We often hear a lot about link building and how important it can be in the world of SEO. We also know that many opinions exist on whether it is still valuable or not and whether building links in a purposeful fashion can work. Because of this, people are careful when building links due to the fact that search engines like Google will penalize link behaviour that seems spammy or otherwise illegitimate. In order to walk the fine line that exists between successful tactics and those of failure, we have put together a list of three ways to build links safely and without incurring the wrath of the Google Gods in 2015.

Guest Blogging Still Works

If you want to build links in a responsible fashion, then pinging links from other blogs and websites in the form of guest posts is still a safe tactic. While many do debate whether or not link building works through this method anymore, it is virtually certain that the practice will not harm your SEO so long as the blogs are credible and not filled with spam. Even if the SEO tactics involved don’t produce much benefit, having a guest post with a link of yours featured on another site can still bring in plenty of valuable organic traffic from those blogs. Building links is not just about tricking search engines into liking you: it’s also about driving organic traffic from those sources.

Produce Quality Multimedia

If you want to build links naturally, then there is no better way to do so than by creating various forms of multimedia content that are easily shared and highly desirable. The most popular and perhaps easiest form of content to make for this purpose is the infographic. When you assess an industry or relevant niche, compile key facts about it or practices relating to it, and ultimately assemble all of this into an easy to read format, fellow blogs and websites will be chomping at the bit to share it. This can also be used through your social media efforts to boost exposure of your brand on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.

Subtly Ask for Links

Any website that goes around begging for links is bound to get into trouble at one point or another, but there is a much more subtle (and effective) way to do this. Many bloggers will incorporate relevant links in their own posts to other industry sites. After doing so, they approach the webmaster to let them know that they have linked back to them. Without asking directly for any backlinks or assistance, they have in effect subtly asked for a favour to be returned. Will this work in all cases? No, but there is great benefit for both parties when a mutual understanding and respect can be generated, and usually a webmaster will respond positively to your oh-so-subtle request.

Conclusion

These three link building tactics all have benefits to offer in 2015 and beyond, so don’t be afraid to put them to good use. Whether you are pinging links or having the favour returned, plenty of opportunities await. Let us know how these and other tactics have worked for you below!