Link Building Strategy: Using High-Value Content

You may or may not know this, but link building is the process of getting other websites to link back to your website.

Think of backlinks a little like online referrals. Another website is pointing its readers toward your business, website or content because you have something worth referencing.

Backlinks can also help with SEO. When reputable, relevant websites link to your content, those links can help search engines understand the authority and relevance of your website.

But here's where many business owners get link building wrong.

Instead of asking random websites to link to you, give people a reason to link to you.

One of the oldest link-building strategies still works: create useful information, research, data or resources that other people want to reference in their own content.

Create Something Worth Citing

You don't need to conduct a nationwide study or spend thousands of dollars on research.

Start with your own industry.

Ask yourself:

• What information is outdated?
• What has changed significantly over the past five or ten years?
• What are customers asking about repeatedly?
• What are people in my industry debating?
• What are customers spending more or less money on?
• What local information would be useful but difficult to find in one place?
• What could I survey my customers, colleagues or industry peers about?
• What information do I have access to because I work in this industry every day?

You can turn the answers into an original survey, report, comparison, ranking, analysis or resource.

Then you have something other websites can actually reference.

Update an Old Study, Report or Resource

Here's one proven way to find an opportunity.

Search for studies, statistics, surveys and reports related to your industry. Look at when they were published and how current the information is.

You may discover that an article published this year is still referencing research conducted five, eight or even ten years ago.

That's an opportunity.

Create a new poll or survey, gather updated information or analyze newer publicly available data.

Then find websites that referenced the older information and introduce them to your updated findings.

You're no longer simply emailing someone asking, "Can you link to my website?"

You have a legitimate reason to contact them.

You referenced this research in your article. We've published updated data on the same topic that your readers may find useful.

That's a much stronger pitch.

Example #1: Legal Funding Company

What if you were a legal funding company and compiled a list of the largest legal settlements in history, or narrowed it down to just the past 10 or 20 years?

You could take the idea further:

• Adjust those settlements for today's inflation rate, giving you a fresh perspective to share with the media.
• Ask attorneys or other legal professionals how those settlements might be affected by current laws.
• Compare settlement amounts by case type, industry or decade.
• Look for patterns in how settlement amounts have changed.
• Share your findings with journalists who cover legal topics and news.

Instead of publishing another generic article about legal funding, you've created information that legal writers, bloggers and journalists could potentially reference.

Example #2: Auto Insurance Company

What if you were an auto insurance company and compiled a report on how car insurance premiums have changed over the last 10 years?

Car insurance premiums have risen over the past decade due to several factors, including higher repair costs for technology-heavy vehicles, rising medical expenses, distracted driving accidents and weather-related losses.

That creates several possible angles:

• Adjust historical premiums for inflation and compare what drivers paid then with what they're paying today.
• Compare premium increases with the rising cost of vehicle repairs.
• Ask insurance professionals how technology, distracted driving and repair costs have affected premiums.
• Compare changes by state or region.
• Survey drivers about the changes they've made because of rising insurance costs.

You could then share the findings with automotive, insurance, consumer finance and local news publications.

Contractors Can Create Link-Worthy Content Too

This strategy isn't limited to companies sitting on huge databases.

Contractors have access to something extremely valuable: firsthand knowledge of what's happening with homes, buildings, materials and customers.

• A roofing contractor could publish a report on the most common roofing problems found during inspections in their area.
• An HVAC company could analyze the most common reasons homeowners call for repairs during summer or winter.
• A plumber could track the most common plumbing problems found in older homes.
• A remodeling company could compare the cost of popular renovations today with five or ten years ago.
• An electrician could survey homeowners about EV charger installations, electrical panel upgrades or backup power.
• A restoration company could analyze the most common causes of water damage it encounters.
• You could make the content even more locally relevant.

Instead of:

The Most Common Roofing Problems

you might create: The Most Common Roofing Problems We Found in 250 Southern California Roof Inspections

Now you've created original, local information that a real estate website, local publication, home improvement blogger or journalist could potentially reference.

Real Estate Agents Have Access to More Than Listing Data

Real estate agents are surrounded by potential content.

You don't have to compete with Zillow or Redfin by trying to publish enormous housing reports.

Go smaller and more specific.

You could survey recent buyers about:

• Which home features mattered most to them.
• What they were willing to compromise on.
• Their biggest surprise during the buying process.
• How much they budgeted for repairs after purchasing.
• Which neighborhoods they considered before choosing one.
• Which features they would pay more for today.

You could also analyze local market information and add your own professional observations.

A report such as What 100 Los Angeles Homebuyers Said They Wouldn't Compromise On in 2027 gives publishers something much more interesting to discuss than another article called "10 Tips for Buying a Home."

Agencies and Consultants Can Use Their Clients as a Source of Original Research

Agencies, consultants and other B2B service businesses have another advantage: they regularly talk to business owners.

Use that access.

• A marketing agency could survey small businesses about where they're spending their marketing budgets.
• An SEO company could analyze the most common website problems found across 100 website reviews.
• A bookkeeping company could survey small businesses about the financial tasks they struggle with most.
• An HR consultant could study the hiring challenges businesses are experiencing.
• A business consultant could survey owners about their biggest concerns heading into the next year.
• A web design company could analyze 100 local business websites and report how many are missing basic information customers need.

That last example could become:

We Reviewed 100 Contractor Websites: 63% Were Missing This Information

Now you have a statistic that another writer can quote and link back to as the source.

You Can Also Use Historical Pricing to Find Content Ideas

Almost any business or industry can use historical pricing or inflation data to create a new angle around something people already talk about.

For example:

• Rent: Real estate
• Travel: Tourism
• Childcare: Early childhood education
• Interest rates: Financial services
• Pet care: Veterinary and pet services
• Food: Restaurants and food businesses
• Housing: Real estate
• Labor costs: Human resources and business services
• Clothing: Fashion
• Car insurance: Auto insurance
• Construction materials: Contractors
• Home repairs: Home service businesses
• Marketing costs: Agencies and consultants

The goal isn't simply to publish historical prices.

• Find the story inside the numbers.
• How much has the cost changed?
• Has it outpaced inflation?
• What's causing the increase?
• How are customers responding?
• What do professionals in the industry think will happen next?

That's where your expertise becomes part of the content.

Your Own Business Data Can Be a Content Source

Don't overlook information you're already collecting.

You don't necessarily need to reveal revenue, customer names or anything confidential.

You can aggregate information.

For example: After 500 service calls, these were the five most common HVAC problems we found.

• We reviewed 200 small business websites and found that 42% didn't have a clear call to action on their homepage.
• We asked 75 homeowners what surprised them most about remodeling their kitchen.
• We surveyed 100 small business owners about how they're using AI.

Original numbers make your content harder to duplicate because the information came from you.

And when someone else references your statistic, your website is the original source they can cite.

Find People Already Writing About the Topic

Creating the content is only part of the strategy.

Don't publish it and wait for someone to discover it.

Search Google and Google News for people already writing about your subject.

Look for:

• Journalists
• Bloggers
• Industry publications
• Local news websites
• Trade associations
• Newsletter publishers
• Podcast hosts
• Researchers
• Other businesses publishing educational content

You can also look for websites currently linking to older reports or statistics similar to what you've created.

Those people have already demonstrated that they reference outside research.

That's exactly who you want to know about your updated information.

Online Tools to Get Started

You can start with free or inexpensive tools.

• Google Trends can help you identify topics gaining or losing search interest and compare how interest has changed over time.
• Google News can show you who's currently covering a subject and the angles journalists are taking.
• Keywords Everywhere can help you find searches related to your topic and uncover questions people are asking.

You can also use government databases, industry associations and other publicly available datasets to find information you can analyze or build upon.

For journalist outreach, platforms such as Muck Rack can help identify writers covering specific subjects, although it can be expensive.

You can also find journalists, writers and industry experts through LinkedIn and other publishing platforms.

Don't Create Research Just for a Backlink

This is where I would take the strategy one step further.

A good piece of original research shouldn't have only one purpose.

One report could become:

• A blog post
• An email to your customers
• Several social posts
• A downloadable report
• A press pitch
• A newsletter topic
• A discussion inside an industry group
• Statistics used throughout your website
• A resource for strategic partners
• Something your sales team can reference

And, yes, it can attract backlinks.

That makes the time you spend creating it much more valuable.

Start Small

Your first piece of link-worthy content doesn't have to be a massive research project.

• Survey 25 customers.
• Analyze 50 projects.
• Compare five years of public data.
• Review 100 websites.
• Interview five professionals in your industry.
• Update an old statistic.
• Look at what's changing in your city.

Then create something useful enough that another person writing about the subject would actually want to reference it.

That's the real question to ask before publishing:

If I were writing an article about this subject, would there be something here worth citing?

If the answer is yes, you've created more than another blog post.

You've created a potential source.

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