Advanced Link Building

Class 6: Advanced Link Building.

Welcome to the Advanced Link Building class. Today, we will be covering advanced techniques to acquire backlinks for you or your client’s website. These techniques include broken link building, link reclamation, and local citations.

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As this is a large topic, the class has been broken into 4 sub-classes, and each sub-class contains multiple lessons.

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By the end of this class, you will have the knowledge and skills to create and execute a successful link-building campaign and will have the chance to put them to the test with the campaign template provided.

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Let’s get into it!

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Sub-Class 1: Broken Link Building.

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Lesson 1: Understanding broken links.

What are broken links and why they are important for SEO?

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• Broken links, also known as dead links, are hyperlinks on a website that no longer lead to a valid webpage. They can occur when a webpage is removed or moved, or the URL is changed without updating the link on the referring webpage.

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• Broken links are important for SEO because they can negatively impact a website's search engine ranking. Search engines may view a high number of broken links as a sign of a poorly maintained website, which can lead to a lower search engine ranking and less visibility for the website.

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• Furthermore, this can be an effective way to acquire backlinks to your website and is a relatively low-cost strategy.

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Examples of broken links include:

• A link to a product page on an e-commerce website that is no longer in stock,

• A link to a blog post that has been deleted or moved to a different URL,

• Or a link to a webpage that has been removed due to a website redesign.

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Lesson 2: Finding Broken Links.

There are several tools available that can help you find broken links on other websites, such as Majesty.com, A-H-Refs, and BrokenLinkCheck.com. These tools can scan any website and quickly identify any broken links, allowing you to focus your efforts on acquiring more links.

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We have provided a step-by-step guide on how to discover broken links using the mentioned tools in the resources tab below.

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Tips for Optimizing Your Search and Finding Relevant Broken Links:

• Use advanced search filters to narrow down your search to specific pages or types of links.

• Use keywords related to your niche or industry to find relevant broken links.

• Use backlink analysis tools to check your own website's backlinks and identify any broken links coming from external sources.

• Regularly monitor the backlinks of your site to identify and fix broken links as soon as they appear.

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Note: Broken links can negatively impact SEO and user experience, so it's important to find and fix them as soon as possible.

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Lesson 3: Gathering Broken Links.

There are several strategies that can be used to effectively execute a broken link-building campaign.

• One of the first steps is to use tools such as Google Search Console, A-H-Refs, or SEMrush to identify broken links on other websites that are relevant to your niche or industry.

• Once you have identified the broken links, it is important to research the website and the person who manages it. This will help you to personalize your email or message and increase the chances of a successful outreach.

• When reaching out to website owners, it's important to create a clear and compelling message that highlights the value of your link and how it can benefit their website and its users.

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We have provided a couple of email templates and scripts that can be used to reach out to website owners in the resources tab below the video. Here is an example of one of them you can use:

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Hi [Website Owner's Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I came across your website [Website URL]. I noticed that there is a broken link on your site, specifically on this page [broken link URL]. I wanted to reach out and offer a replacement link that I believe would be more useful to your readers. The link is [Your link URL] and it is related to [topic]. It would be a great addition to your website, and I think it would be a valuable resource for your readers. Please let me know if this is something you would be interested in.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best,

[Your Name]

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When trying to acquire backlinks, it is important to effectively communicate the value of your link to the website owner. This can increase the chances of getting the link placed.

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Some tips to consider when communicating the value of your link include explaining how the link can benefit their website and its users. For example, it can provide more information, resources, or solutions.

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Additionally, highlighting the relevance and authority of your website and its content can help establish the value of your link. Providing social proof such as testimonials or statistics can also demonstrate the value of your link. It is also important to be patient and persistent, but respectful of their time and decision. Being respectful of their decision and not being pushy will help to maintain a good relationship with the website owner.

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Sub-Class 2: Link Reclamation.

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Lesson 1: Understanding Link Reclamation.

Link reclamation is the process of identifying links that were previously pointing to your website but are no longer active. The process of link reclamation involves identifying lost backlinks, reaching out to the website owners, and requesting that the link be updated or replaced. This can be done manually by reviewing your website's link profile and identifying broken links, or by using tools such as Google Search Console and A-H-Refs.

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Note: Link reclamation is an important part of maintaining a website's SEO and user experience. Regularly monitoring and maintaining links can help prevent links from being lost or broken and can help to ensure that search engines and users can easily find and access the website's content.

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Lesson 2: Identifying Lost Backlinks Using Tools.

Google Search Console:

The "Links" section of Google Search Console can show you a list of all the websites that link to your website, as well as the status of those links. It can also show you any "not found" errors, indicating lost backlinks.

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A-H-Refs:

A-H-Refs is a backlink analysis tool that can show you a list of all the websites that link to your website, as well as the status of those links. It can also show you the lost backlinks, which is links that used to point to your website but no longer do.

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A step-by-step guide has been provided in the resources tab below on how to find broken backlinks using the mentioned tools.

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Optimizing your search to find relevant lost backlinks is an important step in the link reclamation process. There are several tips that can help you to effectively search for and find relevant lost backlinks.

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One of the first steps is to use advanced search filters to narrow down your search to specific pages or types of links. This can help you to identify lost backlinks that are most relevant to your website.

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Additionally, using keywords related to your niche or industry can help you to find lost backlinks that are most likely to be valuable for your website.

Regularly monitoring the backlinks of your site will also help you to identify and fix lost backlinks as soon as they appear. This will help you to reclaim lost backlinks and maintain a strong link profile quickly and efficiently.

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Lesson 3: Reclaiming Lost Backlinks.

Reaching out to website owners is an important step in the link reclamation process. There are several strategies that can be used to effectively reach out to website owners and request that they reinstate a lost link.

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One of the first steps is to research the website and the website owner to understand their audience and tailor your approach accordingly. This will help you to create a more effective and personalized message.

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Additionally, creating an email template or script that clearly communicates the value of reinstating the link and how it will benefit their website and audience can help you to effectively convey the value of the link.

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It is also important to follow up with the website owner if they do not respond to your initial request, as this can increase the chances of a successful outcome.

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We have provided a couple of email templates and scripts that can be used to reach out to website owners in the resources tab below.

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Tips on how to effectively communicate the value of your link and increase the chances of getting it reinstated:

• Tailor your approach to the website and website owner.

• Communicate clearly and concisely how the link will benefit their website and audience.

• Follow up with the website owner if they do not respond to your initial request.

• Build a relationship with the website owner and offer value in exchange for the link.

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Sub-Class 3: Advanced Link-Building Strategies.

In this sub-class, we will cover more advanced link-building strategies such as how to use link bait, how to create linkable assets, and the importance of creating a diverse link profile to avoid link penalties.

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Lesson 1: Understanding Link Bait.

Link bait is content that is specifically created to attract backlinks. It is designed to be so compelling and valuable that other websites will want to link to it. It is a powerful way to acquire backlinks and can greatly improve a website's search engine ranking and visibility.

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One of the keys to creating effective link bait is to create high-quality, informative, and valuable content that is relevant to your niche or industry. This can help to establish your website as a credible and authoritative source of information.

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Additionally, using eye-catching and attractive design elements such as images, videos, and infographics can help to make the content more engaging and shareable.

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Using emotional triggers and storytelling techniques can also make the content more engaging and help to increase its shareability. Humour, controversy, or other attention-grabbing tactics can also be used to make the content stand out and increase the chances of it being shared and attracting backlinks.

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Examples of link bait content and how they can be used to acquire backlinks include:

• Blog posting.

• Infographics.

• Quizzes.

• Videos.

• And tools.

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Lesson 2: Creating Linkable Assets.

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Step 1: Research the topics and keywords that are relevant to your niche or industry.

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Step 2: Create a content plan and structure your linkable assets.

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Step 3: Use design software such as Canva, Adobe Illustrator, or Photoshop to create attractive and engaging visual elements.

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Step 4: Use HTML and CSS to code the interactive elements of the assets.

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Step 5: Optimize the assets for search engines by including keywords and meta tags.

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Step 6: Test and debug the assets to ensure they are functioning properly.

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Step 7: Promote and share the assets on social media and other platforms to attract backlinks.

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There are several tips that can help you to make your content more shareable and increase the chances of acquiring backlinks:

• One of the tips is to use social sharing buttons and encourage readers to share the content. Include a call-to-action to encourage readers to link to the content.

• Reaching out to other websites and asking them to link to your linkable assets can help increase the chances of acquiring backlinks.

• Creating a sense of exclusivity or scarcity, such as limited time offers or exclusive access to certain information, can also encourage others to share and link to the content.

• Making the content easy to embed, such as providing embed code for infographics or videos.

• Additionally, create a sense of community around your linkable assets by encouraging comments, feedback, and contributions from your audience.

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Lesson 3: Creating a Diverse Link Profile and Avoiding Link Penalties.

Having a mix of backlinks from different sources is important for creating a diverse link profile. A diverse link profile can help to improve a website's search engine ranking and visibility, as a website with links from different high-authority domains is less likely to be penalized by search engines.

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White hat link-building techniques.

White hat link building refers to the practice of acquiring links to a website through ethical and legitimate means. This includes creating high-quality, valuable content that naturally attracts backlinks, and reaching out to other websites to build partnerships and collaborations. To avoid being penalised by Google, use white hat techniques that include:

• Creating high-quality content.

• Using a mixture of backlinks from different sources, such as social media, directories, and other websites

• Use a mix of backlinks from different types of websites, such as .edu and .gov websites

• Use the rel="nofollow" attribute for sponsored links.

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Black hat link-building techniques.

Black hat link building refers to the practice of acquiring links to a website through manipulative or unethical means. It includes techniques that violate search engine guidelines and can result in penalties or even getting banned from search engines.

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Some examples of black hat link-building techniques are:

• Buying or selling links.

• Participating in link farms or link schemes.

• Using automated link-building software.

• Using keyword-rich anchor text for backlinks

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• Cloaking:

o Showing different content or links to search engines than to users.

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• Article spinning:

o Using software to automatically generate variations of the same article and publish them on different websites with the purpose of generating links.

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• Hidden links:

o Hiding links on a website so that they are not visible to users but still visible to search engines.

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Sub-Class 4: Link Building for Local SEO.

In this sub-class, we will cover the process of acquiring local backlinks and how to use local citations to improve local search rankings. We will also discuss the importance of local SEO and how to optimize a website for local search.

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Lesson 1: Understanding Local SEO.

Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website for search engines to show up for local search results. It's different from traditional SEO as it focuses on optimizing a business's online presence to attract more customers from nearby geographical locations.

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So, what are some Local SEO best practices?

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• Start by optimising your website to include local keywords and phrases, such as the name of your city or region.

o This will help search engines understand that your business is relevant to users in a specific location. Additionally, including location-specific keywords in your website's title tags, meta descriptions, and headers can also help improve your search engine rankings for local searches.

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• Create and claim your Google My Business listing and make sure it is accurate and up-to-date.

o This will help ensure that your business appears in Google Maps and local search results. Additionally, make sure to include location-specific information, such as your address and phone number, to help search engines understand your business's location.

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• Encourage customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing and other review sites.

o Positive reviews can help improve your search engine rankings and provide social proof for potential customers.

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• Use schema markup on your website to help search engines understand your business's location, contact information, and services.

o This can help your website appear in rich snippets and improve the visibility of your business in local search results.

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• Add your business's location, contact information, and services to directories such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Bing Places.

o These directories can help improve your visibility in local search results and provide additional opportunities for customers to find and learn about your business.

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• Optimize your images and videos with location-specific keywords and phrases and proper tags.

o This will help search engines understand the context of the media and potentially improve your visibility in image and video search results.

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Lesson 2: Acquiring Local Backlinks.

Acquiring local backlinks is a critical aspect of Local SEO, as it helps to improve a business's visibility and search engine ranking in local search results. Here are a few strategies for building relationships and acquiring local backlinks:

• Reach out to local businesses and organizations for partnerships and collaborations.

• Participate in local events and sponsor local organizations.

• Create local resources and directories, such as a list of local restaurants or a directory of local service providers.

• Create local landing pages on your website, such as pages for specific neighbourhoods or cities.

• Create local content, such as blog posts or videos, that is relevant to your local audience.

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Now that you understand what local SEO backlinks are, follow this step-by-step guide on how to reach out to local businesses and organizations:

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Step 1: Research local businesses and organisations. Note: unlike traditional SEO, the business or organisation you reach out to does not need to be within the same industry as your website. The priority of local SEO is to find businesses that are relevant to your audience location. However, you should continue to follow white hat SEO practices to ensure you don’t get penalised by search engines.

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Step 2: Create a list of contact information for the businesses and organizations, including email addresses and phone numbers.

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Step 3: Create an outreach template that includes a brief introduction, the value that your business can provide to the local business or organization, and a call-to-action for a partnership or collaboration.

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Step 4: Personalize the template for each business or organization and send out emails or make phone calls.

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Step 5: Follow up with the businesses and organizations that have not responded and continue to build relationships with those that have.

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Lesson 3: Using Local Citations.

Local citations are mentions of a business's name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites. These citations can come in the form of a directory listing, a mention on a blog post or a news article, or a social media post.

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Local citations can help to improve a business's visibility and search engine ranking in local search results by providing additional signals to search engines that the business is a legitimate and credible source.

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Acquiring local citations from relevant directories and local business listings is an important aspect of Local SEO. To acquire local citations, you need to research relevant directories and local business listings that are specific to your industry or niche.

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Once you have identified the relevant directories and listings, you should create a list of them from where you want to acquire a citation. Add your business's information to the directories and listings, including your name, address, phone number, and website URL.

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It is important to use the same format for your business's information on all directories and listings, as this will help to ensure consistency and accuracy across all your citations. Finally, it is important to keep track of your citations and update them as needed, to ensure that the information about your business is accurate and up-to-date.