{"id":27348,"date":"2024-05-16T10:51:37","date_gmt":"2024-05-16T09:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodpecker.co\/blog\/?p=27348"},"modified":"2025-03-28T14:23:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T13:23:04","slug":"backlink-outreach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodpecker.co\/blog\/backlink-outreach\/","title":{"rendered":"Backlink Outreach: The Ultimate Guide for 2025 [and Beyond]"},"content":{"rendered":"

55.24% of web pages on the Internet have zero backlinks, and 29.79% have fewer than 3 backlinks.<\/span><\/p>\n

This creates an excellent ground for expanding your link-building efforts. Not everyone is doing it, and it’s a great way to differentiate yourself. You’ll gain referral traffic, better rankings, and more visibility in search engines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Backlink outreach is an excellent start to link building. It’s one of the most popular ways of getting quality backlinks\u2014mainly because it works best!<\/span><\/p>\n

Given this landscape, the following sections will explain why backlink outreach is essential for your SEO strategy, how to implement it effectively, and the best practices for making your outreach efforts stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s jump right in!<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Backlink Outreach?<\/b><\/h2>\n\"sending\n

source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Backlink outreach is a strategy used in SEO. Marketers contact other websites to secure links back to their sites, aiming to improve their search engine rankings and online visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are several techniques you can use.<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Backlink Outreach<\/b><\/h2>\n

Types of link building outreach vary, and each creates a unique opportunity for a backlink.<\/span><\/p>\n

Broken link building<\/b><\/h3>\n

Broken link building? Here’s the scoop. First, pick a tool. Ahrefs or Semrush work great. Think about which sites you want links from. They should match your niche.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next step: hunt for broken links. Use your tool to find links that go nowhere, like 404 pages. Not every broken link will work for you. Find the ones that fit your content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Got a match? Awesome. Now, make sure your content is ready to shine in that spot. It needs to be useful and on-topic.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s time to reach out. Contact the site owner or the person in charge. Keep it friendly but straight to the point. Tell them about the broken link. Offer your content as the fix. Don’t forget to give them the exact spot of the dead link on their site.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that’s it. You’re doing them a favor, and you get a backlink. Win-win.<\/span><\/p>\n

A-B-C link exchanges<\/b><\/h3>\n

Swapping links, where you link to a site, and they link back, is a classic move for getting backlinks. But, heads up, Google’s not a big fan of this back-and-forth game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s a workaround: bring a third site into the mix. You set up or find another site, then use it to swap links. This way, you’re not directly trading links with your main site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take Jotform’s playbook, for example. They use noupe.com to swap links without directly linking back from their own website. Smart, right? It keeps their site on Google’s good side.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find link building partners, visit Slack, Facebook, and LinkedIn groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Relationship-based link building<\/b><\/h3>\n

As of recently, relationship-based link building is all the rage. It usually consists of communities of bloggers and editors who can exchange links easily through software like Slack. There are plenty of such communities which are open to new members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All you need is links from even one website you can offer other editors. If the metrics are OK, they will be happy to give you a backlink. You can join them almost instantly and start exchanging backlinks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlinked mentions<\/b><\/h3>\n

To harness unlinked mentions, start with Ahrefs or Semrush. These tools help you find where your brand pops up online.<\/span><\/p>\n

Check each mention. Does it link to you?<\/span><\/p>\n

Look for the rel attribute, too. Your targets are mentions without links or with nofollow links.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next step: reach out. Explain the mention and suggest adding a link. Note that it might help their readers. Offer something in return. Maybe exclusive content, a link on another site, or a discount.<\/span><\/p>\n

No reply? Follow up. Emails get missed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlinked mentions can be super effective. You can sometimes get free links that way. Most of the time, however, you need to offer something in return.<\/span><\/p>\n

Skyscraper technique<\/b><\/h3>\n

The skyscraper technique consists of the following steps:<\/span><\/p>\n

#1 Identify an article that has attracted numerous backlinks.<\/span><\/p>\n\"websites\n

#2 Create a superior version of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

#3 Convince those who linked to the original piece to link to your content instead.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\"email\n

You can speed up this process by directly contacting the sites that have linked to your competitor’s article and suggesting they link to your improved version.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your content might stand out due to its use of fresher, more accurate data, the inclusion of results from a recent survey, or the incorporation of insights from recognized industry experts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aim to offer something that sets your article apart from the original.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guest posts<\/b><\/h3>\n

Guest posting remains a top choice for link builders. Even though it’s been battered and bruised over the years, it still works wonders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many start with a Google search: “<\/span>keyword<\/span><\/i>” + “<\/span>write for us<\/span><\/i>.” This method brings many links, but they’re often not the best quality. Why? Because it’s a common strategy among marketers. These sites have too many outbound links, reducing the value of each link.<\/span><\/p>\n

A better strategy? Look elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use Ahrefs to find sites with many authors. Chances are, they accept guest posts.<\/span><\/p>\n\"link\n

Dive into social media groups to see where others are posting. If they can do it, why not you?<\/span><\/p>\n\"screenshot\n

These are the spots you want to target. Focus on genuine business blogs, not the ones that publish just about anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Connectively (HARO) and similar<\/b><\/h3>\n\"HARO\"\n

Connectively and similar platforms offer a unique way to build backlinks by responding to journalist queries. These platforms help you provide expert quotes to writers. If a writer likes your input, they often link back to your website.<\/span><\/p>\n

To make the most of these opportunities, respond quickly to queries. Your expertise has to be relevant to the query as well. Be informative yet concise.<\/span><\/p>\n\"HARO\n

source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

However, this outreach strategy has its limitations. Typically, you can only link to your homepage. It’s also hit-or-miss, requiring numerous pitches to see significant results. The conversion rate for these efforts is usually less than 10%. On top of that, these platforms are quite crowded.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paid platforms exist for those looking for less competition. They’re not as saturated, offering better chances for success. The downside? You need to pay a monthly membership. Platforms like Qwoted, Terkel, and SourceBottle operate on this model. They send you journalist queries, to which you can respond, potentially earning a valuable backlink.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through these apps, you can get links on the following authoritative sites:<\/span><\/p>\n