Is it possible to make an eCommerce business more successful by focusing on link building? Ranking high on Google for relevant keywords is the equivalent of having a physical store on a busy street. Simply because you are in the right place at the right time for people to spend money, you will generate tons of sales.
You will need to have solid links back from other websites as well as adequate internal links. We’ll be discussing some of the best link-building strategies for eCommerce shops.
What is link building exactly?
Link building is the act of creating hyperlinks that point to your site on other websites. Link building is essential for online businesses because it helps in trust development and authority. Therefore, link building is an integral part of any SEO strategy.
Your site’s traffic is vital, and links are a key ranking factor in search engine algorithms (Google, for instance). Links provide visitors with an easy way to get to your website and show support for other websites. Link building can improve your website’s rank, increase traffic and help you sell more products. If you want your website to rank for good, competitive terms, you will need to be creative in your link building.
Different types of links explained
Your eCommerce website might use both internal and external links. Understanding the different types of connections is as important as understanding their positions in your SEO strategy.
Links to internal resources
Internal links are connections within the same domain that connect pages. Google will notice if there are many links to one page of your website. It signals that Google is concerned about the importance of that page. In eCommerce, internal links are from the main navigation and category pages. You can also create them using the “Similar Products” feed, which appears on every product page and in blog content.
Any website page can benefit from internal links, even product pages. For example, this product page for punching bags demonstrates the importance of creating credible content and links to specific products.
Links to external sources
External links are hyperlinks linking to content from your website to a high-authority web page. These votes of confidence and reputation points are essential. In addition, Google will see external links linking back to your site to sign that you are reliable and legitimate. But not all external links can be trusted.
Google uses links to assess the authority and value of your site. It will also use the link to you to do the same. A link’s value can be affected by trustworthiness, popularity and relevancy, and a variety of other factors. Sometimes, links to other sites may be broken or spammy and point to your site. You should seek to have those links removed or go through a process to block the linked sites.
It is an advanced step that you won’t have to do very often or early.
Follow or not follow these links
Search engines will trust a follow link, while a nofollow link signals that search engines should not follow the link. Some links can be made by nofollow to improve search engine optimization. However, it will essentially erase your vote. Therefore, a website should have a balance of following and nofollow backlinks.
What is anchor text? How does it work with hyperlinks?
The anchor text is the part of the link that can be clicked. It’s typically underlined and has blue lettering. Google can use anchor text to help them understand your website. For example, include keywords you wish to rank your website for.
These are the types of anchor text you can use to build links.
Match exact
Anchor text is used to match exact keywords. For example, keywords can be used as anchor text in Google rankings.
Partial match
Partial match anchor text is a combination of keywords relevant to your website. Although it’s not an exact match, it is still a great way to tell Google about your website and drive traffic.
Get involved
A call to action is a call to action that urges readers to take action. It’s crucial for link building. CTAs can increase click-through rates which will lead to more traffic to your site and tremendous success. A CTA can be used to anchor text in the following example: “Learn More” with links to your sponsored social media pages.
Branded
It’s called branded anchor text when you use the brand name as anchor text. For example, your anchor text should be “Google” if you talk about Google and wish to link back to their website.
Five-link building tips to help eCommerce businesses
Your website’s ranking in search results will be affected by the strength of your link profile. Therefore, it is essential to find the content you can link to. In addition, outreach methods that involve bloggers and other websites will help you gain credibility and traffic. These link-building tips will help you increase your credibility and expand your audience.
1. Create a blog
A great way to increase links is to add a blog to your website with relevant content and do outreach to get other people to link to it. In addition, you can share the positive effects of a referral by linking to pages that convert higher. For example, Ahrefs allows you to search for competitors and view the “Top Pages By Links” section to see which pages have referrals. These ideas will allow you to create content comparable to other pages, which increases the likelihood that someone will link directly.
To see if your top competitors have any new backlink opportunities, keep track of them. In addition, it is essential to conduct a competitive analysis to find missing links.
2. Link to product pages using resource page link building
Resource link building, which links to product pages and category pages, is a valuable link-building technique. Unfortunately, many eCommerce site owners have difficulty creating links. Prospecting for resource pages is the best way to start. Search terms include in URL: resources and URL: links PRODUCT CATEGORY Once you have found a few pages that refer to the product category, reverse engineer them to discover more backlink opportunities.
Many resource pages provide information about consumer products. These pages can be linked directly to specific categories and products. For example, a home gym enthusiast might have links to water bottles, protective gear, and equipment. This page on home training equipment highlights the keyword “train at home about all the company’s products.”
3. Utilize a FAQ page
FAQ pages can help solve problems within your industry. These pages are a type of linkable asset. The goal is to get a page to rank high in search engines for long-tail keywords related to a single topic. These terms will help people find your content.
This FAQ is an excellent example of combining the power of informative content with link building and the use of FAQs to increase visibility.
4. Check your link profile
A link profile is a list of all links found on your website. A clean link profile has no spammy links or manipulative links. Your link profile can be affected by the age of your website, your business, and other factors such as the quality of your linked sites.
These are the components of your website’s link profile:
- The types of backlinks that lead to your site
- The anchor text for these links
- How these links were obtained
Google considers all of the above factors to maintain clean SEO. Moz Link Explorer, a service that verifies your link profile, allows you to understand why your eCommerce pages rank where they do in search results. You can also perform a competitive analysis and find broken links. Also, you can review and monitor your backlinks. Your homepage is often the one that receives the most links from high-profile sources.
This Leflore Paris homepage has been linked to by high-authority sites such as Treehugger or Vogue UK. These links can be identified by looking at your link profile. They can then be used to build trust with potential customers by including “As Seen on … ” badges on your website’s homepage.
5. Develop affiliate partnerships
Affiliate links are often labeled “Nofollow,” which means they won’t have a significant impact on your results. However, they will increase your visibility and drive more traffic towards your eCommerce website. In addition, it may lead to more natural backlinks.
It’s a great way to increase traffic and sales to your site and get links to it by forming affiliate partnerships with bloggers or influencers. If you select the right affiliate partners, you can gain connections from high-quality websites. These links can also be sent frequently to your product pages.
The key takeaways
Link building for eCommerce websites is not an easy task. However, it is possible to carefully execute all link-building activities, including outreach and content development, and strategic planning. Your efforts and time spent in setting up your link-building strategy will pay off.
Disclaimer. The opinions and views expressed in this article are the authors Andrew Napolitano.