Ecommerce link building: Six strategies for success

Whether you're an experienced ecommerce mogul or just dipping your toes in the waters of online retail, you understand how critical visibility is for your business's success. As our online landscape continually evolves, the competition among ecommerce brands grows fiercer. Thus, the challenge lies in standing out from the crowd. But how do we cut through the noise?

That's where we come in. This guide is the secret weapon you need to catapult your business's visibility online. Here, we dive deep into the world of ecommerce link building - a powerful yet underutilized strategy that's your goldmine for ecommerce SEO success.

As we uncover the ins and outs of building links, you'll see how they can give your business that coveted spot on search engine results pages (SERPs). Let's get started!

• Ecommerce link building is vital for improving website visibility and credibility in search engine results, influencing search engine rankings, and driving organic traffic.

• Quality backlinks should be relevant, from authoritative and high-traffic websites, organically integrated into content, and predominantly 'dofollow' links.

• Successful link building focuses on quality over quantity, a diverse and balanced backlink profile, patience for results, and consistency in acquiring backlinks.

• To build an effective link-building strategy, set clear objectives, understand your audience, create high-quality content, engage in outreach and relationship building, and monitor and analyze results.

• Essential strategies include content marketing, guest blogging, influencer collaboration, and social media engagement.

• You can employ advanced techniques such as leveraging unlinked mentions and the Skyscraper technique to implement successful link building.

Ecommerce link building is an essential digital marketing strategy that revolves around positioning inbound links, or 'backlinks,' to your online store from various reputable external sites. By doing so, you're not only directing potential customers to your store but also improving your website's visibility and authority in search engines. Link building is the backbone of your website's SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts, as search engines see these links as votes of trust, elevating your website's rankings in the search results.

Let's demystify the concept of link building, especially in the world of ecommerce. In the simplest terms, link building refers to the process of getting other websites to hyperlink back to your own site. This can be achieved in various ways, such as through guest blogging, influencer collaborations, content marketing, or even through broken link building. The ultimate goal is to make your ecommerce site more visible and, thus, more accessible to your target audience.

Link building taps into the fundamental nature of the internet—an interconnected network of information. When a website links back to your ecommerce site, search engines like Google view this as a vote of confidence, a sign that your content is valuable and useful. This recognition is then factored into the site's ranking in search results. The more high-quality, relevant backlinks you have, the better your ecommerce site's visibility, and hence, potential profitability, becomes in the crowded online marketplace.

Successful link building doesn't happen overnight, though. It involves crafting a strategic plan that revolves around creating high-quality, captivating content that not only appeals to your audience but also entices other websites to link back to you. It also involves active outreach to other sites for potential linking opportunities and building lasting rapport with industry influencers and peers. Lastly, to keep your link building efforts on track, regular monitoring and analysis of your backlinks is crucial, helping to identify what works and what doesn’t in your strategy. Link building, therefore, is less about the quantity and more about the quality of the links you acquire.

When it comes to fulfillment centers, there's no one-size-fits-all solution—each comes with its specific characteristics and advantages. The main types of these centers largely revolve around the kind of inventory they handle and their operational focus.

• Standard fulfillment centers: These are typical, general-purpose fulfillment centers that handle various products, from electronics and clothing to household goods, and are built for versatility and volume.

• Specialized fulfillment centers: These deal with specific types of products that require special handling or storage conditions, like food items needing refrigeration and delicate items requiring extra care.

• Seasonal fulfillment centers: As the name suggests, these centers are designed to tackle seasonal loads when sales spike during certain periods like the holiday season or back-to-school shopping time.

• Return processing centers: These are centers dedicated to processing returns and refunds. They provide streamlined procedures for a hassle-free return experience for customers and sellers alike.

• Dropshipping centers: Unlike the ones above, dropshipping centers don't keep an inventory. Instead, they work closely with suppliers to ship products directly to customers post-purchase.

Developing an effective link-building strategy for your ecommerce site requires a clear understanding of its essential principles: 

1. Quality over quantity: One top-quality backlink from a reputable, relevant site can outweigh dozens of low-quality links. It’s not a numbers game; it’s a value game.

2. The right mix: Backlink profiles should not only be diverse but also balanced, consisting of different types of backlinks from a variety of sources.

3. Be patient: Achieving beneficial results from link-building strategies is not an instant process; it requires patience and persistent tracking.

4. Consistency: Irregular spikes of backlinks can signal manipulation and cause search engines to distrust your site.

Now that we've established the importance of link building, it's crucial to grasp what constitutes a quality backlink. All backlinks are not made equal. The quality of backlinks you acquire can drastically impact your ecommerce site’s visibility and search engine rankings. So what, exactly, distinguishes the stellar from the subpar?

• Site Relevance: For a backlink to ascend above the mundane, it's pivotal that the site it originates from shares relevance with your own. Relevant backlinks send strong topical signals to search engines, enhancing your site's credibility and SEO relevance in your specific industry or niche. 

• Page Authority: Page authority is a metric developed by Moz that predicts a website page's ability to rank in search engine result pages (SERPs). The algorithm uses diverse web data and factors in multiple elements. A robust backlink is usually one from a site with high page authority, as these can boost your own page's authority and SERP ranking. 

• DoFollow Links: DoFollow links pass the authority (link juice) from the referring website to the linked site. Obvious as it may seem, for a link to be of high quality, it should ideally be a DoFollow link. While NoFollow links certainly have their place and purpose, they do not contribute to your site's ranking. 

• Anchored in Quality Content: Quality backlinks are typically nestled within high-quality, engaging content. When a stellar backlink is combined with captivating content, it not only attracts more clicks but also enhances user experience. In turn, the impressive content surrounding your backlink reinforces its credibility. 

• Link Placement: Where your backlink is placed on the page can impact its SEO value. Links inserted at the top or in the middle of the webpage content can prove to be more potent than those near the footer or sidebars. 

• Link Freshness: The value of a backlink isn't timeless. A more recent link is often more valuable than an older one. Search engines like Google value link freshness as part of their algorithm, making it a critical quality backlink ingredient. 

These elements present a clear picture of what makes a backlink valuable in the eyes of search engines. However, remember that obtaining quality backlinks is just part of the picture. An effective ecommerce SEO strategy will require a balanced and diverse backlink profile that include both high and relatively lower authority backlinks.

Developing a solid link-building strategy is a process that requires planning, execution, and ongoing revision. Follow this step-by-step mini guide to create a robust link-building strategy for your website.

Step 1: Set clear objectives

The first step in formulating a strategy for website owners is defining goals. Are you looking to drive more traffic? Increase brand visibility? Improve search engine rankings? Once you establish your objectives, you'll have a clear direction for your link-building efforts.

Step 2: Understand your audience

Knowing who your audience is and what they want is crucial. You need to understand their needs, preferences, and online behavior. This will not only help you create valuable and link-worthy content but also identify the websites they visit. Reaching out to these sites for guest posting or collaboration could be beneficial.

Step 3: Create high-quality content

Quality content is the cornerstone of any successful link-building strategy. The better your content, the higher the chances of other sites linking to it. Explore different formats - blog posts, infographics, videos, webinars, white papers - and determine what works best for your audience and business.

Step 4: Engage in outreach and relationship building

Link building isn't just about SEO and algorithms; it's about relationships. Building solid relationships with relevant influencers, bloggers, and other businesses in your niche can offer plenty of linking opportunities. This is where you pitch your valuable content for guest posts and partnerships. 

Step 5: Monitor and analyze the results

Set up a system to keep track of your backlinks, their impact on your site’s ranking and traffic, as well as any domain authority changes. Use this data to fine-tune your strategy over time. Google Analytics, Moz, and SEMrush are great tools to assess the effectiveness of your link-building strategy.

Let's dive into some link-building strategies you can leverage to bolster your ecommerce site's visibility and increase organic traffic. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all in SEO; what works for one site may not necessarily work for yours.

1. Content marketing 

Content is the kingpin of successful link building. It's the high-quality, engaging, and informative content that makes an impact, attracts backlinks, and increases brand visibility. Create content or "linkable assets" that are highly informative. Regularly post on your blog and ensure each post is optimized for SEO. Use infographics and video content as they're easy to share on social media.

2. Guest blogging 

Guest blogging is an effective way to reach new audiences and build relevant, high-quality backlinks. Research trusted sites in your niche that have massive traffic and propose great content that adds value to their readership in exchange for a backlink.

3. Collaborating with influencers 

Working with social media influencers who hold sway in your industry can significantly aid your link-building efforts. Influencer shout-outs in posts or collaborations can result in high-quality backlinks from their websites or blogs.

4. Learning from broken link building 

In this method, you find relevant broken links on other websites and contact the administrator, providing a link from your site as a replacement. Tools like 'Check My Links' can help you find these broken links.

5. Making use of social media 

While social media links are typically 'nofollow,' they are still essential in driving traffic to your website. With more traffic landing on your website, the chances of obtaining 'dofollow' links will significantly increase.

6. Creating products that people love 

When you create a product that people can't stop talking about, links will follow naturally. This is where your alliance with a platform like Gelato's POD fulfillment platform can elevate the game. With fast local delivery and a significant reduction in carbon footprint, it's not just a product but an experience that your customers will want to link to.

As the world of ecommerce SEO evolves, so do the ecommerce link-building tactics. To stay ahead of the curve, utilize these advanced techniques to make waves in 2024:

Unlinked mentions 

Unlinked mentions occur when your brand is mentioned on another site, but there's no link. Reach out and request the website owner to add a link. It's a small effort on their end that could lead to a significant boost in your traffic.

Skyscraper technique 

The Skyscraper technique involves producing content more exceptional than anything else available. How do you accomplish this? Find a piece of content in your niche that is popular and well-linked. Then, create something better. Finally, reach out strategically to those linking to the original content, tempting them with your upgraded version.

Product reviews 

Send your products to influencers or relevant professionals in your field, prompting them to provide a review in exchange. The review will likely include a link to your site or specific product, creating a backlink and potentially drawing their audience toward your ecommerce store.

Resource page link building 

Many websites have resource pages dedicated to linking out to valuable content. Find these pages in your niche, and if your content is a suitable match, request the website owner to include your link. It's a win-win, as their readers get valuable content, and you get a high-quality backlink.

Joint ventures 

Partner with another company for a joint product release or collaborative article. The marketing efforts from both sides will naturally involve linking back to your site, creating a surge of new backlinks and potential customers.

Enhancing your ecommerce business's visibility through link building is half of the equation. The other half is about optimizing product delivery and customer experience. That's where Gelato's print on demand (POD) solutions step in, dramatically transforming the way your ecommerce platform functions. 

While you're busy building quality backlinks, Gelato eases your product-fulfillment worries. As you engage with outreach and create products people love, Gelato's POD gives you the flexibility and efficiency to print and ship those products locally. It's a win-win: you get faster delivery times, reduced carbon footprint, and ecstatic customers who adore your merchandise. 

You've got the traffic; we've got the premium custom products that are sure to resonate with your customers and keep them coming back for more. Explore our catalog to uncover t-shirts, mugs, phone cases, photo books, wall art, and more.

So, why not join hands with Gelato? Enhance your ecommerce link-building efforts with POD capabilities, give your business the leverage it needs, and take your online storefront to new heights. Sign up for Gelato today and see the difference for yourself!