To improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) rankings of your printing business, you must build a large number of high-quality backlinks to your website. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, are hyperlinks that originate from one website (the source) and point to another website (the target or destination). They can be a text link, an image link, or any clickable element.
Why Backlinks Are Important To SEO
Backlinks are one of the key factors that search engines use to determine the authority, relevance, and credibility of a web page. They help with user navigation (allowing users to navigate between web pages) and content reference (providing additional information or sources).
Search engines like Google use backlinks as a signal of a web page’s trustworthiness and authority. Search engine bots discover and index new web pages primarily through links. When other websites link to your content, it facilitates the indexing process.
Quality matters. Backlinks from authoritative, reputable websites carry more weight and have a more significant impact on SEO than numerous links from low-quality or spammy sites. Search engines view these pages as more trustworthy and valuable so they tend to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Higher search engine rankings directly lead to increased organic (non-paid) traffic.
High-quality backlinks often lead users to relevant and valuable content. This, in turn, enhances the user experience on your site. Visitors are more likely to stay longer, engage with your content, and convert into customers when they find what they’re looking for.
How to Get Backlinks For Your Printing Website
Link building is the practice of actively seeking and acquiring backlinks. It involves outreach, guest posting, content creation, and other strategies to attract high-quality backlinks to your website.
Ensure your content is well-researched, informative, and provides real value to your target audience. Incorporate visual elements, such as images, infographics, and videos, to make your content more engaging and shareable. Use data and statistics to support your claims and make your content more authoritative.
Guest Blogging
Identify authoritative blogs and websites in your niche that accept guest contributions. Study their content and guidelines to understand their audience and content standards. Craft unique and valuable guest posts that align with the host site’s topics. Include a well-crafted author bio with a link back to your website.
Outreach and Relationship Building
Connect with influencers and experts in your industry on social media platforms. Engage with their content by commenting, sharing, and providing insights. When reaching out for collaboration, demonstrate your expertise and how it can benefit your audience.
Content Promotion
Utilize social media platforms, email newsletters, and online communities to promote your content. Collaborate with influencers or partners to amplify your content’s reach. Encourage sharing by including social sharing buttons on your website.
Broken Link Building
Use tools like Check My Links or Broken Link Checker to find broken links on relevant websites. Craft a polite and helpful outreach message to inform the site owner about the broken link. Suggest replacing the broken link with a link to your relevant content as a suitable replacement.
Create Linkable Assets
Invest in creating comprehensive guides, research reports, or tools that address common industry problems. These assets should be unique, and comprehensive, and offer a solution that other websites may want to reference.
Participate in Online Communities
Be an active and helpful participant in online forums, discussion boards, and social media groups. Provide answers to questions within your expertise and link to relevant articles or resources when appropriate. Avoid over-promotion and focus on contributing to the community.
Harvest Your Network
Reach out to clients, partners, and colleagues, and inform them about your content. Encourage them to share or link to your content when it’s relevant to their audience. Consider reciprocal linking when it makes sense.
Local Citations
Ensure your business information, including name, address, and phone number (NAP), is consistent across all local directories. Include a link to your website where appropriate in these listings. Positive reviews on these platforms can also indirectly improve your local SEO.
Participate in Podcasts and Webinars
Look for opportunities to participate in podcasts or webinars within your industry. Share valuable insights and information during your appearance. Include your website link in the podcast show notes or webinar descriptions.
Monitor Competitors
Use SEO tools to analyze your competitor’s backlink profiles. Identify their top-performing content and backlink sources. Reach out to the same sources or create better content to attract similar backlinks.
Remember that building a natural backlink profile takes time and persistence. Focus on providing value to your audience and to other website owners, and you’ll gradually attract high-quality backlinks that benefit your website’s SEO and online visibility.
Would you like a free digital marketing assessment of your printing business and an analysis of your closest competitors? Send me an email at davidmurphy@nventmarketing.com and I’ll be happy to show you how your brand sizes up to your competition!
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Read David’s post from last month: https://printmediacentr.com/leveraging-google-analytics-and-google-search-console-to-make-better-marketing-decisions/
Read more from David here.
David Murphy is the founder and CEO of Nvent Marketing, a marketing agency specializing in digital marketing for the print industry. David has 30+ years of experience in the graphics and document print production industry. He has served as a board member and advisor to print organizations and associations including Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), Print Industries of America (PIA), Association for Print Technologies (APTECH), and Electronic Document Scholarship Foundation (EDSF). David was also awarded the Idealliance Soderstrom Society Award for Print Industry Leadership. David can be reached at dm@nventmarketing.com.
