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Link building for eCommerce sites: a step-by-step guide

Written by AIContentfy team | Jun 17, 2023 1:56:45 PM

In today's world of online shopping, having an eCommerce site is essential for any business looking to succeed. However, simply having a site is not enough. In order to attract the right audience and increase sales, you need to have a strong online presence. This is where link building comes in. By creating links to your site from other authoritative websites, you not only improve your search engine rankings but also increase your visibility among potential customers.

In this step-by-step guide, we'll walk you through the process of effective link building for eCommerce sites, so you can take your online business to the next level.

What is link building?

Link building is a process of getting other websites to link back to your site. It is a crucial technique in search engine optimization (SEO). Here's what it entails:

  • Getting other websites to link back to your website.
  • This helps establish your website's authority and credibility.
  • When search engines see high-quality websites linking back to your site, they assume that your website must be trustworthy too.
  • As a result, your website's search engine rankings improve, which means you get more visibility and traffic.
  • However, not all links are created equal. High-quality links from authoritative websites have more value than low-quality links from spammy sites.
  • So, link building is not just about getting as many links as possible. It's about getting the right links.
  • The goal is to get links from websites that are relevant to your business and have a good reputation.
  • Link building can be done through various strategies, such as guest blogging, resource link building, and broken link building.
  • The success of your link building efforts depends on the quality and relevance of your content, the relationships you build with other websites, and the way you measure and track your results.
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Benefits of link building for eCommerce sites

Link building for eCommerce sites offers numerous advantages that directly improve your online business. Here are some of its benefits:

  1. Boosts search engine rankings: Link building is one of the essential factors that determine your site's ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). The more inbound links you get from high-quality websites, the higher your website appears on SERPs.
  2. Drives organic traffic: Link building generates genuine traffic to your eCommerce site and draws potential buyers by making your brand visible to a wider audience.
  3. Establishes domain authority: Earning backlinks from authoritative websites in your niche can significantly enhance your domain authority.
  4. Builds brand recognition and trust: When users see your brand name mentioned on various reputable websites, they are more likely to trust your brand, which can lead to more significant sales.
  5. Increases revenue and profits: A well-strategized link building campaign can ultimately increase your eCommerce site's revenue and profits, leading to business growth.

To sum up, link building is beneficial for eCommerce sites in multiple ways, from improving SEO to driving traffic, increasing revenue, and building brand authority and trust.

Types of links for eCommerce sites

Internal Links

Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page of a website to another page within the same website. They are used to guide website visitors to important information and help search engine crawlers understand the structure of the website.

Internal links can be categorized into two types: navigation links and contextual links. Navigation links are typically found in the site's header, footer, or sidebar and are used to help users navigate the website. Contextual links are found within the content and provide additional information to readers or search engine crawlers.

By linking relevant internal pages, users can quickly and easily find the information they are looking for, improving user experience and reducing bounce rates. Additionally, internal linking can help distribute page authority throughout the website, improving the search engine ranking of individual pages.

When creating internal links, it is important to use descriptive and keyword-rich anchor text, as this provides context to both users and search engines. It's also essential to ensure that all links are functional and up-to-date to avoid frustrating users with broken links.

Overall, internal linking is a simple yet effective tool to boost user engagement, improve search engine ranking, and build a strong online presence for an eCommerce website.

Outbound Links

Outbound links are links that direct users from your eCommerce site to other websites on the internet. These links are important because they provide value to your users, as they can access more information related to the products or services you offer.

Some key points about outbound links include:

  • They can improve the credibility of your site. Outbound links to reputable sources show that your eCommerce site values accurate and trustworthy information.
  • They can enhance your SEO. Outbound links demonstrate that your eCommerce site is part of a larger community of websites within your industry, making it appear more authoritative to search engines.
  • You should be selective in choosing outbound links. It's important to only link to high-quality, credible sources that are relevant to your products or services.
  • Too many outbound links can be detrimental to your site's user experience. Including too many outbound links can be overwhelming for users and cause them to leave your site.
  • You can use outbound links strategically to promote your own brand. For example, you might link to your social media pages or other pages within your own site that provide additional information on a related topic.
  • You should regularly review and update your outbound links. Make sure the resources you're linking to are still relevant and up-to-date. If not, replace them with newer, more relevant sources.

Inbound Links

Inbound links are hyperlinks that lead to your website from another site. They are also known as backlinks or incoming links. These links are crucial for SEO because they improve your site's authority and credibility. When a site links to your site, search engines see it as a vote of confidence for your content, and reward you with higher rankings.

Inbound links are classified based on their source. The two types of inbound links are natural or organic links, which are voluntary links that other sites create without being prompted, and artificial or manipulative links, which are created by you or someone else to manipulate search engine rankings.

The quality of inbound links is also important. High-quality links come from authoritative and trustworthy sites, while low-quality links come from spammy and unreliable sources. High-quality links can improve your site's search engine rankings, while low-quality links do the opposite.

To get more inbound links, you need to create high-quality, engaging content that people want to share and link to. You also need to build relationships with other websites in your industry and exchange links with them. Another strategy is to use guest blogging, where you write blog posts for other sites and include a link back to your site.

In summary, inbound links are an essential part of your site's SEO strategy and can help you achieve higher rankings and more traffic. To get more inbound links, focus on creating high-quality content and building relationships with other sites in your industry.

Strategies for effective link building

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a link-building strategy that involves writing content for other websites in return for a link back to your own site. Here are some key points to understand about guest blogging:

  • Guest blogging begins with finding other websites in your industry that accept guest posts.
  • Once you've identified potential targets, research their audience and content to determine what kind of content would be a good fit.
  • Reach out to the website owner or editor with a pitch for a guest post, highlighting the value you can bring to their audience.
  • Once your pitch is accepted, write a high-quality blog post that provides value to the website's readers.
  • Include a link back to your own site in your author bio or within the body of the article.
  • Share the guest post on your own social media and other channels to increase exposure and drive traffic back to your site.
  • Guest blogging can help build relationships with other websites and experts in your industry and establish you as a thought leader in your field.
  • However, it's important to focus on quality over quantity and avoid spammy, low-quality guest post opportunities.

Resource Link Building

Resource link building is a strategy that involves creating high-quality resources or guides and reaching out to websites in your niche to link to them. The goal is to provide valuable information to your target audience and attract relevant links to improve search engine rankings.

To get started with resource link building, you need to research your target audience and identify what topics they are interested in. Once you have a list of topics, create in-depth resources that cover the subject in detail. These resources should be well-researched, informative and visually appealing.

The next step is to communicate with websites in your niche and offer them your resources. You can reach out to website owners, bloggers, or influencers and ask them to link to your resources if they find it valuable. It's important to personalize your outreach and build a relationship with them to increase the chances of getting links.

Resource link building is not a quick win strategy but can have long-term benefits for your eCommerce site. By creating valuable resources and attracting links from relevant websites, you'll improve your authority and search engine rankings, leading to increased traffic and sales.

Broken Link Building

Broken link building is a technique used in SEO to acquire backlinks for a website. It involves finding broken links or pages on other websites in your niche and reaching out to the website owners to suggest your content as a substitute for the broken page.

The process involves three steps:

  1. 1) Finding the broken link: Use tools like Ahrefs or Broken Link Checker to identify broken links on websites that have content relevant to your niche.
  2. 2) Creating your content: Create a new piece of high-quality content that can substitute the broken link. Your content can be in a different format, like video or infographic, but must be relevant to the page you are targeting.
  3. 3) Reaching out to website owners: Contact the website owner and let them know about the broken link. Suggest your content as a replacement since it's relevant to the broken page.

Broken link building helps you build quality backlinks that are relevant to your niche. It's an effective way to boost your website's SEO and drive traffic. Remember to always create high-quality content that is relevant to the website you are targeting, and be patient as this technique takes time to produce results.

Social Media link building

Social Media link building is a strategy where you leverage social media platforms to build links to your eCommerce site. It involves creating shareable content, engaging with your followers, and encouraging them to share your content.

To get started with social media link building, you need to identify the social media platforms that your target audience is most active on. Then, create compelling content that will resonate with your audience and encourage them to engage with your brand.

You can also reach out to other social media users and influencers in your industry and collaborate with them on content that they can share with their followers. This will not only help you build links back to your eCommerce site but also increase your brand visibility and reach.

It is important to remember that social media link building is not just about promoting your products, but also building relationships with your audience and providing them with valuable content that they will want to share. As you continue to create high-quality content and engage with your followers, you will see an increase in social media shares and links back to your site, which can help boost your eCommerce site's search engine rankings and traffic.

Step-by-step guide to link building for eCommerce sites

Conduct a site audit and analysis

Conducting a thorough site audit helps identify existing strengths and weaknesses in your eCommerce site's current SEO performance. This will guide your link building strategy moving forward. To begin with:

  1. Analyze your current link profile and remove any low-quality or irrelevant links.
  2. Review your website's structure, content, and design to ensure it's user-friendly and optimized for SEO.
  3. Conduct keyword research to identify relevant and high-performing keywords for your eCommerce site.
  4. Check your website's speed and performance to ensure that it loads quickly and has a positive user experience.
  5. Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and optimized for all devices.
  6. Evaluate your competitors' websites and analyze their link-building strategies.
  7. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to analyze your website's traffic, rankings, and performance.

Find relevant link opportunities

To find relevant link opportunities for your eCommerce website, you need to:

  1. Start by identifying your competitors and their backlink sources. Look for websites that link to them and try to get a link from those websites.
  2. Look for industry-specific directories where you can submit your website. This can help you get high-quality links that are relevant to your business.
  3. Use tools such as Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to find broken links on other websites. If you have content that can replace the broken link, reach out to the website and ask them to link to your content instead.
  4. Reach out to influencers in your industry and ask them to link to your website. This can help you get high-quality links and improve your brand's awareness.
  5. Look for guest blogging opportunities on other websites in your industry. This can help you get links back to your site and improve your website's authority.

Remember that finding relevant link opportunities takes time and effort, but it can pay off in the long run. So, take the time to research and reach out to relevant websites to get high-quality links that can help improve your eCommerce site's rankings and visibility.

Create high-quality, engaging content

Creating high-quality and engaging content is a crucial step in link building for eCommerce sites as it helps to attract more natural backlinks to your website. To create such content, ensure that it is unique, informative, and relevant to your target audience. This can include product reviews, how-to guides, and industry news articles. Use different formats, such as videos, infographics, and images, to make your content more visually appealing.

Additionally, ensure that your content includes relevant keywords, is well-structured with proper headings, and is easy to read.

Finally, promote your content on social media platforms and other relevant websites to get it in front of more people and improve the chances of it being shared and linked to.

Build relationships with other websites

To build relationships with other websites, you need to reach out to them and work together to create content that is beneficial for both sites, and most importantly, for your audience. You can start by finding websites that are relevant to your eCommerce site's niche and reach out to them with a personalized message.

Offer them something of value, such as a guest post or collaboration for a piece of content. Be sure to keep in mind their audience and how they could benefit from working together. Once you've established a relationship, you can continue to work together on future projects, ultimately helping both websites to gain more visibility.

You can also foster relationships by linking to other websites when it makes sense in your content, and you can also ask them to link back to your website as well. It's important to remember that building relationships takes time, so be patient and persistent in your approach. But with the right strategy, building relationships with other websites can be a powerful way to boost your eCommerce site's visibility and authority.

Track and measure results

After implementing your link building strategies, it's important to track and measure the results of your efforts. This allows you to determine what is working and what needs to be improved. There are a few different metrics you can use to measure the success of your link building campaign:

  1. Domain Authority: This is a metric that measures the strength and authority of a website. The higher the domain authority of a site that links back to your eCommerce site, the better.
  2. Traffic: By tracking the amount of traffic that is coming to your site from your link building efforts, you can determine which strategies are driving the most traffic.
  3. Conversion Rates: Conversions refer to when a visitor takes a desired action on your site, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. By tracking the conversion rates of your traffic, you can determine which link building strategies are bringing in the most valuable traffic.
  4. Referral Traffic: Referral traffic is the traffic that comes to your site from other websites. By tracking the referral traffic, you can determine which sites are sending the most traffic your way.

To track and measure your results, you can use tools such as Google Analytics, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. These tools can help you gather the data you need to make informed decisions about your link building strategies. Be sure to regularly check your metrics and adjust your strategies as needed to ensure the best possible results.

Summary

Link building is a crucial aspect of eCommerce site optimization that can help improve your search engine rankings and boost organic traffic to your site. To build effective links, it is important to start by creating high-quality content that is relevant and useful to your target audience. You can then use a variety of link building tactics, such as guest blogging, broken link building, and influencer outreach, to reach out to other sites and earn backlinks to your site.

It is also important to monitor your backlink profile and regularly disavow any low-quality or spammy links that could potentially harm your search engine rankings. By following these steps and implementing a consistent link building strategy, you can create a strong online presence for your eCommerce site and drive more traffic and sales.