Pretty sure Neil Patel doesn’t need any introduction. But he deserves one. The Wall Street certified influencer. Recognized by Forbes as one of the top 10 marketers. Founder of Neil Patel Digital & Subscribers. This guy has mastered the art of SEO. He is the modern-day link wizard. So, here is our abridged version of “Neil Patel: How to Get Backlinks”.
If you are a fan of Neil Patel, then you probably know what a backlink is. Because he says this over and over again. Backlinks are important. Backlinks have the power to influence your page rankings. But it seems like everyone is trying to get on the bandwagon. Hence, it is becoming extremely difficult to create a strong backlink profile.
Every day you send out hundreds of, if not thousands of, emails. In the end, almost nobody links back to you. This is where Neil Patel comes in. Neil has countless blogs on the issue. But are you willing to read all of it? Worry not! We have done it for you.
We have read and selected the best blogs by Neil Patel on how to get backlinks.
Link building basically boils down to three key chapters.
Cold outreach programs seldom work. This is where warm relationships come in. Nothing ever comes free. Build relationships and provide value. People will give you backlinks.
Often, in answer to how to get backlinks, Neil Patel says that link building is all about building meaningful relationships. That’s how important it is.
In fact, relationships are the ultimate weapon for generating high profile backlinks. Consider backlinks as compliments. You don't pass compliments to random strangers, do you?
One great way to build relationships is by leveraging your social media contacts. Promote your content on multiple channels. To generate loyal audiences, showcase a transparent and consistent personality across all channels.
Being active on social media will open unseen doors for you. Sometimes you will meet potential clients Chat with them. Share your insights. Maybe even hop on a video call or a coffee shop. These opportunities often lead to guest blogging for them. And guess what guest blogging leads to? Backlinks!
On another note, your social media contacts can be integrated into your email contacts easily. A bigger email list translates into greater opportunities for backlinks.
Quite naturally, not all of your contact will be based on warm relationships. So, your next job is to make a list of websites that you want to be linked with. Once you have it, follow along.
The easiest way to make people link to you is to find a pain point in their websites. Tell them how to fix the issues. If your suggestion proves valuable, some backlinks are on the way.
Tell them that you have crafty infographics and guides relevant to their content. Bloggers know how much readers love infographics. Other than visual diagrams, Neil Patel says, things that will help you to get backlinks are the following:
Offer these to the relevant and potential people you want to get backlinks from. These resources will make you stand out in the sea of generic writeups.
“Some of my best articles on Neil Patel that have generated over a hundred backlinks are the ones where I have charts” - Neil Patel
You might find that their websites are still linked to outdated articles. Here is where you come in. Give them more relevant and updated articles. Doing so is a win-win situation for both of you.
Firstly, being updated makes them look better to their readers. Secondly, it also helps them get better results on Google metrics. So, as their rankings increase, yours will too. And since you also provided value, they are going to link back to you as well.
As counterproductive it sounds, writing testimonials for other websites is actually a great Neil Patel tip on how to get backlinks. After you write good reviews, the third-party site will actually leave a spot for backlinks.
Will the other site link back to you? Highly likely. Because you helped the business with better reviews, hence better sales and conversion. Moreover, such actions are good gestures and help you build a better relationship.
Neil Patel’s second step in how to get backlinks is finding the right person. Often finding is easy. But contacting them is not. You go to their contact page. They don’t have any email. You are left with a form only.
Well, the good news is that there are other tried and tested methods.
The easiest way to find the right audience is by analyzing their competition. Find out the sources your competitors are getting backlinks from.
One way to do this is by using backlink analysis tools. The one that Neil suggests is obviously his in-house tool Ubersuggest. This tool will automatically generate the most popular pages on your competitors’ sites.
Say, Neil himself is your competitor. So go to Ubersuggest. Type the URL of Neil Patel’s website. It will show the following results. The following window shows how the site is performing. Pretty impressive stats, right?
The next window will show the keywords the page is ranking for.
Finally, this is the most important section for you. You can view the pages that drive traffic to this domain. Now analyze these pages. Copy their profile, if required. But do it better.
It’s time to harness the true power of LinkedIn. Go look for people in charge of content marketing. They are your best shots. A quick tip: Don’t knock CEOs and senior executives. They are not going to waste their time linking back to you.
Next you can search up the author bio. Then further research about them on LinkedIn. Now you know whether they are the right person to contact. Even if they are not the right people, they will know who are. Either way, you win.
This is a sneaky way, but hey! Neil suggests it. Instead of manually looking up in online directories for contact information, you can use Chrome extensions. These extensions will make your life easier. Trust me! They will help you find the correct email address.
Here are some such extensions that Neil suggests. They also come in free versions if you were wondering.
I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy... In case you are reluctant to use any of the above points, try connecting with the help of mutual friends. This is a lengthy process. But such conversations usually have high conversion points. Simply put, they work well.
Now you have the right websites and the right people. The third Neil Patel idea on how to get backlinks is crafting personalized and relevant messages.
Remember the value exchange bit? Now it’s time to create unique messages around that value. Here is a quick sample I made following Neil’s instructions.
Hey X, I noticed that you wrote a great article <insert the link> on How to Get Backlinks. And here is an interactive infographic on the same topic. We hope you like it.
Now create a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will contain the list of potential websites that you will be approaching. You will also note down the respective messages that you will be sent to each website. Hence, this spreadsheet will act as your notification center. It will contain information as to:
“Think of link building as sales. It’s all about the followup.”-Neil Patel
Well, there is always a shortcut tool. You can use email tools such as Mailshake. These tools will automatically adjust the tone of your message. You can also make them personalized in less time.
All this time we have focusing on building relationships to generate backlinks. The underlying assumption was that your content is great. However, you can have great PR campaigns and outreach programs. But without content, nothing matters. Content is the center of your SEO solar system.
Remember how we did a competitor analysis. Now it’s time to focus on the page titles and URLs of the linked pages. Select 5 to 10 titles that grab your attention. Now, think of even better strategies to craft your content.
You have to do something extra as well. Click on each selected title and skim through their content. Note down the following points as you go along.
The bottom line is to do everything better than your competitors.
Well, you don’t have to copy and improve all the time. You can always create original studies. Having original data that no one has sets you apart from everyone. But don’t do so aimlessly.
Ask the following questions.
One easy way to create original data is by conducting a survey. One such tool for this occasion that Neil suggests is Google Forms. Create a robust form and disseminate the forms to your email contact. As said before, personalize the message.
Afterward, compile your data, publish them, and create an original story based on the findings. Now anyone willing to use the data will have to link back to you.
More publishers are nowadays cutting short on word count. Blogs are getting shorter. Here’s a way you can leverage this loophole and stand out.
Find something trending and useful that people are searching for. Then as stated previously, analyze your competitors, and create a long-form guide. Word count for such guides usually ranges around 12,000 to 15,0000 words.
Such guides help because they provide such substantial value to your readers that they are willing to convert into your customers. Moreover, it helps you establish trust and authority.
Guest blogging is Neil’s favorite method for building links and exposure. Some guest blogs even let you link back to your website. It is considered a symbiotic relation. In exchange for your great content, they are giving you backlink opportunities.
However, some guest blogs don’t allow you to insert backlinks. The trick is to insert a link in your author’s bio. Keep the byline precise sharp. Inform readers about who you are and what you do. Don’t forget to mention what value you bring. Finally, link to your site. Free brownie points if you can insert multiple links wisely.
Here is an example. Consider the bold part as links you inserted.
<Your Name> offers free courses in SEO on how to get backlinks. Known to entrepreneurs as <Your Cool Industry Name>, he/she has helped people transform their websites into high-ranking platforms. When <Your Name> is not busy optimizing websites, he/she reads fantasy books and binges on Netflix.
Share your weird thought with him/her at yourname@mail.com.
Link building takes years and years. If you are not getting instant results, hang in there, fellow friend. It takes mad creativity, lots of hard work, and excellent human skills.
The number of blogs Neil Patel has produced on how to get backlinks is truly inspiring and overwhelming. But I have tried my level best to compile them and create a robust article. If you have further tips on how to get backlinks, please leave a comment below.
