Backlinks are the little blue check of the SEO world. Without it, people won’t know if they can trust your brand to provide valuable content. But earning high authority backlinks is easier said than done. 

Millions of websites like yours are vying for the top spots of search engine results. SEO competition is steep, and it’s hard to keep up since many search engines keep their page ranking algorithms behind closed doors. 

So how can brands establish themselves as an authoritative source of information that Google and consumers can trust? The answer is high authority backlinks. 

High-Authority Backlinks Explained

High authority backlinks are links to your brand’s website from other websites that search engines could consider authoritative. This includes popular publications, trusted brands, specific professionals, and other widely recognized content.

While search engines don’t use third-party metrics like domain authority (DA) scores as a factor for PageRank, it is a clear indicator of a website’s popularity, and probably the closest thing we have to the real scores Google assigns to websites.

Companies that want to rank higher on Google and build trust with search engines need to be seen as an authority by association with other trusted, authoritative websites. By extension, if you increase your domain authority, you will inevitably position yourself better.

High authority backlinks are crucial to creating a quality link building strategy for many reasons. When a popular website links back to your brand, it tells readers that your brand is trustworthy and reliable.

Plus, it also tells search engines that your website belongs in search results since it is credible enough to be linked to by authoritative websites. 

But backlinks are essential for authoritative websites as well. For example, you wouldn’t write a research paper without backing up your claims with data from reliable niche-relevant sources.

Blogs and news websites don’t publish information without offering their readers the source of their information to back it up. The benefits of backlinks go both ways. 

How to Land High-Authority Backlinks

Landing high-authority backlinks is a great way to spread brand awareness and improve your website’s organic search and referral traffic. But how can you get started earning links when your brand is new or just beginning an SEO journey?

There are many ways to get brand mentions and generate backlinks from high-authority websites without purchasing links and resorting to other black hat SEO methods that are frowned upon by search engines and consumers.

Here are some of the best methods for landing high-authority backlinks:

1. Create high-quality, linkable content

First, make sure that your content is worthy of high-authority backlinks. Other websites want to provide their visitors with valuable information. To get backlinks, your content has to be packed with relevant info.

But it also has to look good. Content worthy of high-authority backlinks should be readable and full of information visitors can use.

Websites should also publish unique content that can easily be used as a reference for others. For example, expert roundups, industry research, and stats.

Another way to make your content more naturally linkable is to go after evergreen keywords that content creators and journalists often search for.

As they write, they’ll use search engines to find relevant information about several keywords and topics. The goal is to create content that will eventually earn backlinks on its own, without any extra work on the backend.

2. Lean into social sharing

After you have a collection of eye-catching and thought-provoking content, it’s time to share it.

Social media can be a good way to get your content noticed by more companies that can link to your content or even share it on social media.

While a share is not the same as a high-authority backlink, it is a good way to start a conversation and build a connection.

Humans are a social breed. Ask others to share your content on social media so it can get put in front of a larger audience and get shared across the internet.

It’s a great way to tap into new audiences and find markets that might not have been available to your company.

Plus, building social sharing relationships online, it opens the door for conversations about exchanging links, being featured in an article, or sharing your linkable content so they can use it as a reference in one of theirs.

3. Depend on your network

Your network of other companies and professionals is another great place to earn backlinks and build your authority.

Building an online presence is like building a house. You must have a solid foundation before building your house from the ground up.

Your network of fellow entrepreneurs, business leaders, and companies you have a working relationship with can all be sources of quality backlinks that will help you establish a foundation so that your site will begin to show up organically in more and more search results.

There are many ways to approach others in your network about potentially posting your backlinks in their content.

This link building technique works best when you already have a positive business relationship, so you feel confident, and they don’t feel awkward about you asking for a favor.

4. Reach out to industry authorities

Cold emailing and DMs are not the most efficient way to earn high-authority backlinks, but one great mention from the right organization has the potential to be worth the time and effort.

Industry blogs, business news websites, and publications that mention your competitors are great places to start looking for high-authority backlinks.

Introduce your brand by telling a condensed version of your story and what your brand is doing. Then, you can send them an article or two of your most valuable content and suggest they include a backlink to your website.

Companies that offer professional marketing services reach out to important names in the field that their client operates in and pitch them their story.

After that, the ball is in their court. But, you never know if you don’t ask. And in today’s cut-throat online competition, you have to ask for what you want or risk being washed away to the 15th page of search results.

The key is to include valuable content comparable to other websites in your industry that stands out in some way or another.

You don’t want to seem like a carbon copy of every other brand like yours, but you do need to prove that your company stacks up against the competition to get featured on industry news sites.

5. Guest posts

Another way to get backlinks from popular industry publications is through guest posting.

Similar to asking for a backlink or mentioning some of your most stellar content, you’ll have to reach out to several industry blogs and popular news sites without a solid connection.

But that’s okay because you aren’t just asking for a favor; you’re offering them professional content to add to their collection.

Guest posting for links offers your brand several benefits with just one piece of content.

Not only will you have earned a high-authority backlink that will get noticed by others in your industry, but your brand will also have a quality piece of content that is easy to find in search that others might use to cite useful information and drive referral traffic to your website.

6. Try HARO

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a platform that connects journalists and content creators with reliable sources of information on various topics.

Writers from all kinds of publications use HARO to find valuable information from a professional that is hard to find anywhere else.

It works like this: reporters and writers post information about the type of insights they seek, and professionals from across the world send in their insights.

The best digital PR services often incorporate HARO into their linkbuilding strategies as well.

That professional could be you.

Take a look at the information journalists are researching, and if your expertise lines up, send an email and include a reference to your brand.

If the reporter uses your insights for their article, you’ll gain a great backlink from an authoritative source and help establish your brand as an industry authority.

7. Exchange links

An often overlooked strategy that can be a safe way to improve your backlinking strategy is to swap links with other established websites.

In-house and outsourced marketing teams sometimes look down on link exchanges that want to develop a robust SEO link strategy.

So, swapping links with other websites that want to boost their authority and build trust with reputable links is an easy way to make connections and get more backlinks.

Other brands that can be found on link exchanges and swaps know the value of earning quality backlinks and are often happy to feature your link on their website so long as you agree to post one of their links in your content.

Of course, you’ll need to be sure that the sites you exchange with are safe and reliable so that you don’t get scammed.

But it’s not always one-for-one. Link exchanges enable brands to connect and exchange as many links as they want with other brands looking to improve their online presence.

That means you could end up with several high-quality backlinks with minimal effort.

Tips for Landing Better Backlinks

As discussed at the beginning of this article, not all backlinks are created equal.

Brands that want to improve their reach and build an online presence need to acquire high-authority links from reputable websites. Here are some tips to ensure that you get the best backlinks possible:

1. Create data-based content

On top of publishing well-written content, companies have to publish content that offers valuable insights to establish authority.

The best way to ensure that your brand’s content receives quality backlinks is to write articles based on statistics and data.

When bloggers and other writers do research for new topics, they often seek out data to inform their audience. How do they find this data? Google.

If your article is packed with intriguing statistics, you are more likely to earn a backlink that cites your brand as the source.

2. Publish fresh infographics

Everyone loves a good infographic. They look good, are informative, and can help explain complicated subjects in a way that is easy to understand.

According to MIT, the human brain processes visual data faster than text, so infographics are a great way to share new ideas.

Many blogs and news sites use infographics based on good research to catch their readers’ attention and share vital knowledge to enhance their content. If a site uses your infographic, boom! An authoritative backlink is yours.

3. Use quality links in your content

Mentioning other authoritative content on your website can help you land better backlinks.

Although it seems a little bit backward, linking to other quality websites can help your SEO in more ways than one. First, it encourages your linked sites to link back to your site.

Second, search engines will notice that your website links to authoritative content, and you will receive recognition by association.

Finally, it helps build trust with readers so that they will feel confident sharing your content with others and using it to inform their content (with a link back, of course.)

Final Thoughts

Achieving increased organic traffic is easier with a quality backlinking strategy in place. Any company that wants to grow in today’s world needs a solid online presence, including a higher search engine ranking for specific search terms.

However, building a great website full of creative and attractive content is not enough to break into the first page of results, sometimes you need to hire a company and buy backlinks in order to scale your growth.

Brands that want to see organic growth must have a linkbuilding strategy that includes earning high authority backlinks from some of the internet’s most trustworthy and reliable websites.

BlueTree offers both small-scale and enterprise SEO services, helping you build better backlinks by creating relevant content that consumers and industry professionals find valuable.

We help companies keep up with content trends and establish authority by working with a network of reputable online publications that publish hundreds of quality articles weekly.

BlueTree offers clients a better way to create meaningful content that climbs search engine rankings and establishes authority.

Create a quality backlinking strategy with BlueTree.