Is your website’s ranking in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) starting to stagnate? If so, it’s time to rethink your link-building strategy.
While high-quality content, broken link building, and submitting guest posts are essential parts of any link-building campaign, focusing solely on these basic techniques means you’ll miss out on relevant links and opportunities to boost your Google rankings.
In some industries, getting an edge over your competitors means leveraging every possible advantage. Even though you might have achieved some success, it's time to aim higher.
If you’re ready to step into the next level of link-building tactics, you’re at the right place.
These advanced link-building tips will help you elevate your SEO game and outrank the competition.
What Is Advanced Link Building?
Advanced link building is a sophisticated approach to acquiring high-quality backlinks.
It goes beyond the basics of traditional link-building methods, such as:
👉 Guest posting: Writing articles for other websites in exchange for a backlink.
👉 Directory submissions: Submitting your website to online directories.
👉 Blog commenting: Leaving comments on blog posts with a link back to your site.
👉 Social bookmarking: Sharing your content on social bookmarking sites.
While the above link-building strategies are still useful, they might not be enough to get your website to the top of the SERPs.
Because traditional link-building strategies are so effective and straightforward, all your competitors are probably using these methods, too.
So, to stand out, you need to stay one step ahead of others in your niche.
That’s where advanced link building comes in.
Advanced link-building tactics take a more strategic and nuanced approach that focuses on long-term benefits and amplified results.
Because advanced link building requires a deeper understanding of your industry, audience, and SEO strategy, it enables you to implement strategies that can help you:
Find more link-building opportunities.
Build a more robust backlink profile.
Increase your ranking in the SERPs.
Drive more traffic to your website.
Advanced link-building techniques include methods such as:
👉 Tiered link building.
👉 Reddit link building.
👉 Optimizing your “Write for us” page.
👉 Link reclamation.
👉 Resource page link building.
👉 Shotgun Skyscraper link building.
👉 Wikipedia link building.
7 Advanced Link-Building Tactics
Ready to take your link-building strategy to the next level? In this section, we dive into seven advanced link-building tactics.
Let’s explore each of these strategies in detail:
🚀 Tiered link building
Tiered link building involves constructing multiple layers of backlinks, each supporting the next.
The highest tier consists of links pointing directly to your website, while subsequent tiers build links to these referring pages. This “link pyramid” enhances the link equity that flows to your site.
It’s an advanced link-building strategy because it requires you to not only consider links pointing directly to your website, but also to think about your backlink profile as a whole.
Here’s how the tiered link building works:
✅ First-tier links
First-tier links are backlinks that point directly to your website.
These should be high-quality, authoritative links from reputable sources. Examples of first-tier link sources include major news outlets, well-respected industry blogs, and high-authority directories.
✅ Second-tier links
Second-tier links point to the pages that link to your website.
These links help enhance the authority of your first-tier links. Ideally, you want around 10 tier two links pointing to every tier one link.
They don't need to be as high quality as first-tier links and might include guest posts on smaller industry blogs, mentions in relevant directories, and links from social media profiles.
✅ Third-tier links
Third-tier links support second-tier links.
These can be even less authoritative and include links from forums, blog comments, and lesser-known blogs. They might come from sites with a DR of between 0 and 30. While they are less authoritative, they help bolster second-tier links.
The goal is to build a large volume of these links to further boost the link equity flowing to your first-tier links. We often recommend building around 100 third-tier backlinks to every tier two link.
📝 Tiered link building example
Say, for example, you’ve managed to secure a guest post on TechCrunch that links directly to your website.
TechCrunch is a highly authoritative website, with a domain rating (DR) of 92. Getting a backlink from such a reputable website is a massive win:
Next, you write a guest post for a well-known industry blog, such as SERPStat’s blog, which has a DR of 79.
In this post, you’d then link to your TechCrunch article.
This second-tier link enhances the authority of the TechCrunch page, thereby passing more link equity to your website through the TechCrunch link.
For the third tier, you could write a guest post for a smaller niche blog or participate in a relevant forum discussion, such as a post on a site like Medium or Reddit.
Here, you’d then link to your SERPStat guest post.
These backlinks are easy to build, but you may need to build hundreds!
This further enhances the link equity flow to your original TechCrunch article and ultimately, to your website.
🚀 Find competitor links on Reddit
Advanced link building often involves leveraging platforms in unique ways to gain high-quality backlinks. One platform that’s become a major focus for link builders is Reddit.
Using Reddit for advanced link building involves more than just sharing your content.
By analyzing where and how your domain is mentioned, discovering new communities, and learning from competitors, you can develop a link-building strategy that leverages Reddit’s user base for your link-building efforts.
💡Why Reddit Is a Powerful Link-Building Tool
Since Google’s 2023 Helpful Content Update, Reddit has been appearing more frequently in Google’s search results. One study found that Reddit shows up 97.5% of the time in Google product review queries.
This increased visibility means that content shared on Reddit has a higher chance of being seen by a larger audience, which makes it an extremely valuable platform for link building.
If you haven't considered Reddit as a part of your link-building strategy, it might be time to explore its potential. Here’s how:
Reddit has a little-known feature that allows you to see where any domain has been shared on their site. This feature is useful for both checking your website's performance and gaining insights into your competitors' strategies.
By using the following URL format: reddit.com/domain/yourdomain.com, you can view all the instances where your site has been mentioned on Reddit.
Here’s an example of the content discussed when we search reddit.com/domain/ahrefs.com:
In the example above, we can see that Ahrefs is being discussed on these subreddits:
r/SEOTips4U
Keyword
If your content is shared in subreddits you weren’t aware of, this tool can help you discover communities that can be targeted for future content sharing and engagement.
Some additional benefits of using Reddit for advanced link building include:
✅ Identify key Redditors: By tracking who shares your content, you can identify influential Redditors who engage with your niche. These users can become valuable allies in promoting your content.
✅ Reddit-specific content strategies: Seeing how your content performs on Reddit can give you insight into the titles and topics that resonate with users. Tailoring your posts to appeal to specific subreddits can increase your content’s visibility.
✅ Competitor insights: If your site is new or hasn’t gained much traction on Reddit, you can run the same query for your competitors. This will help you identify successful subreddits, content types, and influential Redditors in your industry.
💡 Are Backlinks from Reddit Valuable?
Like links from other social media websites, links from Reddit aren’t highly valued by search engines. They are typically nofollow links, which means that they do not pass on much (if any) domain authority to your website.
However, a post that goes viral on Reddit can lead to organic traffic and expose your content to a wider audience, including those who link to your site from their blogs, forums, or other platforms.
This exposure can lead to natural backlinks from a diverse variety of sources—and these links are often highly valued by search engines.
🚀 Optimize your “Write for us” pages
Optimizing your “Write for us” pages is another advanced link-building technique that can boost your backlink profile.
Your “Write for us” page is essentially an invitation for guest bloggers to contribute content to your site. Here’s an example of what it might look like:
This strategy flips the script by using your “Write for us” page to generate opportunities for you to guest blog on relevant sites.
This saves you the time typically spent on outreach efforts, so you can focus on building relationships and securing high-quality links instead.
Here’s how you can make the most of this advanced link-building strategy while ensuring it aligns with best practices:
1. Optimize your “Write for us” page
To start, make sure your “Write for us” page is highly visible and optimized for relevant search terms.
This means you should include keywords that potential guest bloggers might use, such as:
Guest posting opportunities.
Write for us + your niche.
Submit a guest post.
Contribute to our blog.
Blogging opportunities.
Guest post guidelines.
When someone searches for guest posting opportunities in your niche, your goal is for your page to rank high in the search engine result pages.
2. Set strict guidelines
Draft comprehensive guidelines that detail your quality standards, submission process, and topics of interest.
Make it clear that you only accept high-quality, original content from reputable sources.
If you accept and publish a large number of poor-quality guest blogging submissions, Google might see it as an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings—so it’s important to maintain tight quality control.
3. Require reciprocal links
As part of your guest posting policy, require contributors to publish your guest post in return. This reciprocal approach ensures that your content gets published on other relevant, reputable sites.
By leveraging the power of reciprocal guest posting, you can effectively tap into the ’linkerati.’
These are influential web users who create and share content; they can amplify your reach and authority in your niche.
4. Promote your page
Promote your “Write for us” page through your existing network, social media channels, and any relevant communities you’re part of.
The more visibility it gets, the more inquiries you’re likely to receive.
5. Build relationships
While this advanced link-building method is great for capitalizing on short-term link-building opportunities, the bigger benefit lies in building relationships over the long term.
If you get submissions from contributors who create particularly valuable content, have a high DR, or are relevant to your target audience, engage with them to explore future opportunities for collaboration.
These relationships can lead to regular content exchanges and a steady flow of high-quality backlinks.
🚀 Reclaim your links
Often overlooked, link reclamation is an important component of an advanced link-building strategy.
Link reclamation involves checking on all those links you earned in the past and ensuring they’re still intact. Link building is not a one-time strategy because links can become broken or disappear over time. This can happen due to:
👉 Website updates: When a website undergoes updates or redesigns, URLs may change, which causes links to break.
👉 Deleted pages: Pages linked to your site might be deleted by the host website, resulting in broken backlinks.
👉 Broken redirect chains: Improperly set up redirects can lead to broken links, which interrupt the flow of link equity.
👉 Content reorganization: When websites reorganize their content or URL structure without proper redirects, it can result in broken links.
👉 Competitors’ strategies: Competitors might persuade site owners to replace your links with theirs, causing your links to be removed.
If you’re losing links at the same rate you’re building them, your efforts are effectively neutralized. A link reclamation strategy ensures your past work continues to pay off.
Here’s how to find lost links with Ahrefs:
Enter your website's URL in the Site Explorer search bar and click the search button:
In the left-hand menu, navigate to the 'Backlinks' section and select 'Broken backlinks.' This report shows all the links that are currently broken:
The list of broken backlinks includes each referring page, the anchor text, and the target URL on your site.
Prioritize links from high-authority domains or those that previously drove significant traffic to your site.
In line with what the abovementioned example reveals, an SEO specialist at SEO Journal would probably prioritize reclaiming the lost link from Website Builder Expert because it has a DR of 81.
The next step in link reclamation is to contact the website owners or editors of the referring pages.
Let them know about the broken link, provide the correct URL, or suggest a new link to content on your website.
🚀 Resource page link building
Resource page link building involves finding websites with pages dedicated to resources or tools in your industry, and then proposing to include a link to your website on those pages.
Here’s an example of a resource page from We Make Websites:
We Make Websites has a DR of 70, so being included on their resource page would be a win for your link-building campaign:
Their resource page is geared toward content within the e-commerce industry, and includes the following content types:
👉 Podcasts.
👉 Blogs.
👉 Publications and newsletters.
👉 Social media accounts.
If you own a relevant blog in the same industry, you could contact the website owner and ask whether they would be willing to include a link to your blog on their resource page.
Resource pages are designed to share valuable information. Before you submit your content, take a look at what they already have listed on their page.
Make sure you don’t duplicate existing content and that yours is at least as good as what's featured there.
If you don't have anything suitable, create new content specifically for their page instead of submitting what you already have.
🔎 How to Find Resource Pages in Your Niche
Using Google is a straightforward and effective way to find resource pages in your industry. Simply type in keywords related to your industry, along with terms like:
Resources
Resource pages
Tools
Guides
Best of
List
For example, if you’re in the e-commerce industry, you could search for "ecommerce resources" or "ecommerce tools." This will show you a list of websites that have pages dedicated to resources in your industry.
🚀 Use the Shotgun Skyscraper Technique
The Skyscraper Technique is a well-known strategy, originally created by SEO expert Brian Dean.
But for those looking to level up, the Shotgun Skyscraper Technique offers a more advanced and scalable link-building approach. This technique was developed by Authority Hacker; Mark Webster claims that it skyrocketed the company’s link volume by 1,667%.
💡What is the Shotgun Skyscraper Technique?
The Shotgun Skyscraper Technique builds on the traditional Skyscraper method by automating and expanding the outreach process.
For context, here’s a quick refresher on the Skyscraper link-building technique:
✅ Find popular content: Identify a piece of content with a high number of backlinks.
✅ Create something better: Develop an improved version of that content—more detailed, engaging, and valuable.
✅ Attract links: Contact the sites linking to the original content and ask them to link to your superior piece instead.
The Shotgun Skyscraper Technique amplifies this process with automated tools that help you find email addresses and send outreach emails.
Here are some of our favorite tools for finding email addresses:
👉 Snov.io: Snov.io is a versatile tool for email finding, verification, and outreach. It’s designed to help businesses grow their outreach efforts with ease.
👉 Hunter.io: Hunter.io is an email finder tool that helps you discover email addresses associated with any domain. It’s perfect for building your list of prospects before starting your outreach campaign.
After gathering email addresses for the sites you want to contact, use an outreach tool to send semipersonalized emails to your list of prospects—we explain what this involves below.
Here are some of our top picks:
👉 Mailshake: Mailshake is a tool designed for sales and marketing professionals. It allows you to send personalized cold emails at scale, track engagement, and follow up with prospects automatically.
👉 BuzzStream: BuzzStream is an outreach and link-building tool that helps you build relationships with influencers and bloggers. It allows you to research prospects, send personalized emails, and manage your outreach campaigns efficiently.
👉 Lemlist: Lemlist is an email outreach tool that focuses on personalization and deliverability. It helps you create highly personalized email campaigns and automate follow-ups.
👉 NinjaOutreach: NinjaOutreach is an influencer marketing and blogger outreach tool. It helps you find influencers, create personalized outreach campaigns, and track your results.
💡Semi-Personalized Outreach Email Example
Hi [Name],
I recently came across your excellent resource on [Topic] and found it incredibly helpful. I wanted to let you know that I’ve created an updated and more comprehensive guide on [Related Topic]. You can check it out here: [Link].
I think it would be a valuable addition to your resource page [Link to their page], and give your audience even more detailed information.
Thanks for considering my suggestion!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Once you’ve sent your emails, be prepared to follow up. Luckily, the platforms we’ve listed above can also automate this step.
Many links come from follow-up emails, so missing this step can mean missing out on link-building opportunities.
💡Semi-Personalized Follow-Up Email Example
Hi [Name],
I hope this message finds you well.
Just following up on my previous email regarding the updated guide on [Related Topic] that I thought would be a great addition to your resource page on [Their Topic].
In case you missed it, here’s the link to the guide: [Link].
I genuinely believe it can provide valuable insights to your audience and complement the excellent resources you already offer. Thanks for considering my suggestion.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Even if you have the best content and outreach email strategy in the world, some site owners may still ask for payment or suggest other forms of collaboration.
Be prepared to negotiate, and always steer the conversation toward mutually beneficial arrangements rather than just monetary transactions.
This approach not only saves you money, but also builds stronger relationships with site owners.
🚀 Build Wikipedia links
Did you know that using Wikipedia can be a highly effective strategy for gaining valuable backlinks?
Building links on Wikipedia is an advanced link-building technique that, when done correctly, can boost your site's authority and visibility.
Wikipedia is one of the most trusted and visited websites globally. However, backlinks from it are nofollow links. This means they don’t pass on link equity:
So, why build links with Wikipedia?
Wikipedia often ranks highly in search engine results. Because Wikipedia content is regularly updated and scrutinized by moderators, links from Wikipedia are considered trustworthy by users. This encourages users to link to that content, which can lead to more valuable dofollow links from other sources.
Building links on Wikipedia involves identifying opportunities where your content can add value to existing pages. Here’s how to do it:
First, sign up for a free Wikipedia account:
Then, identify Wikipedia pages relevant to your industry or niche. Add new information, citations, or sections to these pages, and include a link to your content where relevant.
It’s important to make sure that your contributions are meaningful, well cited, and enhance the pages’ value to avoid them being removed by moderators.
You’ll want to use this link-building tactic strategically. If, for example, you add five links to your website in a Wikipedia article, moderators will flag your edits.
To get the most out of this method, be a good Wikipedia citizen and assist with citations, fixing links, and cleaning up other articles that aren’t in your niche.
Start Implementing Advanced Link-Building Tactics with Linkbuilder
Are you ready to gain an edge in boosting your website’s search engine ranking?
If you want to get ahead of the competition and not just keep up, then Contact us today.
We can offer advanced techniques that elevate your link-building efforts to the next level.
Our expert team understands the intricacies of advanced link building, and we’re here to help you implement these strategies and secure high-quality backlinks.
Don't let your competitors outpace you with basic link-building tactics—aim higher!