In the first link-building article I wrote a few weeks back, you had to use a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush. These tools are pricey for some; what if you are new to SEO and have absolutely no budget to do anything? Well, I have you covered with this post today. This SEO technique - Not only does it just use Google, but it is a highly effective.
Where do you want to get linked from?
Google pushes sites that they think are relevant and of high quality to the top of the SERPS(Search Engine Results Pages), right? Absolutely! It makes sense to get links from high-ranking sites for the keywords you are targeting. These are ideal links to get, that’s links from sites that are in the SERPs for your targeted terms.
Initially, you may think it would be impossible, since all the other sites in the SERPs are your competitors. That’s quite right to think there are most probably, but NOT all.
So this technique is quite simple on the face of it. You go onto Google and search for the terms you want to rank for, and maybe do rank for an evaluation of every link on the top 15 / 20 pages. That’s 150-200 results.
I will do this live right now and see what we can find.
Real-world search for this example
Take a look at the search I did today, “hand-drawn illustrator UK.” I simply typed that into Google and see what we see.
In the first 6 positions were all hand-drawn illustrators, the competition, if you were looking to rank for that term. It would be difficult to get a link from an illustrator if you were indeed an illustrator yourself. NOTE. - said difficult but not impossible. I will write about getting links from your competition in a future blog post, but this isn’t about that. Let’s just say for now it’s VERY difficult to get a link from your direct competitors.
BUT in position 9, I found this listing
https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/20-best-illustration-agents-in-the-uk/
So there we have a blog post about the best illustrator agents in the UK. This ISN’T your direct competition, and there is a MUCH better chance of getting a link from a site like this. If I were an illustrator, I would target this as an ideal link to get.
Sites that appear on the first 15 pages are perfect and valuable links to get.
Onto page 3 for the same search on Google:
Here’s a site, Creativepool, an absolutely ideal place to get listed on there. Whilst they don't actually have a direct link back to your site, you get the idea, I’m sure. It’s sites like these you want to get a link back from. In some of the profiles on this site, you can’t technically link, but you can mention your website in plain text, and some SEO experts say this has a benefit to SEO rankings.
Other benefits
On a site like this, you have to think as well; it’s not just about SEO, you should be able to get work from a site like this. Sure, there are maybe hundreds, if not thousands, of other Illustrators on there, but think about your. USP - unique selling proposition,a blog post for another day.
Another big note here is that this should get the wheels turning in your head. It’s unlikely that there is only one site like this. If I were an illustrator, I would spend a good few hours searching Google for other sites like this one and putting time into each profile, mentioning your website and linking back at every opportunity.
What about nofollow? Nofollow is also a blog post for another day, but it's a tag some sites add that devalues link attribution. Some SEO experts believe that nofollow still provides value. If I were an illustrator and I wanted to rank, I would absolutely fill in profiles' fields, nofollow or not.
Just for designers or illustrators, though?
Of course, this technique isn't exclusive to illustrators or designers. That was just a live example I chose. I typed it in the other day while looking for an illustrator. This completely free way of getting links should be just as applicable to your niche.
Rocket science?
So what we are doing here certainly isn’t something clever or intricate, but the message here is clear: do NOT write off going through the 15 or more pages on Google for your main terms. Sure, 90% of the sites are probably your competition, and it’s unlikely you will get a link from them. BUT, as we have seen, there are opportunities, and these opportunities need to be grasped with both hands.
Written by John Macpherson