Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a broad field that includes numerous fields, one of which is link building. When you do link building for ecommerce website, your goal is to acquire as many backlinks from relevant, high-authority websites as possible.
Link building benefits ecommerce sites in two ways. For starters, a hyperlink placed on a high-traffic site has a higher probability of driving traffic back to your business. Second, it informs Google that your site is authoritative and relevant.
Contrary to popular belief, eCommerce websites actually need to go all-in when working on backlink strategy for ecom sites, especially if they want to sell their products. In order to do that, they need to build reputable backlinks from websites with high domain authority using ecommerce link building strategies to get good rankings in search results.
With that in mind, let us walk you through some of the best strategies of link building for ecommerce website:
What Is Ecommerce Link Building?
Ecommerce link building is, simply put, obtaining links from other reputable and credible websites to your ecommerce site in order to increase the authority and exposure of your site in the search engine results pages (SERPs). It entails a number of methods that allow you to position your ecommerce business as an authority in your niche while also improving your search engine rankings.
The primary goal of advanced ecommerce link building is to skyrocket traffic, enhance conversions, and boost business revenue. When an ecommerce website gets links from other websites, search engines like Google and Bing look at it as a vote of confidence. As a result, the website gets ranked higher in search results and becomes more visible to leads and potential customers.
What Are the Characteristics of a Quality Link?
So, how exactly do you determine a high-quality link and a low-quality link when doing link building for small ecommerce sites?
Let’s start with low-quality links, AKA what you need to avoid at all costs. You will find low-quality backlinks all over the internet. However, do not fall into the trap by remembering what they are like:
- Links inserted into blog comments
- PBN links
- Paid links
- Links from topically irrelevant websites
- Links from spammy websites
- Links with overly-optimized text or keyword-rich anchor text
On the other hand, here is what high-quality links look like:
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They Have In-Content Placement
In link building for small ecommerce sites, backlinks work the best when they are placed within content rather than in templated content such as footers, navigation, sidebars, bio sections, blog comments, etc.
Source: SEO Hacker
These links are also more likely to have a natural keyword anchor text, which is another indicator of a high-quality backlink.
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They Are Relevant
A backlink strategy for ecom sites should have links that are typically connected to the page to which it links. The greater the relevancy, the better the backlink.
Source: Site Suite
It is acceptable to obtain links from irrelevant websites if the links are natural.
For instance, if you have a parenting website and you write an article on child safety online and then link to an anti-bullying helpline, it works. However, you usually should not be seeking out links on websites that do not fall in your niche.
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High-Quality Backlinks Are Natural
What do we mean by natural?
Well, it is just another way of saying that a good backlink is organic. In other words, you acquire it without any kind of payment or promotion.
Source: Monitor Backlinks
An organic link is typically editorial in nature, put within a piece of content by the author as a valuable reference for their readers with the help of anchor text that is not keyword-rich. This is the kind of link you should aspire to get if you want to do successful link building for ecommerce website.
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They Come From Authority Sites
Source: Luca Tagliaferro
The most difficult sites to obtain connections from are high-domain authority sites with well-researched content written by skilled experts. However, if you demonstrate that you are an expert in your field (by conducting interviews, producing authoritative content, and being active on your social media accounts), you can obtain high-quality natural links on sites like Forbes and Wikipedia without even trying.
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They Are Professional
If you are a backlinking expert, you would know what they are talking about when we say that you can easily tell links from professional websites and links from spammy websites apart.
For instance, if you get backlinks from websites mentioning MLM schemes, payday loans, gambling, viruses, and other questionable content that represents the major spammy circles on the internet, https://www.globexoutreach.com/links-building-strategy/.
The same rule of thumb applies to URLs with lots of links to other websites as well as ads.
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They Are Hard to Get
Lastly, the best-quality links are the most difficult to obtain.
Anyone can obtain links from websites with low domain authority. Your eCommerce site should seek backlinks from professional, authoritative sites that have a legitimate motive to link to your content in order to develop a quality backlink profile.
Source: Ahrefs
Keep in mind that this is going to take time as well as effort. However, your advanced ecommerce link building approach will do far better in the long term than strategies that rely on deceptive and illegal link building for ecommerce website tactics.
Ecommerce Link Building Strategies for Online Brands
Now that we know what a high-quality backlink for ecommerce websites looks like, let’s not waste any more time. Time to jump straight into tried and tested strategies for link building for ecommerce website:
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Build Linkable Assets
Before anything else, you need to build linkable assets that are relevant to your niche and publish them on your site or blog. Some examples of linkable assets include tutorials, listicles, guides, articles, tutorials, recipes, and many more. All you need to keep in mind is that your assets should be of value to your customers and make sense for your industry.
Source: G2
Some more examples of linkable assets are:
- Best-of / top-x lists
- Reports
- Case studies
- Tools
- How-to guides
- Widgets
Source: Ahrefs
For example, Urban Decay, a renowned makeup brand, researched and wrote a roundup article about the best liquid foundations and categorized them according to different seasons, coverage, and skin types.
Furthermore, Urban Decay then divided its review for every foundation into three different sections:
- Why it’s the best
- Who should use it?
- When should I use it?
Source: Urban Decay
Urban Decay’s blog, including reviews, best-of articles, and reviews, caught the attention of many bloggers and makeup artists. As a result, niche bloggers, beauty sites, influencers, and makeup artists started mentioning and linking to Urban Decay’s products. For example:
Source: Beauty With Hollie
Source: Frm Head to Toe
Source: Real Simple
In other words, building linkable assets is one of the most effective link building tactics for ecommerce brands, as it clearly worked for Urban Decay.
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Be Resourceful for Reporters and Journalists
Journalists are constantly on the lookout for new sources that they can link to in their posts.
Look for reporters who, for instance, review products your website sells. If they are writing on topics relevant to your business, there’s a good possibility that they will feature you and give you a backlink.
Source: Helpie WP
As an ecommerce brand owner who works in the fashion and jewelry industry, for example, publication sites like Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Grazia seem like a good place to start. For instance, here is an article on Mother’s Day gifts by Grazia where they have linked to all the businesses they have mentioned:
Grazie also does lookbooks and links all the products under every look:
How to do it? Well, go to the About Us page of a publication and look for the journalist and make yourself noticed. Once you are on the journalist’s radar, reach out to them via social media and share your expert opinion with them. Since they get hundreds of messages every day, keep it short and sweet.
Source: Wire Cutter
The best part about reaching out to journalists as part of link building for ecommerce website? Getting logos from renowned publications for an ecommerce website goes a long way in developing credibility. It gives first-time buyers a boost of confidence in your products or services. As a result, you get an increase in your sales page conversions.
If you are just getting started with a backlink strategy for ecom sites, it might look impossible to get a link from CNN or The New York Times. However, you can always work your way up.
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Get Yourself on Podcasts
Source: Esquire
Numerous podcasts provide “show notes” at the end of each episode. These normally summarize the episode and also include links to different websites and businesses, including their partner sites and sponsors. Try making a list of all the podcasts that are relevant to your niche and get in touch with them. Offer to appear as a guest, co-host the podcast, or sponsor it in exchange for a backlink.
Castos, for example, includes show notes under every podcast:
Source: Castos
The show notes are followed by links to different resources:
Source: Castos
Another great example of adding links under a podcast is demonstrated by Twit.TV as shown below:
Source: Twit. TV
So, for instance, if you sell technical products such as gadgets and gaming setups, you can look up popular tech podcasts. A lot of podcasts also have forms on their website for businesses to sign up in order to advertise their products or sign up for a host spot.
Twit.TV has a form for any ecommerce website to promote their business:
Source: Twit. TV
Wondery also allows people to bring their podcasts to the platform:
So, what are you waiting for?
Get yourself started on one of the best ecommerce link building strategies for online brands.
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Leverage the Perks of Blogger Outreach
Pandora is a world-famous jewelry store that has created collection pages on its websites. The following image showcases their favorite products from different collections of their brand:
Source: Pandora
Similarly, Mejuri, another popular jewelry store, has collection pages made specifically for bloggers and influencers. These collection pages offer value to niche bloggers and increase the chances of getting more customers.
Source: Mejuri
As a result of these collection pages, brands have been able to lure bloggers and influencers over the years.
You can also follow the same strategy when doing link building for ecommerce website by contacting bloggers with your collection pages.
Besides, you can tag influencers, so they can link back to your ecommerce website via their posts. This advanced ecommerce link building is also known as ego baiting.
Think outside the box!
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Develop Statistic Roundup Pages
When it comes to statistics, you should not be investing in producing data. All you have to do is use the existing data from other credible sources and compile it to create a statistical roundup.
Source: Neil Patel
Writers and reporters frequently seek statistics to back up their narratives. You can make it easier for them by compiling external data from third-party websites on a roundup page. Writers are more likely to link to your roundup page rather than the original statistic source.
How to find this data? We have a few tips for you:
- Get data from aggregator sites for statistics, such as Statista.
- Monitor the content on industry publications in your niche, such as Forbes or eMarketer.
- Search strategic phrases such as ‘new study reveals + [your topic of choice]’ in Google Search.
Source: First Site Guide
Why is this one of the most effective strategies for link building for small ecommerce sites? Because journalists are likely to use statistics as a point of reference, and they are continuously in need of new data.
As long as you nail the outreach part and make sure that journalists find your content relevant, you will get the backlinks without a lot of effort apart from building the page itself.
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Nail Your Cold Outreach Technique for Ecommerce Link Building for 2023
Be deliberate about your backlinks once you have identified publications that you want to get links from. Don’t just write a wonderful article and hope that if readers will find it useful, they’ll link to it. Get in touch with website owners.
Source: Panda Doc Blog
For example, you sell skincare products and come across a blog that has an article on the top ecommerce stores to buy skincare products from. Now, imagine your store is not included in it.
What are you going to do?
You will try to get your brand added to that list to get a good backlink. Find out the publisher’s email online (you can use a tool as well), and then reach out to them for link inclusion.
If this process is not doable for you, there is always LinkedIn.
Source: Lemlist
Contact them on LinkedIn!
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Run Digital PR Campaigns
Like other strategies of link building for ecommerce website in this list, the more creative you are, the better.
In order to get featured in high-domain sites, you need to make sure that your blog is highly personalized, creative, and interesting. Create a strategy with your team to generate innovative PR ideas that are relevant to your ecommerce website and niche.
Then, contact journalists, bloggers, influencers, and additional industry prospects. Pitch your idea and initiate dialogues. To promote your campaign, you can even contact social media influencers and opinion leaders.
Once again, the more creative and unique your approach is, the more likely it is that you will be discovered. And the more exposure you get, the more backlinks you’ll get!
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Write Linkable Content
When it comes to link building for ecommerce website, content reigns supreme. The greatest strategy to increase the number of backlinks to your ecommerce store is to build them organically.
Other websites will prefer to link to your store if they see that you have excellent content and good products. Plus, creating linkable content allows you to obtain high-quality backlinks at no additional expense or effort. Because people like your article, you get the link. Simple!
But how do you linkable content for your ecommerce website?
Always start by posting content that you know your customers are going to love. Create valuable long-form content.
Your content must:
- Be interesting
- Add to people’s knowledge
- Be relevant to your niche
- Have videos and images
- Be easy to read
- Not have big chunks of text
- Have a lot of white space
- Be easy to skim
- Flow nicely
- Be easier to understand
- Not have long paragraphs
- Be optimized
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Post Free Tools for Your Users
This is one of the cleverest and easiest to execute ecommerce link building tips & strategy.
The more compelling the reason for linking to your website, the easier it will be to obtain backlinks to your website or store. One of the most compelling ways is through free tools. Other site owners can achieve their own aims by linking to your tools. People want to deliver value to their viewers, even if it involves directing them away (to your site).
BMI Calculator by ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
What kind of free tools can you post:
- Map
- Templates
- Checklists
- Calculators
While creating free tools might be a costly venture, they can quicken your link building efforts and help you rank your ecommerce website rank quickly.
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Use Press Releases
Another one of ecommerce link building strategies is to get press releases published.
Press releases are frequently picked up by other news sites and industry blogs. For example, Apple announced the opening of its new store in China through a press release. Releasing PRs can help you earn backlinks via new press sites, blogs, and platforms, as well as get new traffic.
Some PR sites charge a fee for publishing PRs, while some do it for free. What can you do a press release for?
- When releasing limited-edition products or collections
- Highlighting any donations or volunteering your company has done
- Any charities your company is partnered up with and why it is vital
For increased exposure, we recommend having your press releases listed in Google News.
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Put Your Business Network to Use
Evaluate your network to see if there are any viable ways for your connections to link back to your website. After all, links reflect connections.
Look for people in your social circle who are:
- Social media influencers with large followings
- Writing for well-known, credible, and reputable websites in your niche
- Working for educational institutions so you can get a .edu link
Contact everyone on your list and offer them something in return for a backlink, whether it’s a guest post, a reciprocal backlink, or a free tool (mentioned above) valuable to their audience.
By providing them an opportunity to work with you, you won’t only open the door for long-term collaborations and meaningful relationships, but you are also giving them a perk that they can use.
You should connect with your audience in addition to creating relationships with other professionals in your circle. This method of link building for ecommerce website will not work overnight, but you can begin right away by introducing yourself through email, talking with people on social media, and leaving genuine comments on the content provided by others.
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Do Sponsored Product Reviews
Do you run your business with software and tools?
Now, what if we tell you that by using a few emails, you can establish strong homepage links that can increase the authority of your ecommerce store? The best part is that you probably already have everything you need.
Source: Top Content
But how? Let us explain:
You can provide feedback on the tools you already use. When the makers of the tools share your review, they will automatically add a link to your store.
It is a win-win situation.
So, where to start? Make a list of every tool, software, product, and service you use. This can include:
- Services
- Tools
- Apps
- Physical products
- Software
- Plugins
Source: Top Content
In order to reach out to a person, you can use an email finder to acquire their email address.
The key to such e-commerce link building tactics is to add value to the company you are evaluating. It will make obtaining the link much easier afterward.
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Make Use of Content syndication
Content syndication entails releasing your content on your (ecommerce) website and making it available to other websites for publication as well. If other websites accept your offer, they must add a canonical tag that points to the original material present on your blog or website.
Source: Intentsify
This allows other websites to regularly publish new content for their audiences while also allowing your ecommerce site to rank higher in organic search. A canonical tag’s value may not be as high as that of a backlink, but it still has a good SEO impact.
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Use Reverse Product Image Search to Build Links
Finding websites that have used your images without a proper link is what reverse image link building is all about. Finding photos that have not been properly acknowledged sounds like a simple task. However, it is quite time-consuming.
Source: PC Mag
Here’s what you need to do:
Find Your Original Images
Choose distinctive and one-of-a-kind images for your website, such as custom photos, infographics, creative artwork, or high-quality images.
Do a Reverse Image Search
Perform a reverse image search to find the sites that have used your photos without a link.
Evaluate Results and Contact the Websites
Evaluate the websites manually to see if they have given you a link and attribution. If not, find their contact information, such as Contact Us forms or email addresses or and reach out to them for a link.
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Get Your Ecommerce Store Featured in Link roundups
Roundups are posts that review the best products and services. Typically, these articles compile a list of products and rank them according to specific features.
For example, Repeller did a roundup article on the best shoes from fashion month.
Source: Repeller
As you can see in the image below, they ranked the Hyper-Lady-like Heels at the top.
Plus, then it links back to the original manufacturers or suppliers of the shoes, including ASOS, My Theresa, The Outnet, etc.
Source: My Theresa
We recommend conducting an online search for roundups related to your niche. Make a list of those websites and start contacting them. Introduce your ecommerce site and show them your products, and request inclusion in their upcoming roundup.
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Add Novelty Items to Your Store
Ecommerce websites often have novelty (or strange) products to attract more people.
For example, ASOS has a sleeping mask inspired by the cartoon show Scooby Doo.
Source: ASOS
Here is another example of novelty products by Stadium Goods:
Source: Stadium Goods
The stranger, the better!
If you have the means to create a novelty item, go for it!
Many bloggers and even news organizations pick up on these trends and write articles about them. In such instances, you’ll almost certainly end up with a quality link for every novelty item you create.
You can improve your strategy for link building for ecommerce website even further by sending some of these items to them for free in exchange for a review.
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Establish an Affiliate Marketing Program
Affiliate marketing is a bit different than your normal types of promotion. In affiliate marketing, you pay your affiliate marketers and affiliate websites a percentage of the revenue generated by the sales they produce or the clients they bring in.
But how does it relate to link building for ecommerce website?
Aside from providing an opportunity for your potential affiliate partners to earn passive income, affiliate links are also valid backlinks that can influence how Google views your ecommerce store.
Source: Neil Patel
For instance, if an influencer adds an affiliate link to your site, that backlink can boost the domain rating of your site. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. You broaden your marketing reach while also increasing your backlink profile.
Link Building for Ecommerce Website FAQs
What Is the Best Link Building Strategy for Ecommerce Sites?
There isn’t one best link building strategy because you need a combination of strategies in order to see fruitful results. So, instead of looking for one best trick for link building for ecommerce website, try to use a mix of the above-mentioned tips and tricks.
Do Ecommerce Sites Need Backlinks?
Yes, they do! Building relevant backlinks to your ecommerce store might help you outrank giants like eBay. In a nutshell, it’s an excellent method to start building your business from the ground up. Furthermore, high backlinks reduce the amount of money required for PPC marketing.
How Does Link Building Work for Ecommerce Websites?
Link building for ecommerce website helps improve search engine rankings. Links are used by search engines to gauge the relevance of a website. If a website has a lot of high-quality links, it has good content. External and internal linking increase the visibility of an eCommerce website, resulting in more organic visitors.
What Are the Best Tools for Link Building for Ecommerce Website?
Although you can do link building for ecommerce website without utilizing any tools or software, tools can make the procedure more efficient and easier. Some of the best tools you can use include Buzzstream, SEMrush, Majestic SEO, and Ahrefs.
How Can I Evaluate a Site’s Authority for Link Building for Ecommerce Website?
Content quality, audience interactions, metrics, and rankings are all ways of assessing a website’s authority. You can also use a simple tool like SEMrush to accomplish this.
How Can You Acquire Backlinks for Your Ecommerce Website?
It is harder to do link building for ecommerce website. Establishing links to your content and then using internal links to direct link equity to the product pages you desire works well for eCommerce websites.
Why Do You Need a Professional to Do Link Building for Ecommerce Website?
As you consider a link building plan for your ecommerce store, it is normal to feel a bit lost. We understand that it is a tough place to be.
After all, as an e-commerce business owner, you need to ensure that your company’s SEO efforts are running properly. Link building must be part of that plan.
Our team of professionals can not only help you get the gist of link-building so you know how it works, but they will also make sure that your efforts bear fruit.
Get in touch with us today to improve your e-commerce business and boost your rankings.
Wrapping It Up
Link building for ecommerce website is still one of the most effective methods for increasing website traffic for your business. While links are not a substitute for technical SEO, they are a formidable tool that will propel your ecommerce store past competitors.
Doing the hard work to generate content, optimize your product pages, and implement link-building will help your site achieve excellent growth in 2023. If you don’t have the time or willingness to handle the link-building in-house, consider our affordable SEO link building services.
Let’s talk!
