, links that you earn are usually strong and last a long time, which helps make your website more trustworthy and credible to both people and search engines.
Implication of Quality Content
Amazing content helps you get more links from others. When people like your content and find it helpful, they will share it with others and talk about it online. Getting links from good content shows that respected sources approve of your website, making it more trustworthy and influential in your field.
Furthermore, good content can spread widely and be seen by more people, and can also get shared and linked to by many different websites. This helps more people see your website, brings more people to it, and makes it more likely to show up in search engines.
Cost-Effective
Earned links are different from paid links. Paid links need a lot of money, but earned links come naturally when you create good content and interact with people genuinely. Creating and promoting content might cost money at first, but in the long run it’s worth it because the benefits are much greater than the costs.
Once you have these links, you don’t need to spend much money to keep them, which saves a lot of money in the long run. By creating interesting content that people want to share, businesses can grow their website traffic and search engine rankings without spending a lot of money.
Acquire New Audiences
Getting links from trusted websites helps more people see your content and brings specific visitors to your site. When well-known websites put a link to your content, more people will trust and be interested in your brand. This will make your brand more well-known and seen by more people.
These earned links show that others approve of and support your content, showing that it is good and suitable for people who may not have seen it before. By getting new people interested in their website, businesses can make more people know about their brand, build trust, and make connections with possible customers, which helps them grow and succeed.
Increased Traffic
When other websites connect to your content, they make it easier for their readers to find and go to your site. These links are like recommendations, attracting specific visitors who are really interested in what you have to offer. Moreover, getting links from reliable sources can help your website show up higher in search results.
This can make more people see your website and come to it naturally. By making valuable content that people want to link to, businesses can use these links to keep getting more people to visit their website and make it grow steadily over time.
Higher Domain Authority
Getting earned links can really increase your domain’s power. When good websites link to your content, search engines think your website is more trustworthy and important in your industry. These earned links show that search engines think your content is good and should be ranked higher.
As a result, your website will be seen as more trustworthy and credible on search engines, and more people will be able to find it. By getting popular websites to link to them, businesses can improve their online visibility and become top players in their industries.
Also Read: Mastering Local Backlinks: A Step-by-Step Guide
15 Best Practices for Earned Links
Even though other people create earned links for you, there are things you can do to increase the chances of getting them. If you do these things right, you will start getting more links from others.
Make Really Good Content
The saying that content is very important is still true and probably won’t change soon. To get a link, you have to create something good that others want to share with a link. According to Google’s own documentation, the best way to get links is to keep making really good content. This is definitely worth spending time and resources on.
When your content is good, helpful, and interesting, it will naturally get noticed by other websites and online groups. Good content shows that you are an expert, helps people trust you, and makes others want to share and link to your content because it is helpful. By creating content that your audience wants, you are more likely to get links from trusted sources.
Create Variety of Content
Blogs are really useful for SEO because you can use keywords related to your topic, link to other parts of your website, and create content that other websites may want to link to. But, it’s a good idea to try out different kinds of content that people are more likely to share, since it keeps people interested.
For example, many people now watch a lot of videos. A great video that is interesting, fun, educational, or inspiring can get you many people sharing it. You should also think about making ebooks, white papers, and infographics. This mix of content makes it more likely that different websites, popular people and online groups will pay attention to it.
Strive for Quality Instead of Quantity
It’s important to focus on getting high-quality links instead of just getting a lot of links. Creating a lot of content may seem good, but it’s actually the quality of your content that gets people interested and gets links from important sources. Concentrate on making content that is helpful and interesting for the people you want to reach.
By creating really good content that is unique and important, you are more likely to have other people refer to it and put links to it, because they see it as a useful resource. Good content brings in links and makes you seem trustworthy and knowledgeable in your field.
Have Originality
Originality is very important for getting real links in a genuine way. Making original and creative content helps you stand out from your competitors and grabs the interest of people and important industry figures. Original content gets shared and mentioned by others, which helps you get links from important sources.
When you share new ideas and thoughts, people see you as an expert in your field. This helps bring more people to your website and makes it more trustworthy and well-known. Focus on being original when creating content to increase your chances of getting important links and building a strong online presence.
Also Read: The Insider’s Guide to Successful Blogger Outreach
Write Guest Posts
Writing guest posts is a good way to get important links from trusted websites. By writing good articles for websites or magazines in your field, you show that you are an expert and help people learn new things. In exchange, lots of websites let writers write a short description about themselves and include a link to their own website.
Getting these links will make your website show up higher in search results and bring more visitors to your site from the other website’s audience. Writing a post for someone else’s website is a good way to make friends, show people you know a lot about a topic, and get important links to your website that make it easier for people to find.
Do Promotion
Sharing your content widely is important for getting important links from trusted sources. When you post your content on different places like social media, email newsletters, and industry forums, more people can see it. There are many different ways to reach your audience online.
When people like your content, they might share it in their own articles, blogs, or social media. By sharing your content more, you can get more people to see it and share it with others. This will help your website get more respected and trusted links that show it as reliable.
Leverage Audience from Others
Using other people’s audiences is a smart way to get links from different places. By working with popular people, experts, or similar businesses, you can show your content to new people and get more attention. When you work together with others to make content, they might share and link to your content on their own websites.
Getting these links not only make more people see and trust your website, but also helps more people find out about your brand. This brings in the right kind of people to your website and helps it grow naturally. Using other people’s audiences can be a great way to get important backlinks that make your website more visible online.
Create Interactive Content
Using interactive features in your content is a powerful way to get important links back to your website. Interactive content like quizzes, calculators, polls, or infographics gets people interested and makes them want to share and link to your content. When people like your content and find it interesting, they are more likely to share it on their own website, blog, or social media.
These links help your website rank better in search engines and bring in the right people to your site. They also make users more interested in and involved with your website. Using interactive features in your content plan can help you get more links to your website and improve how you are seen online.
Use Different Link Text
Changing the words that you use for the clickable links on your website is a smart way to get more links from other websites. By using different and natural anchor text that matches your content, you show search engines that your backlinks are relevant and real.
When other people mention and connect to your content with different words, it makes your website more trustworthy and important to search engines. Using different types of links can make your website look more natural and help it show up higher in search results over time.
Acquire Unmentioned Links
By doing careful research, you can find websites or articles that talk about similar things to your content but haven’t added a link to your website. Once you find these opportunities, contact the website owners or authors and let them know about the mistake. Also, suggest that your content would be a good addition.
By showing the importance and advantages of linking to your content, you can increase your chances of getting good backlinks naturally. Discovering unexpected connections can help you make the most out of your current content and grow the number of links to your website.
Write Reviews and Endorsements
Writing reviews and endorsements is a good way to get links from well-known websites. When you say good things about products, services, or content in your industry, you show that you know what you’re talking about. These reviews and endorsements often have links to the products or services being recommended.
This can help bring more attention to your content and give people a way to find the products or services. Similarly, people may link to your website to show their appreciation for your endorsement or review. Creating reviews and endorsements helps to connect with people and also brings more links to your website, making it more trustworthy and credible.
Also Read: 11 Best Backlink Checkers in Today’s SEO Market
Provide Expert Quotes
Offer to give expert quotes or share your knowledge for articles on other websites related to your industry. As someone who knows a lot about a certain topic, your ideas make content better and show that you are a leader in your field.
Website owners put links to your website in their content to give you credit for your expertise when you share your knowledge with them. By looking for these chances and sharing helpful ideas, you can make friends with people in your industry and get links to your website that make it more popular and trusted.
Host Webinars and Podcasts
Host online events like webinars, podcasts, or virtual meetings on topics that are important to your field or area of focus. Ask important people to come and talk at the event and help spread the word about it in different places.
As people talk about and like your event, they might share it on their website. Hosting events helps bring the community together and also gets more people to link to your website, which makes it more visible and trusted.
Join Online Forums and Communities
Join in online communities related to your industry or area of interest. Give helpful information, talk about what you have gone through, and suggest answers to questions or conversations. As you become an expert and helpful member of these groups, add links to your content in a subtle way when it makes sense.
By regularly sharing helpful things, you can gain trust from people in the community and also make it more likely for others to mention or link to your content naturally. This way of doing things helps build real relationships, brings more people to your website, and makes you more well-known and respected in your industry or specific area.
Conduct Surveys and Research
Conduct research and surveys in your area of interest to collect special information and facts. Share your results on your website to show what you are good at and give useful information to your followers. Valuable information is wanted by other people in the industry, researchers, and journalists.
This makes it more likely for reputable sources to link to and mention your research. When you do your own research, people will see you as a trustworthy expert in your field. This will help your website get more links from other sites and make your website more trusted and visible. Doing your own research makes your content better and helps you connect with people.
Wrapping Up
When other people in your industry share and talk about your content, it tells Google that your content is popular and relevant. The more earned links you have that other people have shared, the more likely Google will show your content at the top of search results.
Even though you can do things to get more links, there are no quick shortcuts. Creating great content that people want to share will help you get more links. But it takes a lot of time to make good content. We hope the best practices provided here will help build your linking profile.
FAQs
What is the difference between earned links and other types of links?
Earned links are given by other website owners, marketers, and content creators because they find your content valuable and relevant. These are different from paid links or reciprocal links. Links that are earned are more trusted and valuable to search engines because they come from credible sources and are genuine endorsements.
How can I get other websites to give me earned links?
You can get earned links by making really good content that people like and want to share with other websites and online groups. Reaching out to people, joining industry talks, and working with influential people or industry experts are good ways to get earned links.
Do all the links I earn help my website?
Getting links from trustworthy sources can help your website be seen favorably by search engines, but not every link is equally helpful. When it comes to getting links, it’s better to have good quality ones than a lot of them. Getting links from well-known websites in your industry is better than getting links from unrelated or low-quality sources.
How do I know if a link is earned or not?
When other website owners or content creators like your content or think you’re an expert, they might link to your website. They usually come from trustworthy sources in your field or area of expertise. You can figure out if a link is earned by checking if it fits well with your content, comes from a trustworthy source, and was not obtained by tricking or forcing anyone.
What are some wrong ideas people have about earned links?
Many people think it’s easy to get earned links without trying hard, but that’s not true. Getting good backlinks needs making great content, reaching out to people, and building relationships. Another misunderstanding is that having many links is more important than having good quality links. But, it’s important to get real and relevant links that you’ve earned instead of just trying to get as many links as possible.
