There is so much going on in the world of SEO that it is a tough job to keep track of all these changes.
You can’t say with a surety that what goes into making a website rank higher than the others because no one knows what Google’s engineers are brewing in their labs.
We know one thing for sure that there are around more than 200 variables that Google considers while ranking a website.
Well, that’s what Google’s Matt Cutts said in 2009. A decade ago!
We have come a long way since then – so did Google’s changes.
Every year Google rolls out hundreds of changes.
So, wait for a second and think: how many changes occur in a day?
Answer: Enough that you don’t know things that are working today will continue giving the same results tomorrow.
That’s how dynamic the SEO world is.
Fortunately, amid these turbulent waters, we know that some straws can help us survive in this dynamic world.
And high quality link building free is one of them.
Why Backlinks are an Important SEO Factor?
Links are one of the oldest ranking factors. They came with PageRank in the 1990s and are still an important factor.
In fact, recently in an industry study conducted by SEMrush, it was revealed that backlinks were still a relevant ranking factor.
Things have changed in the landscape of backlinks; we all know that.
Besides a shift from the quantity to the quality of backlinks, some other factors might also be competing in popularity with backlinks.
But backlinks are still here, going strong, and… ruling.
So, we can safely say that:
Quality backlinks service is legit and link building is not an option but a necessity.
But here are few important questions:
- Which link building strategies are working in 2020?
- And how much does it cost to get high quality dofollow backlinks?
- how to make high quality backlinks free or paid?
- places to get free high quality backlinks?
- Can you create high quality backlinks auto free?
Because knowing both these things is important.
Generating high quality links doesn’t come without a cost.
According to a survey by SearchEngineWatch, SEOs agree that link building takes a chunk of their SEO budget.
It means you need to spend some money on hiring quality backlinks service.
But if you think that getting high quality backlinks free is impossible, you are wrong.
You can get premium high quality backlinks without spending a single dime.
Obviously, not everyone business runs a million-dollar company with a huge marketing budget.
If you don’t have enough budget to hire an SEO service agency or build an in-house link building team, you can do it yourself – for free.
I hear you say: how?
Well, this takes us back to our first question: Which link building strategies are working in 2020?
Techniques to Get High Quality Backlinks Free in 2020
After hearing a lot of stories of Google penalties, now we know what we shouldn’t be doing.
Links from…
- Low-quality article directories
- Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
- Poor forum comments
… are considered as spammy backlinks and are not acceptable for Google. They are a BIG NO!
So, what is the BIG YES?
What if I say your competitors already know the answer to this question?
Maybe, right now, when you are pondering whether to invest in link building or not, your competitors are already busy building high quality backlinks free.
And that’s the reason why they are ranking high on search engines despite having poor services than you.
But now, no more! Here are things your competitors know about free high quality backlinks that you are missing out on:
Tactic # 1: Link Roundups
Link Roundups are like a fairytale land for link builders where they can find their favorite high-quality backlink ice-cream for free.
In case you don’t know what is a link roundup:
A link roundup is mostly a weekly or monthly blog post that links to the other people’s best quality content in your niche.
If you don’t know, that’s how a link roundup looks like:
In other words, link roundups are always on a treasure hunt.
They are looking for blogs, pieces of other content, and businesses that are doing remarkable in their field.
They find them, and then:
Link.To.Them…FREE!
Yes, link roundups are made to give links to others.
So what can be better than pitching to people who are happily ready to link to you?
If your content or business is doing well, you can search such link roundups in your niche and ask for a link.
Here is a proven email template to land a free good and high quality backlink through this technique:
Hi [put name],
I came across your awesome website, and I must say that you are doing a great job.
Getting all these awesome link on one place is just amazing.
Significantly, your this link roundup [add URL] on [topic] helped me a lot.
I was just wondering if you need to update your roundup [add URL] with a few more quality links, I might help you.
I have written a blog on [add topic] that can provide more value to your readers.
Here is the link to my blog [add URL].
Looking to hear soon from you.
Cheers,
This link building technique brings along many other perks – besides that it is free:
- You get authority because these roundup sites have a well-built reputation and getting mentioned by them means you have some mass in your content or services.
- Only targeted traffic hit your site because only industry-relevant check out this list.
Tactic # 2: Claim Un-mentioned Brand Mentions
Link building is not always about finding new opportunities. It is about exploring and utilizing the existing opportunities in the best possible way.
That’s where link reclamation comes into play.
It goes without saying that if you are referring to someone’s work or mentioning a brand name, you should link to them.
Like, in this How to Improve SEO blog, I have linked to the source of the data.
Similarly, I have also given a link to the mentioned brand.
But not everyone does that. And that’s where your opportunity begins.
For example:
You can see in this image there are so many unlinked brand mentions. These mentions can become a huge link gaining opportunity.
Now you might be thinking about how to find unmentioned brand names.
There are two ways:
- You can search it manually through Google with (free high quality backlink generator tools).
- You can take the help of a tool.
The first method is time-consuming, so let’s just switch to the second way because that’s why these awesome link building tools exist: to make things easier for you.
You can use Ahrefs’ Content Explorer feature here too to find people mentioning your brand.
Enter your company’s name in the search bar and search.
Like, here I tried to search the brand mentions of Stumptown Coffee Roasters, one of the most famous coffee shop in New York.
You can see it gives you brand mentions within a second.
Don’t forget to enable the ‘one page per domain’ option. It helps you to get one page per domain so that you can keep your backlink profile unique and diversified.
You can find the list of websites mentioning the brand below.
You can check out this list to find the unmentioned brand names.
Tactic # 3: Broken Link Reclaiming
Sometimes, you feel that an article has lost it’s worth, or it’s not relevant in the current situation.
So, you remove it.
It’s a good idea because it is always better to keep your website up to date and relevant for your audience base.
But what about all those awesome backlinks coming to the removed page? It’s such a loss to let them go.
That’s where broken link reclamation comes in.
You can reach out to the linking site. Tell them about the broken link, and ask them to replace it with a link of similar content.
You can use the following template to send an email for broken link reclamation:
Hi [writer’s name],
It’s me, [your name] from [your website’s name].
I just read your awesome article here: [article’s link].
You have done a great job.
I have found that you have also mentioned my work.
Here’s the excerpt where you mentioned me:
[mention the excerpt from the section]
I am very grateful for this acknowledgment. However, I have found that you are linking to a broken link.
I was wondering if you can replace this link with another similar updated article link?
You can find that article here: [article’s link].
I think it will give your users a better experience and value.
Let me know if this is possible.
Cheers,
[your name]
Most of the time, this trick works, and site owners happily give you the link.
Obviously, if they have linked to your site for the first time, why wouldn’t they give you a link for the second time? Significantly, when you are also helping them by pointing a broken link.
But make sure that:
- You write an interesting ‘click-gaining’ subject line
- You select the time when your email doesn’t have to compete with many other emails to get attention
If it happens, the link is yours.
Tactic # 4: Approach Journalists and Reporters
The key to ranking through backlinks is:
Get as many links from high authority sites as you can.
And high authority news sites and blogs should also be included in your list of ‘targeted sites.
Fortunately, it isn’t out of the scope.
There are two ways to approach journalists and reporters:
- Use a website (like HARO)
- Use a tool (like JustReachOut)
Let’s see what HARO can do for you.
The deal behind it:
HARO, or Help A Reporter Out, is an online platform that journalists and reporters use to find experts for quotes.
What did you get from this?
Bingo!
You can find here reporters and journalists who are looking out for people to give links.
It is a mutual relationship:
You are their source for a quote
And they are your source for a link
So, it’s all square.
If you are an expert in your field and have the potential to become a source, getting a link through HARO becomes just a matter of approaching a journalist.
Here is how it works:
- Step 1: Register as a source
- Step 2: Start getting three ‘Queries’ per day
- Step 3: Respond to the query you want
- Step 4: Get a link
Sounds SIMPLE, right?
Well, it really is that simple.
Now moving towards the second approach.
Now:
We all know that online tools have gained quite a buzz lately.
And some of them are really awesome.
In fact, these tools can be a great help in scaling and streamlining SEO, outreach, and link building – like JustReachOut.
You can use it to find different journalists working for high authority sites.
It comes up with some awesome features:
- You can find a HUGE list of journalists.
- It has in-platform guidance to enhance your possibility of getting a link.
- You can use built-in CRM to reach out to the selected prospects.
- You can easily track your campaigns.
It is simple and very useful to find your prospects.
Tactic # 5: Beat the Best with the Best
There was a time when people only had a radio with a few channels. All family members used to gather around it to listen to it. There were only a couple of channels, so no matter what they were playing, everyone listened to it.
But now the digital world has a different story.
According to Forbes, every day around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created.
People have so many options, they are chocking in data smog, and information is dancing around them that they are confused that which should be their pick for the salsa dance.
People have a whole world in their palm.
In the current digital world’s scenario, you can’t force people to read trash.
Bloggers know that they have to give maximum value to their readers to keep them hooked and gain their attention.
That’s why they happily link out to high authority sites with valuable content.
That’s what you should also do.
Create valuable content, something better than that your competitors have created.
That’s what it means: Beat the best with the best!
Search your target keywords and see the content topping the ranking.
Check out the content and analyze it thoroughly…
- How they have handled content
- Find out their edge point
- See what they have added
- Think about what they have missed
- Finally, plan out how you can create a better version of it
There is a simple trick behind it:
Create something so valuable that others can’t resist linking to it.
That’s the science behind getting natural backlinks that flow like a stream to your site.
So if an article is getting massive backlinks from different domains, there are two possibilities
- Because it has invested time in link building.
- Because it has something valuable that others love to link to.
If your competitor is getting backlinks due to the second reason, you have the margin to get your share of backlinks.
Once you create something that is more valuable, interesting, and impactful, next is time to steal your competitor’s backlinks.
It is simple:
- Step 1: Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Step 2: Put the URL of the competitor in the search bar
- Step 3: Click on the ‘Backlinks’ option on the left-hand corner
- Step 4: Select the ‘One Link Per Domain’ option on the top
- Step 5: Get the jackpot of the linking sites
You can vet the best sites according to the corresponding metrics and pitch them to give you a link.
Here is a template that might help you:
If you have created something really better and greater, you have a high chance of getting an authority backlink.
Tactic # 6: Guest Posting
Lately, a lot has been said and talked about guest posting – all in negative ways.
Some say that guest posting is dead as a source of high quality do follow link building.
Others are convincing to kick it out from the squad of viable link building techniques.
Amidst all this push and pull, the fact is that many companies are offering guest post services and earning a lot from this.
The reason is simple:
People are still looking out for blog posting services, and they are the go-to solution for their link building needs.
Why? Because they still work and have many benefits.
In fact, many industry leaders also do guest posting… still!
Now WordStream itself is a well-established platform with good traffic flow and domain authority.
But what’s wrong in getting more visibility, enhancing brand awareness, and bagging credibility?
Guest posts are a good way to get high-quality backlinks from authority sites if you choose:
- Niche-specific sites
- Sites with good traffic flow
- Different high quality sites
- Relevant but diversified anchor texts
But guest posting services are more than just an SEO catalyst.
They can bring along many other business benefits that you hardly get through other quality link building ways.
Like, Larry Kim, in the above-mentioned blog post doesn’t mention its link anywhere.
But it did two things:
- Contextually mentioned its app ‘MobileMonkey’ throughout the content.
- Gave his author bio in the end.
What he gained from this?
- Awareness
- Engagement
- Qualified Traffic
- Authority
These are the perks that make guest blog posting one of the most happening technique to get high quality do follow backlinks free.
Tactic # 7: Post Evergreen Content
No one likes to link to a post that is based on a timely topic that will expire after some time.
It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t talk about a currently relevant topic, but do think of a broader picture.
Ask yourself a question like:
- Will this content have a long-lasting impact?
- Will it remain relevant for a long time?
- Will people like to read this content after a few months?
- Is this topic worth investing time and effort in?
If your answer to all these questions is no, it is a red flag that you are not producing evergreen content.
Like, nowadays you will find many blog posts talking about COVID-19 and its impact on different things.
For example, I searched out marketing stats in COVID-19 and that’s what I got:
Okay fine, COVID-19 is an alarming issue, and the world is shaken by it. People want to know its impacts on various sectors of life, including businesses.
We don’t know when the wave of corona will settle down, but it will one day. What after that?
What will happen to all those articles specifically centered on such issues?
It is good to keep current trends in the loop but to get more natural backlinks, it is important that you invest more time in creating evergreen content.
In case you don’t know, evergreen content is:
“Evergreen content is any content that is highly optimized and remains relevant, interesting, and worth-engaging for readers over a longer time-period after its publication.”
Reading this definition might make you think that creating evergreen content is some kind of rocket science.
But it is not!
Here are given some tips to create content that works well without any time constraint:
- Dissect complicated concepts and present them in an easy to understand way
- Give tips, make how-to guides, and listicles on important topics
- Provide answers to common queries of the people
- Write on topics that everyone wants to know about all the time
- Offer new, future-oriented concepts that are expected to go strong in the future
Remember that timely blogs get a huge spike initially, but that buzz is temporary.
It gets down within a few weeks, even days, and people stop searching keywords related to your blog.
So always find evergreen topics and give your maximum to create the best content possible.
Your focus should be to create the best that nobody can beat in the upcoming 5 years or that can stand the test of time.
Tactic # 8: Pitch out to Resource Pages
Resource page link building is an old tactic that SEO professionals have been using for a long time.
In fact, in a survey by Moz, 56% of the SEO professionals said that they turn to resource pages for the link building.
Resource pages are any industry’s online hubs that provide links to valuable industry sources.
If you are wondering how a resource page looks like, here is your go:
Here is a resource page, giving out links (in red) to websites related to interior architecture and design.
This website is freely giving out links to websites. You may also like to get a free ride on this website if you are also running a website related to interior designing and architecture.
But this free ride costs you something on the back end.
If you click on the mentioned links on these resource pages, you will see that all these websites are very high-end in terms of quality of …
- Design
- Content
- Services
- User-engagement
In other words, your website should be worth giving a link.
If you think that your website is on par excellence to secure a mention, then the below-given steps can turn into your step towards a strong backlink profile.
Step 1: Search Out Resource Pages
Your first step is to find relevant resource pages.
You can use various search strings.
Like:
“Keyword” + “resource websites”
“Keyword” + “useful resources”
“Keyword” + “valuable resource”
“Keyword” + “useful links”
“Keyword” + inurl:links
Inurl:resource “keyword”
See? You can get a hand on several resource pages you can pitch.
Step 2: Select the Page for Pitching
Once you have got a number of resource pages, the next step is to select the best fit for pitching.
Remember that your aim is not just to get a link, but to secure a valuable link.
It means that every resource page is not your target.
You should consider several factors for selecting the page, including:
- Traffic
- Domain Authority
- URL Rating
- Domain Rating
Step 3: Reach Out to Get a Link
Once you have selected the right resource page, next is the time to reap all your efforts. Reach out to the owner to secure a link.
Make sure your email contains:
- A brief of your website
- URL of your site
- Why you are the best fit
- Where you want to publish the content
Point no. 4 is required if the resource page has more sections.
Like, in the above example, you can see there is more than one category. So, instead of annoying them by increasing their work, mention your category in the email.
Remember, you are the one who wants the link. So, you should do all the work and make things easier for them as much as you can.
Tactic # 9: Snatch Others’ Broken Links
We have already talked about how you can reclaim your site’s broken links and direct them to relevant, active content.
There is another broken link building strategy, and it is even more amazing:
Snatch broken links of other sites.
Sometimes, you find high-authority sites that are linking to a broken link.
It is sad for the linking site because it can poorly impact the SEO of the site.
But it is a jackpot opportunity for you.
If you have relevant content that you can present as a link replacement, it is a huge high quality link building opportunity for you.
Don’t let it slide.
You have to simply follow three steps:
Step 1: Find High-Quality Blogger Sites in Your Niche
Finding such sights is not difficult.
You can use Google to find such blogs by entering a few keywords.
Like this:
You can see that the search result is giving a list of the ‘best, awesome, top’ blogs. So you don’t need to worry about the quality of these sites.
You can further vet these sites based on your required metrics.
Step 2: Find Broken Links
Once you have gotten a fully vetted list of sites, the next step is to find if they are linking to a broken site.
For this, you can use any broken link checker tool, like Dead Link Checker.
It tells you if someone a website or web page is linking to a website.
Step 3: Reach Out to Them
Once you find the blog linking to a dead page, it is time to present your content as a replacement.
Send an email, but make sure that you follow these tips:
- Don’t ask for the link right away.
- First, tell them about your feeling about their blog.
- To earn extra points, mention some of their posts that you liked.
- Then tell them about the broken link.
- Then SUGGEST your post as a replacement.
If you don’t desperately try to shove your post under their nose, there is a huge possibility that you will end up getting the link because:
You are securing them from SEO chaos.
On top of it, you are also helping them by offering a valuable alternative.
It is a win-win situation for everyone, so it is an all-square.
Tactic # 10: Go With the Proven Formats
Some content formats get more attention than others.
It all depends on how you play with the psychology of the searcher.
How you satisfy the user’s search intent, that’s where your game begins.
The key is to attract the attention of the reader and convince them to click on your link.
In a study by Buzzsumo, they found that the following types of content are more likely to get attention:
- Listicle
- Quiz
- Why post
- How-to guide
- Video content
And that’s what blogs are doing now.
So always choose the format that has the potential to grab more eyes rather than something that becomes blink and forget the case.
Conclusion
These are all amazing link building strategies, and SEOs across the world are using them to build their strong backlink profiles.
The rule of online success is to “Spend minimum, play smartly, and fetch maximum benefits.”
If you get the key to open this rule, you become unstoppable.
SEO is overall an expensive game, so you have to find ways to locate points where you can cut down your budget.
So if you can do high-quality link building without spending anything, what can be better than that?