Within SEO circles we increasingly speak about E-A-T, and why websites that have or display expertise, authority, and trustworthiness are going to get preferential treatment from Google when it comes to ranking.
With the ever-increasing ranking power that these high authority sites have, it means that the backlinks from them will pass some of that power to the websites they link to. That provides an excellent opportunity for website owners to harness that power by getting the authority sites to link to their own website.
Before everyone goes rushing off to write emails asking for a backlink from a huge website, it does not work like, although admittedly SEO would be a lot easier if it did. Instead, we need to take a more subtle approach, because otherwise, we are just going to look like spammers, trying to ride on their coattails.
That is not to say large website will not entertain backlinks to smaller websites. In fact, that helps their SEO too, given that linking out is a ranking signal to Google. So, we can get backlinks from them, and here are some ideas on how.
Give Them A Testimonial
Even the biggest of companies cannot resist receiving positive reviews and testimonials. You can take advantage of this by researching larger websites to see where they allow reviews, case studies or testimonials, and if they also permit a link within them. Obviously, you do not just copy and paste the same testimonial on each website, and even if you only can get one or two posted with backlinks, it is still worth it.
Create Useful Tools or Resources
Owners of large websites want to keep their many followers happy and what better way for them to do so than give them something for free. However, instead of them having to create it, you do, and then ask that they provide a link on their website to yours in order for their followers to download it. It is win for you as you get an authority backlink, a win for them, as they look great in the eyes of their followers, and as for their followers, they get a useful freebie.
Offer Them Exceptional Content
Many SEO experts will suggest guest posts and whilst these can gain you a link, why not make the content exceptional, so that not only does it get you a backlink but it is you who will be remembered for? An awesome piece of content can take many forms such as infographics, a video or an article that goes way beyond what normal articles do.
If your exceptional content is shared by the many people who visit the authority website, it could go viral. If it does that, the link to your website gains power exponentially with every share, and as a result the authority and ranking of your website increase too.
Make The News
With this, we are not talking about making the headlines in the TV bulletins, although if an opportunity arises to do so take it. Instead, this refers to generating news that can be sent out as press releases. This can be an update about your company, industry news, or the latest development within your niche.
A clever tactic is to write a press release that mentions your website, as well as one or two bigger companies’ websites. Make it all positive and then alert those companies about the press release. If they like what they read, they may link it to from their website, and with your website linked to from the press release, authority flows to it as well.
