How to Get Quality Backlinks and Improve Your Search Engine Rankings
Most handmade sellers online are very concerned about the keywords on their Etsy shop and even their own website, but another very important part of SEO that is often overlooked is the backlink.
While most of us have heard of them, not many are familiar with the importance or value of quality backlinks.
They can increase traffic to your shop and boost site rankings.
First off, what is a backlink?
A backlink is simply a link from one website to another website.
For example, this link to my Etsy shop Wall Decal Source is a backlink.
Major search engines like Google place a lot of weight on the number of backlinks your website or shop has.
But not only does Google count your backlinks, it also pays attention to their quality.
For example, if Buzzfeed.com linked to your website, that would be considered a very quality backlink because the site is very popular and received millions of visits to that page every month.
If you also had a link from a small blog to your shop it would not be nearly as valuable to your search rankings.
Also, it’s very important to take note that it’s not the website where the link comes from that matters, it’s the actual page.
A link from the homepage of buzzfeed.com would be worth 10 times as much as link from an article that is 2 years old.
I like to think of backlinks as votes.
Some votes are more valuable than others.
But the more votes you have the better.
While you go about your SEO campaign trying to build high-quality backlinks, consider the content and audience of the sites you are targeting.
The more related the content, the higher the quality of the backlink.
For example, if you own an Etsy shop selling personalized bracelet charms, a backlink from a blog that features special and unique charms is much more relevant to your Etsy shop then a blog that talks about horse manure.
Consider the various options before asking for a backlink and be selective about the content of the site.
Here Are The Top 5 Ways to Gain High-Quality Backlinks
1. Take initiative
If you want to get noticed, you have to make yourself noticeable. Start making a list of all the bloggers, journalists, and sites that you would really like to be featured on or associated with.
Contact them, offer them something to post a backlink to your site.
The more you go at it, the higher chance of you gaining high-quality relevant backlinks.
2. Get social
Social media networks like Facebook and Twitter have made it easy for businesses to connect with their niche target market and upsell products and services.
To take full advantage of social media, make sure you are following and are followed by those in the industry. Share links to your blog, store, or website.
The more you share relevant and direct links, the higher the chances of people liking, sharing, resharing, and clicking.
Depending on your target market, you should also consider other social networks like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest.
3. Compartmentalize your Etsy Store
Your Etsy store comes with shop sections that are permanent unless you change or remove them.
These shop sections help categorize and focus on specific product details so that your store stays well organized and easier to index by search engines like Google.
Every shop section contains key meta data like a title, description, and keywords.
Don’t condense too much information into one shop section.
As it will make Google confused and might not help with your ranking.
Also, pay attention to the language and grammar of your meta data.
Take the extra time to craft this section well as changing or deleting it after you set it up is not encouraged.
Once you are all set up, make sure to promote the links to each shop section.
This lets you target niche markets and appeals to your potential customers.
Remember that any backlinks of your shop sections will not work if you change or delete them so try your best to get it right the first time.
4. Create your blog
Blogging has become one of the most cost-effective and popular methods of promoting a store.
It is also a proven SEO strategy that helps with quality backlinks.
There are many ways to use a blog to promote your store.
One important focus is to include links to your Etsy shop sections in each blog post, on relevant keywords and phrases.
Always make sure your blog is relevant to your products and services.
This is an important factor, especially for Google ranking.
Blog as often as you can, preferably 3 – 4 times each week, and share unique things that your potential customers would really like to read.
5. Don’t settle for less
To get more attraction from bloggers your shop has to be visually appealing.
Because bloggers prefer to backlink to stores and sites with a high-quality standard.
Make sure your products’ photos and descriptions are well enough to make them feature worthy.
Never settle for lesser than what you need to make a great product or service.
Getting a good Google search rank is vital to promoting your Etsy store, blog, or website.
Gaining high-quality backlinks on sites with relevant content is essential to your SEO strategy and can pave a way to a successful organic SEO campaign in the long run.
Remember, quality not quantity matters for inbound backlinks. Good luck!
