to use digital media to grow your business and drive backlinks //
Everyone strives for trust and credibility in their lives.
Backlinks is a key part in SEO.
Many people confuse the ease of generating backlinks.
No need to beg website owners for favors with a digital tin mug or pay thousands of dollars for links.
Google may consider you a manual penality case if they find out that you bought links. This will reduce your brand’s credibility and trust.
There are many other ways to build a digital PR strategy and generate backlinks.
Backlinks, while important for SEO, also have a huge impact on your business.
Third-party social proof is the key.
Backlinks combined with quality PR can drive more traffic to your website, increase the number of inbound leads, and ultimately, generate more revenue for your business.
What is the difference in digital PR and linking building?
This is how I would define them in a conceptually basic way:
- PR : Use media coverage to increase brand awareness.
- Link Building: Techniques that encourage other websites backlink to yours.
Both are highly effective marketing techniques. Although they are technically different, you can use them interchangeably to achieve your business goals.
Earned link building has been the key to my best success. The most successful brands are those that have a unique message through thought-leadership, which encourages other websites to associate with their brand.
To earn credibility and trust, it is best to use data and success stories when creating compelling content.
It is especially true when you provide this information via media such as a guest post, podcast or webinar. You will then receive a backlink, because the platform owner must cite your name.
If you use link building to complement what you are already doing in digital PR, then you can kill two birds with a single stone, and reap the rewards of both efforts.
Digital PR is a great way to build links.
Here are some of the main benefits you can expect from combining your digital PR efforts with link-building:
Brand authority is built on thought leadership
Your audience will begin to trust you when you consistently showcase your expertise through third-party platforms that are relevant to them.
You can become an authority in your field by establishing yourself as a brand.
Third-party social evidence generates leads and conversions from inbound traffic
Once you’re recognized as an expert by other websites, they will start sharing your content to their audiences and followers.
They’ll be more motivated to reach out and find out more information about you as they see more of your content.
Sales cycle is accelerated and reduced hesitation.
Over half of your sales cycle will be completed once you have earned authority, proven your leadership and increased your inbound organic traffic.
When an inbound lead asks for a call, they have shown their active intent and put their trust in your company. This is an important step in closing a sale for your business.
Flywheel PR creates digital flywheel
Over time, your expertise will become so well-known that you won’t have to pitch links any more.
You will receive backlinks automatically when other brands contact you.
It creates a “digital PR flywheel,” which is a system that feeds itself continuously with little input required from you.
Build a targeted network
You’ve now created a powerful tool to increase your network.
You are now recognized as an authority in your niche. You will be regularly involved in promotional activities by other players.
Create backlinks for free without paying or begging
You’ll see that this method of generating links does not involve cold outreach or payments. When done correctly, backlinks are generated by authoritative sites.
Cold outreach and buying links by your SEO or PR teams is a waste of time as the results will eventually bear fruit.
Digital PR: 5 steps to grow your business and generate backlinks
You can take five key steps to boost your backlink strategy and grow your business.
Step 1: Determine the main places where your audience goes to learn about and receive advice
To earn quality backlinks, you must first conduct proper research.
Consider the areas where your audience spends time. This can be done by identifying such resources as:
SparkToro can be a useful tool to research your audience. It lists platforms that are relevant, backed up by search data, and is organized by audience type, interest, and other variables. Start with a tool such as SparkToro to conduct your own research and build on that.
When you are conducting your research, make sure to include both large and niche publications you can target as part of your digital PR strategy. Both are essential for an organic growth strategy.
It is relatively easy to be featured in smaller publications, which results in a more quantitative coverage of that niche.
The larger publications are also important because their authority is recognized by everyone.
Google and your audience will instantly recognize your brand as credible if you earn links on these sites.
Step 2: Choose topics in which you are an expert and that are relevant to the audience.
Contact the site manager and suggest topics that you are an expert on.
If you can provide proof such as event recordings and bylined articles, your application is more likely to succeed.
Topics that you submit must be both relevant to the platform as well as your target audience. Focus on helping your audience, not on promoting products.
Here is an example of a pitch you can make for a podcast.
You’re more likely to earn backlinks when your data or expertise is compelling.
Step 3: Generate inbound leads and conversions. Also, start building high-quality links.
By displaying your expertise repeatedly on third-party platforms, you can build the highly valued traits of credibility and trust with your audience. You become an authority brand.
Your audience will contact you on their own volition when they require help with a problem. Digital PR is a great way to generate high-quality leads.
This approach may even lead to direct purchases for your business, depending on the ease of your sales cycle and your business.
Moreover, any event, publication, or anything else that generates publicity will automatically produce high-quality links. This is The Most Effective Way to Do Link Building to Support SEO and Grow Your Business.
Remember that Google states clearly that buying and selling links can be considered as spam.
These tactics can do more harm than benefit to your business, especially if you follow the strategies I have described.
The flywheel of digital PR starts to develop
Repeat the steps above to create a digital PR flywheel. Other brands will contact you and collaborate with you, so there is no need to pitch.
John Mueller from Google, who is one of the most authoritative figures in digital PR and SEO, as well as organic marketing, has given his own seal of approval to digital PR link-building.
He urged brand builders to ignore the misinformation that digital link building is an old spammy tactic and to double down on efforts to create your own digital flywheel.
Step 5: Make sure you’re visible on multiple platforms that are highly reputable.
Include links in your content to all the things you’ve done in collaboration with brands such as:
- You’ve hosted events with another brand.
- Guest articles you’ve contributed.
- Podcasts that you have participated in.
These backlinks are your social proof, as you have been acknowledged by a third party site.
Consider it a peer review for scientific journals.
When you are cited by an industry-leading brand, your brand gains the trust and credibility that is essential to growing your business.
Here’s another way to increase inbound leads, and convert them directly. They come to you because you are a person they can trust. Now you’re selling to a warm, not a cold audience.
This strategy will help you generate more links and increase your business revenue.
Please keep in mind that buying and/or outreaching links is not only ineffective but also a waste of resources.
If you use tactics that Google or other search engines consider spammy, it can be detrimental to your business. Do not let link buying undermine your efforts to build trust and credibility.
Your PR and link-building strategies should be integrated: Link building is not just for SEO and, when combined with public relations, it has a greater impact on brand authority.
Link building and digital PR strategies that are aligned and highly strategic can have long-term effects.
Spend your time and money creating valuable content to encourage other sites to link their brands to yours.
You’ll be well on your path to scaling growth once the digital PR flywheel starts running on its own!
The first time Search Engine Land published the article How digital PR can drive backlinks to your business and increase its growth, was on Search Engine Land .