In this guide, you’ll learn:
You might be wondering, what do hats have to do with link building?
We can look at white hat methods and black hat methods with the analogy of a professional athlete playing in the Olympics.
Black hat tactics are like using performance-enhancing drugs to get ahead, while white hat tactics are what the best athletes use to win fair and square.
Link building is no different; you can either take shortcuts by using black hat techniques or you can build your website’s authority the right way via white hat SEO techniques.
An overview
What is white hat SEO?
What are the main link-building methods?
Top 3 White Hat Link Building Strategies
Do you use white hat methods at Getmentioned?
Summary
TL;DR
What is white hat SEO?
White hat search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing a website for organic search engine rankings while adhering to best practices and ethical guidelines.
This means using techniques that are accepted by Google:
- creating quality content,
- earning links from high-authority websites,
- optimizing for user experience.
In contrast to black-hat SEO tactics that try to game the system, white-hat techniques are focused on providing a great user experience and helping search engines accurately rank your website.
What are the main link-building methods?
Before we dive into the best white hat link-building strategies, let’s take a look at some of the most common methods.
They are white, black, and even gray hat link-building.
| White Hat Link Building | Black Hat Link Building | Grey Hat Link Building |
| Content Marketing:
Creating content that other websites and publishers will want to link to. |
Spam Commenting:
Posting comments on blogs and websites with links to your website. |
Article Submission Sites: Submitting articles to sites in exchange for links back to your website. |
| Guest Blogging:
Writing for a blog on another website in exchange for a link back. |
Keyword Stuffing and Cloaking:
Using keywords and phrases to manipulate search engine rankings. |
Paid Links:
Paying websites or blogs to link back to your website. |
| Social Media Promotion:
Using social media to increase the visibility of your content and attract more links. |
Private Blog Networks (PBNs):
Setting up a network of blogs that link to each other. |
Automated Software/Tools:
Using automated software or tools to generate links. |
| Broken Link Building:
Finding and replacing broken links with ones to your own content. |
Link Farms:
Creating multiple websites with links to each other in an attempt to boost their rankings. |
|
| Resource Pages:
Creating useful resources that other websites will want to link to. |
Top 3 White Hat Link Building Strategies
There are lots of white hat strategies to use – but the top three?
HARO Link Building
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is a service that connects journalists and bloggers with expert sources.
In the simplest of terms, HARO is a way to get links from media websites.
When you respond to a HARO query and your response is featured in an article, you will get a link back to your website.
For example, if you are a travel blogger, you can respond to HARO newsletter queries related to the best places to travel in your region or the most budget-friendly destinations.
In fact, Gatis Viskers, founder and CEO of Ambition Digital, comments on how his company is planning to focus heavily on PR link-building.
He states that the “recent rise to prominence for AI writing tools has created an enormous opportunity for businesses to establish themselves as industry thought leaders.”
When building HARO links, it’s important to focus on valuable links.
Don’t just respond to every query you see; instead, carefully choose queries that are relevant to your niche and have the potential for a high-impact link.
Some tools you can use to build HARO links include HARO, Help B2B, and plenty more.
You can even work with a link-building agency like getmentioned.today that specializes in HARO link building.
Guest Posting
Writing guest posts is one of the oldest white hat link-building techniques, but it’s still an effective strategy to increase your website’s authority.
When you guest post on authoritative websites in your industry, you can get valuable links that help to boost your SEO rankings and organic traffic.
The key thing to remember when it comes to guest posting is quality over quantity.
You want to focus on getting high-quality backlinks from relevant websites with a good domain authority (DA).
You can use Moz’s Domain Authority Checker to determine the DA of a website.
According to serial entrepreneur and investor Matthew Ramirez, guest posts are a “great way to build a relationship with other influential people in your industry and earn a backlink in the process.”
As well, marketing and outreach manager Natalia Brzezinska hones in on the importance of “valuable, precious, and worthwhile” content.
Additionally, make sure you always include a link back to your own website in the author bio section, so you earn credit for your work.
Benefits of Guest Posts
- You can get quality backlinks from authoritative websites
- You become a known expert in your industry
- Your post can help build relationships with other bloggers and influencers
- It’s an affordable way to increase your SEO rankings and website traffic.
Do you do guest posts at Getmentioned?
Getmentioned’s Guest Post Service helps businesses grow their digital presence by running high-quality guest posts on high-domain websites in their niche.
Not only will you receive native English content for your industry, but you’ll also:
- Take advantage of natural, enterprise-level backlinks
- Be able to target URLs, approve content, pick sites, and send anchors
- Outrank top influential posts
- …and more.
Looking for examples and a step-by-step plan?
Read our article on 5 Effective Link-Building Strategies for E-Commerce in 2023.
Outreach Link Building
Outreach link building is another effective white hat strategy.
It involves reaching out to websites in your industry and asking them for a backlink or content promotion.
Not sure where to start?
Follow these steps for effective outreach:
- Identify websites in your industry that have linkable content.
- Craft a well-written, personalized pitch.
- Reach out via email, social media, or contact form on the website.
- Provide value such as an article or infographic in exchange for the backlink.
There are also plenty of tools that you can use to help streamline the outreach process.
| Tool | What it’s for |
| Right Inbox | Keep tabs on who has and hasn’t opened your emails so you can send follow-up emails. |
| BuzzStream | Find emails, reach out, and track conversions. |
| Ninja Outreach | Reach out to various outlets, specifically YouTube and Instagram. |
| Pitchbox | Find high-quality bloggers and influencers. |
Do you use white hat methods at Getmentioned?
Getmentioned solely uses white-hat link-building methods.
This means no paid links, forums, PBNs, Web 2.0, keyword stuffing, or spam.
Some of the white hat methods we use include:
| White-hat method | Benefits |
| Guest Posts |
|
| Authority Links |
|
| Editorial Links |
|
| HARO Links |
|
| Multilingual Links |
|
Short Summary
White hat link-building strategies are essential for any business looking to improve their digital PR.
From HARO link building and guest posting to outreach tactics – there are a lot of options available when it comes to white hat link building.
When using these strategies, focus on quality over quantity and always ensure you’re getting valuable links from authoritative websites in your niche.
With the right strategy in place, you can increase your authority and SEO rankings in no time.
TL;DR
- White hat link-building strategies are the best way to increase website authority and boost SEO rankings.
- HARO Link Building, Guest Posting, and Outreach Link Building are three of the most effective white hat strategies for increasing your website’s authority.
- When using these tactics, focus on quality over quantity to ensure you get high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry.
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