How to build links that stand the test of time

In our latest Discovery Den video, our experts give 3 important tips to securing linking coverage that supports a future-proof organic strategy.

Links can play an invaluable role in driving organic traffic. But when it comes to building and securing links, what works today might not work tomorrow. So how do you futureproof your brand?

1. Don’t think about link building as a standalone activity

Digital PR is so much more than link building, so if you have a solid digital PR plan in place that connects to your wider business and marketing strategy, link building should be a natural bi-product of that activity.

How easy are you making it for other people? Put in the work to making your website link-worthy and develop campaigns that give journalists a good reason to want to naturally link to you, but never focus on links as the sole objective.

If you’re creating genuinely valuable content for your target audience and reaching the most relevant publications, you’re on the right track.

2. Your SEO team need to be involved in the strategy

Never measure success by number of links. A one-off campaign which secures 30 links but none of them relevant or high quality is unlikely to do much to your long-term organic visibility.

So, what’s the key? Well, your digital PR activity should be intrinsically linked with your SEO strategy. Relevant links can support ranking uplifts, so it’s important that the SEO experts can feed into PR briefs.

The SEO team can help determine what kind of links you need – which pages they need to point to, what anchor text should be used, and what types of publications you should be aiming for coverage from.

Remember that it can take some time for even the highest of quality links to have a positive effect on rankings, the focus should be on consistent activity which builds up relevant links over a sustained period of time.

3. Create genuinely useful onsite content

Journalists will only want to link to something that genuinely adds value to their article for their readers, so give them an incentive to add your content, and make it interesting!

Don’t feel like it’s one story for one piece of onsite content. If executed well, you should be able to hook numerous offsite angles and ideas from your onsite content to continue driving links over a period of time.

Using unique data can be incredibly beneficial here, and it’s not all about expensive surveys – you can find unique stories and angles in your own data and a whole range of publicly available data sources.

Not only does data help to secure coverage, but it’s a great way to boost sitewide Google E-A-T value around your target category.

Take a look at our article on how to create genuinely useful onsite content for both users and journalists.

At Wolfenden, we’re here to help you. If you’re not seeing the long term organic and brand awareness gains from your link building activity, get in touch with us for a chat to find out how your strategy can be altered.