One of the biggest SEO difficulties that companies report dealing with comes in the form of link building. This SEO method involves companies reaching out to 3rd party entities and asking them to add a link to your website from their own, this is called a backlink. Because backlinking is one of the driving forces of SEO, conquering it is crucial to your company’s Google ranking and, ultimately, your success.
Perhaps the reason this has proven to be difficult for companies is that it is, for the most part, out of their control. Whereas content and technical edits can be controlled by your team, link building relies on the generosity and buy-in of individuals outside of your organization. While it’s understandably hard to ask for help and to rely on others to help build your success, we think you’ll find that most people are more than willing to help.
Thought Leadership
If you’re looking for an easy way to improve this SEO method, it’s found in the concept of “thought leadership.” If you’ve never heard of this term, thought leadership is simply when someone speaks about ideas or topics and demonstrates that they have certain expertise in a particular field or area. It’s used often in content marketing and social media as a way to increase your authority and build trust with your customers.
Beyond its basic definition, thought leadership is also one of the most organic and holistic ways to incorporate link building into your company’s online strategy. Plus, it offers your business the ability to build its brand and credibility while simultaneously building links to your website.
You can use this tactic in your online strategy by reaching out to third parties and asking them if they would be willing to partner with your company by allowing you to appear on their website in the form of contributor articles, podcast appearances, and interviews. You’d be surprised at how many businesses are eager for opportunities like this as it changes up the content on their video, website and adds interest for their customers.
Getting Started with Thought Leadership
Before you start letting the “imposter syndrome” kick in, you should know that there are many businesses and people who are more than willing to be a part of this process and they’d be eager to partner with someone like you to start building thought leadership on their website. Most companies would benefit from hosting guests on their podcasts or posting a review of a product or service because they’re constantly looking for new content to create.
The obstacle that most companies face when looking at getting started with thought leadership is themselves. People are their own worst enemy in this pursuit because they don’t feel qualified, but we’re here to tell you that you are.
Start small to start building your confidence by looking for opportunities around you. Speak at community events or do small-time interviews for smaller sites. If you own a company selling a product or business, chances are you can speak for at least twenty minutes about what you do or what you offer. The more you practice this skill, the more you’ll develop it and gain confidence.
Bridging Thought Leadership and SEO
Once you start putting yourself out there and finding new opportunities to contribute your knowledge, you’ll find that people will want to learn more about certain concepts that you share. By looking for these little nudges, you’ll find opportunities for natural conversations in which you can bring up the topic of link building.
What did you speak about that was of particular interest to this person? Whatever it was, point them to a related resource on your website and ask them if they’d be willing to put a link to it on their website. Did you speak about scaling your business for success? Well, that’s the perfect opportunity for a link back to your blog where you spoke about the same topic.
Be ready to explain what the link can do to help build your business and also how it could benefit them. Perhaps they’re needing to build credibility and partnering with an established company can lend a voice of expertise. Do they need to increase their own link building? How about offering to add a link to their website from yours as a quid-pro-quo arrangement?
The more backlinks that your website has, the more you’re going to move up those Google search results so bite the bullet and have honest conversations about what you’re needing and how it can benefit everyone involved.
Thought Leadership Leads to SEO Success
While it can be anxiety-inducing to be vulnerable, organic conversations like these are what will drive your link building and, ultimately, your SEO ranking. In case you need the reminder: your SEO ranking is what drives your sales. While this is widely considered the hardest part of SEO, it’s a large deciding factor in how Google sees your website. So, push past your fears and doubts and start developing your thought leadership skills and go get those backlinks!
