16 Effortless eCommerce Link Building Strategies

When it comes to building links for eCommerce websites, businesses face unique challenges. Link building is crucial in SEO, enhancing a website’s search engine ranking and visibility.

In this article, I will explore a variety of eCommerce link building strategies. Discover how to develop and boost organic traffic while establishing a robust link profile. Explore effective tactics to enhance brand awareness, leverage industry partnerships, and create valuable content that attracts quality backlinks to your eCommerce site.

By implementing these link building strategies, businesses can drive targeted traffic and maximise conversions from search engines to create a natural link profile.

Authority, relevance, and trust

Understanding the key factors that influence the quality of a link is crucial before delving into link building strategies. Here are the three primary factors that search engines, like Google, consider when assessing the value of a backlink:

• Authority: Link authority encompasses the quantity and quality of links directed toward a website, indicating its popularity and relevance within a specific subject area. This is an important ranking factor because it directly impacts a website’s visibility and organic search rankings, influencing its overall success and competitiveness.
• Relevancy: Relevance is determined by how closely a website’s content aligns with a user’s search query and its overall topical relevance.
• Trust: Trust reflects the perceived credibility and reliability of a website, taking into account various factors such as domain age, historical reputation, user engagement, and content quality.

Link building for eCommerce

Now that we understand the crucial factors for successful link building, let’s dive into the top strategies for eCommerce websites. Here are the most effective eCommerce link building techniques that will supercharge your online sales and expedite your journey toward achieving your goals:

1. Guest posting

Guest posting remains an effective technique for earning high-quality links from authoritative sites. That being said, it does require a significant investment of time and effort.

To get started, curate a list of websites that align with your industry and target audience. Consider factors such as organic traffic, domain authority, and the type of content they produce to ensure relevance.

Once you have your list, reach out to these websites with an engaging and insightful topic that resonates with your industry. After your topic is approved, creating amazing content that provides a ton of value to readers is crucial.

Review the site content guidelines provided and add one natural link to your site within the content. This way, you can maximise the impact of your guest post and attract valuable traffic and backlinks to your website.

Related: How To Get Started With Guest Posting?

2. Broken link building

Leveraging broken links is a fantastic opportunity to obtain valuable backlinks from authoritative sites, benefiting you and the site owner. The process involves identifying websites within your niche linked to outdated or non-existent pages (called 404s) and offering them a functional alternative to your eCommerce site.

I recommend using tools such as Ahrefs, Semrush, or the Check My Links Chrome extension to simplify finding broken links. Here’s how to do it in Ahrefs:

• Log in to your Ahrefs account.
• Navigate to the “Site Explorer” section.
• Enter the URL of the website you want to analyse.
• Click on the “Outgoing Links” section.
• Review the list of broken links, including the source and target URLs and the status code.

Before approaching a website using the broken link building tactic, it’s crucial to thoroughly evaluate the site’s domain authority, link relevance, traffic, and overall credibility. By doing so, you’ll be able to acquire high-quality and relevant backlinks that will positively impact your website’s ranking and authority.

Related: Link Building: From Beginner To Advanced Guide

3. Influencer roundups

Consider reaching out to influencers and inviting them to contribute their insights to your website. For instance, if you’re writing an article about “12 experts sharing their opinion on cybersecurity,” you can invite influential cybersecurity professionals to participate.

Email them the link once the article is published and politely ask if they would consider sharing it on their social media profiles. This can generate referral traffic and additional backlinks as more people become aware of your brand.

Remember that when approaching influencers, asking specific and engaging questions is essential. Influencers are often busy, so providing them with a clear and compelling topic will increase the likelihood of their participation.

Image credit: BuzzSumo

To find influencers, you can utilise tools like BuzzSumo. Enter your keyword, and the tool will provide you with a list of top influencers you can contact.

4. Original content

Creating unique and valuable content is a key aspect of e-commerce link building. By addressing your target audience’s needs and interests, you can naturally attract organic links to your website.

Thorough research, data-backed insights, and unique perspectives can help your content stand out and be more link-worthy. Additionally, promoting your content through social media, engaging with relevant communities, and reaching out to influencers can amplify its reach and increase the chances of earning valuable backlinks.

Combining high-quality content creation with strategic promotion can enhance your e-commerce website’s visibility, drive traffic, and boost its link profile.

5. Industry-specific infographics and statistics

Infographics and statistics posts are effective tools for generating backlinks. Creating high-quality, unique visual content that offers value and supports articles can attract other websites to use and reference your work.

Here is an excellent example of an infographic using statistics journalists and bloggers can reference.

Image credit: Venngage

Websites that utilise your infographics or statistics typically include a link to your original post as a source. This not only drives traffic to your website but also enhances your backlink profile, which can have a positive impact on your search engine rankings.

Related: Reputation Management: 6 Tips To Protect Your Brand

6. FAQs

Providing comprehensive answers through an FAQ section is crucial to effectively address your customers’ inquiries. Anticipate and answer all possible questions to ensure a seamless customer experience.

To gather relevant questions, utilise resources like Google’s “People Also Ask” section and platforms like Quora, Reddit, and Answer the Public. Once you’ve compiled the questions, organise them into categories and publish them on your website for easy navigation and accessibility.

Related: SEO Copywriting: Definition, Strategies, Benefits, Tools

7. Testimonial link building

Testimonial link building is a powerful strategy to acquire relevant backlinks for your store. By sharing customer testimonials for other brands, you can earn backlinks in return, as testimonials often include a link to the website of the person providing the testimonial.

This approach helps strengthen your backlink profile and establish positive relationships within your industry, driving targeted traffic to your online store.

Related: Enterprise SEO: Tactics, Tools, Statistics, Examples, Solutions

8. Claim unlinked brand mentions

Unlinked mentions (also called link reclamation) are an opportunity to obtain backlinks for your business. Search for your brand name on Google, excluding your website, to find these mentions. Alternatively, use Ahrefs’ Content Explorer tool to identify pages that mention your brand without linking to it.

After compiling a list of unlinked brand mentions, contact the website owners and politely request a link to your site. This approach leverages the existing awareness of your brand to increase the chances of acquiring backlinks.

Related: Backlink Audit: Step-By-Step Guide Plus 12 Metrics To Check

9. Competitor backlink analysis

Competitor analysis is a useful approach for eCommerce link building. Using tools like Semrush and Ahrefs, you can identify websites that link to your competitors and compile a list of authoritative sites for link building.

To use Semrush for competitor link identification:

• Enter your competitor’s domain into the Semrush tool to generate a backlink report.
• Analyse the report to evaluate factors such as the number of backlinks, referring domains, top pages, and anchor texts.
• Filter the report to focus on high-quality links, considering each referring site’s Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA).
• Export the report as a CSV file for efficient data review and analysis.
• Identify opportunities for link building by identifying gaps in your competitor’s link profile and contacting similar sources.

By leveraging competitor analysis, you can discover valuable link prospects and enhance your website’s backlink profile.

Related: 12 Best Link Building Strategies To Inspire Your Next Campaign

10. Collaborate with brands

Not all businesses within your industry are direct competitors. Take the example of selling mobile phones versus a business specialising in mobile phone cases. Although both are in the same industry, they cater to different segments.

A great example of this is LEGO and the hit Netflix TV series Stranger Things. This partnership is an intelligent strategy for two major brands to join forces and reach and engage with new audiences while capitalising on the popularity of the TV show.

Image credit: The Brick Blogger

To leverage these related businesses and build links, seek partnerships with them. Begin by reaching out and introducing yourself, expressing your interest in collaboration. Together, define shared goals for the joint content project, such as enhancing visibility, boosting brand awareness, or driving traffic.

Decide on the format of the collaborative content, whether it be a guest blog post, podcast episode, webinar, or white paper. Assign tasks and responsibilities to each business, including content creation, promotion, and distribution.

Cross-promote the collaborative content on your respective websites and social media platforms. Monitor the joint effort results, paying attention to audience engagement and the number of links generated. You can tap into new audiences and expand your link-building opportunities by working with related businesses.

Related: Editorial Links: 9 Ways To Crush Your Link Building Campaign

11. Quotes

You can attract journalists’ attention by sharing your expertise and thoughts via services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out). Securing links from highly authoritative and reputable newspapers enhances credibility and fast-tracks your goal achievement.

While HARO presents an excellent opportunity for securing a significant number of links, it’s worth considering that it can be time-consuming due to the abundance of opportunities and the necessity of crafting compelling responses.

To get around this, exploring alternative platforms similar to HARO but with less user saturation can be a more efficient strategy for maximising results while minimising time investment.

Related: HARO Link Building (Plus 8 Alternatives)

12. Share customer success stories

Sharing customers’ success stories is a great marketing strategy to attract and convert leads. Publish customer success stories on your website and include links to relevant products or services.

Reach out to customers who have had positive experiences with your products or services and ask if they would be willing to share their stories on their website or social media profile.

Offer incentives such as early access, exclusive content, or discounts to those who promote customer success stories on their website or social media platforms.

Related: Digital PR: Definition, Strategies, Examples, Tools, Solutions

13. Host webinars or podcasts

Collaborate with influencers and industry thought leaders and influencers to expand the reach of your webinar or podcast. Collaborating with these individuals can help you tap into their established audiences and attract more participants.

Contact relevant websites, blogs, and forums that align with your webinar or podcast topic. This strategic outreach expands your promotional efforts and ensures your webinar or podcast reaches the right people interested in your topic.

Related: E-commerce SEO: Strategy, Best Practices, Tools, Solutions

14. Participate in online communities and forums

Identify online communities and forums related to your industry and become an active participant. Offer helpful and valuable insights, opinions, and advice to establish yourself as an expert. Share your content and engage in discussions to attract links.

Here are some of the top Q&A sites and forums to attract links:

• Quora.
• eCommerce Subreddits on Reddit.
• EcomCrew.
• eCommerceFuel.
• BigCommerce Community.
• Shopify Community.
• WooCommerce Community.
• Magento Community.
• Volusion Community.
• PrestaShop Community.
• Esty Community.

Related: Content Marketing: Definition, Strategies, Tools, Examples

15. Internal links

Online shops often overlook internal linking in favour of external links, but it’s crucial for SEO. Improve your eCommerce store’s internal linking with these strategies:

• dentify important pages to link together.
• Use keyword-rich anchor text for links.
• Keep every page within three clicks.
• Link from higher-level categories to deeper pages.
• Cross-link related products or content.
• Use breadcrumb navigation and footer links.

16. Product page link building

Link building for product pages in the eCommerce industry is often easier than in other industries. This is because bloggers and journalists naturally feature appealing products like fashionable dresses or cool tech gadgets in their content, complete with an image and a link. This makes acquiring backlinks for eCommerce product pages more straightforward and natural.

Related: 15 Questions To Ask Your SEO Agency Before Hiring