Getting organic backlinks is not an easy task. It’s not enough to write great content and hope for the best. Even the best content can get lost in Google’s search engine.
Creating shareable content involves executing a strong Off-page SEO strategy to lend authority to your web page. In this article we have listed 7 steps that will guide you in the right direction.
What is Off-page SEO?
Off-page SEO encompasses all work done outside of a website to improve its search engine rankings.
It refers to everything which links back to your website, including:
- blog posts
- infographics
- surveys
- studies, and
- research papers
As with everything in marketing, in order to get results, you need to have a plan – or, in this case, a link building strategy.
What is link building?
Link building is the building of hyperlinks (a.k.a. backlinks) to a website to increase its visibility in search engines. Shareable content marketing is essential here.
Creating shareable content
Creating shareable content is all about maintaining quality, and using the science behind content writing in your favor.
Make your content so irresistible, so relevant, and so useful to the reader that they can’t resist clicking a hyperlink to your page in a separate publication.
Here are some steps to help you achieve this.
Step one: Start with question-based keywords
There are many tools on the market which can help you find the most searched keywords. Build your strategy around them and make a publishing schedule.
The blank page can be terrifying, so another good technique is to use Q&A websites such as Reddit and Quora in your favor.
Search for questions that have gone unanswered, to identify burning issues and get ideas for content.
Step two: Target your content at the right audience
Adapt the vocabulary of your material to your audience. Use websites and contents which they are used to visiting and sharing as references.
Check out influencers who share links with similar content to yours. Alltop and Buzzsumo can help you here, and criteria to look out for include:
- They are already interested in the subject
- They are used to sharing links on that topic
- They are part of the niche
Talk to them, listen to their problems and try to create content that helps them. Your text should act as a conversation.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Working in this way makes it more likely that they will read and share your content.
Step three: Identify link-worthy content
Leading digital entrepreneur Neil Patel says that the key to staying ahead in the marketing game is to research what your competitors are creating.
If you want to obtain quality links, you should start by getting to know your competition.
So look for link-worthy content – this will help you to build a strategy, write about a new topic or improve on what’s already out there.
Step four: Create original content, or improve on what already exists
Search for sites with a high number of backlinks, and try to learn from them. This may inspire you to create content which is interesting for your target audiences.
Another option is to take old content and make it better. Add more detail, and more information, improving what’s already been done.
No matter whether your topic is old or new, authenticity is a must.
Step five: Invest in Visual Content
The first impression is the one that sticks. So invest in visual content.
This type of content is appealing to the audience and will increase your chances of getting quality backlinks.
Step six: Optimize Content across different channels
You know the saying “divide and conquer”? That’s what this step is all about.
A successful link building strategy requires the involvement of different channels, and the optimization of your text.
The goal is organic search and backlinks, for which you can use SEO. Give your text a search-friendly title, for example. Help people to find it.
Step eight: Share with the right network
Don’t spread your seeds on infertile soil. Make smart use of your resources.
Send emails to people who are likely to be interested in your topic, and share your content with the right targets.
So let’s recap. To create shareable content and get organic backlinks you must follow these steps:
- Start with question-based keywords
- Target your content at the right audience
- Identify link-worthy content
- Create original content or improve on what already exists
- Invest in Visual Content
- Optimize Content across different channels
- Share with the right network
If you follow those steps and make an effort to create unique, shareable content, you should see good results. Now let’s get to work! It’s never too late to start getting organic backlinks.
