Today, I want to share a successful link-building campaign that we conducted for a new website and guide you through the process, hoping others can learn and benefit from our efforts.
### The Situation
This campaign began in March 2017 and spanned six months. The website was just five months old, featuring about 15 core pages at the start of the campaign. Traditionally dependent on offline marketing, the brand was new to digital marketing and SEO but aimed to increase organic traffic to the site overall.
Our analysis indicated that, despite the site’s small size and lack of promotion, it had a realistic chance of achieving high rankings.
### The Campaign
Initially, the campaign was planned for a three-month trial period, including the launch of a blog. However, complications delayed the blog launch until several months after the campaign began. Consequently, we modified our link-building strategy to use tactics that didn’t require fresh, link-worthy content.
### Tactic One: Mention Links
Although new to digital marketing, the company had a recognizable brand from its offline presence. This provided opportunities to pursue unlinked mentions. Through these brand mentions, links were earned for the homepage and relevant geo-specific pages when appropriate. Additional link-building tactics employed included:
– Employee quotes
– Newsworthy partnerships
– Interviews
– Business announcements (e.g., IPO filings, investments, promotions)
– Charity events
The company’s strong brand and its niche, which was frequently discussed in the news, created ideal conditions for unlinked mentions. Even lesser-known brands can effectively pursue mention links if they operate in industries with significant news coverage.
### How to Get Mention Links
To guide you in applying the “mention-link” strategy to your campaigns, here’s an example (note: I have no affiliation with the company). The company 3dRudder, which produces a foot controller to enhance virtual reality experiences, was observed to have an unlinked mention opportunity in an article.
Even as a lesser-known brand, the potential for linking is significant because the brand operates in a newsworthy niche. Mention links can provide a meaningful boost for link-building campaigns and should be included in strategies for recognizable brands or those in noteworthy industries.
### Tactic Two: Competitive Research
Conducting research on competitors is crucial at the beginning of any link-building campaign, as it helps shape the campaign strategy. Understanding how and why competitors succeed is vital to surpassing them. Most link opportunities your competitors secure will be relevant to your site, so it makes sense to pursue similar links.
Because the client initially lacked linkable assets, we focused on competitor links that didn’t require content creation. This research journey revealed several relevant directories and resource pages, enhancing their link profile in the early campaign stages.
### How to Acquire Competitors’ Links
To find similar links, I will demonstrate using 3dRudder as an example, along with SprintR (note: I have no affiliation with this company). Using a tool, I identified sites linking to SprintR, such as TheVirtualReport, noting its relevance to 3dRudder. Since SprintR had a directory listing there, it’s likely 3dRudder could secure one as well.
Competitive research at a project’s onset is crucial, as it not only reveals link opportunities but also provides insights that can steer strategy throughout the campaign.
### The Results
You might be curious about the results of implementing a strategy focusing on mention and competitive backlinking. This campaign was notably successful, with the client experiencing steady growth in tracked keywords and sustained increases in organic traffic.
The campaign achieved:
– 64 links secured over six months
– A 146% average increase in ranking positions for 17 tracked head term keywords
– A 43% growth in overall organic traffic
– An 868% increase (+1,007) in organic traffic to geo-specific pages
These outcomes are even more impressive given that the website was new, without an established organic presence or backlinks.
### Key Takeaways
As illustrated in the graph, the client experienced overall success in driving traffic to location-specific pages. Here is a traffic graph for one of these pages. Although the gains in raw numbers are modest, these were conversion-oriented pages where targeted traffic was more important than volume. A single conversion on these pages meant high revenue returns for the client.
This project reinforced that a focused and strategic approach to securing links to specific pages can significantly drive rankings. While this model was applied to a smaller, newer domain, it could equally be adapted for larger sites.
Additionally, this project highlighted that an industry or niche can play a significant role in the viability of mention link building. While mention links are often most viable for larger, recognizable brands, brand authority can be somewhat supplemented by a newsworthy niche for lesser-known companies. Some industries frequently covered in press avenues include:
– Cybersecurity
– STEM education
– Hotels and lodging
– New payment platforms
– Eco-friendly or green living
– Fitness trackers and new diets
– Venture capital and crowdfunding-backed businesses
– Emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, virtual reality, IoT)
Of course, your brand must be actively involved in the industry. For press coverage, you need to present something newsworthy. However, working within a niche that regularly garners press can increase potential for unlinked mentions.
This project demonstrated the impact of relevant links in driving organic results, and it’s hoped that some of these lessons can be applied to your link campaigns to enhance your website’s performance in search results.
