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How to Perform an Effective B2B Competitor Analysis
September 5, 2024
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● Use Google Alerts to find and request links for brand mentions.
● Get featured in curated lists by contacting curators.
● Obtain links from both high and low-authority sites.
● Replace broken links on high-authority sites with your content.
● Plan link building for seasonal keywords in advance.
● Gain high quality backlinks by publishing and sharing expert insights.
● Share valuable content to attract backlinks.
● Create or enhance content to make it highly link worthy.
● Provide expert insights to journalists for backlinks.
● Gradually build links to avoid appearing spammy.
● Write content for other websites in exchange for high quality backlinks.
● Engage in circular link exchanges cautiously.
Google has always emphasized the importance of maintaining a natural backlink profile. This emphasis has led to consistent updates aimed at combating spam and ensuring high quality search results.
B2B websites that still rely on outdated B2B link building tactics, like buying links or using link farms, are now vulnerable to Google penalties. Therefore, businesses need to adapt their link building tactics in 2024.
At TripleDart, we’ve helped hundreds of B2B brands skyrocket their organic traffic through effective link building tactics. Here, we'll be sharing some of the most effective strategies.
But before then;
The B2B industry is fiercely competitive, with major players vying for high-value keywords. A quick search for a B2B keyword on SERPs will reveal websites with high quality content dominating the top 10 results. This means that even if you have the best content, you may not always rank at the top.
Success here now becomes a game of who has the superior backlinks and other ranking factors. High quality backlinks signal to search engines that your website is an authority in your field thus boosting your chances of achieving higher rankings.
When authoritative websites link to your content, it not only improves your search engine rankings but also increases your brand's visibility to a broader audience.
Each backlink serves as a pathway for new users to discover your brand, often introducing your products or services to potential customers who might not have found you otherwise. This increased exposure helps to establish your brand as a trusted name in your industry.
If you obtain backlinks from a high-traffic website, there's a high chance that your website will experience increased traffic and engagement, especially if the referring website's niche closely aligns with yours.
This is because when readers come across your link on a high-authority site, they are likely to perceive your content as valuable and trustworthy. As a result, they are more inclined to click on the link, which can drive traffic to your site and boost overall engagement.
There are instances where a website mentions your brand name without linking back to your own site. Reaching out to these sites to request a link is a great way to gain backlinks through unlinked brand mentions.
Now, the next question on your mind might be how to find out when your brand is mentioned. The simple answer is Google Alerts. Follow these steps to set it up:
● Go to Google Alerts.
● Enter your brand name in the search bar.
● Customize the alert settings according to your preferences.
● Click 'Create Alert' to start receiving notifications."
For each notification you receive, always evaluate the website's quality and relevance to determine whether it’s worth pursuing a backlink.
Link roundups are curated lists of articles, resources, or blog posts, typically focused on a specific topic. However, in the context of B2B link building, your objective isn't to create the list but to be featured on it. Achieving this will not only provide a backlink to your website but also drive significant traffic.
If you're considering this approach to link building, follow these steps to get started:
Search for Link Roundups in Your Niche: Use search queries like:
● "keyword + link roundup"
● "keyword + weekly roundup"
● "keyword + best of"
Produce High Quality Content: Create valuable, informative, and engaging content that stands out from the competition.
Reach Out to Curators: Once you've identified relevant link roundups, contact the curators and pitch your content for inclusion.
In as much as links from high-authority websites pass more value compared to those from low-authority sites, it doesn't mean that you should stick exclusively to high-authority sources.
While this approach isn't entirely bad, it poses a risk because your competitors are likely doing the same thing. To stand out, you need to diversify your strategy by also obtaining links from low-authority sites.
However, there are certain conditions to this approach:
● The websites must be authentic, with dedicated followings.
● The links must also be relevant but less obvious.
The goal here is to achieve a balanced link profile, which aligns with Google's preferences, while also ensuring that the websites originate from real individuals.
The concept of broken link building has been around for years, but it remains highly effective and relevant in 2024. It is a link building strategy that involves identifying broken links on websites and reaching out to the site owners to suggest replacing them with a link to your content.
To implement this strategy, you start by identifying broken links on high-authority websites using tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, or Dead Link Checker. These tools allow you to scan websites and generate a list of broken links, making the process more efficient and manageable.
Once you've identified broken links, the next step is to create or find content on your site that serves as a suitable replacement. This content should be relevant and valuable to the website where the broken link was found.
When your content is ready, you then reach out to the website owners, informing them of the broken link and suggesting your content as a replacement.
Here are some broken outreach email outreach templates from outreach crayon.
This not only helps them improve their website but also provides you with valuable backlinks, enhancing your site's SEO and authority.
You might be hearing this for the first time, but it's a viable strategy. This B2B link building approach is particularly useful when you want to rank for a seasonal keyword, but your link building efforts won't yield results until after the season has passed.
By building links in advance, you can position yourself to rank higher for the same keyword in the following year.
For example, if you're targeting the keyword 'corporate holiday gifts' for a December holiday season, and you’re currently in November, you might be tempted to rush the process. However, instead of scrambling at the last minute, you should consider preparing well in advance for next year's holiday season. By starting your keyword and link building efforts in January, you can take advantage of lower competition and gradually build up your presence.
This approach allows you to stay ahead of your competitors, avoid the stress of last-minute preparations, and ensure a more thorough and effective marketing strategy.
People seek expert insights because they offer valuable, authoritative information. Providing expert insights on your own site establishes it as a credible source, attracting organic links from other websites and individuals who find the interview information beneficial.
Expert interviews can also generate backlinks through the experts themselves. These individuals often have their audience and network. When you publish their interview, they are likely to share it with their followers, bringing new traffic to your site and potentially increasing the number of backlinks.
Your social media platforms aren’t just for casual interactions; they can serve as powerful tools to build backlinks, especially when you have a large following.
By sharing valuable content, such as infographics, informative texts, videos, and other engaging media, you increase your chances of getting links back to your site. Followers who find your content useful and engaging will likely share it, thereby enhancing your backlink profile and driving more traffic to your site.
This is a type of B2B link building strategy that sets your website up for success by creating highly valuable and link worthy content. You could create an in-depth research report, a unique infographic, or even integrate a useful tool that provides value to your audience.
You may also choose to leverage existing content instead of creating entirely new content. You can do this by finding already published pieces and enhancing them with your tool as a content upgrade in appropriate places. For example, you could add an interactive calculator to a financial advice article, insert a visual comparison chart into a product review, or embed a quiz in a health and wellness guide.
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is a platform that connects journalists and bloggers with expert sources to gather information for their stories. It operates by allowing experts to provide valuable insights, while journalists and bloggers receive reliable information from knowledgeable sources.
For effective link building using HARO, you can follow these steps:
● Create an account on the HARO website and subscribe to relevant categories to receive daily emails with queries from journalists.
● Regularly check your emails for relevant queries that match your expertise.
● Respond to queries with a well-crafted pitch that highlights your expertise and provides valuable insights.
● If you don't hear back, consider following up politely after a reasonable amount of time.
When a journalist or blogger uses your contribution in their story, they will typically include a link back to your website as part of the attribution.
Building a large number of links in a short period to a website with low authority is risky. No matter how eager you are to rank for a keyword, this approach can make your site appear spammy to search engines.
The only way to safely build links quickly is if the website is already receiving organic traffic from Search Engines. Established websites with strong link profiles may get away with this because their link building efforts appear justified. These sites already have visibility, so their chances of success are higher.
Guest blogging is an established yet effective link building tactic that involves writing content for other websites within your industry in exchange for a backlink to your site.
This might seem straightforward, but it's more nuanced than it appears. You need to understand certain aspects of the website before even reaching out.
Consider factors such as the domain authority, whether they accept guest posts, the relevance of the website to your niche, its organic traffic, the site’s guest post guidelines, and whether the guest blogging is free or paid.
There are various ways to find opportunities for guest posts. One effective strategy is using Google. Follow these steps:
● Use search queries like "your industry + guest post" or "your industry + write for us."
● Review the sites that appear in the search results to ensure they match your criteria.
● Check the guest post requirements for each site.
● Reach out with a well-crafted pitch tailored to each site’s audience and guidelines.
Three-way link exchange is a type of link building strategy that involves three websites, each circularly linking to one another.
This approach aims to increase the domain authority and search engine ranking of the participating websites.
However, this tactic can be risky because Google strongly disapproves of unnatural link practices. If executed correctly, though, you can still reap significant benefits.
Here's an illustration of how it works:
● Website A links to Website B.
● Website B links to Website C.
● Website C links back to Website A.
To ensure you get the most out of these tactics and avoid potential penalties, here are some tips:
● Only engage in link exchanges with websites that are relevant to your niche and have high domain authority.
● Do not rely solely on three-way link exchanges. Combine them with other link building tactics like guest blogging, content marketing, and social media engagement.
● Regularly check the quality and origin of your backlinks to ensure they are beneficial and not harmful to your SEO efforts.
● Do not overuse keyword-rich anchor texts in your links, as this can be seen as manipulative by search engines.
If you're building links in your own or relying solely on your in-house team, it might be time to reconsider and hire a specialized agency. Here's why;
Professional link building agencies have spent years building links for various clients across different industries. This extensive experience makes them more knowledgeable about industry best practices. They are well-versed in the do’s and don’ts and stay updated with the latest trends and changes in the field. This means you can trust them to handle your project with expertise and precision.
When it comes to business operations, especially in B2B, time becomes extremely valuable. Tasks like link building, while important, do not directly convert and retain clients. They are just one part of a larger strategy. Moreover, link building is a time-consuming process. By outsourcing it, you can free up valuable time to focus on other critical aspects of your business.
If you're a business that wants to cut costs on expensive SEO tool subscriptions, you can entrust your link building to specialized agencies. Established agencies already have access to these premium tools, so you can benefit from their resources without incurring additional costs.
Outsourcing allows you to scale your link building efforts according to your business needs. Whether you need a small boost or a comprehensive campaign, agencies can adjust their strategies to meet your requirements.
Effective link building is crucial for B2B success in 2024. Tactics like unlinked brand mentions, link roundups, and broken link building are key.
Navigating these strategies can be complex, which is where TripleDart comes in. As a leading B2B link building agency, TripleDart has a proven track record of boosting organic traffic through innovative, compliant methods.
For businesses aiming to elevate their online presence and outperform competitors, TripleDart is the go-to agency.
Discover how their expertise can propel your business to new heights here.
Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Google Search Console, and Dead Link Checker to find broken links for link building.
Search Google with "keyword + guest post" or "write for us." Use social media, analyze competitor backlinks with Ahrefs or SEMrush, and utilize blogger outreach tools like BuzzSumo and Pitchbox.
Craft a concise subject line, introduce yourself, personalize the email, explain your offer, include a clear call to action, and end with a polite closing.
Avoid buying links, focus on quality over quantity, diversify anchor text, create valuable content, use no-follow links when needed, avoid excessive link exchanges, and regularly audit your backlink profile.
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