Last Updated on September 17, 2022 by Arif Chowdhury
Without backlinks, it’s almost impossible to rank in search engines. So pay attention and learn how to create backlinks for free.
Since the beginning of the internet, backlinks have played a vital role in filtering out a high-quality webpage. It is so apparent when a website’s content becomes popular, people will start to share it in their blog, website, social media & email. It’s like a vote. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing measure it on their algorithm to judge the quality of a webpage.
Though it seems like an easy way to measure the quality of a website, before 2005, dishonest web admins tried to manipulate this algorithm by buying & selling backlinks & also flooding forums & blog comment sections with spam links. Which eventually massacred the whole system of finding authentic websites.
A few years later, search engines implemented do-follow & no-follow links to fight against it. Also, they gradually developed their algorithm and ranking factors to find the most authentic backlinks to measure website quality & popularity.
Getting quality links from high authority sites is not easy but very competitive. However, anyone can build powerful backlinks with the right approach and quality content. So, the question is how to create backlinks for my website free? Then continue reading; I will walk you through 10 shocking ways to get backlinks for your website quickly & easily.
Method 1: Broken link-building approach.
It is the best link-building strategy apart from guest posting (we will discuss it later). When a website gets bigger, the site owner doesn’t have much time to find individual broken links from hundreds of pages.
Thus, it can be one of the golden link-building opportunities for you to siege. First, find a relevant broken link that matches your site content, then contact the site owner. Politely & briefly tell him about the broken link anchor text. Then, provide a screenshot of that link and suggest an alternate live link from your site for a better response.
If your piece of content is a good alternative, then there is a high chance that he will link to your site.
Now, how are you supposed to find broken links? Well, without any software, it’s almost impossible. To begin with, I suggest the below online applications to try out.
- Check my links (Google Chrome Extension)
- Dead link checker
- Broken link checker
All of these are free. Maybe some features are locked with a premium subscription. But you can do your work without any issues.
Now, the question is, how are you supposed to find relevant websites within your niche? Simple, use a search engine. Then, you can try some keywords to find appropriate websites.
- Keywords + links
- Keywords + resource
- Keywords + blogs
- Keywords + articles
Quick Note: High-quality backlinks mean a link that points to your site must have high domain authority (DA) and decent search traffic. Many SEO tools exist that you may utilize to find link-building opportunities.
Method 2: Leverage infographic.
The second method is self-explanatory. You will move smartly, so your audience will give you backlinks automatically.
Infographic is a powerful visual message that can easily attract the audience’s eyes, thus increasing the chance of sharing across the internet. Besides, you can easily share your infographic to various sites, i.e., Pinterest, Imgur, Reddit, etc., to get quality backlinks.
Not just links but also you are supposed to receive massive amounts of referral and organic traffic from these sites.
Now, how should you create an infographic?
Without proper software, an infographic is impossible to create. Some may advise you to use Illustrator. However, this software is for advanced users like photographers. And, also do not waste your money on Fiverr or Upwork unless money is not an issue for you.
Resource Box: I suggest “Piktochart” & “Canva,” both are free websites you can utilize & create professional-like infographics by yourself.
Both of them have a free & paid option. However, free features should be enough for you to create a professional infographic.
Quick Note: Remember, the infographic is one of the best content marketing methods. But don’t forget the quality. Otherwise, it won’t work.
Recommended Reading: How to Create an FAQ Page to Drive more Visitors (Practical Guide)
Method 3: Guest blogging.
It is the most widespread & safest way, just like the broken link-building approach. However, unlike broken link building, you must write content according to others’ will in the guest blogging. Let me clear this out for you.
In guest blogging, you will offer an article to a webmaster with full copy-write ownership. Therefore, he can publish it & not even you can copy it, as you are already given him full ownership of that content. However, in exchange for this charity, you will get 1-2 contextual links to your site.
As you can see, it is a give & take relationship. You offer them content & in exchange, they offer you a backlink.
Simple yet complex. Why? Because sometimes, website owners will not accept your offer or ask you to create content beyond your capability. Let’s say you usually publish 500-1,000 words articles on your site.
But, they will ask you to create 3,000+ words of content. On top of that, there is no guarantee they will accept it. But, of course, you are free to publish it on your site after they reject it.
Therefore, the problem with guest blogging is – It is time-consuming & sometimes frustrating. But, of course, you can use a content writing service to create large-high-quality content for this purpose if money is not an issue for you.
Quick Note: Guest blogging is one of the best ways to get quality backlinks to your website. However, you need to produce great content; otherwise, most site owners will reject your proposal.
Below are some content writing services you should check out.
Recommended Reading: 400+ High Authority Sites for Guest Blogging (Massive List)
Method 4: Spy on your competitor’s activities.
It is a beneficial & effective advanced method. Always try to spy on your main competitor’s activities. Track how they are performing. Thus you can replicate the process.
Let’s say your primary niche is SEO; now search for SEO-related websites & blogs. Now use a site explorer tool to track their activities.
I suggest you use Ahrefs, one of the best SEO tools. You can easily track their backlinks, domain ratings, authority, keyword analysis, etc. However, you should also frequently check Google Analytics to check your site traffic performance.
Method 5: Internal link-building approach.
Not just backlinks from another website but also the internal link-building approach can provide a powerful boost in SEO & engagement from your audience will also increase.
If you connect relevant blog posts through proper internal linking, your audience can easily navigate your site. Thus, the bounce rate will reduce & site engagement will increase drastically.
If your audience’s engagement increases, you will naturally get valuable backlinks.
For example, look at this article; I have included an internal link to my relevant content, “400+ High Authority Sites for Guest Blogging”. My audience will undoubtedly visit that content as it is highly relevant to that topic.
Method 6: Smartly connect with other websites.
It is an entirely different approach to getting valuable backlinks from high-authority sites. Instead, your goal should be to do outreach to other relevant websites or bloggers.
Approach 1: Find a blog post, which highly relevant to one of your articles. Then do email outreach to site owners & ask them to add your article link to their blog. If your content is high quality, they will accept your offer.
Approach 2: Find a relevant site within your niche, then connect with the site owner. Send them your most relevant & high-quality blog post, and ask for their valuable advice or review. However, do not ask them for a backlink directly, as it will ruin the entire process.
Approach 3: Do a Google search “Keyword + roundup” & set the search setting for no more than three months. For example, if your niche is SEO, do a Google search with an “SEO roundup” with a result no more than three months old. You will get plenty of websites & blogs that are doing weekly/monthly roundups on SEO topics.
It should be an excellent opportunity for you to feature on their site. So do an email outreach & share your best blog post with them. Hopefully, they may feature your article next week or month.
Quick Note: Do not use guest blogging just for getting backlinks. Don’t forget about referral traffic as well. You may receive thousands of referral traffic from those sites, especially if those sites are prevalent in your niche. Thus, guest blogging is an excellent digital marketing approach as well.
Method 7: Leverage client testimonials.
Another excellent method you may have never heard of before. You could get a backlink from a high authority website homepage by writing a short yet engaging positive testimonial.
For example, you may use the SEMRush service for your SEO & site audit purposes. Try to write an excellent testimonial for SEMRush and contact them. If you are a VIP customer, chances are high that they will accept your offer.
Method 8: Email outreach.
It is another excellent & intelligent way to get limitless backlinks. However, this method is very time-consuming but very powerful. To begin with, I suggest you start a competitor backlink analysis using Ahref, as they have the largest backlink database.
Search for your competitor’s backlinks and download them in an excel sheet. For example, if your niche is SEO, you should audit Neil Patel’s website, as his website is linked with thousands of other websites. Thus, you will be able to get millions of potential backlink sources.
Now download all backlinks in an excel sheet & start searching for the site owner’s email address. To do this, you may use an email finder tool. You can also search on LinkedIn & connect with them. This way, you will get a chance to build a relationship with them.
Recommended Reading: An Ultimate 6 Steps Guide to Become Successful in Email Marketing
Method 9: Donation.
It is not a surprising method to get cheap backlinks for your site. Try to find a relevant website within your niche that accepts a donation. Contact them beforehand to offer a donation in exchange for a backlink. If they assure you, only then donate to get a backlink. Repeat this process with only high-authority websites.
While doing this, you are supposed to find mostly charity websites. To make it easy, I suggest you use the below search queries in Google.
- Donate us + contribute + keywords
- Donation + contributor page + keywords
Method 10: Take interviews of influencers.
It is a trending method nowadays. You take an interview of an influencer & get valuable backlinks & exposure to your site. For example, let’s say your niche is SEO. Now connect with Neil Patel & try to convince him to allow you to take an interview with him.
If he accepts your offer, there is no surprise that you are about to take a giant leap from your current position, especially if your site authority is low.
How is this going to happen? Simple, after you take an interview, Neil Patel will share it on his website and social media & to his connections. Just think how much backlinks & exposure you will get from a single interview.
Of course, taking an interview with Neil Patel won’t be easy. But you can try your luck with other influencers from within your niche.
Recommended Reading: What are the Rules of Effective Link Building? (Beginner’s Guide)
Conclusion.
Before I wrap up this guide, I hope you get the answer to how to create backlinks for free.
Not only ten methods, but you may find other ways around it. However, doing it right is the ultimate goal. If you spam the process, then not only will you be blacklisted by search engines, but your audience will also reject you.
It is far better to get one backlink from an authority & relevant source rather than 100 backlinks from irrelevant & low-authority sites. And, one more piece of advice before I end this article.
Do not ever bother to purchase backlinks from various services out there. You will not only waste your hard-earned money but also permanently ruin your website reputation. Instead, follow my methods & safely build a robust backlink profile for your site.