Link Building for Affiliate Sites in 2022
Link Building for Affiliate Sites In 2022
The vast majority of articles on link-building topics focus on the importance of building a strong backlink profile. Undoubtedly, this factor largely determines the site's visibility on a search engine results page.
Modern link-building is aimed at building natural and relevant links. As long as you meet these criteria when implementing and optimizing this process, you're on the right track.
Modern link-building is aimed at building natural and relevant links. As long as you meet these criteria when implementing and optimizing this process, you're on the right track.
We decided to have a little Twitter Chat regarding this matter to determine the best practices affiliate sites should manage when building links in 2022.
So, let's hit it!
So, let's hit it!
Several representatives of the companies below participated in the chat and provided their views on this issue:
Olena Prokhoda
Social Media and Community Specialist
at Serpstat
at Serpstat
Nikola Roza
SEO & Content Marketer
at NikolaRoza
at NikolaRoza
Joseph S. Kahn
SEO and Business Growth Hacker
at Hum JAM
at Hum JAM
Yıldırım Sertbaş
Founder & Owner at Yıldırım Sertbaş
Poulomi Basu
SEO & Content Writing Specialist
Contents
- The importance of link-building. Should affiliate sites build links?
- To which pages should affiliate sites build links to see the best results?
- What matters when it comes to link building?
- The best strategies to use for building links to affiliate content.
- Additional link-building tips for site owners.
1. Should affiliate sites build links? Is link-building still important?
The basic concept of link building is getting other websites to link back to your website.
Initially, link-building mostly involved creating links of different quality from any site, no matter how trusted it was. With time passing and search engines updating their ranking factors frequently, link building has become a little more challenging.
Today, building links is mostly about creating high-quality content that users will be interested in and will link to. It may include:
Initially, link-building mostly involved creating links of different quality from any site, no matter how trusted it was. With time passing and search engines updating their ranking factors frequently, link building has become a little more challenging.
Today, building links is mostly about creating high-quality content that users will be interested in and will link to. It may include:
- social media posts;
- informative articles;
- video materials and guides;
- infographics;
- whitepapers;
- training courses;
- case studies;
- e-books;
- checklists, and many more.
When you create something truly useful, other people will link to it with pleasure. And this is what matters to Google — applying natural backlink-building strategies.
Valuable content → more traffic → better rankings → increased profits!
Valuable content → more traffic → better rankings → increased profits!
This link-building competition is like a challenge! But it's worth it. The user gets the best, and we improve our platform :)
You can't ignore backlinks if you see your SEO strategy as long-term and successful. The more high-quality, relevant backlinks a page has, the more traffic it will get.
You can boost both traffic and authority for your affiliate site by implementing a backlink strategy.
You can't ignore backlinks if you see your SEO strategy as long-term and successful. The more high-quality, relevant backlinks a page has, the more traffic it will get.
You can boost both traffic and authority for your affiliate site by implementing a backlink strategy.
Websites whose revenue is primarily derived from affiliate programs require SEO experts and platforms designed specifically for building quality backlinks and unique content.
The obvious reasons are building brand awareness, bringing more website traffic, and increasing revenues.
The obvious reasons are building brand awareness, bringing more website traffic, and increasing revenues.
Affiliate sites need to build links, as links are still a crucial part of the Google algorithm.
Google views them as votes and uses them to sort through infinite content on any topic and come up with the best one.
Google views them as votes and uses them to sort through infinite content on any topic and come up with the best one.
If affiliate sites also want to appear in the SERPs, they also need link authority to rank.
Just look at affiliate sites like any other site. It's not just about links. Apply the same criteria to rank high.
Just like an affiliate site needs detailed content that answers people's queries, it also needs a good user experience and backlinks to rank.
Just like an affiliate site needs detailed content that answers people's queries, it also needs a good user experience and backlinks to rank.
Poulomi Basu
SEO & Content Writing Specialist
In light of the fact that building links for affiliate sites is extremely important, let's take a closer look at which pages affiliate sites should link to succeed.
2. To which pages should affiliate sites build links to see the best results?
A preliminary analysis of the site you want to build a link at is considered to be one of the core processes in link-building.
An effective SEO strategy should contain an analysis of such indicators as visibility, estimated traffic, the dynamics of the leading indicators, and many more.
An effective SEO strategy should contain an analysis of such indicators as visibility, estimated traffic, the dynamics of the leading indicators, and many more.
The second important point is determining your site's top pages. It would be best if you made sure the ones you use for link-building are the ones you want to promote.
It is not just about creating a link that will represent your site to the user. What matters is how long he will stay on your site's page, referred by the affiliate site. So, quality and audience responses — that's what counts here.
Let's have a look at what are our experts' views on this matter.
It is not just about creating a link that will represent your site to the user. What matters is how long he will stay on your site's page, referred by the affiliate site. So, quality and audience responses — that's what counts here.
Let's have a look at what are our experts' views on this matter.
Before deciding where to build links, affiliates first need to select their priority pages. Priority pages are those where they can make money when ranked, and where their site is already performing decently even without link building.
We've all seen situations where a 2-week-old page is already getting a ton of impressions in GSC. For some reason, Google loves you for the topic, and if that topic has traffic potential and high buyer intent, it should be prioritized for link building.
It's also important to build links to the homepage and also to other pages on the site. You shouldn't be in a situation where 90%+ links go to just a few key pages on your site, as that looks unnatural and unrealistic.
The normal link profile of most websites has links across the board, but it's your job as an SEO to skew that percentage towards your target pages. No link is wasted as you can use internal linking to pass that authority to your key pages.
We've all seen situations where a 2-week-old page is already getting a ton of impressions in GSC. For some reason, Google loves you for the topic, and if that topic has traffic potential and high buyer intent, it should be prioritized for link building.
It's also important to build links to the homepage and also to other pages on the site. You shouldn't be in a situation where 90%+ links go to just a few key pages on your site, as that looks unnatural and unrealistic.
The normal link profile of most websites has links across the board, but it's your job as an SEO to skew that percentage towards your target pages. No link is wasted as you can use internal linking to pass that authority to your key pages.
To make the analysis processes easier for you, we at Serpstat have designed special tools. Check how you can analyze a domain with Serpstat's SEO and PPC Competitor Research Tools here.
Moreover, feel free to review the Top Pages report and see the site pages of the analyzed domain that receive the most search traffic and the number of shares on social networks. Make the most of this tool when analyzing your site or the affiliate site.
Moreover, feel free to review the Top Pages report and see the site pages of the analyzed domain that receive the most search traffic and the number of shares on social networks. Make the most of this tool when analyzing your site or the affiliate site.
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Typical affiliate articles - reviews, lists, comparisons, etc. - don't have a great track record for generating links. For that, we will need to generate new content to attract links.
It should be high quality, and about a topic, other sites are likely to link to.
It should be high quality, and about a topic, other sites are likely to link to.
My answer would be to their blog posts or topically relevant hub pages, or how pages ...
Link-building may not be easy, but it is well worth your time and effort if you want to boost your search engine optimization.
You can use plenty of techniques, from competitor analysis to guest posting and the HARO technique ("Help a Reporter Out"). Don't try to speed up the process as much as possible; take your time to secure high-quality links.
Checking the backlink profile metrics will be much easier if you master the appropriate platform like Serpstat. This is where you may apply Backlink Analysis Tool and check the following info for the analyzed site:
You can use plenty of techniques, from competitor analysis to guest posting and the HARO technique ("Help a Reporter Out"). Don't try to speed up the process as much as possible; take your time to secure high-quality links.
Checking the backlink profile metrics will be much easier if you master the appropriate platform like Serpstat. This is where you may apply Backlink Analysis Tool and check the following info for the analyzed site:
- referring domains and subdomains;
- indicator of domain authority;
- backlinks leading to the analyzed domain;
- referring homepages;
- IP addresses, subnets, and many more.
Learn how to use Backlink Analysis Tool to boost your results with Serpstat!
Request a personal demonstration of the service and our expert will provide you with all the info needed :)
Request a personal demonstration of the service and our expert will provide you with all the info needed :)
Personal demonstration
Leave a request, and we will conduct a personal demonstration of the service for you, provide you with a trial period, and offer comfortable conditions for starting exploring the tool
3. What matters when it comes to link building?
It was previously mentioned that affiliate sites need quality backlinks to rank on Google for competitive keywords. Even if you can rank for some low-volume terms without links, the most profitable ones require them.
A good number of internal and external links pointing to a website indicates that its content is noteworthy enough to gain more visibility and attract more attention.
It's important to determine the authoritative sites, where you want your links to come from, and decide which pages of your site should be promoted. After that, you are good to go.
What about other factors that matter when it comes to link building? When determining whether a link is helpful to your ranking, the following elements must be taken into account:
A good number of internal and external links pointing to a website indicates that its content is noteworthy enough to gain more visibility and attract more attention.
It's important to determine the authoritative sites, where you want your links to come from, and decide which pages of your site should be promoted. After that, you are good to go.
What about other factors that matter when it comes to link building? When determining whether a link is helpful to your ranking, the following elements must be taken into account:
Global popularity: popular sites obviously receive more external links.
Local popularity: it refers to inbound links that come from similar sites. That means the search engine values the link which comes from a topically related website much more.
Anchor text: it is important to strike the right balance here. Keywords should be included, but if there are too many of them, Google may consider this a spammy tactic.
Link context: links are more valuable when the context is directly related to the topic of your website.
The only links we start with are social profiles and some solid citations ... from there after the machine gets started, the velocity of link building can grow ...
Google may expect a press release, and that helps also.
Google may expect a press release, and that helps also.
And what do you think about the processes one should adhere to when building links?
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4. What are the best strategies to use for building links to affiliate content?
You can get backlinks to your affiliate site in a variety of ways.
You have to choose an appropriate strategy based on the affiliate marketing niche you're targeting, as well as the resources you're able to commit to this process.
One may find it a little hard to get high-quality backlinks, especially in a competitive niche. But let's explore some common strategies affiliate sites might use:
You have to choose an appropriate strategy based on the affiliate marketing niche you're targeting, as well as the resources you're able to commit to this process.
One may find it a little hard to get high-quality backlinks, especially in a competitive niche. But let's explore some common strategies affiliate sites might use:
Сompetitors’ links analysis
If you see your competitors succeeding, then they must be doing it right :)
Identify a few of your top competitors → check what types of content are they linking to, and what topics and keywords they cover → if their target audience is relevant to your site — apply the same tactics.
Identify a few of your top competitors → check what types of content are they linking to, and what topics and keywords they cover → if their target audience is relevant to your site — apply the same tactics.
Broken link-building
In this link-building strategy, you identify broken links and provide your content as a resource to replace them.
Discover broken links on trusted sites → create content that is highly relevant to the page that no longer functions → publish appropriate content on your site → get in touch with the webmaster so that they can offer your page as an alternative.
Discover broken links on trusted sites → create content that is highly relevant to the page that no longer functions → publish appropriate content on your site → get in touch with the webmaster so that they can offer your page as an alternative.
Link Bait content generation
Shareable content with infographics and images often goes viral as it gives an emotional reaction.
You may create practical content that includes guides, useful checklists, or different scientific studies.
You may create practical content that includes guides, useful checklists, or different scientific studies.
Applying outreach strategy
Get backlinks by connecting with influencers in your niche and promoting your content. The tactics you may choose at this stage are ego-baiting, guest blogging, and building links on community sites.
Still wondering how to carry out competitive backlink analysis? Feel free to explore all the details with Serpstat!
The best strategy is one that gets you the best links. And the best links are those coming from relevant, authoritative blogs in the blogger's industry.
For affiliate sites, the best links are from other affiliate sites and also overall from the sites in the industry, even if they don't monetize with affiliate links. Here's how to get those coveted backlinks.
The tactic is guest blogging and link exchanges. Google would say it's against their guidelines, but it's commonly used, works well, and they can't detect it as it looks very much like organic link acquisition.
Fifth, once people have added their links, it's time to submit your article and wait for it to get published. Once the guest post is published, let the participant know they've gotten their live links.
Finally, for each link that you gave, ask for a link back either from their site or from their next guest post.
Links from their site might be better because you can pick the page for relevance and authority and dictate the anchor text.
And that's how you start. And you repeat the process with subsequent guest posts, and you can scale it by hiring a freelance writer to write those guest posts for you.
This tactic gives you the best links for your affiliate blog, but an added benefit is that you get to build fruitful business relationships with a host of other bloggers in your niche.
For affiliate sites, the best links are from other affiliate sites and also overall from the sites in the industry, even if they don't monetize with affiliate links. Here's how to get those coveted backlinks.
The tactic is guest blogging and link exchanges. Google would say it's against their guidelines, but it's commonly used, works well, and they can't detect it as it looks very much like organic link acquisition.
Fifth, once people have added their links, it's time to submit your article and wait for it to get published. Once the guest post is published, let the participant know they've gotten their live links.
Finally, for each link that you gave, ask for a link back either from their site or from their next guest post.
Links from their site might be better because you can pick the page for relevance and authority and dictate the anchor text.
And that's how you start. And you repeat the process with subsequent guest posts, and you can scale it by hiring a freelance writer to write those guest posts for you.
This tactic gives you the best links for your affiliate blog, but an added benefit is that you get to build fruitful business relationships with a host of other bloggers in your niche.
5. What are some additional link-building tips for site owners?
Build Expertise, Authority, Trust
Your link-building campaign would be much easier to apply if you adhere to the E.A.T. technique (Expertise, Authority, Trust).
Prove that your site is legal and secure, improve it over time, check customer reviews for your product or service, and take time to gain a reputation.
The moment you are a trusted expert that is perceived as an authority, others will happily refer to your website with a backlink.
Prove that your site is legal and secure, improve it over time, check customer reviews for your product or service, and take time to gain a reputation.
The moment you are a trusted expert that is perceived as an authority, others will happily refer to your website with a backlink.
Use Follow-Ups
When you follow up, you're reminding people about you and asking them to take action. Don't be afraid to be intrusive and use relevant creatives as much as possible.
Considering our team's experience, we may conclude that follow-up emails actually get the best response rate. Your first email might have been missed or forgotten, but a follow-up is harder to ignore.
Considering our team's experience, we may conclude that follow-up emails actually get the best response rate. Your first email might have been missed or forgotten, but a follow-up is harder to ignore.
Consider Skyscraper Technique
Simple yet effective, the Skyscraper Technique is a link-building strategy from Backlinko. It involves three steps:
- Find topics with multiple backlinks from high-authority domains.
- Create quality, appealing content on your site related to the topic.
- Share your content, and try to get a new audience involved.
Let's have a look at technics our experts apply and relate to effective ones:
Recently, we've discussed E-A-T. I guess it's relevant here. We should use it to create content assets for link building.
If you follow E-A-T principles for your “linkbait” pages, you can easily illustrate the mutual benefit of link placement when you pitch sites.
Moreover, Google will perceive the linking relationship as natural if both sites involved have high-quality, relevant, and useful content. In turn, the link helps boost the authority of both websites :)
If you follow E-A-T principles for your “linkbait” pages, you can easily illustrate the mutual benefit of link placement when you pitch sites.
Moreover, Google will perceive the linking relationship as natural if both sites involved have high-quality, relevant, and useful content. In turn, the link helps boost the authority of both websites :)
The site architecture is huge. You can build all the links you want, but if your key pages are orphaned, then they won't rank as authority won't pass to them.
Content containing statistical information about the niche can be created & delivered to publications that need this updated information.
For example, a niche related to dog food or accessories may generate content related to dog bite statistics. Statistical content attracts.
For example, a niche related to dog food or accessories may generate content related to dog bite statistics. Statistical content attracts.
Summarizing all the points mentioned above, we may allocate the following link-building hints for affiliate sites:
✔️ analyze sites of partners and competitors;
✔️ discover what your audience is interested in;
✔️ reach out for links;
✔️ keep in touch with those you cooperate with;
✔️ consider guest blogging and influencer marketing;
✔️ utilize popular social media;
✔️ claim broken links;
✔️ diversify the content you create;
✔️ use special tools and analyze results, implementing changes if needed.
✔️ analyze sites of partners and competitors;
✔️ discover what your audience is interested in;
✔️ reach out for links;
✔️ keep in touch with those you cooperate with;
✔️ consider guest blogging and influencer marketing;
✔️ utilize popular social media;
✔️ claim broken links;
✔️ diversify the content you create;
✔️ use special tools and analyze results, implementing changes if needed.
Serpstat For Affiliate Marketing Platforms
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Instead of Conclusion
Basically, the Internet is a collection of interconnected web documents. Users can use links that facilitate these connections to navigate different sites.
Nowadays, there is no doubt that links remain one of the determining factors used by search engines in their ranking algorithms. And Google, for example, has developed a method of detecting unnatural link patterns, rewarding only high-quality link profiles.
Like any other site, link-building for an affiliate site is a top priority. One day, your website might improve, so you won't need to work so hard for links. By taking advantage of this opportunity, you will gradually be able to create amazing content that will entice other websites to link to you!
Nowadays, there is no doubt that links remain one of the determining factors used by search engines in their ranking algorithms. And Google, for example, has developed a method of detecting unnatural link patterns, rewarding only high-quality link profiles.
Like any other site, link-building for an affiliate site is a top priority. One day, your website might improve, so you won't need to work so hard for links. By taking advantage of this opportunity, you will gradually be able to create amazing content that will entice other websites to link to you!
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Looking forward to interaction — we’re sure you’ll love our little community as much as we do :)
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