Step 6
Sub-Topic 5
Link Building Strategies
Develop effective approaches to earn quality backlinks for your e-commerce site.
Understanding Link Value
Backlinks remain a key ranking factor, but not all links are created equal:
- Authority: Links from established, reputable sites carry more weight than unknown sources
- Relevance: Links from sites in your industry or niche are more valuable than unrelated sites
- Placement: Links within content are typically more valuable than footer or sidebar links
- Anchor Text: Descriptive, relevant anchor text helps search engines understand your content
- Link Attributes: Follow links pass more value than nofollow, sponsored, or UGC links
- Diversity: A natural link profile includes a mix of domains, link types, and anchor texts
E-commerce Link Building Strategies
These approaches are particularly effective for e-commerce websites:
- Product Reviews: Send products to industry bloggers, influencers, and reviewers for honest feedback
- Resource Link Building: Create valuable guides and resources relevant to your products
- Supplier and Manufacturer Links: Request inclusion in "where to buy" sections of brands you carry
- Broken Link Building: Find broken links on industry sites and suggest your content as a replacement
- Digital PR: Create newsworthy content to attract coverage from media outlets
- Expert Roundups: Contribute insights to industry roundups and expert compilations
- Visual Asset Creation: Develop infographics, charts, and tools that others will want to reference
Avoiding Link Building Pitfalls
Protect your site from penalties by avoiding these risky practices:
- Buying Links: Purchasing links violates Google's guidelines and can result in penalties
- Link Exchanges: Excessive reciprocal linking looks unnatural and provides limited value
- Low-Quality Directories: Avoid mass submissions to generic, low-quality web directories
- Comment Spam: Mass posting links in blog comments or forums damages your reputation
- Private Blog Networks: Creating sites solely for link building is against search guidelines
- Exact-Match Anchor Text: Overusing keyword-rich anchor text creates an unnatural pattern
Focus on creating valuable content and building relationships that naturally attract links rather than shortcuts that may damage your long-term rankings.