HOW TO BUILD BACKLINKS IN 2015 (That Actually Work)

By

Nathan Gotch

Provided as an educational service by Gotch SEO, LLC

The First ROI-Driven SEO Company in St. Louis

www.GotchSEO.com

About GotchThe first thing I want to say is thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to download this eBook. I know youre going to find a ton of value and many actionable tips in it.

To keep things short, my name is Nathan (most people call me Gotch), and Im the founder / CEO of Gotch SEO. Gotch SEO is an inbound marketing company based in St. Louis.

Why Should You Trust Me?You should trust me because I have the results to back what Im saying. I'm not big on bragging, but I will tell you that I built my business from zero dollars to well over six figures (soon to be seven figures) in less than a year.

And the coolest part is that I did it all through search engine optimization.

I'm not telling you this to brag or make it seem like I'm cool...

I'm telling you because I want you to know that I live and breath what I'm teaching you. I'm not throwing out some bogus guru advice or theory. Everything you'll ever see from Gotch SEO will be something you can take, implement, and start seeing results.

But unlike many other internet marketers, I want you to know that my success didn't happen over night... In fact, I went well over a year without making any substantial money from SEO.

About a year ago, I was working a normal job and doing SEO in every possible open minute I had. I literally woke up at 4:30 AM everyday, got to the Starbucks near my work around 6AM, worked on my SEO from 6AM 10AM, went into my normal job at 10AM (brainstorming and thinking about SEO the whole time), worked on SEO during my one hour lunch break, and then got off around 6:30 PM and worked on SEO up until 10PM that night.

I'm telling you this because I want you to know that you should never give up. I was close many times, but I kept pushing. My success in SEO isn't some God-given ability. I'm a completely average guy (2.5 GPA in college) and I succeeded because I never gave up, and I have never stopped testing and refining my techniques.

You have to immerse yourself in SEO, but at the same time, there is no better way to learn than trying things yourself. Trust me, I have failed with many websites of my own, but that's because I wasn't afraid to test. Don't ever stop testing.

THE GOOD NEWS: I'm going to give you all of the link building techniques I'm using successfully in 2015. This means, you won't have to put in that time that I did. I'm literally putting you in a time capsule and fast forwarding your SEO knowledge. What is This Ebook About?This be eBook is going to show you every type of backlink that works in 2015. Some are super easy to get and others are more challenging. In addition to showing you the different types of links, Im also going to give you an excel document showing you the exact websites where you can go out and get these links. Im practically spoon feeding you, so you better take advantage of this stuff!

A Quick IntroLets face it, SEO isnt what is used to be. Back in the day, you could blast your website with pretty much any type of link and rank well. As you know, Google's Penguin update took care of this little exploit in addition to many other tricky link building techniques. In 2015, link building requires planning, strategy, and simply going back to the basics. This guide is designed to help you build high-quality links that WILL improve your rankings in 2015. There isnt going to be a bunch of fluff in this guide. Im going to show you the exact links I use to rank clients across the United States and even on the national level. Sound good? Lets start (told you it would be a quick intro).

The Foundation (On-Page SEO)If you read my blog, you know that I have said several times, building links to a website that hasnt taken the necessary on-page optimization steps, is like building a house on a poorly built foundation. The house might stay afloat for quite sometime, but sooner or later, the poorly built foundation will be exposed and send your house crashing down. In SEO terms: you may be able to get away with poor on-page SEO and questionable link building strategies, but the question is how long? Until the next update? This isnt how I operate. Good SEO and link building is all about creating a solid foundation for tomorrow, but most importantly, for the future. So, how do you go about doing this? It starts with on-page SEO. Since this is a link building guide, I highly recommend you go and read my on-page SEO guide. It details the many on-page SEO mistakes I find with every client I work with and also how you can fix these problems without too much crazy effort. After your on-page SEO is solid, you need to develop a content strategy. Content is the fuel of your website and business. Eventually, your content will be the primary link building mechanism because people will naturally link to it. But guess what if people cant find your website in the first place, theyll never be able to link to it! Once again, I could write an entire guide about content development, but you came here for link building.

Basics of Quality Content Development Focus on solving problems read Discover Your Audiences Problems and Become a True Authority

Create unparalleled value (by your industry standards) dont kill yourself writing 4,000 word articles if your competition doesnt even know what the Internet is. Just provide superior value based on what your industry is doing.

Have a voice this is absolutely critical. Your blog will never be successful if you sound corporate or robotic. Be YOU, be the EXPERT. Have an opinion. Dont feel like you need to be like the best person in your industry. There isnt another you, so take advantage of that fact and differentiate yourself.

Focus on quality over quantity one extremely valuable piece of content per month is better than 30 average posts per month. In-depth articles attract the most attention through links, social shares, and discussion.

Diversify your content delivery - articles, infographics, videos, PDFs, podcasts, webinars. This will keep your readers engaged.

Provide incredible value the #1 goal of your content is to provide unparalleled value and educate your audience. Youre the expert and teacher. Once your audience trusts you, you will have an army of followers who will promote you and have your back for life. It all begins with providing insane amounts of value. Dont ever stop giving.

How to Building Links in 2015 (Like a Boss)Before I show you where to build links, its important for me to talk about anchor text. Your links are only as good as your anchor text. To learn more in-depth information about anchor text diversification, then read The Epic Guide to Anchor Text. Here are the basics:

50% Brand Anchors Brand anchors are Gotch SEO or Gotch SEO, LLC. These anchors will are critical because it will establish your website as a BRAND. 25% Naked LinksNaked links are the most natural way to link to a site: http://www.gotchseo.com/, GotchSEO.com, www.GotchSEO.com. 20% GenericGeneric anchors include click here, go here, or check this out. Youll want to use the co-citation trick I discussed in my anchor text post for these. 1-5% LSI, Partial Match AnchorsKeyword variations are exactly what you think: variation of your exact match anchor or primary keyword. If puppy chew toys is your main keyword, then some of your variations might include: the best puppy chew toys, chew toys for puppies, puppy chew toys for a good price, etc. Less Than 1% Exact Match AnchorsI want to show you a little anchor text trick that I didnt share on my blog, but I use on all my campaigns (its insanely powerful).

Since you should only use exact match anchors about 1% or less of the time, you need to

know how to use them strategically. So, to show Google that your links are natural and youre not using excessive amounts of commercial anchor text, youre going to cycle your exact match anchors. In essence, youll use your exact match anchor, cycle throughvariations, and then come back and use the exact again.

Take a look at the image to the right. The image is on the small scale because youll have many more linksin-between, but the concept should become pretty apparent. Its simplythe process of diluting your anchor text, but by using many differentanchors before going back to the exact match, youre making it looknatural. The moral of the story is to avoid using your exact match anchor twolinks in a row. Important note: make sure you use your exact match anchors on theabsolute best links you can get. Do not waste them. If you're still confused about anchor text, please make sure you readmy anchor text post: http://www.gotchseo.com/anchor-text/

Easy LinksIm not going to list all the directories, business listing sites, etc on this ebook, but there is a separate excel document on this page. It is a list I have compiled of all the sites you can get links from. The excel document will also include search strings for finding link opportunities mentioned below. Quality DirectoriesUtilizing high-quality, well-moderated directories is an excellent way to build trust for your website and send a nice flow of authority. You should only focus on paid directories and free directories with strong moderation. Press ReleasesSince Google laid down the law regarding press releases, many SEOs have been afraid to use them. Thats because many people who do SEO are very one-track minded and they dont understand general marketing and traffic generation. Their mindset is LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, and ANCHOR TEXT, ANCHOR TEXT. Obviously ranking well is a goal for SEO, but dont forget, the ULTIMATE goal is qualified traffic. My rant is officially over, but to conclude: press releases are a MARKETING and TRAFFIC GENERATION technique. You are marketing your business and brand. Act like a brand and be treated like a brand by Google. Plain and simple. Press releases are incredibly effective if you a) get it professionally written, b) get it distributed on reputable news websites, and c) only use branded and generic anchor text, and avoid all commercial anchors.

Read Brand Building 101 (for SEO) to learn more about why you need to build your brand online to succeed in the organic results.

Business ListingsPlacing your business in the popular directories is basically telling Google: Hi, Im not a spammer and Im serious about my business! that means you should DO IT. Put in the effort to completely fill in your information as deeply as possible. This will not only help build trust, but will help the listings get indexed. Relevant Blog CommentsOnce again, many SEOs dont utilize blog comments because they are nofollow on about 90% of blogs. The truth is, their missing out on a huge opportunity to get relevant backlinks, IP diversity, and highly relevant referral traffic. Google wants you to participate within your industrys community. Being a lone wolf doesnt work and it will ensure that your business stays invisible. Similar concept to press releases, stop thinking so much about LINKS. Participating on the popular blogs in your industry is a great way to get your name out there and start the process of establishing rapport and your authority. PDF / DOC DistributionCreating a quality PDF and distributing it to the top websites is a great trust builder. Simply write a quality article, insert your non-optimized links, convert it PDF, and submit to the directories in the excel document Im giving you. Piece of cake. CSS SubmissionThis is something new thats a super easy way to get a link. All you have to do is submit the CSS for your site and youll get image link back to your site. In the excel file, there is about a list of 100 different CSS websites where you can get links from. Audio SubmissionThis is a super easy way to get a nice dofollow backlink. Create a simple audio file with custom-made music or literally just you talking about your niche. I have a list of sites in the excel file for you to distribute to. Image SubmissionThis is as easy as it gets. Just submit images of your website or unique images from your site, and youll get some quality links.

Product SubmissionThese sites allow you to add your product, which can simply be your website. Sign-up and get a nice DoFollow profile link. There will be a nice of sites in the excel file for you. Portfolio SubmissionsLike the others, these sites allow you to sign-up for free and display your portfolio. I usually just take a snapshot of my homepage and thats pretty much it.

High-Effort Links (The Ones You Want)

Premium Web 2.0sWeb 2.0s are arguably some of the best links you can get because of the high level of relevancy. Here are some tips for creating awesome web 2.0s:

Only use unique content

Publish more than one post (our service does 5 +)

Create About, Contact, and Privacy Policy pages

Use unique themes

Diversify your anchor text

Create a unique personality for each web 2.0

Build high PR tier two links

I have two very popular post that explain this process in deep detail:

Basic web 2.0 creation teaches you how to create basic one-pagers

Super web 2.0s teaches how to create epic web 2.0s

Branded LinksThis is a technique I've been using for quite sometime now, and it's incredibly effective. Not only does it show I'm building my brand, but it also allows me to dilute my anchor text.

Here's what you do:

Run your business name through KnowEm (listed in the excel file)

Register all web 2.0 properties, social media profiles, and whatever else under your business name

When you can, create a unique piece of content about your business and publish it on the web 2.0s.

Link back to your site with branded anchor text and naked links. NEVER use commercial anchor text on these properties.

Make to completely populate the profiles with your business information and share your content

These are what I like to call branded properties. First of all, you should be securing your business's name on all of these properties, and secondly, you're promoting your brand in a way that Google will respect. It's also a super easy way to get some powerful branded anchors.

Final Roundup PostsMany websites publish weekly roundups of all the best blog posts in the industry for that week. If youre writing high-quality content, you should be able to get featured in some roundups. In the excel document Im giving you, there will be search strings you can use to find blogs that host roundups. Resource PagesIn almost every niche there will be websites, which host resources pages. In order to be mentioned on one of these lists, you need to be producing stellar content. Dont think youll be able to contact a webmaster and ask them if your one-page affiliate site can be listed. If youre creating a valuable website that helps people solve a problem, then you should be able to get a few links from some resource pages within your industry. There will be search strings in the excel doc. Link PartiesThese are pretty easy links to get as long as your website is relevant, valuable, and up-to-date. Link parties are popular in the home dcor niche, but are seen throughout many other industries. It is exactly what it sounds like: every week a blog will link out to a bunch of relevant websites in the industry that they like. Have an awesome website, reach out, and youll get some super easy links. Broken LinksThis is similar to trying to be listed on a resource page, but instead youll be using leverage to get mentioned. You go out and find these pages in your industry and see if there are broken links on the page. From there, you can email the webmaster and notify of the broken links, and of course, suggest replacing the links with your resource and another relevant resource that isnt yours.

Outdated ContentThis is a super easy way to score a guest post and some links for your site. Simply find an outdated resource, write an updated version, and then submit to the site owner. For example, I might go out and find an SEO in 2012 article, and write something way more up-to-date. This strategy works well in industries that are non-static and are constantly evolving: fashion, technology, decorating, innovation, etc. Guest PostingNo, dont worry it isnt dead. You just have to be more strategic about the ways you link within the posts. Author box links are trash and will get you the boot. However, getting links contextually within an article are pretty much bullet proof. Ill be giving a ton of search strings in the excel doc that you can use to find websites offering guest posts in your industry. Its getting harder and harder to find these opportunities because people run and hide under their bed every time Matt Cutts releases a video. So, make sure you try to build a relationship with the potential blog youre targeting. This way, youll always have them as future resource. News WebsitesLanding these links are challenging, but can skyrocket the authority of your website. In the excel file, Im going to list some news website that allow you to submit articles. Im warning you right now, do not think you can submit some garbage written by a non-native English speaker. You need the absolute most premium content to get published. Top Lists SitesThese website are exactly what they sound like. Every article is in a list format. So, the strategy is pretty simple here: create an epic list post that provides value and submit it to the sites Im listing on the excel document. Help a Reporter Out (HARO)Sign-up for HARO, so you can start receiving their emails three times a day. If youre actively doing SEO and youre not signed up, then youre missing out on a goldmine. Every single day HARO sends out three emails that list article topics that websites are looking to get published on their respective sites. The majority of these sites are incredibly high quality and worth the effort. The trick is that you must produce premium content quickly because the deadlines are usually pretty short and the competition is fierce. If youre an industry expert, then you should have no problem getting published.

InfographicsCreating a valuable infographic is a great way to attract links naturally, but obviously requires resources. There are some free websites where you can design your own, but to be honest, if the infographic has any chance of making an impact, youll need to get it professional done. VideosVideos can be leveraged in two ways: link attraction and submitting your video to popular directories for a link. A unique or highly valuable video is a great way to attract links naturally. Obviously, these types of links will be much more powerful than getting links from video websites (most are nofollow). Like press releases, videos arent necessarily going to shoot your rankings through the sky, but they are great for traffic generation and brand building.

Advanced Tactics Warning: some of these tactics are considered grey hat or even black hat, so I hope you don't get offended. I don't recommend using black hat techniques on a website you love or your business. Just be smart.

Private Blog NetworksYes, blog networks are the real deal and Google hates them very much. The truth is, there arent many other link building techniques where you can control the relevancy of the website, the anchor text, and the content at the same time. Web 2.0 properties are the only other form of link building that can compete as far as link control, but they dont have as much power as an expired domain.

You have probably seen me in the comment section on my site giving tips to others SEOs on how to fortify their networks.

For this reason, I wrote an entire guide on how to build a PBN in 2015. Warning: building a blog network is not cheap, it requires a ton of work, there is a lot of maintenance, and its not 100% safe no matter what you do.

The key to keeping your network safe is to avoid any patterns. Remember, Google prefers to target things algorithmically, and the only way they can do this is through identifying patterns. This is why its absolutely critical to be RANDOM. Niche Review SitesCreating super relevant and valuable reviews sites is one of my favorite strategies with eCommerce websites. So, lets say my client sells shoes. I would then go out and create about three shoes review sites with valuable content. From these sites, I would link to my client. This works because a) its a super relevant link, and b) its a protective layer which I build a ton of links to. These sites will usually end up ranking well because of the links, and then it sends not only link power to my clients site, but it also sends targeted referral traffic. 301 RedirectsThis tactic is borderline black hat, but it works. And it works really freaking well. What you dont realize is that many websites use this sneaky little tactic without even knowing that they are dramatically increasing the authority of their websites. The method is simple. You 301 redirect a strong domain to your target website and you get almost all of its power and previous authority. The reason why this works is because its easier to rank for keywords when your website has authority in terms of PR (PageRank), DA (Domain Authority), and PA (Page Authority). Other than directly hitting your website with a 301, you can also utilize the URL shortner technique. Keep in mind, this is super black hat and I dont recommend on a long-term project. In essence, you build a few URL shortners and then build links to these shortners. It works because 1) there is a protective layer, so you can go crazy with links, 2) URL shortner websites use 301 redirects, so youll be getting a ton of authority. This is the type of tactic that Google will eventually wipe out, but I thought I should mention it

for those of you who like to live on the edge.

Modern Day Link WheelThis is my favorite tactic to use in 2015. You're simply going to create a high-quality content asset, publish it on authority site, and then leverage each piece of content.

An example of this is my article The #1 Reason Why Your PBN Sucks (And Doesn't Work) that I created on Live Journal that links to my article on Medium.

Not only does this help with indexing, but it will dramatically help build your brand and authority in your reader's eyes and most importantly, in Google's eyes. It's the be everywhere technique.

Tier Two LinksAs of right now, the best tier two links are high PR blog posts. This makes sense because youre hitting your tier one with established authority. You can also mess around with 301 redirects or URL shortners on tier two.

Or better yet, just read my tier two link building post.

To Conclude!I hope you enjoyed this eBook and found some new insights! Make sure you check out the excel document, so you can start building links today.

Go to this page to download the excel file: http://www.gotchseo.com/build-backlinks-2014-work/

And most importantly, please share this eBook with your friends or colleagues if you found some valuable information in it!

I'm doing a pretty cool promotion over on Facebook for when we get more likes. So, at 3,000 likes I'll be releasing my 45-day link building blueprint. As the likes continue to grow, I will release another 15 days of the blueprint until we reach the complete 90-Day Blueprint.

So, since I know you're obviously really serious about ranking your site in Google, you should head over to our Facebook page, like it, and join our community.

We look forward to seeing you and thanks for reading!

NATHAN GOTCHwww.GotchSEO.com