8 best link building strategies for affiliate marketing in 2024

Making money from affiliate marketing is possible when you choose quality partners and set clear goals. One way to maximize your earnings is by making link building a priority.

Building backlinks to your affiliate site equals better rankings, increased search traffic, and you guessed it… more affiliate conversions.

Link building can take time, but you’ll be rewarded with extra traffic and more money in your pocket when you do it right.

To help you tick off your affiliate marketing link-building goals, we’ve put together a list of the best strategies.

Read on and get ready to kickstart your campaigns.

What is link building?

When other websites link to yours, it can boost your authority. You can get visitors directly from those links and indirectly through search engines.

While algorithms can change, as a general rule, the more authority your website has, the higher it will rank. And we all know, appearing on the first page of Google is the end goal for most savvy business owners.

Link building is about getting your links on other websites. Remember, not all backlinks are equal. It’s better to have your link on one high authority website than on a hundred spam sites.

You can start by submitting your link to directories, writing guest posts, and commenting on blogs and forums.

Don’t forget, if you’re going to include affiliate links on your website, you need to disclose the relationship. Reputable websites offering you a backlink will want to know that you’re trustworthy and honest with your readers.

Here’s a good example of an affiliate disclosure statement from Growth Marketing Pro. As you can see, it’s clear and to the point:

Why should you prioritize link building as an affiliate marketer?

If you’re an affiliate marketer, traffic can equal cash. Link building is a long-term strategy and will help you gain credibility.

This small investment plays a role in SEO (search engine optimization).

If you’re serious about improving your Google ranking and growing your affiliate marketing business, link building should be a priority.

8 Best link building strategies for affiliate marketing in 2024

There is a range of link building strategies you can use for affiliate marketing.

Let’s take a look at eight of the best strategies for 2024 and beyond:

Analyse your competitors’ links

If your competitors are seeing success, they must be doing something right. If you want to bottle some of their magic, it’s time to do competitor research.

Identify a few of your top competitors from the same niche. Once you know who they are, you can start your evaluation.

There are different tools you can use, such as Moz and Semrush. Or you can do it manually by searching for your competitor’s website on Google. You can then compile your data in an Excel spreadsheet.

You should be looking for competitor backlinks on websites with a high domain score. What types of content are they linking to? For example, are they resources, images, or infographics?

What topics and keywords do they cover? Are they relevant to your target audience? When you understand what domain owners are looking for, you can create shareable content to match.

Once you know where your competitors are getting links, you can connect with webmasters and show them what you’ve got. Try to find the right contact for the publication or individual authors.

You can usually find these details on the contact page or author bylines. Try to address your emails to the appropriate person. If you don’t know who that person is, try “Good morning” or “Dear [Publication name].”

Never start an email with “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam,” as it will be flagged as spam. These introductions are not as uncommon as you would think. The introduction in your email needs to be engaging to ensure you get the full attention of your prospect.

Skyscraper technique

The Skyscraper Technique is a link building strategy from Backlinko that’s simple yet effective. There are three steps that make it work:

STEP 1: Look for popular topics that get multiple backlinks on high-authority domains.

STEP 2: Publish high-quality content on your website or blog on similar topics. Make sure it’s informative, well-researched, and appealing to your target audience.

STEP 3: Share your content. Tell everyone you know as well as people you don’t. Reach out to webmasters and ask if they will include it on their website.

The secret is quality over quantity. If you’re not confident writing long-form articles, it may be worthwhile investing in the services of a content marketing agency.

Broken link building

Websites often feature some links that no longer work. These are called broken links.

Broken links may be pointing to sites that no longer exist or redirecting to a page that’s irrelevant.

Broken links can impact the user experience, but webmasters may be unaware of their existence. Broken link building is a strategy you can use to boost your affiliate marketing.

To get started, you’ll need to find relevant, high authority websites that fit your brand. And you’ll need to know who the appropriate contact is.

Next, you’ll need to identify any broken links. While you can check manually, this process takes time. A range of tools available, such as Ahrefs and Backlinko, can help you find broken links.

You can then contact the webmaster to let them know and give them an alternative. They may appreciate you doing the hard work for them.

Here’s an example of an email you could send:

Resource page link building

Some web pages exist so that people can browse multiple resources in one place. You can find resource pages in almost any industry, including shopping, education, and technology.

These pages are often lists and may be ranked in numerical order. Because resource pages exist for this purpose, their owners are usually open to the idea of adding more backlinks.

Before you approach the webmaster, look through your resource and make sure it’s relevant. It should be free from errors and appeal to the target audience. For example, don’t suggest a post about sunglasses for a resource page that’s dedicated to real estate.

Not sure where to start? When you search for a topic, add the keywords “link” or “resource” to your search query. For example, if you’re looking for car resources, you can search for “auto links” or “auto resources.”

You can even add resource pages to your own website to give your readers more value. These types of pages can increase your page views and will be indexed by Google.

Here’s an example. SnackNation has a resource page dedicated to the best PEO companies. It can earn money directly from the page, and those interested in PEOs (professional employer organizations) will have plenty of information at their fingertips.

To keep visitors on-site, it has included a “Find PEO Companies” search box.

Create shareable infographics or eBooks

Reputable websites know the importance of giving readers a value-add. To support their content, they may use resources from around the net, including images and infographics.

Honest webmasters will give you credit for your images. This credit may be a link to an “image source” or a more obvious plug, such as “Image courtesy of (company name).”

If you’re feeling creative, you can put together your own infographic. Or you may want to hire someone with skills in this area, such as a graphic designer or digital agency.

Have a look at this example of a shareable infographic:

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want your infographic to be shareable:

• Start with a simple design that’s easy to read
• Choose a topic that is relevant to your target audience
• Include statistics, instructions, or information
• Add unique images
• Create a theme that suits your branding
• Check your infographic for spelling and grammatical errors

You may want to take some initiative and reach out to websites in your niche. For example, you could promote your affiliate links for mobile phones by creating an infographic showing the percentage of people in different countries who own a smartphone.

If you have knowledge in a particular niche, an eBook is another shareable option to consider.

Creating an eBook can be time-consuming, but the results will be worth it. Once you get the hang of it, you may even be able to make money from eBook sales.

Create “linkbait” content to generate mass shares and backlinks

Why will some of your content get a handful of views while other posts, infographics, or images go viral?

Is there a secret formula to getting content that generates mass shares?

If you’ve never heard of linkbait, it’s content that’s very shareable. This content is shared organically because people WANT to share it.

Linkbait content falls into a few categories.

Some high-quality links may add credibility to posts on a particular subject. For example, you may have a page dedicated to statistics from around the web called “The Top Marketing Statistics for 2024.” If it’s good, other marketing blogs may reference your article.

Then there’s a content strategy that gives people an emotional reaction. It could be a post like the one below from Survey Anyplace citing a case study about having a 25% lower cost per lead than most marketers, thanks to quiz marketing:

This type of content provokes a sense of FOMO and is keen to get more shares as others look to lower their cost per lead.

Other examples of emotional content could be cute kittens that make readers feel happy, a controversial topic that makes them feel angry, or a music post that makes them feel nostalgic.

You also can produce practical content. This could be a how-to guide, a craft project, or a scientific study. It could even be an in-depth analysis such as this Motley Fool review on Simple Money Lyfe. Consider how it uses quality content to support affiliate marketing strategy efforts.

This content is shareable because it serves a purpose. Smart webmasters know they can’t do it all on their own. Sometimes they have to use backlinks to tell the story.

There are also links we call “click-bait.” This content usually covers on-trend topics, such as celebrity flings, trends, or a story that’s just hit the news. If you’re ahead of the pack and have early insight into interesting stories, this one is for you.

Finally, some links are shared because it’s fashionable to do so. If other people have shared your link, others are likely to follow.

For example, if a high-profile blogger shares a how-to-guide on tying your shoelaces, others are likely to re-share it.

Guest blogging on high-authority and niche relevant blogs

Guest blogging isn’t a new concept, but successful affiliate marketers do it because it works.

When you contribute a quality article to your favorite website, you may be rewarded with backlinks and a byline. It will take time to write an article, so only choose blogs that are high authority and relevant to your niche.

Most blogs will have guidelines and a style guide for guest bloggers. These may include word count, number of links, image requirements, and formatting preferences.

Some blogs accept unsolicited submissions, while others prefer you discuss topics before you write them.

In addition to backlinks, you’ll gain a reputation as an expert.

Use social media platforms to build and generate backlinks

Last but not least is social media. When used effectively, it can be a smart way to generate backlinks.

First, you’ll need a business page with professional graphics and a description of your brand. You’ll also need to post regularly and interact with others to grow your fan base.

Once you’ve gained a small following, you can start to share your content. Backlinks on networks like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter can be beneficial and help to boost your traffic.

You can be creative with your content as long as it fits with your target audience. For example, you can use infographics and images to engage your followers.

Depending on your business type, you may be able to have some fun on social media. Here’s an example of how mouth tape brand Somnifix promotes itself on social media:

Don’t forget to ask partners to share your content. You can also ask customers to follow you. Remember, just because you’ve started a Facebook page doesn’t mean people will be able to find you.

Depending on your budget, you could even promote your content using paid advertising.

Here’s an example of a brand that knows how to use social media to its advantage. Future Kind often works with social media influencers and has a fast-growing affiliate program.

This content on its website is one way it encourages interaction on social media:

When you post an article on your website, remember to share it on social media.

Link building strategies for affiliate marketers

By now, hopefully know what link building is and why every affiliate marketer should do it.

We gave you a list of the top eight white hat techniques for 2024 and beyond. You can analyze your competitor’s links, write guest blogs for high authority websites, and try out the Skyscraper Technique. And you can use broken link building, resource pages, shareable content, and social media to grow your traffic.

While it may sound daunting, building links can be simple. When you follow our eight simple strategies, you can smash the competition.

Want more useful hints and tips? Check out the Post Affiliate Pro blog.