In the past, businesses could get away with purchasing links in order to improve their search engine optimization (SEO) rankings.

But that was before – nowadays, earning links is getting more complicated. If you want to learn how to rank well, you need to start amplifying your content marketing efforts.

Here’s How Content Marketing Can Help You Build Links:

Long-form guides: Businesses that are in both B2B and B2C industries have sufficient knowledge to create educational guides which are an effective way of earning links contextually and from resource pages. Longer content automatically adds value to any topic while containing information that others will want to link back to.

Content campaigns: If you want to earn links from a new audience while increasing resources, you can collaborate with a complementary brand for a content campaign. For example, if you are doing SEO work for an automobile rental company, you can team up with a road safety charity to increase awareness on the hazards of driving while drowsy. Doing so enables you to emphasize your expertise while the charity can add insight and valuable statistics. Promoting content both ways to different audiences can help you increase the success of your campaign.

Become an expert by building your personal brand: When you establish your personal brand the right way, this is an effective means of becoming a thought leader in a specific industry which will then bring you numerous opportunities to deliver content that will, eventually, build links. Successful personal brands are often invited to write monthly columns or guest posts, respond to requests, and reach out to journalists in a way that will make you stand out against your competitors. However, building a personal brand takes time and you’ll have to invest time AND effort to get there. But it will pay off with hard work!

Exert contributions: Every business has at least one expert, while many businesses have more than one expert. Use this knowledge to write up expert pieces that you can share to the world from a content marketing perspective. Keep in mind that journalists aren’t usually experts on a subject but they need to utilize specialists to add value to their pieces. Help A Reporter Out (HARO) or the #journorequest hashtag on your social media can help you contact journalists who are seeking out advice that you may help with.

Guest blogging: The way guest blogging is done today is so different from how it was in the past. Now, you have to ensure that you are adding value in order for a guest blog post to succeed in link building. To do this the right way, focus on how you can best share your knowledge, and links will follow as a byproduct.

If you need any assistance with your SEO and link building strategy, contact me today.