Considering the frequency with which Google implements its algorithm updates, it is no wonder that marketers and SEO experts are constantly striving to figure out the most effective ways to increase both their brand’s search ranking and their content’s authority online. Despite these frequent updates, a contributory factor to competitive ranking that continues to be important is the number of quality inbound links from other websites to your own.
As a result, within this blog we cover five of the simple steps you can take to encourage more backlinks to your site, in turn, boosting your search engine ranking.
Include Data and Statistics
Studies conducted by Quick Sprout have found that blog posts containing statistics and relevant data receive an average of 283% more backlinks from other websites. As a result, we suggest that you weave your research findings into your copy to not only increase your SEO strength, but to help increase the credibility of your content too.
Embrace Long-Form Content
Though less is always more when it comes to copy and it is invariably better to be succinct than waffle on aimlessly, this doesn’t mean you should abandon well-considered long-form copy.
In fact, according to SaaS marketing company Moz, there is a direct correlation between the length of content and the number of backlinks it attracts. As a result, we suggest you aim to create longer, more detailed and research driven blogs in order to encourage backlinks, yet ensure they are short enough to maintain the interest of the reader.
Include Infographics
According to Neil Patel, best known for being co-founder of analytics companies KISSmetrics, Crazy Egg, and Quick Sprout, infographics generate 37.5 more backlinks than standard blog posts. As a result, we suggest you mix up your content offering by alternating between long-form, detailed content and succinct, visually led infographics. This will not only encourage more backlinks, but also appeal to a wider range of audiences and prospective readers.
Ensure Great Website Design
As a marketing business, design is particularly important as credibility can be reaffirmed or destroyed depending on the quality of a website and the impression it gives viewers. This viewpoint is in fact supported by research by InstantShift which saw 48% of respondents cite website design as a primary factor in gauging credibility. This is important because if your website is not seen as credible, people are unlikely to link back to it.
Tell A Story
When people are able to both easily understand and remember your content, they are invariably more likely to link back to it, and one of the best ways to ensure memorable content is to work in keeping with the human brain’s propensity for understanding and retaining stories. As a result, we suggest you make an active effort to weave stories into the narrative of all your content.
While these tips will assist you in the backlinking that is so critical to an effective SEO strategy, it is not an aspect that you can assume complete control over. After all, Google’s algorithms have always been predicated on the pursuit of finding the most valuable and relevant content. Therefore, our greatest tip is to ensure your content is of high quality and that your writing team has the capability to create this consistently.