Artificial intelligence will certainly have fundamental effects on SEO, but I predict that the importance of establishing authority will not be diminished.
Your content will now fight even more competition: AI gives rise to the SERP and AI-produced content from other publishers.
Providing signals of authority and value will be more vital than ever. As long as organizations and individuals continue to publish content, backlinks will be an important part of that authority.
If you’ve been in the SEO field as long as I have, I’m sure you also receive 10 or more LinkedIn messages a day from “link building agencies” promising you a certain number of links.
Not only is it super annoying. It’s the wrong way to approach getting links to your content.
Link building is important. Establish matters of external authority.
So let’s talk about one way to do it better (and turn off fewer people in the process): create content that naturally generates links, or what I call writing content with link intent.
In this article, I’ll explain how to address link intent, including:
The philosophy behind link-generating content. The business importance of effective link intent. Practical steps for planning content with link intent.
The philosophy that drives link-intent content
Link building and content creation should be part of the same process (although I’ve found this to be rare). Link building as an independent initiative means you’re likely to make the mistake of optimizing for links alone without considering the funnel effects.
Instead, start by thinking about who in your community cares – or should care – about what you’re writing and why.
Content generated from this mindset, not an attitude based on the amount of “must get links”, has a much better chance of passively gaining links over time.
If you do the work of writing strong, relevant content that makes people want to share it, and you’ve provided value, the links will come (no spamming or emailing required).
If you’re working in content and link building silos, chances are your resources are working to achieve a target number of links and asking for link exchanges.
In my experience, this strategy tends to ignore whether the content being pushed is relevant or useful and would actually reflect well on your brand, which is the opposite of what good content should achieve.
Content written with a nod to Google’s helpful content guidelines, that delivers value and is focused on the user experience, will really appeal to people who write about the same concepts and are looking for other experts to validate their positions.
If you can produce good enough content to contribute to the topic discourse, it will attract links and Google will recognize your relevance. It’s a much deeper and more integrated approach than simple link building numbers.
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The business importance of effective link intent
I can tell you that I’ve won several clients for my agency because of the content I’ve written (thanks, Search Engine Land!). Chances are, many B2B companies can make similar claims.
Content good enough to generate passive links gives you a high chance of sharing and generating referral traffic, which is generally undervalued in SEO.
Valuable content produced with link intent will naturally drive links and equity over time, producing a built-in snowball effect.
This does more than just save time with link outreach. Ideally, you build a network of related sites and publishers for referral traffic that can bring tons of value over time.
Think of it as an organic version of affiliate marketing, which is a huge channel (i picking up steam).
Practical steps for creating content with link intent
Ready for a checklist to go with you?
You will notice an outreach component, but it comes at the end after a great deal of relevance work has been done.
Research the keywords bloggers and journalists search for references (these keywords usually include “statistics” or “reports”). Use Reddit, Quora, Twitter, Ahrefs (matched terms report) and Exploding Topics among your references. Based on these keywords, create a list of topics that your team can share valuable insights and perspectives on. Research a list of writers and journalists covering these topics. Find expert resources (whether internal or closely connected) and interview them for resources to create a content cache. Refine and develop this content into contemporary insights using Google Trends and social listening, using timing and a list of audience modifiers to increase relevance. Example: Get a list of tips from an expert aimed at helping hayfever sufferers (niche audience/modifier) sleep better (core theme/goal) during a particularly bad pollen count period (relevance) . Present a group of writers and journalists covering your topic and/or subtopic Because that matters Right Now and how is it different of other contents they may find as a reference. If (or even before) these writers and journalists link to your content, follow them on their social channels to deepen your connection for future opportunities.
Does this work? Consider Todoist, whose unique presentation of productivity methods has generated hundreds of referring domains, a number that has grown by 50% year on year and has contributed enormously to the growth of the brand.
Learn more about intent-driven link building
I talk to a lot of SEOs these days who put less emphasis on link building than they did years ago.
In my opinion, it’s less about links becoming irrelevant than old link building tactics becoming irrelevant.
A link intent approach that combines great content with strategic outreach is more effective, long-lasting and efficient than isolated content and link initiatives.
At the same time, it strengthens your brand reputation, which, along with generating incremental traffic, influences your users’ experience for the better.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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