Link Building for Startups:
7 Effective Authority Building Strategies

Table of content

The majority of startups invest in SEO too late, even without product-market fit, SEO foundations can, and should be built.

Creating an effective marketing plan in the beginning stages is essential, and your plan must include SEO, and more specifically - link building strategy.

Though link building is essential, startups should focus primarily on quality content creation that ensures they cover all of their bottom-of-funnel content before their main focus switches to link building strategies.

Startups must ensure links direct to high-quality content that adds value to readers.

Benefits of Link Building for Startups

Link building has incredible benefits for companies that implement it correctly. Quality links increase your SEO (search engine optimization) and, therefore, your search engine ranking. Companies that appear on the first page of Google generate significantly more organic traffic than those that don't.

Link building also increases organic traffic through acquired links and helps build brand awareness and trust, which is essential for new startups.

Essential Link Building Strategies for Startups

When startups select which link-building strategies they wish to implement, they must choose strategies that align with their marketing strategy.

In addition, strategies must be implemented correctly to ensure the most success, so many companies outsource this process to professional companies with a history of success.

Below is a list of seven strategies that have proven most effective in helping startups survive and thrive.

Participate in guest posting.

Guest posting or guest blogging creates content for another company's website or marketing blog. Guest posts are an excellent strategy because they mutually benefit both companies.

When you are looking to find guest post opportunities, it is essential to look for the following:

Blogs in a similar industry, but not companies who are direct competitors.
Quality blogs that don't contain spam and whose ideas and personas align with your own.
Blogs that will result in high-quality backlinks because they create quality content.

When creating your post, remember that it is not an advertisement. Make sure you create relevant content that is actionable and informative and includes a CTA (call-to-action) that encourages the readers to post in the comments and share the content if they have enjoyed reading.

Turn unlinked mentions into links.

An unlinked mention is a mention of your company or brand within a website that needs to be linked back to your webpage. They can be in the form of your company's name, an image from your site, or a citation.

Unlinked mentions are an excellent option that will aid in creating more dofollow links to your website.

Search tools are available to help find every type of mention, or you can search through search engines, though the process may take longer. When you are searching, check all the versions of your company name, for example, if the name can be shortened or has an acronym. You can also search for employee names and do reverse image searches.

Once you have found and prioritized your unlinked mentions, reach out to the website owners and request they change their mentions to external links to your website.

If you don't receive responses, double check you have the correct website owner information, and contact them again.

Participate in HARO.

Help a reporter out, or HARO, is a link building strategy that helps journalists and publishers find experts to answer critical questions. It is an excellent tool to establish your company as an industry expert and earn high-quality links in the process.

To implement HARO, you must first go to the webpage and register as a source. The free version will send you a few emails each day. These emails must be monitored closely so your company can be quick to respond to leads that will lead to valuable links.

When responding to an inquiry ensure your response covers all the elements the reporter has requested while keeping it concise.

You will only sometimes receive a response letting you know they have used your link, so it is essential to track your progress by periodic manual searches, or by setting up a Google alert that will inform you if your content is utilized.

Be featured on a Podcast, or create your own.

Since the first Podcast was released in 2004, their popularity has exploded. In 2021, in the United States alone, over 82 million people listened to Podcasts. This number is expected to reach 100 million in 2024.

Podcasts are an excellent way to reach your target audience in a format they are already utilizing. They add value to content because you can go in more depth than you would through a webpage.

Podcasts help grow a relationship and build trust with potential customers before they have even researched your products. They also help establish your company as an industry expert and build relationships within your industry.

Linkable Assets

A linkable assets link building strategy is an excellent tool for startups. A linkable asset is content created to attract links. This strategy will increase organic traffic and brand exposure.

The content is valuable for readers and other websites and does not typically contain any marketing material or promotional content.

A linkable asset creates value by providing a solution to a problem, answering a question in a unique, un readily available way, and selecting a topic that will interest the target audience.

Some great options for linkable assets include:

Infographics on a related topic,
An online tool or calculator,
Guides and tutorials, and
Studies and research.

Make sure whatever content you create is related to your industry, so you are attracting relevant users and traffic that will eventually convert into customers.

Digital PR

Digital PR is a link building strategy where a company creates content that will interest journalists and then reaches out to them and offers the page to add editorial value to their articles.

Editorial links generally come from high authority sites and generate organic traffic from relevant users.

To implement a digital PR link building strategy, start by searching for relevant content that would interest journalists. Check things that are trending on Google or other search engines. Once you have selected a topic, create content that adds value, showcases your company's knowledge and sets you apart as an industry expert.

Once content creation is complete, reach out to high-quality publications, pitch your content and offer your page as a direct link for their article.

Monitor your backlinks.

Monitoring your backlinks is essential as you add links gradually. You want to ensure all the websites that link to your webpage produce their own quality content and that you do not have any inbound links from spam sites. Spam sites are websites created for the sole purpose of linking many sites in an attempt to cheat the system and increase SEO. However, many search engines recognize these sites, and they can actually hinder your efforts.

In addition, as you build your link profile, monitor for broken links to ensure your hard-earned links stay active.

Startup Link Building Best Practices

Building links is a complicated process. To ensure you have the most success, implement best practices in all your startup link building strategies.

Create consistent, high-quality content that adds value.

Quality content creation is essential for every company, whether they are a startup or not. Quality content is unique and adds value to your target audience. The content should engage readers, be focused on topics related to your industry, and include calls-to-actions that prompt them to take action.

In addition, ensure you are producing content frequently to stay relevant and continue to grow your SEO value. A new post or page at least once a week will provide the most success for your new business.

Select link building strategies that align with your marketing goals.

Many link-building strategies are available for startups and established companies to help them grow their business. The best strategies are those that align with the products and services you offer and that showcase the skills your employees can provide to a potential customer.

Research your competitors to see who is doing it right and has high domain authority in your industry. If you are unsure, there are excellent companies with extensive experience that can help you through the process and ensure your success.

Focus on "good" links.

Building links is more than just trying to generate links quickly from any source. Startups must ensure they are obtaining links from authoritative websites that create high-quality content. A link from a website with high domain authority is much more effective than several from other websites that produce low-quality content.

Optimize your anchor texts.

Anchor text is the wording that describes where a reader will be directed if they click on the hyperlink. There are a few key ways to optimize your anchor text. They include:

Ensuring the text is underlined and in a different color from the surrounding text.
The links are not placed within the first paragraph but within the second paragraph or middle of the article instead.
Ensuring the link is relevant to what the reader is reading.
Ensuring the name is not generic and describes what the hyperlink will direct them to.
Ensuring the description is not so long that the reader doesn't need to click on the link to gain more information.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Link Building for Startups

Startups must focus on building a healthy link profile rather than obtaining low-quality links too quickly. A healthy link profile will consist of links earned naturally over time. Avoid practices that make it appear like you are trying to cheat the system.

Remember, low-quality links come from low-quality sites that produce poor content that add no value to the online community. These links can actually hinder your SEO efforts.

Avoid the following practices, and do not utilize any SEO companies that suggest using these practices.

Purchasing links
Acquiring links next to wording such as; "paid content"
Acquiring backlinks from link exchange schemes
Gaining links too quickly, rather than working to earn them as you grow your site
Linking from the comments section of a blog post
Utilizing the scholarship link building Method
Not working for a diverse link profile

Use link building and help your startup succeed today!

Link building is essential to the success of any online business, especially startups. Building links will enhance SEO efforts and increase your search engine ranking, increasing organic traffic. When done correctly, link building will increase conversion rates and overall revenue.

Ensure you have a good content base and pair quality content creation with your link strategy so your links direct to high-quality content that will grow your reader and customer base.

Starting the process can be a daunting task. If you require help, reach link building professionals to help guide you through the process.

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Link Building for Startups: 7 Effective Authority Building Strategies