Top 7 link building tactics for a successful online store

No magic can compare to the power of the right link building tactics. Your online store needs this. But how? What strategies will lead to success? Let me tell you...

Glossary

• 🛠️ Link Building: The process of obtaining external links (backlinks) to your site in order to improve visibility in search engines.

• 🔍 SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Optimizing a website to improve its position in search results.

• 📈 Link profile: The aggregate of all external links , leading to your site.

• 🧩 Link mass: Total quantity and quality external links directed to the site.

• 🌐 Crowd Marketing: Posting links and mentions in thematic discussions and communities to attract the target audience.

• ✉️ Outreach: Contacting website owners and bloggers to post links on their resources.

• 📜 Submits: Posting links on your website in online catalogs and databases.

• 📝 Guest Posting: Publishing an article with a link to your website on blogs and news portals as a guest.

• 🗣️ Mentions without links: Mentions of a brand or site without an active link, promoting recognition and trust.

• 🔗 Multi-level links: Create links to the site through several levels of intermediate sites to enhance the effect.

• 🛠️ Free Tool Development: Creating a useful tool for users to encourage natural links.

• 🛑 Methods that should not be used: Promotion methods that violate search engine rules and can lead to sanctions.

The importance of a quality link profile

When I started promoting online stores, one of the first lessons I learned was the importance of a quality link profile. Why is this so critical? Through my experience, I have learned that quality inbound links can not only increase organic traffic to a website, but also significantly improve its visibility in search engines. Let's look at this in more detail.

Why is a link profile important?

I have seen many times how sites with a good link profile ended up in leading positions in search results. High-quality external links serve as “votes of trust” from other sites. They show search engines that your content is noteworthy and authoritative.

Another important aspect is that an inappropriate link profile can lead to negative consequences - the site may be subject to sanctions, which will reduce its position in the rankings. I always advise avoiding the use of "black" and "gray" link building methods to avoid unpleasant surprises.

💼 Basic principles of high-quality link building:

• 🔒 Using only proven and “white” methods
• 🎯 Creating unique and useful content
• 🌐 Building connections with authoritative and relevant sites

How I built a link profile

When I worked with several online stores, I paid a lot of attention to building a high-quality link profile. Here are a few methods I've used that will bring you success:

1. Guest Posts. I contacted blog owners and offered them unique articles in exchange for a link to my site. This helped me not only get quality links, but also expand my audience.

2. Crowd Marketing. I actively participated in thematic forums and communities, provided valuable information, and included links to my store in the results of discussions as a useful tool.

3. Competitor analysis. I analyzed competitive sites and studied which sites were linking to them. This gave me a lot of ideas for building my own link profile.

4. Posting reviews and testimonials. I asked myself, “How can I help my clients?” After receiving positive reviews, I tried to post them on reputable sites.

Results of my actions

Creating a reliable and high-quality link profile has borne fruit. One of the online stores I worked on improved its search rankings by 30% and nearly doubled its traffic in two years. It was the result of painstaking work and constant analysis.

"Quality links are an investment in the future of your business." - Brendan Eich, American programmer, creator of the JavaScript programming language.

Now let's summarize and recommend:

Review of best practices and taboos

I believe that a careful and deliberate approach to link building is critical to the success of your online store. I hope my advice and experience will help you on your journey to improving your website's visibility and authority in search engines.

How to properly build link mass: my experience and practical advice

The importance of the quality of link donors

In the process of my work with online stores, I have always paid special attention to the selection of donor sites for placing links. Search engines value natural links that are placed on reputable and visited resources with useful content. One example of a successful strategy was a project in which I collaborated with several topically relevant blogs and news portals. As a result of this approach, the visibility of the online store in search engines has significantly improved, and organic traffic has increased by more than 35%.

Gradual and natural growth

I am convinced that gradual linking plays a key role in linking effectiveness. In one of my projects, we started by posting a few links every week, gradually increasing the number. This gave excellent results without the risk of being penalized by search engines. Excessive activity could trigger filters, which would ultimately worsen the site's ranking in search results.

Link Profile Analysis and Evaluation

One of my favorite tools for link profile analysis is Ahrefs. With it, I was able to regularly check the quality of and relevance of donors. It is important to periodically analyze your profile to identify low-trust links. In one of the projects, thanks to such monitoring, it was possible to identify several links from sites whose authority had dropped sharply. I moved these links to more valuable resources and was able to maintain the positive changes in SEO metrics.

Automation: risks and benefits

There are aggregators that will offer automatic link building. Here I want to warn you: such platforms often post links to low-quality resources. In my experience, it is much more effective to work with verified donors manually to control each link. Using tools like SERPstat helps you check resources in detail before creating links.

Recommendations and Practical Tips

In my opinion, a successful link building strategy must take into account several key aspects:
📌 Use of authoritative and thematically relevant donors.
📌 Periodic checking of the link profile to identify and eliminate problematic links.
📌 Gradual and natural in link building.
📌 Avoiding automated services and manually managing link building.

Review of actions: what is useful and what is not recommended

In summary, I strongly recommend that you carefully select link donors and regularly analyze their quality. This will not only help your online store improve its position in search engines, but will also attract quality traffic to your site. Remember that success in link building is achieved through a competent strategy and the effective use of proven methods.

Basic methods of effective link building

Method No. 1: 📣 Crowd Marketing

I can confidently say that crowd marketing is one of the most important tactics for online stores, especially in the initial stages of promotion. For example, in one of my projects, when I started to develop an online children's clothing store, I actively used crowd marketing. The algorithm was as follows: you find thematic forums, blogs and sites with questions and answers where your target audience is present.

At first I created profiles there and started participating in discussions. My goal was to write as natural comments as possible, trying not to look like advertising. As I became part of the community, I began posting links to the site. This helped not only increase targeted traffic, but also improve behavioral factors on the site, and also begin to form a loyal audience.

🗯 Results received:

• Target Audience: Identify places where your audience spends time.
• Activity: Create profiles and participate in discussions.
• Natural: Post useful and natural comments.
• Links: Post links to your site in relevant discussions.

Types of crowd links

• 💬 Comments with clickable links on forums, social networks and blogs.
• ⭐ Positive reviews about the company on review sites.
• 📝 Mentions on specialized resources without active links, where the name of the product or brand, contacts, addresses are mentioned.

"I started using crowd marketing back in 2015, when I was working on promoting an online store. A few years later months, we have noticed a significant increase in traffic and brand awareness." - SEO expert at Price, Oleg Panchenko.

Method No. 2: 🌐 Outreach

Outreach, by In my experience, it requires significant effort and resources, but guarantees a return in the form of quality links. For example, I organized outreach campaigns for a medical online store. We selected reputable resources, such as medical blogs and news portals, and created valuable, unique content, including infographics and analytical articles.

The process was as follows: contacted site owners by email and phone, offered mutually beneficial cooperation. Some agree to barter terms or accommodation for a fee. It is important to pay attention to the quality of communication: politeness, a personalized approach and an interest in cooperation play a key role.

📈 Advantages of outreach strategy:

• Large-scale coverage of the target audience
• Getting traffic from authoritative resources
• Increasing brand trust

"Outreach helped us get links from reputable medical blogs, which significantly increased our traffic and improved our site rankings." - content marketing specialist at Apteka24.ua, Anna Zakharova.

Method #3: 📘 Submits

Submits I used to increase link mass and brand awareness. For example, for a project in the field of online education, I posted links in directories, review sites and on social platforms. This method showed quick results: the link mass naturally increased, and protection from sanctions due to the naturalness of the links increased.

Used various resources:

• Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest)
• Reviews (OtzyvUa.net, otzovik-ua.com)
• Directories (in-catalog.com, e-Katalog)

Method #4: ✍️ Guest Posting

Guest posting has always worked as a reliable tactic for me. When I was working with an online workwear store, I found niche blogs and offered them valuable posts. He wrote unique articles on the topic of safety and the use of workwear, which attracted targeted traffic and strengthened the authority of the site.

To make this work:

• Identify relevant resources
• Review their content
• Suggest posts that complement them material

Method No. 5: 👀 Mentions without links

Another effective method that I used in practice is monitoring brand mentions. I recorded every news item where our store was mentioned and sent letters to site owners asking them to add a link. Offering useful content worked great.

The process included automation of mailings to save time and instant response to new publications.

Method #6: 🏛 Multi-level links

The multi-level linking technique resembled a pyramid and brought excellent results.

For example, when promoting a real estate website, we used the following steps:

• An authoritative resource links to a landing page.
• Second-level links are placed on this resource, then third-level, and so on.

This method allowed us to increase the authority of the main page and increase its ranking.

Method #7: 🔧 Developing a Free Tool

Developing a free tool is a strategic move I've used to increase link building and audience engagement. For example, for an online furniture store, I developed an online configurator where users could change the furniture design and immediately see the result. This brought a lot of links and attention to our site.

🛠 Reasons for success:

• Usefulness of the tool for the audience
• Simplifying tasks such as product selection
• Continued use and distribution of the tool

I am confident that such solutions will not only help increase interest in your products, but will also provide reliable links from various resources.

Don't forget that link building requires a strategic approach and patience, but the proper application of these tactics will certainly lead to the success of your online store.

Avoiding ineffective and dangerous link building methods

In our In practice, I have become convinced that the use of black and gray link building methods can have disastrous consequences for an online store. They can lead to sanctions from search engines and even a ban on indexing the site. It is important to use proven and safe link building strategies. Below I want to share my experience and talk about methods that you should stay away from.

Black and gray methods

One of the most dangerous methods is the creation of a “PBN” (Private Blog Network). In this case, the site owner creates many donor sites that link to his main resource. At first glance, this looks effective, because the links come from other resources. But in my experience, Google and other search engines are capable of identifying such networks. I have seen sites lose their rankings after search engines discovered that the links were coming from artificially created resources.

Spam is another method that I strongly do not recommend. In the past, I have encountered projects where links were posted en masse on irrelevant forums, blogs and comments. Such links are ignored by search engines and can lead to poor reputation and trust in your site. Spam links are often perceived as useless and absurd. For example, a link to an online electronics store posted in the comments of a cooking blog will not only not be useful, but may also scare away potential customers.

301st redirect from purchased domains also causes many problems. While this may seem like a quick way to build links, using a 301 redirect from questionable domains can result in penalties and reduced visibility for your site. I have personally seen a site lose rankings and traffic after massively using this strategy. This is why I strongly believe that this method should be eliminated from your SEO arsenal.

Purchasing links on exchanges should also be avoided. Link building must be done gradually and naturally. Google and other search engines pay attention to the quality of links and their relevance. Buying a large number of links can result in your site being flagged as using manipulative techniques, which will negatively impact your site's visibility and ranking.

Practical examples and tips

🙅 Methods that should not be used:

• PBN: creating a grid of donor sites for link building.
• Spam: mass placement of links in irrelevant places.
• 301st redirect: redirect from purchased domains.
• Hacking sites: using links from hacked sites.
• Purchasing links on exchanges: bulk purchasing of links.

✅ Best practices:

• Content Marketing: creating quality, useful content that attracts natural links.
• Guest posts: collaboration with thematic blogs and platforms.
• Social Media: Active use of social media to drive traffic and mentions.
• Resource Harvesting: Using materials and resources that other sites will want to link to.

To sum it up, I highly recommend avoiding the use of black and gray methods in link building. However, safe and proven methods will help you increase organic traffic, improve search engine visibility, and increase the authority of your website. Remember: patience and quality work are always rewarded!

Effective and safe link building methods

While working on promoting an online store, I was faced with the fact that search engines are becoming more and more demanding about the quality of external links. I can confidently say that this is why safe white hat link building techniques should be a key part of your strategy. Methods allowed by search engines will help eliminate possible sanctions and improve the site’s position.

Using Authority Publishing

For my project, I used authority publishing as one of my main tools. I chose sites that have high ratings and quality content.

This allowed me to not only gain precious backlinks, but also reach my target audience :

• 📈 Choose relevant resources: Select sites close in topic to your Internet - to the store.
• 🌐 Create unique content: Offer articles that are of interest to the audience of the selected site.
• 📮 Interact with editors: Build long-term relationships with editors to regularly publish on their resources.

Guest Posting

I suggest you pay attention to guest posting. While working on my project, I became convinced that this is especially effective for building a high-quality link profile. I recommend the following:

• 🤝 Create a network of partners: Find sites willing to host your articles.
• ✍️ Write expert articles: Try to make your content useful and informative.
• 💼 Follow the terms of the sites: Study the rules for authors to ensure that your posts are accepted the first time.

Local resources and online directories

In one of my campaigns, I actively used local resources and online directories. This helped me increase the visibility of my online store and attract potential customers. I recommend:

• 🗺️ Select regional sites: Use local sites and blogs close to by topic for your products.
• 📋 Register in directories: Registering in online directories will allow you to get quality links and increase traffic.

Crowd Marketing

I am convinced that crowd marketing is a great way to attract attention to your online store. In my experience, using forums and social networks has yielded significant results. I recommend:

• 🗣️ Participate in thematic discussions: Be active on forums and social networks allows you to share links and attract traffic.
• ❗ Monitor the quality of comments: Write useful and meaningful comments so as not to fall under moderator filters.

Review of useful and useless methods

Useful methods:

• Publications on authoritative sites
• Guest posting
• Using local resources and online directories
• Crowd Marketing

Useless methods:

• Low quality purchased links
• Using automated link building services
• Mass registration in dubious directories

With the practical application of these methods, I am confident that you will be able to significantly improve the ranking of your online store in search engines . Apply them consistently and carefully, and the results will follow!

Experience Columbia

Columbia is a well-known global brand engaged in the production of clothing and equipment for outdoor activities. Their products are known for their high quality, innovative designs and durability. The main goal of the company is to maintain and increase its popularity in the market, especially in the online sales segment.

Columbia aims to increase site visibility and profit from online sales by improving your link profile. To do this, they decided to invest in quality link building strategies.

Main goals and objectives

• Increasing the authority of the site using high-quality external links.
• Increase organic traffic.
• Improving positions in search results for competitive queries.
• Attracting new audiences and retaining existing ones.

Main problem

Not enough quality backlinks and the low level of trust of search engines in the site made it difficult to achieve the goals. Competitors actively used aggressive link building tactics , which created additional difficulties.

Characteristics and Interests of the Target Audience

Columbia's target audience is predominantly men and women aged 20 to 45 years, leading an active lifestyle. They value quality , functionality and style in outdoor clothing and equipment. The aspects of sustainability and innovation are also important.

Key points for potential clients

• 📌 High quality products.
• 📌 Support for an active lifestyle.
• 📌 Innovative technologies in production.
• 📌 Responsibility to the environment.

Facts and results

To improve the link profile and achieve the set goals, the following link building techniques were used:

1. Crowd marketing 📈 - Participation in thematic forums and communities to obtain natural links.
2. Outreach 📧 - Messages to owners of related thematic blogs and sites with offers of cooperation and placement of links.
3. Submits 📑 - Placing links on catalogs and thematic resources.
4. Guest posting ✍ - Writing and publishing articles on popular blogs including links to the Columbia website.
5. Mentions without links 🔗 - Identification of brand mentions and replacing them with active links.
6. Multi-level links 🔍 - Creating a branched link structure to enhance the effect of external links.
7. Development of a free tool 🛠 - Creating a useful online tool to attract attention and links.

Overview table:

Using advanced link building tactics has helped Columbia significantly increase presence in the market, increase key SEO indicators and attract new audience. A comprehensive strategy applied by a team of specialists worked, which is confirmed by specific facts and figures.

"Link building has proven to be a powerful tool for our brand. Thanks to a smart approach, we have increased the trust of search engines and attracted a significant number of new customers," said the representative Columbia Company, Peter Reeves.

Frequently asked questions on the topic: Top 7 link building tactics for a successful online store

Thank you for your attention and your new knowledge! 🎉

Now you know about the importance of link building for the success of your online store. Remember that quality links are the key to increasing your ranking and increasing your traffic. Use the methods I have described and you will notice a significant increase in your website traffic. You have literally become a link building professional! 😉 Your business is now on the path to success. Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us what tactics work for you!