Link building is an essential aspect of affiliate marketing, and in this lesson, Sam of Ahrefs shares a few proven tactics to help you execute effective link building strategies for your affiliate site. One crucial factor that can significantly increase your chances of obtaining backlinks is expertise. When you establish yourself as an expert in your niche, people are more likely to take your word seriously and consider linking to your content.
It’s important to note that being an expert doesn’t require being in the top 1% of your field. Even as a passionate hobbyist, you can provide valuable insights based on your personal experiences, which can go a long way in attracting backlinks.
The first link building tactic Sam recommends is leveraging Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to get free press. HARO is a service that connects journalists with sources. By signing up as a source, you’ll receive emails with queries from journalists at reputable publications like Business Insider, The New York Times, and USA Today. Responding to these queries can help you secure high-quality backlinks because journalists are actively seeking sources.
To make the most of HARO, Sam suggests setting up a Gmail filter to sort through the incoming emails. You can filter the emails by setting the “From” field to haro@helpareporter.com, the subject to “HARO” within square brackets, and using specific keywords or phrases in the “Has the words” field. By prioritizing queries where journalists are likely looking for multiple experts, you increase your chances of being mentioned in their articles.
The second tactic is guest posting, which involves creating content for other websites in your niche. Many websites accept guest posts and provide attribution with a link back to your site. To find potential websites for guest posting, Sam recommends using Ahrefs Content Explorer. By searching for topics related to your niche and applying filters such as Domain Rating, published date, and one page per domain, you can narrow down the results to relevant websites.
Once you have a list of potential websites, it’s important to visit each site, assess its relevance, and pitch your guest post ideas accordingly. Look for websites with decent search traffic, website authority, and indications that they accept guest posts, such as multiple authors. Pitch your ideas to the appropriate contacts, usually listed on their About page or Contact page.
The third tactic Sam recommends is doing podcast interviews. Being interviewed on podcasts allows you to showcase your expertise to a new audience and build your reputation as an authority in your niche. Podcasts often have “episodes” pages on their websites, which typically include links back to the guest’s homepage and social profiles. To find suitable podcasts, you can reverse-engineer a podcast interviewee’s homepage or social profile backlinks using Ahrefs’ Site Explorer. By searching for keywords like “podcast” or “episode” in the referring page titles, you can identify podcasts that are likely to link to guest websites.
Apart from obtaining backlinks, being a guest on podcasts offers the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals in your industry, expanding your network and potentially opening doors to further SEO benefits.
By implementing these three tactics—leveraging HARO, guest posting, and podcast interviews—you can effectively build links for your affiliate site. However, if you’re looking to explore more advanced link building strategies, Sam recommends watching the full tutorial on link building for beginners.
In conclusion, link building is a crucial aspect of affiliate marketing, and establishing yourself as an expert in your niche can significantly enhance your chances of obtaining backlinks. By leveraging HARO, guest posting on relevant websites, and participating in podcast interviews, you can attract high-quality backlinks, expand your network, and drive traffic to your affiliate site.
