Backlink building can often be daunting for many SEO practitioners, especially when it comes to finding effective strategies that yield meaningful results. Among the various link-building techniques available, resource page link building stands out as a particularly accessible yet powerful method. This article explores the nuances of resource page backlinks, presents a systematic approach to finding these opportunities, and highlights best practices for effective outreach.
Understanding Resource Page Link Building
Resource pages are specifically designed to curate and list valuable links related to a particular topic. This characteristic makes them an ideal target for backlink strategies. The reason for their effectiveness lies in their inherent purpose; resource pages aim to provide valuable information to visitors, so they are inherently oriented towards adding external links that enhance their content. This contrasts sharply with traditional editorial link requests, which often require extensive persuasion and justification.
The Two-Step Process of Resource Page Link Building
The process of securing backlinks from resource pages can be broken down into two simple yet critical steps:
- Finding Resource Pages: Identifying potential resource pages where you can suggest your content.
- Outreach: Crafting an effective email to propose your content as a valuable resource addition.
While both steps are essential, this article focuses primarily on the first—finding resource pages.
Finding Resource Page Opportunities
Utilizing Google Search Operators
The most straightforward way to discover resource pages is by leveraging Google search operators. Here are a few search queries to kickstart your prospecting:
inurl:links.html intitle:fitnessintitle:"resources" "your keyword"inurl:resources.html "relevant topic"
Experimenting with different combinations can dramatically expand your list of prospects. For instance, altering "fitness" to "health," "nutrition," or any relevant topic can yield new potential link placements.
Scraping Links
Once you have a list of URLs from your search results, the next step is to scrape these links. Using tools like the Scraper for Chrome can simplify this process.
- Install the plugin and right-click on the webpage.
- Select “Scrape Similar” and use specific XPath code to extract links.
- Copy the results into a spreadsheet for further processing.
Alternatively, tools like Ahrefs can provide an even more streamlined approach by exporting results directly from the SEO toolbar.
Vetting Resource Pages
After gathering potential resource URLs, the next critical step is filtering and vetting these pages to ensure they are worth pursuing. Tools such as Screaming Frog can be invaluable for this task.
- Import your list of URLs into Screaming Frog in List mode.
- Compile relevant metrics such as URL status, indexability, external linking, and more.
- Filter out non-qualifying pages by setting parameters to focus on pages that return a 200 status code, are indexable, and possess a minimum number of unique external links.
This vetting process helps you hone in on the most promising pages conducive to backlinking.
Expanding Your Outreach with External Links
A smart strategy is to not only focus on resource pages that you’re targeting but also leverage the backlinks of these pages. Pages that contain links to many resources are often interconnected, and finding these relationships can lead to even more opportunities.
- Run a new crawl in Screaming Frog on the vetted list to extract external links from these resource pages.
- Use tools to filter duplicates and compile a fresh list of domains that may also be valuable link prospects.
Finalizing Your Prospect List
With a curated list of qualified resource pages and their external links, it’s time to refine your approach and prepare for outreach. This is where you can define specific criteria to evaluate each page based on metrics that matter to your site’s niche and authority.
Conclusion
The world of resource page link building provides an accessible avenue for those new to SEO and experienced practitioners alike. By employing a systematic approach to identify, vet, and reach out to resource pages, you can significantly enhance your backlink profile and, ultimately, your site’s visibility in search engine results. With practice and patience, you can uncover countless opportunities within this effective strategy. Happy linking!
