11 Creative Link-Building Tactics for SEO Success

Link-building is an effective off-page SEO strategy. At its core, link building is about driving traffic from other, relevant websites to your own. 

Think of it as a spider’s web (World Wide Web, anybody?) with different sites linking to each other and becoming stronger with each new link. This strength represents your domain authority, and the ease with which your webpages appear in search results.  

However, just having a website isn’t enough. After all, leaders in your niche won’t automatically link to your site just because you share a customer base. There are hundreds, potentially thousands, of websites selling the same product or service as you, or at least hosting similar content. So, how can you stand out and make a name for yourself?

Back when the internet was a debutant it was easy. There were only: 

• Catalogs
• Travel blogs
• A chat room or two

But over time, the internet has grown considerably. The web is now saturated with billions of pages.

So to rise above the countless others, you’ll need to make an effort to get your website linked to and from high-profile, reputable sites. 

How does one do this, aside from those shady “100 links for $5” offers? 

A link-building strategy, of course. And to beat the competition, you’ll need to think outside the box and get creative with your link-building efforts. 

In this article, we’ll share some of the better creative link-building strategies, regardless of whether you’re a B2B SaaS enterprise or an entrepreneur just starting out.

1. Guest posts

This option maximizes value for both you and your target publisher. It involves reaching out to a relevant website in your niche and offering to write a blog post for them, which will then include a link to your website. 

In theory, this is a win–win situation. The publishing website will gain a blog post (to help their own ranking and SEO), while you get full control of the published content. When writing a guest post, try not to regurgitate content from your own blog. 
Rather, think of the publishing website: what topic would add value to their website while still remaining relevant to your own?

ChatGPT can be a great tool to brainstorm blog ideas; but don’t rely on it for writing articles—they’re mundane and lack specificity. If you’re not too creative or simply lack the time to get it done, source a freelance content writer or a content creation service.

2. Infographics

Source

Infographics are an amazing way to promote your brand without being too salesy. Simply create a visually pleasing graphic with snippets of valuable information, post it on your socials, and watch the shares pour in. 

Often, websites in your niche will post your infographic in a blog post and link back to your website. This is a good option if you have statistics or data that’s best understood when shown visually. 

You can easily create an infographic using the free version of Canva, applying your brand’s colors and fonts, logos, and website information. Consider creating a reusable template that you can return to whenever you have a new report or similar content that you’d like to highlight and share.

3. Broken link building

Broken link building is an unconventional method to build backlinks, and you’ll need access to a tool like Google Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. The idea is to crawl a website page where you’d like your link placed, and then look for broken links. 

Broken links hurt a website’s SEO, so it’s in the website owner’s best interest to replace them as soon as possible. As such, if you reach out to let them know about a broken link on their site, and have a suitable replacement on hand that links back to your site, they may take you up on the offer.

4. Link placement

This tactic involves finding a relevant article online, then contacting the website’s editor to ask if you could place a link to own website in the text. While this may seem straightforward, there’s ample room for creativity in how you make the ask.

When creating your pitch, include as much context and information as possible.You want to make their decision an easy one, with clear value and minimal effort on their part. Tell them exactly where you want your link placed, the anchor text you’d like used, and even some extra content to include, if needed. 

Just make sure to follow the article’s tone of voice and writing style, so your link doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. If it doesn’t blend in with the rest of the article, then let it go—Google’s algorithm will notice.

5. Listicles

An easy way to add your link to a highly relevant website is to scour their blog for listicle-style articles. Think along the lines of “Top 10 tools for SaaS growth.” Once you find a listicle that’s perfect for your brand, reach out to the website owner and ask if they could add your product or service to the list. 

Some websites might charge for this service, so be prepared. While you might need to provide the content, some might ask for key information so their team can write the new content themselves. The higher on the list you are, the better for your own SEO—so put on your negotiating hat!

If you’re worried about listing yourself alongside competitors, know that it’s net positive for your brand. Being placed on a list with your competitors is a sure-fire way to tell search engines that yes, your product or service is current and relevant.

6. Ego bait

As part of your content strategy, think about including quotes from an influencer or marketing expert in your content. They don’t necessarily have to be included as an SME (subject matter expert), but rather as someone with a relevant perspective. When the article goes live, share it with them to show how you included them. 

The influencer may then repost your article on their socials, or refer to it on their own blog. A reported 49% of millennials find influencer recommendations to be more engaging and trustworthy than regular ads. 

Don’t aim too high, however. The biggest thought leaders are solicited often and might not wish to spam their audience with other people’s articles. Aiming for mid-tier influencers or marketing leaders will garner a higher response rate, as they aren’t contacted as frequently.

7. Create sharable content

Your content strategy needs to be varied, so don’t exclusively rely on blogs and newsletters. We’ve already touched on the importance and shareability of infographics, now let’s get creative with videos and quizzes. 

Videos can range from anything from a “how to,” to a funny anecdote that only shows your brand at the end. What’s vital here is that the content is relatable and, as a result, shareable. Use captions on your videos for accessibility and access for multilingual viewers (as well as those having a sneaky watch in the office).

The more people who share your content, the more backlinks you’ll receive. Of course, backlinks from Instagram or Facebook might not interest you, but what about that content writer who’ll include it in their next blog? They’re on there, so it’s all relative.

8. Interviews and podcasts

This is a link-building tactic that we actively practice at Skale. From founders to strategists, it’s amazing exposure for a member of  your team to feature on a podcast or live interview. But to be approached for such opportunities, you’ll need to maintain a brand image that’s open and approachable. 

It also helps to have a team that’s active on social media, especially LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Podcasts are also frequently referenced on news websites looking for content to publish, such as Yahoo and MSN.

And if you’re the one hosting interviews on a podcast? You’ll have multiple backlinks for each guest, from their personal and professional networking efforts, along with those from their company, clients, friends, family, and everyone in between. As you can tell, this is a particularly lucrative option.

9. Community engagement

You have your service, you have your brand, and you are the expert. Why not share your knowledge and insights with the wider community? This isn’t about posting, it’s about sharing valuable information, responding, engaging.

It’s easy to set up a Google Alert for the keywords and platforms you prefer: whether X, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Quora. When relevant questions arise, swoop in like the pro you are and share your insights. Keep it nice, helpful, and understandable—and keep the conversation going. 

Soon enough, people will seek you and your brand for advice, often hoping to quote you (and your website) as a source for their article. This means a lovely free backlink, with many more to come.

10. Local citations

Be visible to your local online community. Just because you have a globally renowned SaaS brand, for instance, doesn’t mean you should ignore local directories. After all, it could mean some high-quality backlinks. 

Once you’re in all the relevant local sub-directories, copy-cat directories, and social media pages, you could easily have five or six backlinks just for being a business in a certain location. Sure, it might not be your largest pool of potential customers, but the SEO boost is priceless. 

Google’s algorithm will recognize and reward your authenticity, helping your brand stand out from competitors.

11. Create linkable assets

Our final tactic is to create content resources that other companies and researchers can use as a reference. Consider your area of expertise, then develop in-depth research papers, white papers, and ebooks that can be accessed from your website, and that other sites can link to. 

Business owners are often afraid to share their industry secrets; but with so many insights and resources freely available, it’s probably not really that much of a secret. 

If you want to create these assets as an investment, you can gate the content to receive email addresses, generating leads and enhancing your email marketing efforts. You can also sell this content online, but you’re less likely to get any backlinks. 

As the saying goes, you’ve got to give a little to get a little. One quality ebook or white paper should last about three years, so consider the amount of potential backlinks. For example, Zapier’s 2022 no-code report garnered 209 unique backlinks. Not too shabby!

Go beyond the boring for your link-building strategy

So there you have it: 11 out-of-the-box creative link-building ideas that won’t put your brand at risk. If you’re spending five bucks for some random “SEO celebrity” to work their backlink magic, it’s probably too good to be true. 
While you can do all these tactics yourself, backlinking is only one part of your overall SEO strategy.