How to Build Search Engine Traffic Without Backlinks?

March 20, 2015 0 comments

We all know backlinks are extremely important for search engine rankings. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything without hunting those links. There is always a way …

You see, search engine traffic is all about getting ranked higher in the search engines and driving traffic to your website via high-quality content. And powerful backlinks help you a lot, but they aren’t the only route to rank higher in the search engine listings.

In this post, we are not going to discuss any techniques to acquire backlinks through various authoritative domains. But instead, we are going to tell you some proven methods to increase search engine traffic without having to worry about building backlinks.

Here are a few very powerful, tested and proven methods that can help you to get higher rankings in search engines – even without backlinks.

1. Breaking News

Google loves websites that break latest news for their readers.

If you are working in a niche that offers great potential to latest news, then you are in for a treat. Here are a few examples of such niches:

1. Fashion
2. Music
3. Hollywood
4. Politics
5. SEO
6. Technology
7. Gadgets, Computers and Mobile Devices

People like reading latest news and search engines also rank websites that break such news – even if they don’t have a lot of backlinks.

Moreover, there is another great advantage in breaking latest news. If you manage to be one of the very first websites to break important news, you will get a lot of natural backlinks without having to worry about them at all.

Being one of the first websites to break the information, other websites will naturally link to you whenever they reference it. Ultimately, you will get a more prominent search engine position without hunting for any backlinks whatsoever.

2. Create List Posts

List posts are everybody’s favourite.

Internet users love reading list posts. But you can leverage them even more if you can incorporate a few good qualities in them.

1. Write in-depth and very comprehensive list posts.
2. Backup every claim and every point with a scientific research, proven data and statistics.
3. Use an odd number in the title and content of your list-post. According to some research, odd numbers out-perform even numbers and make the blog post infinitely more attractive.
4. Create attractive, engaging and clickable headlines for your list-posts. Take inspiration from BuzzFeed

It is on record that list posts lead to the 2nd largest amounts of social media shares. And viral content means more traffic, greater chance of earning backlinks and a higher search engine ranking – leading to more organic traffic.

The best part about all it is that you don’t have to worry about creating and acquiring backlinks. You will rank higher in the search engines anyway and, as time goes by, your list posts will automatically generate a lot of backlinks that will cement its higher position in search engines.

For the best effect it is important to think about the best way of promoting your list posts through manual outreach and social media. But that will be a topic of a future post.

3. Diversify – Create Infographics

If you don’t want to worry about backlinks, create infographics.

Infographics are awesome and totally in. As a matter of fact, infographics bring the highest amount of social media shares. People love them!

There are a few rules, however, that you should follow:

1. The infographics that you create must be very well-designed. You can either use a tool like canva or ly, or you can hire an expert graphic designer to help you.
2. Infographics are not just about pretty graphics. You must research extensively on a given topic and add lots and lots of information about it. Only a whole lot of research, valuable data and exclusive set of comprehensive information can transform a good infographic into a great one.
3. Make it easy on the eyes.
4. Make it easy to share.

Readers love visual content. Those are easier to read, extract information from and share.

Check out our Advanced Guide To On-Page SEO and let us know what you think of it!

4. Focus On User Intent

SEO has changed. With the latest Google update, Hummingbird, Google is now focusing more the users’ intent, instead of the robotic keyword text.

In other words, keywords are still important – and they always will be – but in today’s SEO world, you will have to go beyond that. Focus on how the user might state the question and try answering that question via your webpage. You will be noticed by the search engines and duly rewarded with a higher ranking.

Conclusion

In conclusion, backlinks are still one of the most important factors in the search engine ranking. But, unless you are a SEO professional, they are often very hard to acquire.

Moreover, your focus shouldn’t be on acquiring backlinks in the first place. Instead, your primary goal should be to create powerful and useful content for your readers that may help them achieving their goals.

With the techniques mentioned above, you might be able to give your readers exactly what they want. Google will love you for that and will help you receive a lot of search engine traffic. And backlinks will automatically follow.