Building external links is one of the key barometers of success in a blog. Not only does it add credibility to your content, but it also offers the added benefit of increasing the likelihood of your website ranking higher on search engines.

There are numerous methods to gaining external links. A common favorite used to be trading links, or even buying them, from other similar websites. Other methods involved regular spam emails or consistent article publications without new content. However, Google and other search engines now watch for these tactics and punish severely if they find any examples of it on your website.

Instead, here are 3 easy ways to improve your link building:

1) Content Quality Matters

The best way to gain high-quality links is to ensure your content is worth sharing!

No one will want to share your website if it reflects poorly on them, instead you need to ensure that your content quality is so high that it adds to their credibility by sharing it!

There are numerous ways to ensure your produce quality content rather than content just for the sake of it. One top tip is to aim for a specific section of the market, rather than broadly aiming for every market user. For more information on Minimal Viable Audience click here.

2) Establish Yourself As A Market Leader

Like the first tip, this is easier said than done. However, as you should already be aiming to establish yourself as a market leader, this should dovetail nicely with some of your current goals.

There are a number of ways to ensure that your website is viewed as one befitting that of a market leader. One method to improve your standing is to perform exclusive interviews with current industry experts or market influencers.

Another way would be to regularly publish white papers. By committing time to discover new and innovative ways for others to improve their own business, you will eventually, and deservedly, receive the credit for it in the form of links.

3) Create Custom Infographics

Visuals have always been considered an important aspect of creating content. However, in the past few years the balance of power in SEO building has gradually moved towards visuals. With this trend expected to continue, your website should be producing as many original images and infographics as possible.

Again, like producing whitepapers this can take time. However, the potential benefits far outweigh the negatives in time taken.

For more information on building quality content, click here.