Link-building is, and will continue to be, one of the most effective strategies to improve SEO and brand awareness.

In fact, 85% of SEO experts believe that link-building has a big impact on brand authority, and 69% of marketers say that link-building has delivered positive results for their business.

However, many Shopify store owners shy away from implementing link-building strategies as they view them as intimidating, time-consuming, or requiring too much effort. Like most marketing strategies, link-building requires hard work - but it doesn’t have to be difficult. You just need to know which strategies to implement and how to implement them effectively.

In this article, we’ll discuss 5 of the best link-building strategies for 2024, including…

Guest blogging
Link-building outreach
HARO link-building
External linking
‘Stealing’ broken links

But first, let’s define what link-building is and why it’s important for your Shopify store.

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What is link-building?

Link-building is the process of securing links from external websites that direct users to your own website. In SEO, the primary objective of link-building is to improve the search engine rankings of specific web pages by getting high-quality inbound links.

Its success lies in building connections with other websites to drive referral traffic and boost the authority of your Shopify store. When coupled with other technical SEO practices, such as strong on-page optimisation, compelling content, and a good user experience, link-building can be highly effective in increasing organic traffic.

When adopting link-building practices for your Shopify store, it’s important to understand the significance of quality, relevance, and authenticity. While low-quality, spam-driven link-building tactics may be easier in the short run, prioritising ethical and high-quality links will bring the best results.

Achieving this means investing time and effort into ensuring that your Shopify store is ‘link-worthy’. There are various steps and link-building strategies that can be used to do this, which will be covered throughout this guide.

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What are backlinks?

A backlink is when a website provides a hyperlink that directs customers to your website. These links are essential for SEO as they play a crucial role in determining a website’s authority, relevance, and popularity.

Link-building is important for Shopify stores as Google considers backlinks as votes of confidence or endorsements for a website. So the more high-quality and relevant backlinks a website has, the more trustworthy and authoritative it appears.

For example, high quality blog posts are great for backlinks because they can attract other websites to link back to your content as a valuable resource.

To build a strong backlink profile, you need to:

Create useful industry tools & resources. Content is the backbone of any successful link-building campaign. Develop valuable, informative, and engaging content for not only your blog and resource pages, but throughout your website. This will naturally attract other websites to link to it. High quality industry tools and resources have a higher chance of being shared and linked to by other websites in your niche.
Try guest blogging. Contribute guest posts to reputable websites in your industry. Many websites accept guest contributions and even provide an author bio where you can include a link back to your website.
Use linkable assets. Develop linkable assets to use within your blogs and website pages, such as infographics, images of research studies, and comprehensive guides/PDFs. These assets are more likely to attract backlinks because they provide valuable and shareable information.
Participate in online communities. Engage in online communities, forums, and Q&A websites and chats related to your niche. Some popular options include Reddit, Quora, and Shopify groups. Here, you can offer valuable insights and solutions to customers’ problems, and when appropriate, include links to your content as a reference.

You can learn more about other link-building strategies later in this guide.

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What are the benefits of link-building strategies?

Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites can significantly boost your Shopify store’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Site’s with a strong backlink profile are often rewarded with higher rankings. In fact, a study by Backlinko found that #1 results on Google have an average of 3.8x more backlinks than positions #2 - #10.

As your Shopify store climbs higher in search engine rankings due to effective link-building, you’re likely to experience a corresponding increase in organic traffic and a boost in your domain authority. This traffic tends to be super valuable as it consists of those who are actually interested in products or information related to your business niche.

Link-building efforts can also introduce your Shopify store to new audiences by placing your content in front of their existing followers or readers. This exposure often leads to increased brand awareness, engagement, and even direct conversions as more people become familiar with your brand and its offerings.

Unlike some Shopify marketing tactics that may offer quick, but short-term gains, investing time into link-building creates a foundation for consistent growth. As your store accumulates more and more high-quality backlinks, its authority and visibility continue to increase.

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Top 5 Shopify link-building strategies for 2024

1. Guest blogging

Guest blogging, or posting, is the most popular link building tactic, with 64.9% of website owners using it.

Guest blogging is where a Shopify store features articles, blogs, guides, and other content that has been written and provided by industry experts, influencers, or complementary brands. Not only does this allow you to tap into new audiences and gain exposure to readers in related topics, but you’re also boosting your store’s SEO by building high-quality backlinks with other websites.

As a Shopify store owner, you can reach out to relevant blogs, websites, or other online publications and offer to contribute or trade valuable articles that align with their audience’s interests. By showcasing your expertise and providing useful insights, you’re not only establishing your brand as an authority in your niche, but you’re also gaining connections and rapport with a wider, but still relevant, audience.

The key to successful guest blogging is strategically incorporating links back to your Shopify store throughout the guest post. Some backlinks you can gain from doing this include:

Contextual backlinks. These are links embedded within the body of the guest post content. They are usually relevant to the topic being discussed in the article and provide additional information or resources. Contextual backlinks are considered more valuable by search engines because they’re seen as natural and relevant to the content.
Author bio backlinks. Many guest blogging opportunities allow authors to include a brief author bio at the end of the post. Within this bio, you can typically include a link or two back to your own website or relevant social media profiles. Even though these links may not carry as much SEO weight as contextual links, they still contribute to your overall link profile and help drive traffic.
Branded backlinks. If you’re writing a guest post about a specific topic and you have a relevant product, service, or tool associated with your brand, then you should include branded backlinks. These links use your brand name as the anchor text and lead to pages on your site that provide more information about your offerings. Branded backlinks can help increase brand visibility and awareness.
Resource backlinks. When writing a guest post, you also have the opportunity to provide valuable resources or references. By including links to high-quality, relevant resources - whether they’re on your site or others - you can create resource backlinks. These links add credibility to your content and can enhance the user experience by directing readers to additional helpful information.

It’s important to always follow the guidelines for guest blogging, and ensure that your content is valuable, relevant, and not overly promotional. High-quality, informative articles are more likely to be successful. To ensure that your guest blogging strategy is effective for your Shopify store, you should consider:

Authority and credibility. Focus on guest blogging opportunities on websites that have a strong reputation and authority in your industry. Guest posting on authoritative sites can increase your Shopify store’s credibility and influence. An authoritative site is a trusted and reputable source that is known for providing accurate, reliable, and expert information for a particular niche.
Relevance. Select guest blogging opportunities that are closely aligned with your niche or industry. Relevance is crucial for attracting the right audience and ensuring your content is valuable to readers.
Target audience. Understand the target audience of the host site, and tailor your content to fit their specific needs, interests, and challenges to maximise your content’s impact.
Content quality. Prioritise the creation of high-quality, informative, and engaging content. Guest posts should offer unique insights, actionable tips, or compelling narratives that add value to the host site’s audience.
SEO optimisation. Optimise your content for search engines by incorporating relevant keywords naturally. Ensure that the guest post aligns with the host site’s content style and follows their editorial guidelines.

The more useful, engaging, and specific your guest blogging content is, the easier it will become for your Shopify store to gain high-quality links on reputable sites and be rewarded with higher placements on SERPs.

2. Link-building outreach

Link-building outreach is about being proactive - simply taking the initiative to ask other store owners for links or link-trading opportunities.

By reaching out to relevant websites, bloggers, or neighbouring Shopify businesses within your industry, you’re not only building relationships, but can also have the aim of securing backlinks to your own site.

It involves sending personalised and compelling pitches that highlight the value of your content or resources to another businesses’ audience. For example, you could offer useful advice, your own statistics or research, valuable corrections, exclusive news or information, or content that will help their audience.

Email is the most common tool used for link-building outreach, but more and more website owners are finding social media a good medium to reach other stores too. The key to successful outreach is to remember that you’re asking people to do something for you. So you’re more likely to get the best response by keeping your pitch brief, friendly, and easily digestible. whilst also offering them something valuable in return…

Personalisation. Tailor your outreach messages to each individual website to show that you’re genuinely interested and view them as relevant. Make sure to use the recipient's name, reference their website or recent content, and explain why your link or collaboration would be valuable to them specifically.
Value proposition. Clearly communicate the value proposition of your link or collaboration proposal. Highlight how linking to your content or partnering with your website could benefit the recipient’s audience or website visitors. You could also offer an incentive, such as a link back to their website or content in return.
Follow up & be persistent. Sending friendly but professional follow-up messages can show your persistence and genuine interest without being overly pushy. Be prepared to engage in ongoing conversation and kindly answer any concerns or questions that the recipient may raise. You may also need to adapt your approach along the way to maximise the chances of securing backlinks.

To find the best recipients for your link-building outreach, you need to research other Shopify stores and websites within your niche that align with your target audience and objectives. Explore industry-related sites, blogs, forums, and social media platforms to identify those who have a strong online presence and seem like they would demonstrate a willingness to collaborate or link to external resources.

Tools such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz can also help you to do this.

3. HARO link-building

A rising link-building strategy for your Shopify store in 2024 is utilising HARO (Help a Reporter Out) link-building. HARO is a platform that connects journalists and bloggers with expert sources to provide valuable insights for their articles. It not only helps you earn authoritative backlinks but also positions you as an expert in your industry.

As a Shopify store owner, you can make the most out of HARO by signing up as a source and monitoring relevant queries within your industry. For example, when you spot a query that aligns with your expertise or your store’s niche, you can respond with your own data, guidance, or insights. If your response is chosen by the journalist or blogger, you’ll receive a backlink to your Shopify store within their article.

Some places you can look for backlink opportunities using HARO include:

Expert commentary. Responding to queries from journalists or bloggers seeking expert insights or opinions. By providing valuable commentary, you can earn backlinks to your Shopify store when your insights are included in their articles.
Data contribution. Sharing relevant data or statistics in response to queries that require statistical evidence or research findings. When your data is used in an article, you can receive a backlink to your store as the source.
Product reviews. Some journalists or bloggers may be seeking products to review within your industry. Offering your Shopify store’s products for review can lead to backlinks when your products are featured in their review articles.
Case studies. Provide case studies of success stories related to your Shopify store’s products or services in response to queries seeking real-life examples. A website owner may want to include your case study as an example in a piece of their content.

HARO link-building can get competitive, so it’s important to regularly monitor HARO queries that align with your expertise and respond quickly before someone else does. Also aim to offer unique perspectives or information that sets you apart from other sources, and tailor your responses to address specific needs or questions, highlighting why you’re the ideal source for an article.

You should also take the opportunity to build relationships with Shopify store owners or users who frequently look to HARO. If your responses are consistently helpful and valuable, you’re more likely to become a trusted source in the future.

4. External linking

While it may seem counterintuitive, incorporating outbound links to other websites and sources in your own content is a strategic approach that will improve your link-building efforts.

By offering connections to valuable resources, you position yourself as an authoritative and informative source for your audience.

Doing so not only adds credibility to your content, but also creates opportunities for reciprocation, as the sites you link to may find value in linking in return to your Shopify store.

To effectively link to other websites, begin by researching and making a list of some good resources within your niche, ensuring they align with the topic and context of your content. Remember to prioritise quality over quantity, only selecting websites that your audience will absolutely benefit from.

When incorporating outbound links, use descriptive anchor text that clearly indicates the linked content’s relevance. Also be sure to seek a diverse range of sources to create a well-rounded resource for your readers:

Blog or article links. These are links embedded within your blog posts or articles, connecting sources that expand or add to the information you’re presenting.
Service or product links. If your content references a service, product, or tool, consider linking to another website or Shopify store that is well-known for providing it.
Research or data links. Incorporate links to studies, research papers, or statistical data from reputable sources. Research links show that your information is well supported and are particularly useful when you want to back up your claims or provide in-depth insights.

For example, if you’re selling fitness equipment, you might link to reputable fitness blogs or informational websites in your own blog content.

Shopify link-building steal broken links

5. ‘Steal’ broken links

Broken links are hyperlinks on a webpage that no longer lead to the destination they’re supposed to, typically resulting in a “404 Not Found” error message when clicked. This can happen for various reasons, such as the linked web page being removed, moved, or renamed.

You can actually take the opportunity to ‘steal’ these broken links. This involves identifying broken links, also known as dead links, and substituting them with new, fresh links that drive traffic towards your website.

Sneaky…but effective.

SEMrush offers a Backlink Analytics tool which will help you to easily locate broken backlinks pointed to your competitors' websites or other sources. It also allows you to carefully inspect each broken link opportunity so that you can assess their relevance to your Shopify store.

Once identified, you can reach out to the website owners, proposing to replace the broken link with a resource from your own Shopify store.

For instance, you may have a company that offers graphic design services. In this case, you might find it beneficial to search for other websites discussing digital marketing strategies and creative design. Upon finding a page containing a dealink, possibly due to an outdated resource or discontinued product, you might decide to contact the site owner, emphasise their graphic design services, and suggest replacing the broken link with a link to your content, products, or services instead.

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Shopify link-building FAQs

What is link-building for Shopify stores?

Link-building is the process of securing links from external websites that direct users to your own Shopify store. One of the primary objectives of link-building is to improve the search engine rankings of specific web pages by getting high-quality inbound links.

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Does link-building help SEO?

Yes. When coupled with other technical SEO practices, such as strong on-page optimisation, compelling content, and a good user experience, link-building can be highly effective in increasing organic traffic and boosting your Shopify store’s position in SERPs.

You can learn more about developing a successful SEO strategy for your Shopify store in our Ultimate Guide to Shopify SEO.

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Why is link-building important for Shopify stores?

Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites can significantly boost your Shopify store’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). Site’s with a strong backlink profile are often rewarded with higher rankings.

Additionally, link-building efforts can also introduce your Shopify store to new audiences by placing your content in front of their existing followers or readers. This exposure often leads to increased brand awareness, engagement, and even direct conversions as more people become familiar with your brand and its offerings.

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What are backlinks?

A backlink is when a website provides a hyperlink that directs customers to another website. These links are essential for SEO as they play a crucial role in determining a website’s authority, relevance, and popularity.

To build a strong backlink profile, you need to create useful industry tools & resources, try guest blogging, use linkable assets, and participate in online communities.

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