From content marketing to social media, there are many ways to build links to your website. But here is the problem: what worked for you in the past may not work today.
Below is a list of 13 link building tools to use. While you may not have the time, money, and expertise to experiment with all 13, it only takes one to have a positive impact on your business.
Let’s get started!
There are many ways to use Majestic SEO, but here is what you need to know from a link building perspective: it allows you to see which sites link to your competitors. This is important for two reasons:
- It gives you a clear idea of how difficult it will be to overcome them in the search engines.
- It helps identify websites that may be willing to provide a backlink.
If you make it a habit to use Majestic SEO, it won’t be long before you better understand your competition. Furthermore, you will have a new tool on your side for finding link partners.
It may not be the cheapest tool out there, but it is clearly one of the best for those who want to build links. Here is how the company describes its “Link Manager” tool:
“Heavy-duty link builders care about finding quality websites for effective outreach. Research Central does the heavy lifting for you, providing quality data on any URL, domain, keyword or phrase. Find out why your competitors may be claiming that top spot instead of you. You’ll uncover comprehensive backlink data in minutes.”
With a 30-day free trial, you can see what Raven Tools is all about before you commit to a monthly fee.
There are link building tools and then there are serious link building tools. Ahrefs is all about producing results.
For example, you can use the tool’s backlink analysis feature to learn more about your site’s links. And of course, you can do the same for your competitors.
You can also use Ahrefs to determine which content is generating the most backlinks, allowing you to focus on the similar subject matter in the future. This allows you to get the most value out of the time and money you spend on content creation.
As one of the most popular link building tools around, there are many benefits associated with SEMrush. It allows you to do all the following, plus so much more:
- Check the type of backlink.
- Understand the authority of each linking domain.
- Conduct a deep link analysis.
- Pinpoint the geo-location of each link.
When you better understand your current link profile, you are in position to build higher quality links in the future. SEMrush can provide you with all the tools you need to excel in this area.
If you find it difficult to locate link prospects, Ontolo can step in and make your life easier.
With this link building tool, you are able to find prospects based on keywords you provide, topic, and link type.
After pulling the prospects from the search results, each one is analyzed and filtered. This makes it easy for you to target the best prospects, while avoiding those that will lead you down the path of wasted time.
Managing a link building project is anything but simple. Do this enough times and you will find yourself wondering how you ever have time for anything else.
Unless you use BuzzStream, of course. Here is how the company describes its link building manager:
“Keep your link development projects on track – and see where every campaign’s at with a touch of a button. Set reminders to follow up, track campaign progress, and share tasks with your team – so you work like a well-oiled machine.”
If you find yourself continually wasting time and missing out on link opportunities, BuzzStream can help. Think of it as a personal assistant for all your link building needs.
If the name does not say it all, the tool’s tagline will do the trick:
“Build links faster.”
Pretty simple, right? With Link Prospector, you find yourself in position to build links in a hurry. And not just any links, but those of the highest quality.
The tool is easy to use, thanks to its three-step process:
- Choose your report type
- Enter your key phrases
- Uncover link opportunities
For those who are more advanced, Link Prospector provides advanced features, such as:
- Ability to take full control of your query parameters.
- Option to build query lists.
- Export your results to fit into your existing link building strategy.
Link Prospector is a one of a kind tool that generates one of a kind results.
Rather than try to explain the simplicity of SoleSEO, here are the instructions for using the tool:
“INSTRUCTIONS: Enter your targeted keyword above to create queries in Google, Bing, and Yahoo to find potential link building opportunities. After the tool is run, click on queries of interest to open them in the search engine selected.”
A simple keyword search creates queries in the three major search engines. From there, you can click the query of interest to unearth link building opportunities.
As a free tool, you can’t go wrong with SoleSEO. The only downside is the manpower required to comb through the queries. Of course, if link building was easy everybody would be doing it!
It is far from the most sophisticated tool, but it is definitely one of the most valuable for link builders.
The way it works is simple: enter your keyword and the tool searches websites, based on your theme, containing key phrases such as:
- Add site
- Add link
- Add URL
- Add article
- Submit URL
Once you have the results in hand, you can visit each website to determine if a link building opportunity exists.
Moz is one of the top names in the SEO space, and its Open Site Explorer tool is well worth a second look.
Moz describes the tool as follows:
“Research backlinks, find link-building opportunities and discover potentially damaging links with Open Site Explorer.”
A lot of tools can help you build backlinks, but not many combine this with the ability to pinpoint damaging links.
When you build quality links while identifying and removing harmful links, you can put your SEO into overdrive.
If you are chasing better local search rankings, Whitespark has the tool for you.
It helps you discover the best places to list your business, thus giving you a leg up on the competition. Once you sign up for a free trial, there is a three-step approach for getting started:
- Enter search phrases related to your business, such as Chicago nail salon.
- Discover citations.
- Stay organized by keeping track of the citations you already have.
Rinse and repeat with as many keywords as you desire!
Cemper’s LinkResearchTools is a powerful backlink analysis tool that offers a variety of features, including:
- Fresh backlink data. Every report you create is fresh, meaning that you always have access to the most accurate data regarding your link profile.
- Deep dive analysis. LinkResearchTools notes that it is “working with data from 24 link backends to provide you the best deep dive analysis.
- Complete backlink profile view. With customizable metrics and filters, your analysis always suits your wants and needs.
Imagine this: another website mentions your brand, but for some reason they forget to provide a backlink. This isn’t the worst problem, as long as the link was in a positive light, but it does mean two things:
- You won’t receive “credit for the link” in the eyes of the search engines.
- Readers are unable to follow the link to your site.
RankTank checks search results for unlinked brand mentions. If you find these, you can then reach out to the appropriate party to request a backlink. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s better than missing out entirely!
