Why Backlinks Still Matter for Ecommerce
Backlinks remain one of Google's top ranking factors. For ecommerce stores competing against Amazon, Walmart, and established brands, building quality backlinks is essential to gaining search visibility.
But ecommerce link building is different from traditional SEO outreach. Product pages rarely attract natural links. You need creative strategies tailored to online stores.
10 Proven Ecommerce Link Building Strategies
1. Create Linkable Blog Content
Product pages do not earn links. Educational, entertaining, or data-driven content does. Focus on creating:
Use our blog ideas generator to find topics with link-earning potential.
2. Digital PR and Newsjacking
Monitor industry news and trends, then create timely content that journalists can reference. Tools like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) connect you with journalists looking for expert sources.
Tips for digital PR success:
3. Product Reviews and Unboxing
Send products to bloggers, YouTubers, and micro-influencers for honest reviews. Each review typically includes a backlink to your store.
Target influencers who:
4. Resource Page Link Building
Many websites maintain resource pages listing the best tools, products, or guides in a niche. Find relevant resource pages and pitch your content for inclusion.
Search for phrases like:
5. Broken Link Building
Find broken links on relevant websites, create replacement content, and suggest your page as an alternative. This works well because you are helping the site owner fix a problem.
6. Supplier and Manufacturer Links
If you sell products from well-known brands, check if those brands have a "where to buy" or "authorized retailers" page. Request inclusion with a link to your store.
7. Guest Posting on Niche Blogs
Write valuable guest posts for blogs in your industry. Focus on providing genuine value rather than just getting a link. A well-written guest post builds both links and brand authority.
Target blogs that:
8. Create Free Tools
Free tools earn links naturally because people reference them when recommending solutions. This is why we built tools like our Shopify SEO checker, meta description generator, and alt text generator -- they provide genuine value and attract organic backlinks.
Consider creating calculators, templates, or interactive tools relevant to your niche.
9. Community and Forum Participation
Participate genuinely in communities where your target customers hang out: Reddit, niche forums, Facebook groups, and industry Slack channels. Answer questions helpfully and share your content when it is genuinely relevant.
10. Competitor Backlink Analysis
Study where your competitors earn their backlinks. If a site links to them, they may link to you too, especially if your content is better. Use tools like Ahrefs to identify competitor link sources and create targeted outreach campaigns.
Link Building Mistakes to Avoid
Building a Sustainable Link Strategy
Link building is a long-term investment, not a one-time project. The stores that succeed commit to:
Content is the foundation of every successful link building campaign. Without great content, you have nothing worth linking to.
Need help creating link-worthy content? Try Obsess AI free for 7 days and start publishing content that earns backlinks and drives organic traffic.