Search engine optimization has been the pillar of building a digital presence for every single brand out there, and it has no intention of waning in relevance. In fact, as time goes by, SEO is gaining more traction, and more companies are refining their SEO strategies in an effort to differentiate themselves from their competition and to be able to reach their customers more effectively. One particular segment of SEO that has prevailed as the top, most effective pick among them is link building, an old but gold practice that marketers use to improve the brand’s reputation, earn trust, and build authority. While many businesses have internal teams to handle link building, another effective approach is to outsource link building to professionals who specialize in this area.
In order to disseminate links, ensure their quality, and send them to all the right sources, brands need to produce content worthy of such links. What that means in this day and age is that merely posting weekly blogs that count no more than 600 words will no longer cut it. Your content needs to be diverse, educational, informative, intriguing, and engaging. To achieve that, on the other hand, you need to use various visual means and your design team in order to give your content that needed edge to improve your link-building strategy.
Here are a few ideas to keep in mind:
Crucial Design Ideas that will Transform your Link-Building Strategy
Bring your content to life
Storytelling is not reserved for blogs and articles. In fact, since we love visuals, people will mostly enjoy the kind of writing that has visual elements to it. Imagine a blog post that goes into detail on the relevance of writing, but it also illustrates these points through statistics and intriguing quotes isolated into images, pie charts, or animations. Not only does this way of diversification allow your readers to visualize the information provided in the text, but it also makes your content more shareable.
What you should remember to do is sprinkle such an informative post with internal and external links back to your key sources and further reading material. That will not only show your willingness to educate your audience even further, but it will boost your link portfolio and provide a chance for your readers to choose which link they’d like to use in their own posts, too. When you offer such blog posts to other websites or suggest to guest post it to an expert’s site, your work will have a far better chance to be published and re-published.
Do research and visualize the collected data
Link building is only possible when your content is based on well-researched data, industry-relevant information, and the latest trends your industry loves. When you’re able to give a unique angle on a certain, relevant topic, share your opinion that simultaneously offers a solution to a common problem, or provide eye-opening statistics that will reshape the perception of your industry, there’s no better way to present it all than in a digestible, link-worthy format such as an infographic, a printed brochure, or a similar visual assembly of data.
To do just that, design experts such as Infostarters specialize in crafting precisely those content formats based on relevant information and branded design. This process includes everything from selecting the most crucial bits of information, presenting it in a way your audience will love the most, and adding links back to sources of the data you’ve collected to ensure transparency and authority. Rest assured, such informative and educational content formats are bound to earn a few links to your portfolio.
Post printable freebies
In case you run a fitness-based business, you know how trends, new ideas, and different solutions tend to inspire interest, even if it’s only temporarily among your audience. Another common trait of us humans is that we love free stuff. Combine the two, and you get a brilliant opportunity to improve your brand’s visibility, build more links, and increase your brand awareness with your printable freebies. For instance, a customized meal plan (the one you get in exchange for your customer’s email subscription) can be brimming with links back to your site’s most notable recipes, supplement products, or cooking essentials.
Share snippets and brief segments from those printable materials across the web, embed a few links to the page that contains the subscription box, and more people will be likely to stop by your website. If you encourage them, they might also share the information with others they know and others who will benefit from your printable freebies. It’s a link-building opportunity waiting to happen, so make sure that the accompanying design makes the content all the more alluring.
Go original instead of stock
While stock photos can be extremely useful when you’re out of time and you need to publish a blog post while it’s still trending, there are many merits to coming up with your own, unique, and branded illustrations, graphics, and photography as supporting material for your content. The more original you can get, the better your chances have for having that content shared across various platforms. For example, posting a funny image your design team created to portray a typical issue your customers face can lead to more shares since they’ll relate.
Alternatively, other authority sites will be happy to quote you and add your unique images to their own posts and websites when you do provide something original. Also, when you post original photos from an event you’re hosting, you’ll be able to share on social networks and generate more interest (which means links, re-posts, and shares) while the event is still unraveling.
Design is your greatest ally when you’re trying to establish your presence in your industry through link building. Use it to your advantage, especially by relying on these and additional design suggestions, and you’ll better your link portfolio over time.
