The Psychology of Link Building: How to Create Content That Naturally Attracts Backlinks

These days, brands need to obtain high-quality backlinks from authoritative sources to strengthen their search engine ranking. So, how can you create content that naturally attracts backlinks from credible sources? This requires an understanding of basic human psychology and the reasons why people share and link to content. It might sound daunting, but this post will break it down and explore the psychology of link building so that you can start creating a strong backlink profile. Ready? Let’s get started.

The Reasons Why People Link to Content 

First, it is helpful to outline the main reasons why people link to content. There are a few reasons why publishers like blog owners, website owners, influencers, and journalists link to content, including:

Emotional Factors

Emotional factors are one of the primary motivations for linking to content. If the content elicits some kind of emotional reaction, it is more likely to be linked, even if this is a negative emotion. In fact, the Journal of Marketing Research found that content that elicits emotions like awe, surprise, or anger is 28% more likely to go viral than non-emotional content.

Practical Value

Another motivation for linking to content is practical value. If the content provides clear, practical value for its readers, the publisher will be much more likely to link to it. This is why how-to guides and tutorials remain such a popular type of content.

Credibility

Credibility can work both ways, so if the content is produced by a credible and authoritative voice on the subject, the publisher will link to it to leverage the credibility of the content producer. Studies show that pages with high domain authority receive a significant amount more backlinks than those with low authority.

Social Proof

Similarly, social proof is another motivating factor. If the content already has a lot of shares and a high level of engagement, a publisher will be much more likely to link to it. Highly shared content will always be a lot more likely to earn organic backlinks, which is why so many strive to create viral content.

Types of Content to Earn Authoritative Backlinks

So, now we know the motivations for linking to content, we can look at the best types of content to produce. To attract natural backlinks from authoritative sources, there are a few types of content you should be focused on:

Emotional Content

With content that elicits emotions 28% more likely to go viral, it is clear that you want to be producing content that evokes some kind of emotion. That is not to say you want to upset or anger people deliberately, but topics that will make people feel something and get them talking will always be effective. This is why you should focus on topics that challenge conventional wisdom - keep in mind that controversial content often gets shared by supporters and opposers while creating a lot of engagement.

Guides

As mentioned above, practical value is one of the main motivations for linking content. This is the most straightforward option, as you can simply produce guides, how-to posts, and evergreen content that your target audience can turn to. Try to consider the topics that would interest them and the challenges they face in their lives so that you can produce guides that will add value to their lives.

Original Research

Positioning your brand as an authoritative voice can be challenging in a competitive online marketplace. One of the most effective methods is to produce your own original research into topics that would engage your target audience. By creating research that consists of surveys and data, you can position your brand as an expert on the topic. Original research containing data will always attract high-quality backlinks from journalists, bloggers, influencers, and other publishers.

Visual Content

Visual content can also help attract backlinks from credible sources. This is due to the fact that visual content is easier to digest and more palatable than a wall of text, which is why brands must always break up content with different types of visual content. Infographics are particularly effective and 30x more likely to be read than text-based articles.

Case Studies

Case studies are another valuable type of content that can attract backlinks. This is because case studies can provide real-world information and results, which always makes content more relatable and interesting to readers.

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Top Tips for Attracting Backlinks

Of course, it is not just about the type of content you produce - you must also know how to attract backlinks from authoritative sources. There are a few tips that will help you build a strong backlink profile, including:

Reach out to credible publishers: First, you should perform outreach to relevant and authoritative bloggers, website owners, journalists, and influencers in your niche. Be sure to personalise each message and explain why they should link to your content. You can also reach out to credible publishers and publish guest posts linking back to your content.

Repurpose content: Once you have created a high-quality piece, consider how it could be repurposed in a different format. If you have produced an in-depth guide, for example, then consider turning it into a podcast, video, or infographic.

Use internal linking: Internal linking can strengthen your backlink profile, so be sure to link to new content from older, high-ranking pages to boost visibility.

Use social media and online communities: You can also share your content and attract backlinks and share on social media and online communities like Reddit and Quora - just make sure you are not spamming readers and provide valuable and relevant insights.

Use a digital marketing agency: For the best results, it is worth hiring the services of a digital marketing agency in London. They will have expertise in link-building and know how to create a strong backlink profile to improve your search engine ranking.

Hopefully, the information in this post will be useful. With a basic understanding of the psychology behind link building, you can produce content that will naturally attract backlinks from authoritative sources and strengthen your presence online. In turn, this will increase organic traffic, improve brand awareness, and strengthen your brand reputation.