Testimonials are a great way to earn high quality backlinks. Here’s how to build them.
With regularly updated Google algorithms, building links in quantity has become a strict no-no. Google values quality much over quantity.
And to keep up with that, SEO professionals come up with innovative white hat link building strategies that would up their marketing game.
One such underutilized yet powerful link building strategy is Testimonial link building. It is a great way to build authoritative backlinks to your site.
And the good news is, you probably have all the tools you need to have already with you.
What is testimonial link building
Testimonial link building is when you post positive testimonials for a related product or service in your niche and a link pointing to your site.
Being highly industry-relevant, it is a high-quality link you earn using a lesser-known strategy.
The best part? It’s a win-win situation for both parties as they get a valuable testimonial and you get a backlink.
This boosts your website authority, your name as an expert in your niche, search visibility, and organic traffic.
And, the business, on the other hand, gets to highlight visible social proof – a validation from a real satisfied customer.
How does testimonial link-building work
Testimonial link building works to a great extent in increasing visibility and organic traffic to your website. But the testimonial should be original. Not casually written stuff just to earn the link.
It should address a pain point and how the product has helped you in a great way.
For example, if you are in the SEO industry, a good testimonial would be to write about a tool, maybe a backlink monitoring tool, and tell how it has solved a particular problem you were facing.
That way, your testimonial will earn more credibility and user engagement.
Here’s an example of a great testimonial with a backlink.
This testimonial clearly highlights the uses of the product Link Whisper and addresses a specific pain point and how the product solves it.
Testimonial link building in 6 steps
Testimonial link building is easy. Just follow these steps to build some great testimonial links.
1. Find a relevant product or service to write a testimonial for
The first step is to identify a product or service you could really write a testimonial for. It must be relevant to your industry.
The ideal target will be:
- Relevant to your website
- Have medium to high traffic to their site
- Be a product or service you actually use
That way, Google will find the testimonial more valuable and ensure that you receive quality and relevant traffic to your website.
For instance, if you are in the SEO industry and want to build links related to the niche, you can try finding products like relevant tools, agency websites, etc.
Just head on to Google and if you say want to offer a testimonial for a writing tool, search for terms like:
- Writing assistant
- Writing tools
- AI writing tools
Now, as you can see Google will churn out the best search results, AI writing tools, in this case.
So, prepare a list of those results in a single place (a Google sheet will be just fine) to manage the data effectively. As once you collect the data you need to follow the remaining steps below.
2. Reach out with a pitch
Once you have a database, your next step would be to find the right person and start reaching out to them.
To find the right person and run the cold campaign, you can use tools like Hunter or ContactOut.
This is one valuable step many miss. They first try to create the testimonial and then reach out. But that’s one mistake. What if they don’t collaborate? Wouldn’t that be a waste of time and effort?
So, create a pitch first. Be original and pitch them the idea that you want to add value to their website by writing a testimonial for them.
Below is a sample email template you can use.
Hi {{first name}}
I’m [(name)] from [(company)]. I just wanted to say that I love the [(product/service)] you offer. It’s not only a favorite of mine, but our audience seems to really like it as well.
At a guess, I’d say we send about [(X)] visitors per month to your website. We have [(X)] social media followers and our site gets around [(X)] visitors per month.
I noticed that you share [([product/service)] testimonials on your website [(page)]. I’d be happy to share a testimonial or recommendation of the [(product/service)] that you could use in your sales or marketing material.
All the best,
[(name)]
Here is an example of a brand reaching out to us and asking for a testimonial. In return, they are ready to offer links, affiliate programs, or account upgrades. So this is how you can do it.
3. Write an original testimonial
Now comes writing the testimonial. Be original and write a genuine testimonial that addresses a particular benefit of the product you are writing the testimonial for.
You are writing it to help them sell their service or product. So, it’s your task to identify a problem and tell the readers how their product can help solve the problem.
Share your personal experience and write a testimonial that adds value for the readers. But it must be honest and truthful. You must keep in mind not to pitch a testimonial if the product really sucks.
4. Optimize testimonials for SEO
Don’t just stop at writing the testimonial. You must add relevant keywords. This will get you extra mileage and traffic.
It will highlight your brand’s core services and expertise areas. This increases the chances of your testimonials ranking for relevant user searches. It also directs quality traffic back to your website.
5. Get the link published
Now comes publishing the link. If they agree, politely guide them on how and where to place the testimonial and link.
Good spots would be homepages, testimonial pages, or product sites with the backlink published. You may even secure links in multiple locations across the site.
After you have secured the link, you should also promote it across various social media channels. This further boosts the perception of your brand quality.
6. Tracking the testimonials
Publishing the testimonial is just as important as tracking it. Use a credible backlink monitoring tool to track your link.
Check that the testimonials remain intact and do not get removed. Also, assess the site or rank impact of specific testimonial links.
To maintain the link, offer updates to the older testimonial with new comments or experiences to make them more relevant for readers. Maintaining a healthy relationship can lead to getting even more valuable testimonial placements in the future.
Benefits of testimonial link building
Being a powerful link building strategy, testimonial link building has many benefits. Mentioned below are some of them.
- Helps improve your site’s Domain Rating and trust.
- Improves brand awareness and ample third-party social proof of the credibility of your brand.
- Increases brand visibility and awareness.
- Building relationships with other brands can help open doors for other collaborations in the future.
- Published reviews can help distribute your brand message.
Conclusion
Getting your testimonials published on reputable websites is a great way to earn relevant and authoritative backlinks at scale. They earn the trust of the audience and can drive quality organic traffic to your site.
It’s easy, and correct execution of this strategy is a great way to earn a high-quality, relevant backlink.
If you haven’t yet used this technique, you can surely try it using the guidelines above and get quality backlinks pointing to your site.
If you are struggling with your link building tasks you can always contact us for the finest link building services with visible results.
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