Where could a business like this get good backlinks

[SeanDigitalSave]

Hi guys

I'm trying to work out where we can obtain some good back links from.

We are a retailer of mobile phone and audio accessories as well as other lifesestyle and electronic good. We stock high quality brands such as Apple, Samsung, Sony etc. For the most part though, we obtain our goods through distributors that deal in bulk packaged (non retail packaged), end of line stock etc. As such, there are only 4 or 5 brands that we carry a large line of. Apple 100% won't give you a backlink. Samsung, maybe but doubtful. We stock two brands from one supplier (HMDX and House of Marley supplied from HomEdics) and carry a lot of stock and they still flat out refused to link for us.

A lot of our distributors dont have good websites or websites at all.

Where could we get back links for this sort of business?

Thanks

 

[tk-hassan]

Start posting some comments on related blogs.

 

[SeanDigitalSave]

With a link back to our website? Is that good practice? Does Google use self created links?

 

[Graham Curtis]

Yes. Find relevant blogs with good domain authority and try to leave natural looking links.

 

[SeanDigitalSave]

Ok thanks I'll do that. Something else to confuse me though.

I did a backlink check.

Google Web Developer Tools: 4
Monitorbacklinks.com: 8
Majestic.com: 224

Can anyone explain this?

 

[fisicx]

Blog commenting is a pointless waste of time. 99% of blogs are no follow and the other 1% are spammed to death.

If you want decent backlinks you need to work hard to get them. You should be getting somewhere in a year or two. Your problem is you are selling products that thousands of others are already doing so all the decent sources of links have been saturated.

Invest your marketing budget in advertising, at least that way you will get targeted visitors who, if you are lucky, will buy your products.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but the cheap and easy routes to successful online sales disapeared a few years back.

 

[SeanDigitalSave]

Not looking for a cheap and easy route, that wasn't the question. And no one here is afraid of a bit of hard work. Did you read the first post properly? I was asking where we should start looking. If you don't think blogs are anygood (you seem to be the only one, most of what I've read cites blog commenting quite high up) where do YOU recommend we start looking?

 

[Graham Curtis]

Sean, I think all the points made by Fisicx about blogs not being particularly strong links are valid.

Although in my opinion blogs are a good place to start to leave non-spammy links that Google will not punish you for creating.

 

[Shopclicks]

I agree with fisicx comments. If you can't get backlinks from your suppliers, focus on other areas of seo and advertise. Backlinks are not always make or break for a website. I run one particular website which has just one good quality backlink from a relevant website, which I created myself. This website has top 5 / page 1 ranking for a lot of relevant search terms and brings a good deal of custom to the business.

If you find a way to get good backlinks then great, but I wouldn't rely on the links you will get to make your site rank.

 

[LowPrices.uk]

I agree that blog commenting is pretty pointless.

Attempting to get people to link to your site without giving them something valuable to link to is also pointless.

What you need to do is create something valuable on your site, e.g. a How To Video, a review of the latest Apps, good reviews of products, possibly a funny video etc etc. Very useful or entertaining content is the key.

Then promote this content on social media, and on your own on site blog. On social media do not sell to people, show them useful stuff and entertain them.

All of this is very difficult to get right but is the best way forward.

 

[SeanDigitalSave]

I agree that blog commenting is pretty pointless.

Attempting to get people to link to your site without giving them something valuable to link to is also pointless.

What you need to do is create something valuable on your site, e.g. a How To Video, a review of the latest Apps, good reviews of products, possibly a funny video etc etc. Very useful or entertaining content is the key.

Then promote this content on social media, and on your own on site blog. On social media do not sell to people, show them useful stuff and entertain them.

All of this is very difficult to get right but is the best way forward.

Top answer, thanks for that!

 

[Michael Nguyen]

Or you can simply buy the link. Google doesn't like this but you decide your risk level. When done correctly, it can give you amazing results. I take it you want back links for SEO purposes ie to increase in the rankings? If that is the case, then a good tip is to find old website that are relevant to your niche and approach them. Alternative if the link is to direct traffic to your site then just find sites which have an audience and start the process there. Ideally you want a link that can give you link juice and also pass you visitors, but easier said and hard to find but it's out there.

 

[fisicx]

Did you read the first post properly? I was asking where we should start looking. If you don't think blogs are anygood (you seem to be the only one, most of what I've read cites blog commenting quite high up) where do YOU recommend we start looking?

Don't go looking, it's a fruitless search. As suggested, make your site the goto place for information. Start writing a ton of useful content on topics people are searching for. Provide detailed technical analysis, comparisons, hints and tips, how to guides and so on. The more material you create the more google has to index. Put this material on your site and in the places where protential customers hang out. You will tick all their SEO boxes and you will start to see your pages appear on page one for non-product searches. What you then need to do is guide your visitors to the products.

Invest in Ray's excelent fresh bananas SEO course. you will discover loads of techniques: http://www.freshbananas.co.uk/

Backlinking isn't the only SEO tool, there are far better ways to improve your ranking.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Who are your customers? What issues do they have? Where do they hang out?
Write articles, with your own unique perspective, that deal with these issues and post some on sites where your customers hang out.
And I agree that, in general, blog commenting is worthless... Maybe worthwhile if the blog has lots of potential customers and you have something worthwhile to say... Very little value for SEO purposes.

 

[Randall1022]

Join some tech forums. Type whatever your industry may be with forums at the end. It takes a lot of time to build good links. It is worth it though. Good luck.

 

[Matt Thorpe]

Don't ever buy links!!!! If you get found out then you will get rogered by Google. It happened with Interflora a couple of years ago right before Mother's Day! They lost the number 1 spot for flowers and it cost them a fortune.

Even though you are a retailer selling products that other people have, it doesn't stop you producing unique content. Explainer videos, product reviews and feature hacks work really well and are great for eBay. You could create some of these and then contact tech blogs to see of they are interested in feature the video.

Unfortunately, the days of contacting bloggers and getting a cheap link are well gone. Most of these guys know their worth and charge you to be featured on their site. The big YouTubers earn £millions out of this type of stuff.

I would create some short videos (not need to be hollywood quality) and maybe a some downloadable hack guides and then contact some blogs that are on page 10 downwards for some key search phrases. the smaller bloggers will love the kudos and they could eventually be big one day which means your links will only enhance in value.

Link building is both a science and an art. You need to inspire your audience to link to you. No quick wins. Just hard work.

It's worth it though.

Good luck!

 

[StevePoster]

Yes. Find relevant blogs with good domain authority and try to leave natural looking links.

How do you explain "natural looking links?"

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

No idea why anybody would tell you that blog comments aren't worth getting.

They're great for diluting a link profile and ensuring balanced anchor texts as the site and its link profile grows and, if made in the right places, can also lead to awareness and traffic.

 

[Shopclicks]

No idea why anybody would tell you that blog comments aren't worth getting.

They're great for diluting a link profile and ensuring balanced anchor texts as the site and its link profile grows and, if made in the right places, can also lead to awareness and traffic.

I don't think the OP needs to 'dilute a link profile'.

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

Wrong - everybody needs to.

 

[fisicx]

No they don't, not sure where you are getting your SEO advice from but it's complete bollox.

Blog comments are 99% no-follow so have zero SEO value.

 

[Shopclicks]

Wrong - everybody needs to.

Really? How's that working out for you?

 

[ricky776]

I've not had time to read all the replies or I don't know much about Seo

But what would help me is maybe product reviews Write an article or post a video

For example my printer needed a new fuser sleeve or what ever it's called I typed it into Google and a video came up after watching the video I ended up buying a kit and doing it

The kit of got was of the company who made the video

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

No they don't, not sure where you are getting your SEO advice from but it's complete bollox.

Blog comments are 99% no-follow so have zero SEO value.

You're missing the point - the links are not built to directly help with rankings but to make a link profile look more natural and diverse, which is exactly what Google expects to see in a link profile. This is another part of the puzzle for a good, effective SEO strategy. Not to mention it's a great way to gain awareness and trickles of traffic if engaging in the right places.

Out of curiosity, what do you rank for? Anything competitive?

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

Really? How's that working out for you?

Fantastic - cheers!

 

[Shopclicks]

Fantastic - cheers!

Awesome! You should submit your website to Google.

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

Awesome! You should submit your website to Google.

You shouldn't take the mick out of people you don't know as I've probably achieved more in terms of rankings than you ever will.

I'm only trying to help others based on my experience.

 

[Ashley Wright]

Think outside the box - blog commenting is very 2008, look for blogs or niches similar/relevant to yours, right a compelling guest post in exchange for a link back to your site!

Again think outside the box here's a free 1 for you - contact Youtubers who get a good amount of views per video - don't be ridiculous and go for the well known guys over there as they already have deals, sponsorships in place etc.

Get them to demo or speak about your product/s pay them some ££ and you've got:
a) a good solid link
b) people actually seeing your product and the opportunity of sales

2 Birds with one stone is the saying Right?

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

Think outside the box - blog commenting is very 2008, look for blogs or niches similar/relevant to yours, right a compelling guest post in exchange for a link back to your site!

Again think outside the box here's a free 1 for you - contact Youtubers who get a good amount of views per video - don't be ridiculous and go for the well known guys over there as they already have deals, sponsorships in place etc.

Get them to demo or speak about your product/s pay them some ££ and you've got:
a) a good solid link
b) people actually seeing your product and the opportunity of sales

2 Birds with one stone is the saying Right?

YouTube idea is definitely a good one!

 

[Websitehandyman]

IF you know what's a good link and a bad link you might find a few on Fiverr that's worth the cost.

 

[webgeek]

If your buyers are not Apple retail store regulars, but rather bargain hunters, then you should be thinking of gaining visibility on those types of sites they frequent, whether it's moneysavingexpert, hotukdeals, freebies/giveaways/contests/sales or other sites relevant to your audience.

I wouldn't sneeze at a contextual, relevant backlink from either of the two mentioned specifically.

Have a giveaway, a massive sale that stands a chance of going viral on hotukdeals, a coupon or voucher offer, or something with easily calculated £value, syndicate it socially and suddenly you've got a chance to get many linking mentions from the one single event.

If you want to be considered an expert on X then write articles about X. If you want to be considered a site with great deals on X then have X on sale at a great price.

 

[CraigGriffiths]

If you have access to Majestic, why not do what I always do for clients first - put in your competitors and analyse their backlinks. See where they're getting their backlinks from and try to replicate them/do something similar.

Have you thought about contacting universities and offering student discounts? A lot of them list things like this on their website, and there isn't many backlinks that would pass as much authority as one from a university!

 

[fisicx]

If you have access to Majestic, why not do what I always do for clients first - put in your competitors and analyse their backlinks. See where they're getting their backlinks from and try to replicate them/do something similar.

Noooooo!

All that does is raise the alarm bells all over Google. Links (while still important in some cases) are less relevant than building a great site. Take a look at the OPs site and you will see why it isn't ranking well.

 

[CraigGriffiths]

Raise alarm bells all over Google? This is blown way out of proportion - i don't think many people understand how Google penaltys work.

Don't let the Google fear-mongering get to you, fear is an essential part of their spam control.

While i agree that a great site is the most important thing. It's said that as much of 70% of ranking factors are related to links.

Google have tested a version of their algorithm without backlinks and have said it wasn't as good. I'll find the video from Matt Cutts.

EDIT - Here you go:

If Google tell you that you shouldn't do it, you probably should - it means its effective

They asked for advice on backlinks and i gave it - i don't have time to do a free audit of their site!

 

[Palani Kumar]

Your industry is quite popular, I mean mobile is a wide industry and you can easily find a lots of good websites to get what you want. But focus on sales friendly links, for you can benefit from direct sales as well as a SEO benefits.

Try to find some good blogs for commenting and leave genuine comments with some information.
Guest blogs and forums will also serve your purpose.

 

[webgeek]

the links are not built to directly help with rankings but to make a link profile look more natural and diverse, which is exactly what Google expects to see in a link profile.

Google isn't looking for profiles that 'look' natural, but rather ones that 'are' natural.

Think about what things you mention socially and take the time to link to on your blog, other than your own sites and link exchanges with others. Think about what the news, industry influencers and professional associations link to in their posts.

It's going to boil down to someone impressed someone else, so much so that they got mentioned. Maybe it was their content, attitude, colour of their hair - it's gonna be a variety.

Now think about how many times you keyword stuff the link anchor when mentioning someone.

It's going to be almost exclusively naked URL's, brand names (short ones) and occasionally someone's name or a fluff like 'this page' or 'here'.

Build remarkable and it will get the attention and mention of others. Build epic and it will get the attention of nearly everyone in the niche who follows the top/mainstream sites.

If Bill Slawski posts an article up on his site about Google Hummingbird Patent, or Google Panda Patent, the community listens, the posts fly up the serps and in no time, his post is somewhere at or near the top of page 1. It's not all because he's a master at on page optimisation. It's not because he built backlinks. It's because he builds great content and people link to it naturally.

Don't try to imitate natural, try to be natural - naturally epic, naturally remarkable, naturally linkworthy.

 

[MrBinary]

Hey!

Guest blogging is not dead, but as people mentioned here focus on HQ content of your own website! Create a number of keywords you want well rank for, analyze competitors for their content (why are they first, second in Google etc), create a better content and work on your Social Media (Twitter, Facebook and don't forget Instagram!).

I would still suggest buying about 5-10 links to your website by creating a very good content 500+ words with pictures and send them to bloggers and news websites who might be interested in posting that (give them small fee to cover publishing costs).

 

[CraigGriffiths]

Guest blogging absolutely isn't dead. Have you all seen the amount of guest blogging "famous" SEOs do? I'm talking people like Neil Patel, etc. Most of the content is re-hashed on sites like Search Engine Land. I can't remember the last "5 Untapped Backlink Sources" type of post that actually had any value in it to me. They're purely doing it for the links, traffic and brand-awareness.

It works, but it has to be QUALITY.

Just be careful with your anchor text, too.

 

[colour24]

I would forget SEO as you are selling ipads and the like. You will probably retire before outranking your established competitors.
In my view direct marketing and possibly Facebook are more realistic sales routes for you.
Good luck with the business.

 

[E-Liquid UK Store]

Google isn't looking for profiles that 'look' natural, but rather ones that 'are' natural.

Think about what things you mention socially and take the time to link to on your blog, other than your own sites and link exchanges with others. Think about what the news, industry influencers and professional associations link to in their posts.

It's going to boil down to someone impressed someone else, so much so that they got mentioned. Maybe it was their content, attitude, colour of their hair - it's gonna be a variety.

Now think about how many times you keyword stuff the link anchor when mentioning someone.

It's going to be almost exclusively naked URL's, brand names (short ones) and occasionally someone's name or a fluff like 'this page' or 'here'.

Build remarkable and it will get the attention and mention of others. Build epic and it will get the attention of nearly everyone in the niche who follows the top/mainstream sites.

If Bill Slawski posts an article up on his site about Google Hummingbird Patent, or Google Panda Patent, the community listens, the posts fly up the serps and in no time, his post is somewhere at or near the top of page 1. It's not all because he's a master at on page optimisation. It's not because he built backlinks. It's because he builds great content and people link to it naturally.

Don't try to imitate natural, try to be natural - naturally epic, naturally remarkable, naturally linkworthy.

Not sure if you're serious after looking at your link profile.