Atypical Link Building: A Strategy for Standing Out
Link building is an important pillar of an SEO campaign – that is pretty much beyond dispute. If you need proof of that, a quick Google search will yield hundreds of thousands of case-studies, blog posts, and examples of the importance of link building for search engine optimization.
The point of this post is not to establish the importance of link building (but check this blog post if you’re interested), instead, we want to talk about non-traditional ways to build links. Every business and SEO provider out there is looking to do link building in the same old ways: business directories, content marketing, guest posting, and the like. But there are more creative ways to go about link building with much less competition. Today, we’ll look at four of our favorite, atypical methods for link building.
Create Local Guides
This first strategy probably requires the most work, it can also offer a huge reward. While it technically might fall under content marketing, this method offers unique benefits over more traditional methods. Depending on the size of your local area, this local guide can be comprehensive or niche-specific, but the ultimate goal is to get your guide picked up and shared by other local sites and social media.
As you get the guide out there, it will result in links back to your site. These links might not be industry specific, but natural and organic links are always valuable.
Alumni and Hometown Resources
If you and your business have already experienced some level of success, you can capitalize on that momentum by pitching your business to alumni or small hometown news resources. Getting a story published about you and your business will almost always result in a direct link.
And these links generally come from high authority sites like news organizations and .edu addresses. It might sound like bragging, but people are genuinely interested in the successes of people they have a connection to.
Student Contests
Hosting student contests is a great strategy for businesses in more creative niches. You can host a writing, film, or other creative contest for local high school or college students. But holding the contest is only the beginning, you will also need to promote the contest to local schools and news organizations in order to allow links to develop.
Holding such a contest requires planning, time, and follow-through but they have the dual benefit of increased public relations and also developing several link opportunities.
Sponsoring Teams or Events
Local sports teams, conferences, and charity events are always looking for sponsorships from local businesses. Many offer plagues, t-shirts, and similar trinkets in response. But considering asking for something more valuable – a link from their website.
These links are great for local SEO, as they are most likely in your service area. And they have the added PR benefit of showing you care about the local community.
Creative Link Building
These four strategies are our favorite ways for creative link building, but there are far from the only methods. And we’d love to hear your ideas for non-traditional link building in the comments. If you’re interested in search engine optimization, local SEO, web design, or any other marketing and advertising services from Fusion Group USA you can contact us today for a totally free, no-obligation consultation.
