The role that backlinks play in maximizing both SEO and traffic has been called into question in recent years. While the direct correlation between a simple link earned and the benefit that comes with it has shifted, there is undoubtedly real benefits that still exist from generating links back to your website.

In particular, authority TLDs (such as those ending in .gov and .edu) remain highly-coveted – and elusive for many brands. Amazingly enough, there are some simple ways to earn links from these websites. Today, we’re going to spill the beans and give you some ideas for earning those high-authority backlinks, showing you that it’s easier than you might think.

Providing a Resource

Arguably one of the easiest ways to earn backlinks from educational or governmental entities is to provide them with a resource that’s valued. While this may not be a strategy that works for every brand or business, many governmental and educational organizations with different focuses exist.

You’ll probably notice – when digging into one of these sites in-depth – that they have entire pages dedicated to resource links and/or supplemental information. If you can find a particular entity that is relevant to your niche and have content that provides inherent value, then a simple email to the webmaster or relevant individual may be all it takes to start pinging search engines with a new and powerful backlink.

Posting on Relevant Forums and Comment Threads

It might surprise you, but there are a variety of governmental agencies online that have dedicated forums and interactive spaces for the public to engage. It is here that you’ll find plenty of opportunities to generate backlinks in an efficient and relevant fashion – if you know where to look.

There are tools such as Drop My Link that allow brands to scour the web in search of any type of website – including government websites – where you can comment on pages and posts with your chosen link. This, when coupled with the broader strategy of sharing your link on relevant government forum discussions, can generate an immense amount of backlink juice in a very short period of time.

Writing About the Agency

One more way to quickly earn the attention – and backlinks – of a governmental or educational agency is to write a piece about them. It should be obvious that hit-pieces or negative coverage are not likely to earn any backlinks, but content that covers the role of the agency, the work it does and/or clears up some common misconceptions is capable of earning both backlinks and shout-outs on social media.

This can be the perfect content marketing strategy for earning these links and provides two potential benefits: not only will you be pinging search engines with quality content, but you’ll be generating backlink opportunities as well!

Now that you know what strategies most often work for earning .edu and .gov backlinks, you can begin crafting a strategy that takes them into account. While not necessarily easy in all cases, knowing where to begin will help facilitate a backlink building campaign that encounters less resistance.