8 Awesome Tips to Get Backlinks Without Guest Posting

Guest-posting is the most frustrating link-building method for new websites. Think about it, you spend hours writing content for someone else, request them to publish it on their website, and pay them for that! Add to that a low response rate yet, and you are practically flushing your time down the toilet.

Naturally, those who try are bound to have this question: How to get backlinks without guest posting?

The best way to generate backlinks without guest posting is to split your time in a way that you spend 80% of your time crafting helpful content that attracts organic backlinks and 20% on outreach techniques that are better than guest-posting.

We have split the blog into these two sub-posts. The first one – organic link building – is a game of patience, but it is sustainable in the long run. The second one will generate quick results, at least on paper.

Read through both and select the one that suits your style.

Here are 8 ways to get backlinks without guest posting:

1. Creating helpful and unique content.
2. Doing original research.
3. Building a personal brand.
4. Networking and interviewing experts.
5. Broken link building method.
6. The Skyscraper technique.
7. Resource page link building.
8. Help A Reporter Out (HARO).

1. Create helpful and unique content

You may get a backlink and a blip in traffic with a guest-post submission. But soon, you will need more guest posts to sustain it. Next thing you know, you are writing more for others than for your own blog.

So, what if you stop chasing others and write only for your blog? When you keep writing evergreen content that others do not cover, Google will start serving your website in the search pages. This is because you are the only one with precise answers. A consistent effort will help you rank higher, get more traffic, and build loyalty. You need to be unique.

The best way to write unique content that meets search intent is to do thorough keyword research. It is a time-consuming process, but the boost in traffic makes it totally worth the time. 

Bear in mind, you do not need a tool to find keywords; you can do it on a Google search page! The keywords on Google search results page sections: Auto-Suggest, People Also Ask, Related Searches are what people type into the Google search bar. It is as accurate as it can get.

With keywords aligning with search intent, you offer so much value that you no longer need to ask them for backlinks or provide free content in the form of guest posts. You simply get the backlinks for free.

2. Do original research

Suppose you plan to write a blog based on the keyword – which TVs are best for the bedroom. There are scores of blogs on that topic. Google already has content.

But what it does not have is data. Now, if you figure out which TVs are easier on the eyes for nighttime viewing, you will have content that no one else has!

Research may sound scary, but it is doable. You do not need a lab or buy 20 TV sets. You just need to check product descriptions on Amazon. Or, if you visit the TV showroom and tell them you are writing an article, they might be happy to help you in return for a mention. It is a win-win situation for all.

Once you have stats, you just got to put on your baseball gloves and catch all free backlinks thrown at you.

3. Build a Personal Brand

Do you know why your top competitor has the most backlinks? Is it because they are better at outreach? Nope. They are better at being known. That is it. That is the power of a brand.

So when they reach out to websites offering a guest post, they see success at a better rate than you.

You may not be a known brand in your industry, but you should start building that brand. You can do so by being active on forums and social media, answering questions related to your business, creating podcasts or YouTube videos, etc.

It is not difficult. If you are writing a blog post, you can convert it into a video or podcast, but you need to be consistent. Once you have a good number of followers, your content will be consumed by more people. This results in more free backlinks.

4. Build a Network and Interview Experts

As you build your personal brand, people start recognizing you. The next step is to get all of them in one place. It could be a Facebook group or a Reddit forum. The intent is to make it easy for them to access you.

Also, interview industry experts who have more clout than you. We all wanted to be celebs at some point in time; the experts are no different. They might agree to appear on your YouTube video or podcast. This will put you in front of their followers, and some of them will follow you too. Over time, they will link to your content.

Another sly method to build your network is attending webinars. Most industries have Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) webinars where the community gets together. After the webinar, reach out to the SMEs and tell them what you liked about the session, follow them on social media and interact with their posts. This way, when you want to collaborate with them in the future, they might be more open to your offer as they know you.

Here is an example of how we connected with an SME/ influencer.

The SME was excited about me writing a blog post on the topic he covered in a webinar. Once the article is ready, they might share it with their network. That may or may not result in backlinks, but at least we made a connection.

Remember, the above tips take time to produce results. But that is how you can build backlinks naturally. This way your backlink profile that will keep growing till your content stays relevant and fresh.

Building backlinks without blogger outreach takes time. If you want to speed up the backlinking process, jump to the next section. Read about the outreach techniques that can help you get backlinks without guest posting.

Please note, these link-building methods may not be completely free. Website owners may charge you for link insertion.

5. Broken Link Building Method

What is the Broken Link Building Method?

There are 3 steps to the broken link building method of generating backlinks:

1. Finding broken links on high-domain websites of your niche.
2. Identifying existing content similar to the content in the broken page or creating fresh content.
3. Reaching out to the domain owner and asking them to replace the broken link with your content.

Broken link building method v/s Guest posting

The broken link-building method is better than Guest posting because:

1. You own the content you write and ask people to link to it. Even if you do not get a response, you at least have a new blog.
2. It is a faster method of building contacts as you are giving something before asking for a backlink. You are essentially offering content that improves their site health. The response rate, thus, is higher. You can approach them in the future with a guest-post request with a higher probability of response.
3. It is easier than guest-posting. You may already have content similar to the broken URL, so you can directly approach the website owner without writing a new piece.

If you have tried this method and have not found much success, access our optimization tips in this post. If done right, this method can help you get backlinks without guest posting.

6. The Skyscraper method

What is the Skyscraper Link Building Method?

There are 3 steps to the skyscraper method of link building:

1. Picking a high-quality blog that has a ton of backlinks.
2. Writing a piece that has more information than the blog post.
3. Asking website owners to ask them to link to your more holistic blog post.

The skyscraper technique is a sly method to get backlinks for free without guest-posting.

7. Resource Pages Link Building

Every established website usually has a resource page. This page is a repository of useful links.

Since there are tons of links on this webpage. There is a good chance a few of them will be broken.

Resource pages link building technique is the process of finding broken links on resources pages of authoritative websites and suggesting a replacement from your website. This process is more effective than the broken link-building method – you can find a bunch of broken links in one place.

This is a faster method to get backlinks without guest posting.

8. Link building with HARO

What is HARO and how to build backlinks with it?

HARO stands for Help A Reporter Out. It is an Email-based platform that connects journalists in search of sources with experts. Basically, once you subscribe to HARO as a source, you will get an Email thrice a day, each with requirements from journalists. You can respond to HARO queries from your niche. If a journalist likes your advice, they might quote you on their blog with a backlink.

The best part about HARO is, you can choose which publications you want to write for. Journalists from websites like INC., New York Times, etc post their requirements. You know the topic they are writing on, instead of having to guess like in the case of guest-posting. This increases the chances of you getting a backlink from a high authority website for free.

Final Words

Getting backlinks takes time, irrespective of your method of choice. However, with the first method, you build links passively. Imagine the time and effort you save that can be invested in creating more quality content!

Once you get into the flow and have a steady income from the blog, you can hire someone to manage your outreach campaigns. If you have a new website, focus on creating great content, backlinks will follow.

But at the same time, keep nurturing your network. Remember, an outreach for collaboration builds more backlinks than an outreach for backlinks.

Alright, we covered tips to get high value backlinks for free without guest-posting. Make sure you check out the FAQ section below. And comment if you have more questions.

FAQs