Getting backlinks as a nobody?
Has anyone successfully acquired backlinks as a nobody ( e.g. no audience ) with a new project?
I have read most of the advice on how to acquire backlinks, including:
https://backlinko.com/high-quality-backlinks
https://www.semrush.com/kb/594-how-can-i-try-to-acquire-backlinks-from-the-suggested-domains
https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-build-high-quality-backlinks-in-a-scalable-way/
But, that's all academic in my mind. Mechanically I understand what to do. I am looking for TRUE stories and specific steps that people put into practice within the context of their project and ecosystem.
I would love to hear stories from the trenches about the specific nuanced approach you took to get backlinks starting from zero followers / fans / supporters.
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My advice is to not worry about getting links, and worry about providing value that people will actually want to link to.
Pro tip: write content for people who run websites (they're the only people who can backlink).
For example, write authoritative research content that other people who blog/write can use it in their posts as data to back up their points.
If you want backlinks, write for people who backlink.
If you want customers, write for people who have the problem you're solving.
There's a balance, you want a bit of both.
I wrote a thread on how I got my first links. 12 months ago I had 100 Twitter followers and 0 email subscribers, so definitely a nobody 😅
+1 for this. I badly want to know how this is done without a great followers/fan base. I have never seen an application/ product getting backlinks unless you don't have followers/fans.
Any examples ? I might be wrong.
Hey @Jasondigitized
I've built a number of backlinks for my projects (without having much of an audience), especially RankLetter.com and PageExplorer.net before finishing or even launching.
Most of the links come from HARO and similar platforms. I've picked this method as it's a simple "one step" method I can do in spare time and drop when I'm busy. There is almost no follow-up tasks or work involved and it the results are very good. This is kinda my suggestion when starting: try something simple and easy. Don't try any complex outreach campaigns or guest posts beyond dev.to, hackernoon, etc.
Let me know if you got questions. Maybe I'm able to answer them. Btw, congrats on your first paying customer!
Cheers,
Peter
Hey Peter,
What specifically are you doing on HARO. You also mentioned some similar platforms?
HARO is a platform to connect journalists with sources. Journalists post questions and you can reply - in the hope to get featured. Simple as this.
What are you building that you want to promote?
I am currently building a site that focuses on free promotion for makers.
The high-effort approach is through outreach. The low-effort approach is to post on sites like HN or dev.to, hope your post succeeds and you'll get a bunch of people linking back to you.
It takes systematic outreach and hustle. It's a really long and time consuming process. That requires diligence and precision.
In more practical terms, it means reaching out and documenting every step. So that you can follow up and capitalise on potential.
Once you do this for a few weeks, momentum will begin to pick up. You'll randomly bump into paid opportunities and occasionally free ones too.
Who do you reach out to? Research.
Spend two hours everyday on this. Allow yourself to click around and build a long list of sites that are optional for a backlink. Then document your outreach process with them. So that the cycle flows and momentum picks up.
Good luck! ✌️
I would like to know too:-)