Expert-Tested Ecommerce Link Building Strategies for 2024

Ecommerce websites face tough competition from giants like Etsy, Amazon, and eBay, which dominate SERPs with their significant high domain authority.

Years of experience in ecommerce have proved to me that link-building is the most effective way to survive and thrive in the highly competitive market.

When top-quality, relevant sites link to your content, they pass on "link juice," boosting your site's domain authority. This helps your site rank higher in search engine results, driving more organic traffic and improving your ecommerce visibility.

Here’s what Link building does for ecommerce:

• Higher Search Engine Rankings: By improving your search engine ranking, link building attracts more visitors and increases your site's credibility.
• Increased Conversions and Sales: Higher visibility often leads to more conversions and sales.
• Boosted Brand Authority: These links act as a vote of confidence from authoritative sites, reinforcing your brand’s relevance and success in a highly competitive market.

In this guide, I provide ecommerce link-building strategies that have been tested on more than 150 ecommerce projects I worked on over the years.

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Linkable assets

Creating linkable assets involves developing valuable and industry-relevant content that attracts links. Instead of generic content, focus on producing guides, articles, listicles, recipes, and tutorials tailored to your specific niche. Examples of linkable assets include:

• Tools
• Statistics Page
• Widgets
• Free resources
• How-to guides
• Reports, etc

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Real World Example:

HubSpot's "Free Marketing & Sales Plan Template" is a popular tool with over 2000 backlinks from 357 websites. It's liked because it helps businesses plan their marketing and sales strategies. People link to it because it's practical and useful, offering a template that businesses can use immediately. This makes it a valuable resource that other websites want to share with their audiences.

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Guest Posting

Guest posting involves writing articles for other websites as a guest author. The idea is to share your knowledge and insights with a new audience while getting a backlink to your online store in return.

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This helps improve your eCommerce site’s SEO and positions you as an industry expert.

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To get successful results from guest posting for your eCommerce store, you need to select host websites that are relevant to your niche carefully.  To do so, you can use tools like Linkee or Ahrefs to shortlist prospects based on relevancy.

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Real World Example:

An example of successful guest blogging is Neil Patel’s contribution to HubSpot, where he wrote an article titled “9 Simple Ways to Write a Good Introduction Sentence”. In this piece, Neil shared valuable insights on crafting compelling introductions for blog posts. The article not only provided HubSpot’s audience with practical tips but also earned Neil a valuable backlink to his website, enhancing his online authority and visibility.

‍Blogger outreach

Blogger outreach is a strategy for establishing relationships with bloggers to achieve specific SEO or content marketing objectives, such as getting backlinks.

A smart example would be creating a collection page showcasing the blogger’s favorite products, which the blogger then shares with their audience.

Real World Example:

If you're a brand like Dreams selling beds in the UK, you can partner with home decor bloggers to promote your pink beds collection. By reaching out to these influencers, you can secure links on their blogs. This strategy not only highlights specific products, such as pink beds, but also attracts customers looking for unique and stylish bedroom options, directly boosting your visibility and sales.

Here are some potential blogger websites that suit the niche and location:

• https://www.madaboutthehouse.com/
• https://www.sophierobinson.co.uk/
• https://www.ohsokel.com/
• https://homeideology.com/

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Digital PR campaigns

Digital PR for link building is a strategy that uses research and storytelling to grab journalists' attention and get coverage in respected publications. The goal is to earn top-notch backlinks from these sites, boosting a brand's visibility, authority, and overall awareness.

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Real World Example:

During King Charles III’s coronation, a brand successfully implemented a digital PR strategy by tapping into the event’s trendiness, newsworthiness, and creativity. They launched a data-driven campaign that proposed alternative budget allocations, such as pay raises for teachers and nurses and the construction of affordable housing. By leveraging the buzz around the coronation and presenting a compelling, relevant message, the campaign naturally earned backlinks from 25 websites. Notably, one of these websites had a domain rating of 94 and boasted 24.2 million monthly visitors, showcasing the strategy's effectiveness in securing high-quality coverage and significant online exposure.

Check an example of a placement this campaign achieved here.

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Backlinks from Ecommerce Websites

Backlinks from e-commerce websites are valuable for enhancing your e-commerce platform’s domain authority. Over the past year, I have successfully utilized this strategy, significantly boosting the Domain Rating (DR) of the sites I manage. The key is to acquire backlinks from similar niches rather than direct competitors. This can be ethically achieved by writing guest posts for one e-commerce website, which then links to a third-party site. In turn, that third-party site links back to your e-commerce site. This approach ensures a natural and effective link-building process without appearing as a direct exchange.

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Real World Example:

This is an example of e-commerce featuring other e-commerce websites’ links. Thrive Market, an online retailer for organic products, has a Brands page that links directly to all the brands they carry. This allows customers to explore individual brands more easily while showcasing the variety of products available on Thrive Market.

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Niche edits

Niche edits (link insertion) involve earning backlinks by inserting your links into relevant existing content. Start by identifying relevant blogs and websites with high-quality content that attracts your target audience. Reach out to webmasters and offer value by explaining how a link to your product page benefits their readers.

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Real World Example:

Here's a real-world example of niche edits. An eyelash extension brand secures a backlink by inserting its link into an article about achieving a natural eyelash look. This backlink strategy, known as link insertion, involves placing a relevant link within existing content, enhancing the brand's SEO while providing valuable information to the blog's readers. This method effectively promotes the brand within a contextually appropriate setting.

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Press release Distribution

Issuing a press release is an effective way to gain backlinks. For example, Hobby Lobby’s announcement about raising its minimum wage garnered backlinks from various news sites and blogs.

Consider press releases for:

• Announcing limited-edition products
• Highlighting charitable donations
• Showcasing company charity work

Distributing press releases through newswires or Google News can boost visibility and attract additional backlinks.

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Real World Example:

Here’s a real-world example of price releases for SEO. Amazon announced a major price drop on its Echo devices, including the Echo Pop for $39.99, through a press release. This strategy, known as a price release, involves sharing news about pricing changes, attracting attention, and earning backlinks from news sites and blogs. This approach effectively boosts the brand’s SEO while informing potential customers of the new, competitive pricing

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Unlinked brand mentions

Unlinked brand mentions are references to your brand without a hyperlink. I think this is one of the best low-hanging fruit you should definitely go for!

Your name is already there, all you need to do is ask to give credit to you for it!

Search for these mentions online, and contact the webmaster to request a link back to your product page.

You can search for unlinked brand mentions using simple Google search or by using SEO tools like Ahrefs.

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Real World Example:

In a real example, let me show you how you can do it with Ahrefs. Public figures tend to get lots of mention on various platforms as they appear in different interviews and podcasts and are often referenced.

For example, if someone like Jay Shetty wanted to utilize their name mentions and get a backlink for it, what they could do is:

• Open Ahrefs: Log in to Ahrefs account and navigate to the Content Explorer tool.
• Search for Mentions: Enter the brand name (e.g., “Jay Shetty”) in the search bar and hit enter.
• Filter Results: Apply “One article per domain” filters and set the language to your preference.
• Exclude Linked Mentions: Use the “Highlight unlinked domains” feature to find mentions that do not link back to your website.
• Analyze and Reach Out: Review the list of unlinked mentions, then contact the webmasters to request a backlink, offering additional value or updated content if necessary.

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Link round-ups

Link round-ups are posts that list and review "best-of" products or services. Travel and Leisure, for example, ranked the Birkenstock Arizona sandal and linked back to Nordstrom's product page.

Identify relevant round-ups by searching online, and reach out to those sites. Introduce your product and request inclusion in their next round-up, highlighting its benefits.

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Real World Example:

An example I found of a link roundup featuring eCommerce brands is on ClimateSort’s article titled “Eco-Friendly Companies”. In this roundup, various eco-friendly companies are listed with direct links to their eCommerce websites, including brands like Patagonia, Allbirds, and Tentree. Each brand is recognized for its commitment to sustainability, and the links make it easy for readers to explore and shop for their products. This example highlights how a well-curated roundup can drive traffic to these eCommerce sites while promoting sustainable shopping practices.

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Product review

Another handy way to get backlinks for e-commerce is through product reviews. You send your products to bloggers, influencers, and industry professionals. Offer them your product in exchange for an honest review and ask to link back to your product page

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Real World Example:

In the article “Lilac St. Lashes Reviews” on The Quality Edit, the author provides an in-depth review of Lilac St. Lashes. This review includes a backlink to the Lilac St. Lashes website, effectively driving traffic and enhancing the brand’s SEO. The review covers various aspects of the product, such as its design, usability, and overall performance, which builds trust with potential customers and improves the brand’s online visibility. This strategy demonstrates how detailed, high-quality content can serve as a powerful tool for organic backlink acquisition, reinforcing the brand’s authority and credibility in the market.

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Podcasts

‍Many podcasts publish "show notes" with links to products and partner sites. Research industry-relevant podcasts and contact their hosts. Offer to co-host or sponsor an episode in exchange for a backlink.

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Real World Example:

On the Shopify Masters podcast, makeup artist Etienne Ortega shared insights on building a thriving beauty brand, ORTEGA. His journey from LA makeup artist to brand founder highlighted the importance of networking in the beauty industry. His episode gained visibility, earning a valuable backlink from Shopify's podcast page. This exposure on a trusted platform like Shopify helped increase ORTEGA's online presence and credibility among beauty enthusiasts and entrepreneurs alike.

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What Websites Are More Likely to Give Backlinks to Your E-commerce Store?

Websites that are closely related to your e-commerce niche are more likely to provide backlinks. Here are some categories and examples:

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1. Product Review Sites: Sites that specialize in reviewing products often link to e-commerce stores.

2. Lifestyle and Fashion Blogs: These blogs frequently feature products and shopping guides.

3. Shopping and Deal Aggregators: Websites that compile deals and product listings.

4. Industry-Specific Blogs: Blogs focused on your product category (e.g., home decor, tech gadgets).

5.Influencer Blogs: Bloggers who review and recommend products.

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How to Find Prospect Websites for Your Eccomerce Store

Now that we have covered the strategies, it’s time to understand how to find the prospects where you’ll apply these link-building techniques. Identifying the right prospects can be overwhelming, but tools like Linkee.ai make it easier.

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Linkee helps by automatically finding relevant websites, vetting them for quality, and providing verified contact emails. Key features include automated prospect vetting, personalized email outreach, and seamless integration with email platforms, ensuring your link-building efforts are both targeted and efficient.

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Find out more about Linkee’s prospecting feature here.