In March, Google Search Quality Senior Strategist Andrey Lipattsev revealed that Google’s top two ranking factors are content and links.
Content and links are interconnected: great content attracts links, and links enhance the visibility and popularity of content. However, not all types of content will attract links, and even the content that typically does requires strategic promotion.
What makes content linkable?
Content comes in many forms: blog posts, articles, white papers, eBooks, listicles, videos, photographs, case studies, and more. But not all types of content are link-worthy.
Different content serves different purposes (e.g., awareness, education, conversion). If links are a goal in your marketing strategy, you should plan content that will secure links. Simply creating content isn’t enough; you need a link strategy.
The first step to creating linkable content is to understand why people link to content. When planning your next piece, ask yourself, “Why would anyone link to this content?” Your answer will guide your content promotion strategy.
What makes content link-worthy?
People typically link to content because they find it useful, entertaining, unique, insightful, or valuable. Another important factor is the reputation of the site, brand, and publisher. Google uses links as a trust signal because people tend to link to trusted authorities. Authoritative sites also typically have larger audiences, making it easier to acquire links. If your site is relatively unknown, you may need to tap into someone else’s audience for link development.
Some content formats lend themselves more easily to citation, reference, and endorsement:
- Original research/data
- Expert opinions/quotes
- Collaboration
- Unique imagery/video
Original research/data
Original research is among the best types of content for securing links, as it provides unique information. When planning your content strategy, consider conducting a new study or test. Research should serve a greater purpose, such as revealing insightful information, providing industry value, or answering questions vital to your audience. Research is a business investment and should have clear goals and KPIs.
Ask yourself:
- What questions does my study aim to answer?
- Will this data make anyone’s job/life easier?
- Who might be interested in my findings?
- What is my hypothesis?
Plan several content possibilities and angles since you won’t control the results. Well-executed research will help you secure relevant links.
Example:
Eric Enge’s study on links as a ranking factor earned Stone Temple Consulting over 2,500 links from nearly 200 referring domains.
Expert opinions/quotes
Featuring expert insights adds legitimacy to your content and helps tap into the audiences of those experts, making your content more authoritative and broadening your audience, thereby improving your chances of securing links.
Example:
Jon Cooper’s "The Most Creative Link Building Post Ever" included stories from over 50 experts, making it an excellent and link-worthy asset with over 3,150 links from nearly 190 referring domains.
Collaboration
Partnering with other businesses on content initiatives can create link-worthy content. Collaboration pools resources, broadens audiences, guarantees some links, and offers various benefits, such as future promotional support and improved industry reputation.
Example:
Brian Dean’s collaborative study on Google search results ranking factors secured 7,376 links from 789 unique referring domains.
Unique imagery/video
Images and other visual content are often more linkable than text-only content. Consider incorporating visual elements like humor, stunning photography, charts, graphs, or screen shots. Adding video can also increase the value and accessibility of your content.
Example:
Moz’s Whiteboard Friday series earned 6,409 links from 380 different referring domains by providing engaging and informative video content.
Final thoughts
How will you create link-worthy content using the strategies mentioned? Share your thoughts on social media!
