Thread by @justdebbb

Building links this year? There are many tactics to try, but only a few will get you actual results.

🧵 This thread covers:

• 3 tactics that don’t work
• 3 tactics that do

I'll be covering why you should stop doing these:

🛑 #1 Skyscraper technique
🛑 #2 Broken backlink building
🛑 #3 Buying "500 DA 50+ links for $50"

And start doing these:

✅ #1 Stats compilation
✅ #2 Data-backed research report
✅ #3 Create a free tool

🛑 #1 Skyscraper technique 🏙

This is when you copy a backlink campaign that a competitor did, except you "one up" them and make it "10x better".

3 reasons why I wouldn’t highly recommend this...

1. Your competitors may catch on and eventually one up you, creating vicious cycle.

2. Content managers are tired of getting this in their inbox:

“Hey [first name],

I really liked your post on X! I wrote a post on that’s better than Y's, can you link to me instead?”

3. The post you want a link from might be old and driving little traffic. They're probably not inclined to do you the favor.

(And why would they?)

Exceptions exist, such as:

• you/your company is well known
• you provide them with an irresistible offer
• the post has decent traffic and is due for an update
• you/your company has existing relations with theirs

🛑 #2 Broken backlink building 🚫

This is when you:

1. Open an SEO tool
2. Export broken backlinks to your site or your competitor's
3. Find their contact info
4. Send a templated email blast
5. Hope for the best

Does this tactic work? Yes
Are most people going to ignore your email? Yes

Also, consider some worst case scenarios:

• they decide your backlink was just "meh" and rewrite the sentence/paragraph
• the post provides no business value to them and they redirect or delete it

Exceptions:

• It's one of their top pages
• If they're linking to your homepage and you're doing a big migration to a different domain (e.g. in listicle posts, they'd probably update your URL)

🛑 #3 Buying “500 DA 50+ links for $50” 💰

You’ve probably seen these emails before.

If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

There aren't any shortcuts unless you can buy legit sites 🤪or pay for sponsored content and mark them as such.

Why stay away:

1. You don’t know where these links are coming from. The sites may be low quality. Google might be ignoring them. They might even disappear tomorrow.

2. They’re not selling only to you.

Your link is likely going to be on some random, irrelevant content with hundreds of their other clients.

Real people probably aren't reading the post. Google might not even index it.

3. The links you get are unlikely to benefit you in the long run, especially since they're a blatant violation of Google's guidelines.

If you get penalized, you're website (and pocket) will be paying the price 💸

Instead, here are 3 link building magnets you should create, from lowest to highest investment:

✅ #1 Stats compilation
✅ #2 Data-backed research report
✅ #3 A free tool

#2 and #3 require resources so plan ahead!

✅ #1 Stats compilation 🔢

This is a type of content where you scour the internet to compile stats for a category or niche that you're in.

My favorite examples:

Customer Service Stats by @helpscout
Remote Work Stats by @niradotcom

Why I recommend it:

1. It's genuinely helpful (and interesting) content, especially to writers and even journalists, aka people who link to other people's content

2. There's typically some search volume and the keyword difficulty is relatively low.

You can increase your visibility in this niche AND provide value.

3. It's content that can be easily whipped up. If you have the resources, making the stats easy to copy and paste or share on social media helps you get the most out of it.

4. If you rank well, people might want their stat to be included. You can include it and ask that they share the post with their audience.

Win-win

Lots of upside. The downside is that these keywords will become more and more competitive.

(But at least you have a head start now!)

✅ #2 Data-backed research report 📊

This is when you create a report that uncovers interesting data and findings to appeal to a large audience (or narrow in on a very specific audience), e.g.

@StackOverflow Developer Survey
@Buffer State of Remote Work

Data sources may include:

• your proprietary data
• survey data with a large sample size (thousands, not hundreds)
• a combo of existing data sets (that makes sense)

It's usually one of the above, but can possibly be two if you can make the story work.

And that's the other important aspect — the success of these reports often depend on the story you tell with the data.

Why this works?

1. When done correctly, this is data that journalists like to report on.

And why is that?

This is data that people want to read. Journalists report on what people want to know.

2. Once you're top of mind for journalists, the visibility of your report will skyrocket once it hits the publications. Writers may see it and link to your findings too.

Your target audience might read it and see you as a thought leader.

Huge upside but hard to do well.

✅ #3 Create a free tool 🔧

Calculators are a great example of this:
• mortgage calculators
• salary calculators

Another example: @ahrefs

Their free backlink checker is the page on their site with the 2nd highest number of referring domains (#1 being their homepage).

So, why do these?

1. These are indispensable tools that your target audience can use. The best ones address a pain point or make something drastically easier to do.

Or in the above example, it's a great way to ease potential users into the product.

2. They can be huge link magnets, especially when you are able to find interesting numbers and edge cases which can then be pitched to journalists.

And once you have their interest, they essentially *have to* link to you if they write about your tool.

So like #2, lots of upside and hard to execute. Plus, you'll also need dev and design resources for this one.

Remember, link building isn't easy and that's normal.

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Next week's thread will be on the 3 link building tactics that aren't "dead" (and are less resource-intensive).