Top-Tier Link Building Strategies That Will Boost Your Rankings in 2022

Contents

1. Compartmentalize Your Guest Blogging Efforts Domain Authority (DA)
   Optimization
2. Use the Skyscraper Technique
3. Connect With Bloggers and Influencers
4. Master the Art of Link Reclamation

Wrapping Up

At Search Berg, we’re known for having the “new year, new SEO plan” mindset.

And it’s easy to see why!

Take a closer look at Google’s algorithm update history.

Notice anything?

Month after month, Google releases a set of fresh updates that take heaps of different factors into account. From crawling to indexing to ranking, everything is altered in some capacity.

As a business owner, you must keep up with these changes.

Why?

They’ll help you understand how to tweak your current SEO strategies to get the best results possible.

That’s what we’re here for today!

This blog will focus on one of the key ingredients for SEO success: link building.

As we kick-start 2022, let’s take a closer look at the top link building strategies that can help you rank higher and create buzz around your business!

Let’s do things the 2022 way.

 

1. Compartmentalize Your Guest Blogging Efforts

Guest blogging is one of the best link building strategies to date.

There’s no denying it!

But as we step into 2022, it’s time to toss old guest blogging strategies aside and do things differently.

Google has upped its game this year.

Their whip-smart algorithm is getting better and better at recognizing and ranking the most relevant, value-added, and reliable content.

What does this mean?

Well, you can’t get away with writing fluff anymore. If you churn out mediocre guest blogs in an unsystematic fashion, Google’s demanding algorithm will push your content further down the SERPs.

Here’s what you should do.

For starters, write quality guest blogs. That’s a given.

However, go the extra mile by compartmentalizing your guest blogs.

Here’s what we mean by this.

Instead of writing guest posts on any topic, create different topic categories.

For instance, if you sell residential doors, choose a set of engaging topics your audience is interested in, e.g., door maintenance, front door installation, patio door designs.

See what we mean?

These topics are your pillars.

Brainstorm a set of subtopics (cluster topics) for each pillar.

If you choose “door maintenance,” your cluster topics could be iron door maintenance, steel door maintenance, DIY door maintenance, etc.

The pillar and cluster content must be connected through hyperlinks. Make sure the pillar content links back to the clusters and vice versa.

As you send out curated guest blogs (not haphazard content), you’ll demonstrate mastery of your niche.

This is exactly what Google wants: expertly researched and written, engaging, and organized content. You’ll build authority, show up among the top search results, and increase revenue.

The work doesn’t end here; it just begins.

As you compartmentalize your guest blogging efforts, keep these two aspects in mind:

Domain Authority (DA)

Domain authority (DA) is a score that determines how well a website ranks on SERPs. It ranges from 0–100, with 100 indicating excellent ranking prowess.

Sites like Forbes, CNN, NY Times, and Medium have an extremely high DA score (90+).

If you earn a backlink from them, you’ll rank higher, earn a ton of quality traffic, and strengthen your bottom line.

As a rule of thumb, write guest blogs for high-DA sites.

If you’re a small business, you may have trouble getting approved by the big leagues.

That’s okay.

In this case, work your way upwards so you can gradually build more authority.

Aim for sites with a DA score above 60.

As you find your footing in your industry, start aiming for 70+ DA sites, and so on.

Earn quality backlinks, not mediocre backlinks.

This is your golden ticket to becoming a trusted and well-known name in your local industry.

Optimization

No matter what type of content you’re working on, you can’t ever leave optimization out of the mix.

SEO should always be your top priority!

Keep optimization in mind during the research, writing, and editing phase of guest blogging.

For the research stage, find the highest-ranking blog topics in your industry.

Keep the location in mind too! Use geo-targeting keywords to reach your target audience in the particular cities, states, and countries you operate in.

Use a keyword research tool to identify high-ranking keywords. Carefully incorporate them into the guest blogs, particularly in the call-to-action (CTA).

Use market segment, customer-defining, broad match, modified broad match, and phrase match keywords.

Make sure you avoid going overboard.

Remember, you’re writing a guest blog, not a regular blog.

It may get rejected if it’s even the slightest bit too salesy.

As you edit and resubmit it, you’ll end up wasting your time, energy, and resources.

Save yourself the trouble by optimizing the CTA without stuffing keywords.

The right balance will help your content achieve the intended purpose (conversions) and inform your target audience.

2. Use the Skyscraper Technique

Keeping Google’s recent algorithm changes in mind, the skyscraper technique is making the rounds in 2022.

As a powerful inbound link building strategy, this neat little trick can help you generate impressive backlinks.

Here’s how it works.

The skyscraper technique refers to finding immensely successful content online and reverse engineering it.

Let’s say you provide tech support.

As you search for topics that interest your audience, you’ll come across high-ranking blogs that have done pretty darn well for themselves.

These blogs usually rank among the top three SERP results and earn the most traffic.

Take a closer look at the content and create something way better.

You already know the concept is great. There’s a reason why the blog did so well!

Share the content with a team of expert SEO content writers who specialize in researching and writing content in your specific industry.

This is imperative.

If you provide tech support, find tech content writers. If you provide legal support, find content writers who exclusively write content for attorneys and legal firms.

This is a great way to ensure that the content will be industry-specific and relevant.

Let’s circle back to the skyscraper technique.

As you share your idea with pro writers in your industry, they’ll work their magic and produce content that’s superior to the original piece.

The outcome?

You’ll earn high-DA backlinks and follow the trajectory of success the original blog followed.

There’s an obvious caveat here: your content must knock it out of the park.

When it comes to the skyscraper technique, mediocrity isn’t an option.

The content you recreate must be spectacular.

Keep originality in mind.

This is a white hat SEO technique, not black hat.

Avoid plagiarism like the plague.

Instead, take inspiration from the piece and produce something more robust.

Every business should have one blog that dominates SERPs for industry-specific search results. This blog will be your golden ticket to earning better backlinks and enjoying greater online success!

If you don’t want to rely on organic link building, you can also reach out to high-DA companies.

Send them your blog stating that it provides relevant insights and takes inspiration from some of their work over the years.

Thank them for helping you cement your piece.

Don’t overtly ask for a backlink if you’re a small business. Simply send the email through with an implicit implication that you’d appreciate a backlink.

Always, always make sure that your content is relevant to their areas of focus.

The last thing you want to do is send content that isn’t related to the recipient’s business in the least.

Avoid this mistake at all costs.

When done correctly, this approach can help you earn quality backlinks.

It’s considered one of the best link building strategies for new websites!

You can also try your hand at the reverse skyscraper technique.

Remember, this is a bit of a slippery slope.

Consult a team of industry experts and digital marketing pros to ensure that the content you’ve identified can do well if improved.

The topic may be too flimsy, to begin with.

This technique can work exceptionally well if you come across content that has the potential to perform remarkably well with some adjustments.

If the idea is excellent but wasn’t executed correctly, you’ll get a chance to do it justice.

Follow this up with the implicit email link building trick we discussed earlier, and you’re good to go!

3. Connect With Bloggers and Influencers

In 2022, bloggers and influencers will carry immense power, more than we may think.

Think about it.

As one of the most popular influencers on TikTok, Charli D’Amelio has an astounding 114.1 million followers. Following in her footsteps, Addison Rae has over 86 million followers.

Today, thousands of influencers and bloggers like Charli and Addison actively promote brands, helping them reach a wider audience.

It’s important to note that there’s a blogger or influencer for just about every industry.

You can find tech influencers on TikTok, law aficionados on YouTube, and so on.

If you want to generate more backlinks, turn to influencer/blogger marketing.

Reach out to the most relevant influencers, bloggers, and even journalists in your niche.

Remember, buying and selling backlinks is illegal.

Work around this loophole by requesting social mentions from influencers and other key players, not backlinks.

Social shares also help improve rankings, which will indirectly help you earn more link juice.

As we tap into an era where social media carries immense power, utilizing it isn’t just important, it’s necessary.

As you build strong influencer connections, you’ll help your products/services and brand get seen by more people.

Your brand identity will also earn a power-packed boost.

This neat little trick is one of the newest link building strategies for 2022.

As we get settled into the year, its popularity is expected to skyrocket!

Recommended Read: Backlink Quality vs. Quantity: What’s More Important?

4. Master the Art of Link Reclamation

Many brands make the mistake of thinking that every mention comes with a backlink.

For instance, if a high-DA business mentions your brand in their content, you may think you’ve also earned a backlink.

This isn’t always true.

A lot of businesses offer unlinked mentions, not backlinks.

This means their readers will have to manually search for your site, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.

Needless to say, most people don’t do it.

So the mention won’t benefit you much, if at all.

Undo the damage by reaching out to your SEO team and getting a list of your unlinked mentions.

Chances are, this is a pretty long list that includes a bunch of high-DA players.

Work in segments.

Identify the highest-DA businesses and send them a well-crafted emailing requesting the unlinked mention to be converted into a backlink.

We recommend personalizing the email for each of them. This will increase your chances of getting a positive response.

Once you’re done with the top players, move to the next segments and use the same strategy.

This trick works exceptionally well!

Once you’re done with this, focus on identifying broken and removed links.

Some businesses may have offered you a backlink, but it’s a broken link.

It’s also possible that they offered an active link before but eventually removed it.

A polite email will work wonders in both of these cases. You’ll manage to reclaim the links and make the most of your ongoing link building efforts.

Link reclamation is an easy link building strategy that works wonders.

You’ll be taken aback by how much ground you manage to cover by breathing life into unlinked mentions, broken links, and removed links.

It’s that simple!

Wrapping Up

In this blog, we walked you through the best link building methods for 2022.

Let’s put these tricks into practice! We can help you get started. At Search Berg, we offer professional link building services.

Our experts start by taking a closer look at each client’s current link building landscape. Based on your progress, industry, marketing goals, and audience, we’ll create a customized backlink building strategy that helps you rank higher, generate more traffic, and enjoy impressive success in your local industry.

If you have any questions, feel free to chat with us or give us a call at 855-444-4777. Let’s get your business back on track!