With such a huge number of people on social media, it has to be an important part of your SEO and online marketing campaigns. In fact, when used correctly, social media can help you build a robust backlink profile.
Making your content available on social networks not only establishes you as an authority but also increases your chances of getting noticed by reputable sites – these websites cite your views, which helps get valuable backlinks. This further enhances the credibility and search engine rankings of your website.
User engagement metrics also get affected by social media link-building campaigns, with the maximum impact being seen on bounce rate and time on site, both of which are vital for rankings and SEO.
There are definitely benefits, but are you curious about the process of creating those connections?
The Only Guide You Need to Build Social Media Backlink
Social media link building now serves as an important tactic to increase organic traffic, improve your brand’s reputation, increase online visibility, and support your local SEO efforts.
Follow this guide, and social media backlinking will come easily to you.
1. Pick the Right Social Platforms
Social media link-building campaigns fail miserably when businesses don’t research and identify platforms favored by their target audience.
To cut the hard work, you can consider investing in some quality SEO software solutions. These SEO tools and software help identify the right platform and even make it easier to explore backlink opportunities. Many review sites are now available to help you compare the Best 10 SEO Software solutions and select what works for your marketing campaign.
Whether you use a paid tool or research manually, you will have to identify platforms frequented by your target audience and tailor your strategy accordingly. For instance:
| Platform | Strategy |
| Add backlinks in the About Tab, posts, buttons, descriptions, and group descriptions of your profile or page. | |
| Add backlinks in the Website field, Bio, and photo and video tweets. | |
| Insert a link to your website in your profile and add links in Instagram Stories. | |
| YouTube | Add backlinks to the About Page and video descriptions. |
| Add backlinks to your profile’s contact info, featured posts, company basic information, and group announcements. | |
| Add backlinks in your profile link and rich pins. | |
| Quora | Add backlinks to your profile and your answers. |
| Others | Add backlinks to WhatsApp statuses and video streaming sites like Twitch and Periscope. |
2. Create Content that Inspires
When using social media for SEO, low-quality content won’t take you far, no matter how much time you invest in running a campaign. It must inspire emotions and resonate with your target audience. Go deep with your analysis and offer solutions to whatever problems your audience is facing.
Use compelling data, case studies, and real-world examples to strengthen your arguments and increase the credibility and shareability of your writing.
Make your content easily readable by organizing it into infographics, lists, or guidelines. This makes it easier to scan and increases the likelihood of sharing. When other people representing different brands share your content, they not only promote it organically but also feel a connection with you. Shareable content is also more likely to be shared by your followers.
Familiarizing yourself with your audience is vital to identifying any common themes or questions they have. Once identified, you can provide solutions in your content using visuals and videos, which increases the chances of getting your content shared across platforms. You can use various templates to create those infographics and images or invest in some picture editing tools to reduce the time it takes to create new and interesting graphics.
Lastly, make your content shareable by using appropriate hashtags, conspicuous share buttons, and, if available, identifying businesses or influencers. If you consistently deliver high-quality, shareable material, your audience will be more inclined to promote your message. Doing so will boost your social media following and provide quality social backlinks.
3. Develop Connections with Bloggers and Influencers
Since bloggers and influencers have an established audience, having them onboard is vital for your marketing strategy. Social media helps bridge the gap between you and those influencers. All you have to do is come up with valuable content and news-worthy stories that influencers or journalists would want to share on their platforms. Presenting yourself as an authority is vital, as this helps your voice get heard.
Bloggers and journalists quote you in their stories and add a link back to your website. However, identify the most popular journalists and influencers in your relevant niche and analyze their work – tools like Sprout Social’s Tagger or Modash would help. Compile a list and follow those bloggers and influencers on social media. Notice the trends on those platforms and find a way to interact with their audience. Leave comments on posts, re-tweet their content, and appreciate their work.
Remember, connecting with these influencers in your niche helps you get page mentions and increase your chances of building social media links through guest posts and exchanges. Don’t expect quick success; just be consistent and establish yourself as an authority in your niche by sharing valuable insights, and it will work.
4. Participating in Online Communities
Social media and the internet give you a chance to participate in all sorts of online communities. All you have to do is find one related to your niche, and you will be able to build quality backlinks.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are great for link building. LinkedIn groups are especially useful in spotting the latest trends and interacting with industry leaders.
Similarly, forum backlinks are also vital – even though they can be do-follow or no-follow.
By adding a link to your profile and forum signature, you can earn a link and even increase your chances of directing more traffic to your website. Tread carefully because being overly promotional can sometimes get you kicked out of the community.
Also, understand that the quality of your content matters. If it’s of high quality, there are chances of people sharing it with others, too – and that’s when you end up creating an opportunity to build links.
Link building through forums and communities works but won’t deliver results overnight. It’s more of a long-term strategy that requires genuine engagement and consistency. But, once you have done the hard work, the results are truly outstanding.
Conclusion
Ignoring the importance of building quality backlinks would hurt you in the long run, especially when Google introduces a new update, as those with fewer backlinks and lower DR suffer. Leverage social media backlinking to grow your brand, build connections, and start improving your backlink profile organically.
