Best Practices for Backlink Outreach
Date: September 27, 2023
When growing your law firm’s website, you’ll often hear that one of the key factors for expansion lies in backlinking, one of the components of legal SEO and digital PR. But what is backlinking, and how do you go about it?
What is Backlink Outreach?
A backlink is a link from another website to yours, and backlink outreach is the process of reaching out to other websites, journalists, or other marketers with the goal of securing a link from their website back to your own.
When reputable and high-quality websites with a strong domain authority link to your law firm’s website, it can make search engines consider your site more trustworthy. These backlinks serve as signals that other websites trust your content and are willing to link to you as a resource in their own content.
Backlinking through outreach can benefit your law firm website’s ranking in search engine results and can also help draw readers from other publications to your website. If your site receives backlinks from quality websites that are relevant to your content, Google and other search engines are more likely to give your content greater visibility.
Researching and Identifying Link Opportunities
Researching and identifying link opportunities is a crucial aspect of effective link building. It involves finding relevant websites and sources that have the potential to link back to your site.
Guest blogging is a great way to ensure links back to your website. Look for websites in your legal niche, or a legal niche that aligns with yours, that accept guest posts on their website. Create informative and valuable articles that will capture their audience. For example, an elder law firm might put out a guest post about navigating Medicaid or ways to plan for the future. Make sure to include relevant links back to your own site in the guest blog to capture those valuable backlinks.
Similarly, you can research and identify popular content within your legal niche or the broader legal world. Look for articles, blog posts, or news pieces that have received a significant number of shares, comments, or backlinks. Reach out to the authors or website owners and ask if they would be interested in linking to your valuable content, or offer to create a piece of content for them in exchange for recognition on their website.
Doing a competitor analysis can also be a valuable tactic for identifying link opportunities. Analyzing your competitors’ backlink profiles by using tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush can provide valuable insights into their linking domains and the types of sites that are linking to them.
Personalizing Outreach Emails, Follow Up & Cultivate and Maintain Relationships
Personalizing outreach emails and following up strategically can greatly enhance your chances of building successful journalist relationships and acquiring valuable backlinks. Here are a few tips when personalizing outreach emails, following up, and maintaining industry relationships:
- Do your research: Before reaching out, spend time researching the recipient’s website, content, and writing topics. Familiarize yourself with their work to demonstrate genuine interest and tailor your email accordingly.
- Start with a personalized greeting: Begin your email with a friendly and customized greeting that addresses the recipient by name. Avoid generic openings like “To whom it may concern” or “Dear website owner.” These can seem too formal and may come across as spammy.
- Show appreciation: Express genuine appreciation for the recipient’s work or a specific piece of content that caught your attention– especially if you are in the same industry or interested in pitching content on a similar topic. This demonstrates that you’ve taken the time to understand their expertise and review their work.
- Use a personalized and unique subject line: Craft a subject line that grabs the recipient’s attention and shows that you’ve done your homework. Include a topic or mention a specific aspect of their work to make it more personalized and relevant.
- Explain the reason for reaching out: Clearly state why you’re contacting them and how it relates to their content or audience. Make it clear that you have something valuable to offer and how it aligns with their interests or goals.
- Personalize your pitch: Customize your pitch to highlight the specific benefits and value your content or collaboration can bring to their website or audience. Emphasize how it complements their existing content or addresses their readers’ needs.
- Include a signature: Make sure to have a personalized signature at the end of your email that includes your name, role, and contact information. This adds a personal touch and makes it easy for recipients to get back to you or reach out to you when needed.
- Follow up strategically: If you don’t receive a response within a reasonable timeframe (usually a few days, sometimes up to a week), consider sending a polite follow-up email. Remind them of your previous message, express continued interest, and ask if they require any further information.
- Be persistent and respectful, but don’t worry if you don’t get a response: If after a couple of follow-ups you still don’t receive a response, avoid becoming pushy or spammy. Respect the recipient’s time and decision if they’re not interested.
- Be friendly: Throughout the email and follow-ups, maintain a professional and friendly tone. Avoid being overly formal, and proofread your messages to ensure they’re error-free and well-written.
The key is to establish a genuine connection, provide value, and make it clear how your collaboration or content can benefit the journalist or website you are pitching. Personalizing your outreach emails and conducting thoughtful follow-ups can significantly improve your chances of success!
Not sure where to start with your link-building strategy? 9Sail can help! We have extensive experience navigating SEO engagements with the objective of boosting lead generation and revenue. To learn more about our services, contact us!
