Building links is a powerful and reputable method for boosting traffic to your e-commerce site. Catching the eye of your target audience can lead to increased sales. Link-building strategies should include all types of quality links: backlinks, guest posts, directory links, and even sponsored content. From an SEO (search engine optimization) standpoint, some links are better than others. But for driving traffic and sales, links can pay.
For instance, let’s say you’ve released a new online tool. This tool is fantastic and will help a certain customer with their exact problem. For this example, let’s use a fence supply estimator. How do you reach homeowners looking to build a new fence? Using link-building strategies, you can get the word out and drive new customers to your online store.
First, let’s cover backlinks. Backlinks are the gold standard for SEO and are effective in driving traffic, especially if done correctly. Backlinks are links to your site from other sites. Convincing a site to link back to your website can be a challenge. Using a service such as PRNEWS.IO allows you to find relevant, quality sites where you can submit posts, press releases, or articles. Using services for ecommerce link building strategies takes the guesswork out of the entire process.
Guest posts are a solid choice for driving traffic. The goal of guest posting is to find your audience through a blog you read or a forum (Medium springs to mind). Your guest post should add value and be informative so readers want to visit your site. The blog and/or forum now have valuable content to share with their readers. Guest posts aren’t a “buy my stuff” blurb. They serve the readers. This is a giving strategy first because, above all else, you are providing value. The link to your site or product is a benefit to you but should feel like an afterthought – not a sales pitch – to readers.
Directory links are as simple as they sound. Your online store should be on search engines and not just Google. Make sure you’ve registered your business with Bing, Yelp For Business, and Yahoo. Keep your website information current and accurate, and be sure to classify your business correctly so links to your site are found by your desired audience.
Lastly, let’s cover sponsored content. This can be a powerful tool if you do it right. Again, you contact blogs and influencers you love and offer products or money (often both) in return for direct mentions on social media with a link directly to the product or service mentioned. Tips on working with sponsored content: have a contract! This cannot be stressed enough. Don’t leave the influencer to guess what you want. Tell them, in writing, exactly what you expect. They should also be clear with you about their terms. Don’t pick an influencer or blogger that has nothing to do with your niche. Returning to that fence supply estimator – who would bring your ideal customer? A 20-something sharing about your tool while putting on makeup? Or a DIYer known for making things and working on their house? The latter has far more value for that tool than the former. Don’t go for huge influencers with millions and millions of followers. They often have lower conversion rates than micro-influencers with ten- to one hundred thousand followers.
As you put these link-building strategies to work for your online store, remember you can turn to services like PRNEWS.IO to increase visibility and attract your target audience without the hassle of cold emails. They make it simple and stress-free to promote your business and drive traffic to your website.
