It’s no surprise that securing backlinks for your e-commerce site can be a real drag. Learning how to get backlinks can be a time-consuming and difficult process.
However, quality backlinks can actually help you outrank giants like Amazon and eBay.
In our opinion, a solid backlinking strategy might be the best method for systematically building up your e-commerce site.
But before we dig in to backlinks, let’s review some SEO best practices. If you’re already an SEO-expert looking to hop on our backlink strategies, skip ahead.
SEO Review
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process by which website owners optimize their sites and corresponding content in order to most closely align with the search terms that are bringing their site quality traffic.
Ranking on the first page of Google might be considered the “Holy Grail” of internet marketing. To do so, your website must compete with other websites to present the most relevant and timely information to any given user’s Google search.
Good SEO strategies require a combination of many variables: high-quality niche content, website optimization, correct keywords, carefully selected titles, and meta-descriptions – just to name a few.
If you’re curious, we’ve already covered this topic in detail here.
Now let’s move on to backlinks!
Using Backlinks & SEO for E-Commerce
Before getting into the logistics of building backlinks for your e-commerce site, it’s important to understand how SEO and referral traffic intersect with your site.
Referral traffic is the amount of traffic that comes through a link to your page. Optimizing your referral backlinks can have tremendous effects on your e-commerce website.
In many cases, the power of a backlink is dependent upon the referring website’s authority. In other words, a website like Amazon giving a single backlink is more likely to boost your SEO ranking, compared to many backlinks from an unknown site. This makes it even more important to secure reputable backlinks for your site.
Tip: Don’t be fooled into buying backlinks. Search engines can determine through simple analysis if your webpage is using SEO tactics that lack real substance.
Instead, first start by optimizing your online store, and then pursue backlinking strategies. Your site’s optimization is the first line of defense against being pushed down in the Google ranks.
Whether you’re revisiting your digital marketplace or opening a new brand new online store, make sure it satisfies the following criteria:
-
Every webpage should be no more than 3 clicks away from your homepage. Doing so helps your homepage’s current SEO rank trickle-down into other pages. Pages too far removed from the high-ranking homepage will not receive the same benefits.
-
If navigating around your store is difficult for a user, Google will penalize you. Think of your e-commerce store like a brick-and-mortar location. Browsing products, obtaining more information, asking for help, and checking out should be hassle-free. Conduct tests and gather feedback from users to ensure the experience is simple.
-
Integrate a blog. Seriously. Any referral traffic you garner from your blog will directly benefit your web store. More on this below.
5 Actionable Ways to Build Backlinks to Your Website
Want to put all these learnings into action? Check out our list below for some more strategies to build better backlinks!
1. Start an E-Commerce Blog, or Start Blogging Again
A blog is perhaps the most efficient way to generate backlinks for your e-commerce site. Your product likely solves your customers’ problems, or else you would not be in business. To start, think about the questions your potential customers ask, and then write and publish those articles.
Chances are, if it’s written for your niche, industry leaders may share the article with their network. Other techniques involved in this category include: creating press releases, guest posting as a thought-leader, and getting influencers in your industry to write about your product.
2. Replace Outdated & Old Content
Using this strategy, you would first want to remove any old or outdated content on your own site. After completing that process, use tools like the ones we have outlined in the last section to review articles and pages that have outdated content.
Check the search volume, keyword density, and backlink info. After you have found a site that works for you, simply reach out to the web-owners and see if they will update their outdated content with your new, fresh article.
3. Score Broken Backlinks
This option requires some marketing chops. If you know your competition, use their URL to find broken backlinks (links that do not lead to a working URL). You can do this with many online backlink analysis tools, some of which we have outlined below.
Once you have found their broken backlinks, create content around these broken backlinks in order to fill the gaps. Then simply reach out to the site owners, letting them know that you have noticed their content was broken, and that you have similar working content available.
Broken links actually degrade a website’s search ranking in Google, so this strategy benefits both the webmaster and you.
4. Backlink from Your Provider
If your supplier has a website, send them information about your product and website to put a backlink in the section of partners or sellers. Generally these webpages have many visits and are more reputable than , which will increase the quality of your backlinks.
5. Market Your Products with Other Brands
This technique is very effective when done correctly. It is a similar strategy to #4. Let’s say you are selling high-quality leather dog leashes.
If you can find a digital retailer that sells dog products (like collars, or dog tags, or pet food) reach out to them and see if they might add a link to their site. Return the favor for them, and enjoy the benefits of higher search rankings.
5 Online Tools for Improving Your Backlink Strategy
These tried-and-true online tools are certain to help you as you improve your backlinking strategies.
-
AHrefs: View all the links your website currently has.
-
BrokenLinkBuilder: Find broken, dead or otherwise non-functioning pages related to your topic area.
-
Moz Link Explorer: Compare backlinks between two or more domains.
-
WhiteSpark: Build citations, earn reviews, and track your rankings – globally and locally.
-
Google Search Console: Assess your site’s performance and observe potential problems, like spam links, to ensure your site is Google-friendly.
