Crafting Content That Attracts Backlinks

It’s no secret that the quantity and relevancy of a site’s backlinks play an important role in its search ranking. Unfortunately, though, many webmasters assume the best approach to optimizing their site for a higher search ranking is to churn out as many links as possible. This tactic may yield some initial traffic, but it’s not a recipe for long-term success. If you really want to achieve a top search ranking for your target keyword, you should focus on creating content that other users actually want to read and share.

Why Content is Important

When you’re busy choosing a content management system (CMS), identifying potential sources of backlinks, setting up your social media accounts, and doing the countless number of other tasks that go into launching a website, it’s easy to overlook the importance of content. As noted by Google, though, high-quality content is the single most important thing webmasters can do.

“Provide high-quality content on your pages, especially your homepage. This is the single most important thing to do,” wrote Google in a document titled Steps to creating a Google-friendly site. “If your pages contain useful information, their content will attract many visitors and entice webmasters to link to your site.”

Content and Backlinks

Of course, the real benefit of publishing high-quality content comes from the backlinks it will create. When users view your content as being the authority source of information for its respective niche or topic, they’ll feel more inclined to link to it from their own website, social media account, forum, etc.

The great thing about generating backlinks via content is that it’s natural. Google has cracked down on the use of software and automated programs to create links over the past few years, even going so far as to penalize offending sites. By generating links through content, however, you can rest assured knowing that your links are safe, natural and Google-friendly.

Tips for Creating Link-Attracting Content

Now for the million-dollar question: how do I create content that attracts backlinks? Regardless of what type of content you decide to create, there’s no guarantee that it will attract links. With that said, you can increase your chances of success by following some simple tips:

• Focus on quality rather than quantity. Instead of publishing half a dozen articles of mediocre quality, perhaps you can publish a single article of exceptional quality.
• Cite relevant statistics and studies in your content.
• Give your content an initial boost of exposure by posting a link to it on your social media accounts.
• Email sources cited within your articles, letting them know that their info was used (the source may link back to your article from their own website).
• Remember, content comes in many different forms — e.g. PDF files, videos, slideshows, images, lists, interviews, podcasts and more — so don’t assume that text is your only option.

Have any other content creation tips that you would like to share with our readers? Let us know in the comments section below!