Link building is a cornerstone strategy for ecommerce websites striving to rank higher on search engines and enhance visibility. You're not alone if your site is buried under competitors despite intensive search engine optimization efforts. According to recent studies, 91% of all content gets zero organic traffic from Google—often because of poor link-building strategies. In the ecommerce realm, having extensive backlinks can mean the difference between thriving sales and stagnant growth.

You’ll learn:

1. Why Link Building is Crucial for Ecommerce Websites
2. The Basics and Best Practices of Ecommerce Link Building
3. Effective Strategies and Tools
4. How to Measure Success and Fine-tune Techniques
5. FAQs and a Summary for Quick Reference

Why Link Building is Crucial for Ecommerce Websites

High-quality backlinks signal authority to search engines, improve search rankings, and drive traffic directly to your site. In ecommerce, where competition is fierce and marketing dollars are judiciously allocated, effective link-building can dramatically improve your SERP positioning, essentially acting as the bridge between a potential buyer and your products. But how do you do link building for ecommerce website properly?

The Basics and Best Practices of Ecommerce Link Building

Understanding Backlinks

Backlinks are also referred to as inbound or incoming links, and they are the hyperlinks from one web page to another. These are critical Google ranking factors, and they serve as 'votes of confidence' from other websites recognizing the value of your content.

Creating Link-worthy Content

Content is king. Create content that others want to link to, which aids your link-building strategy. This can take the form of unique product descriptions, engaging blog posts relevant to your products, infographics, and case studies that offer value.

Researching Competitors

Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze where your competitors are getting their backlinks. This insight allows you to identify industries or content types that generate maximum links and develop a competitive strategy.

Effective Strategies and Tools

Guest Blogging

Developing relationships with bloggers in your niche and writing quality guest posts can gradually build your backlink portfolio. For ecommerce sites, focus on blogs that discuss products similar to yours or within a related industry.

Leveraging Influencer Marketing

Influencers already have authority and tangibility in your target market. Collaborating with influencers to create authentic content can result not just in backlinks but also in higher customer engagement.

Employing Tools for Success

1. Ahrefs: Excellent for backlink analysis, keyword exploration, and understanding where your competitors stand.

2. SEMrush: Offers SEO insights and tracks PPC campaigns, helping you understand the competitive landscape and identify backlink opportunities.

3. BuzzSumo: Discover what content performs best for any topic and the influence they have, helping to guide your link-building strategy.

Online Directories

Submit your ecommerce site to relevant online directories which don’t charge an exorbitant amount or don’t require a reciprocal return. Consider BIDOLU, Spoke, and Local.com, keeping in mind you must ensure the directory isn't marked as a spam site.

Broken Link Building

Identify broken links on other sites and propose your active links as replacements, providing immense value to these sites. Tools such as Check My Links help streamline this task efficiently.

How to Measure Success and Fine-tune Techniques

Tracking Metrics

Set KPIs for link-building efforts such as referral traffic rates, changes in domain authority, or ranking improvements for specific keywords. Use analytics to gauge these metrics and track performance over time.

Reassessing Content Strategies

Consistently reassess and refine your content based on backlink performance. Content that fails to attract links should be archived, re-purpose, or optimized to enhance link worthiness.

Encouraging Customer Reviews

Customer reviews on platforms like Yelp or Google Business can organically generate backlinks as consumers share positive experiences. It’s suggested to encourage customers post-purchase subtly.

FAQs

1. What types of content attract the best backlinks?

Creating data-driven content, interactive tools, in-depth guides, and video content tends to attract more backlinks. This content provides unique value and elicits engagement, which often results in more linking.

2. How long until I see results from link-building efforts?

Link-building is not instant; it typically takes several months to see any significant results. Patience and persistence are key, as search engines take time to evaluate the quality and relevance of your backlinks.

3. Are all backlinks equally valuable?

No, the value of a backlink varies based on its source. Links from authoritative sites in your niche or those with high traffic are more valuable. Conversely, links from low-authority or irrelevant sites can be detrimental.

4. Can I automate my link-building efforts?

While some tools can streamline the process, link-building is inherently an engagement task that requires personal elements. Automated emails or link submissions may yield lesser quality results.

5. Is it risky to buy backlinks?

Absolutely. Purchasing backlinks can lead to black-hat SEO penalties from search engines, damaging your website’s long-term reputation and authority.

Summary

• Quality backlinks build your ecommerce site’s SEO authority.
• Focus on creating valuable, link-worthy content.
• Use tools for competitor analysis and backlink tracking.
• Consider guest blogging, influencer partnerships, and leveraging online directories.
• Consistently evaluate metrics and strategies for optimal results.

Learning how to do link building for ecommerce website effectively can be challenging, but with a holistic approach centered around quality and strategy, your ecommerce platform can reach and surpass SEO goals, enabling growth and increasing sales potential. Implementing these techniques can provide a sustainable model for success in a competitive digital marketplace.