How to Generate a Link through Outreach

In the digital landscape, links are the life blood of a website’s success. Why? Because links drive traffic to your website and traffic drives sales.

“So I’ll just go out and get as many links as I can”- NO!

A common mistake which marketers make when link building is assuming that all links are good links. Alas, this just isn’t the case. Instead of linking ‘willy nilly’, focus your efforts on achieving good-quality, genuine links from authoritative sites.

Generating a link is not always enough to turn traffic into sales. Yes, a consumer might have landed on your site through an external link, but this does not necessarily mean that they will stay on your site, let alone make a purchase. Enter the sales driving force, PR. Through clever, relatable, heartstring-tugging campaigns, PR gives people something worth shouting (and linking) about. In this way, PR forges relationships between the consumer and your brand, helping to turn traffic into conversions.

The Godfather, the big cheese, the big daddy, whatever you call it, we’re all dying to get it. I am, of course, referring to the holy grail of links, the kind of links which feature in heavyweight newspapers and popular sites such as The Guardian, the BBC, BuzzFeed and LADbible.

Each and every day hundreds of thousands of people flock to popular sites to read about the latest trends, catch up on the day’s news and browse hilarious memes (surely I’m not the only one?!). If you want to drive a large volume of traffic to your site and significantly build brand awareness, this is where you want your links to feature.

Unfortunately, no matter how much we may want them, achieving these kinds of links is no easy feat. Unlike smaller sites and publications who welcome most of the content which comes their way, the top dogs only want the best. So, if you’re looking to achieve a Godfather link, build relationships with journalists and editors and offer them something they can’t refuse. Whether it’s a shocking statistic, an expert opinion, a fun quiz or a fresh take on an old topic, your aim is to tap into what consumers want and give it to them.

The Average Joe link is not only more attainable, but a Google favourite. These kind of links feature on niche sites such as The Memory Foam Warehouse and The Hose Shop.

Although this method of linking drives less traffic, the traffic it does send to your site is valuable, as the consumer has already expressed an interest in a similar topic/product/service.

To obtain an Average Joe link, you need to find out where the client’s key audience ‘hangs out’ and target there. For example, if you own a site which sells days out in London, you could direct your efforts towards sites such as English Study Breaks, a company which encourages students to study English in different destinations across the UK.

1. The consumer is number one. To generate good-quality links, listen to the consumer and give them something valuable.
2. There are two main types of link. Each type is valuable in its own way: Google likes the Average Joe link as it is relevant and niche, you will like the Godfather link as it will drive the most traffic to your website.
3. PR is an effective way to turn traffic into conversions.

If you’re looking to drive more traffic to your website and increase sales, contact us today for a helping hand.