To your audience and Google, credibility is everything. And while you could simply tell people your Shopify store and products are legit, it’s going to look much more believable if someone else vouches for you. That’s what backlinks are for.

Backlinks are links from other websites that redirect to your website. And studies show that the more backlinks a website has, the more organic traffic it likely gets. Backlinks could come from a review, another site citing you as a source, or a simple product mention. In any case, it’s a vote of confidence and boosts domain authority. 

The more your site is positioned as a trusted source on a given topic, the more Google and Bing are likely to give you a higher ranking on the search engine results page (SERP). And that means better SEO, more organic traffic, and increased revenue. 

10 of the best backlink strategies for Shopify stores

1. Lean into content with original research 

According to Shopify, 40.7% of SEO pros say strong content marketing is the best way to gain link-building results. But that doesn’t mean any type of content will do. It’s going to be nearly impossible to gain backlinks if your content doesn’t provide value and isn’t worth linking to.

So, what does quality content look like? It could be blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, eBooks, or guides. Use your content to produce original research, and anyone looking to create offshoot content will be inclined to link to your website as a source.

2. Find your mentions and ask for the backlink

You might already have backlink opportunities floating around the internet that you don’t even know about. There’s a good chance people have mentioned your brand or business, especially if you’ve been around a while or have a large following. 

To check, you can use tools like Google News, BrandWatch, or Mention. Once you locate where your mentions are by searching a few keywords, you can inquire about adding a link for you. It’s a common ask that many brands are happy to comply with. 

3. Get started with guest posting

Guest posting is when you write or produce content for another website. You’re a “guest” on their website, and it’s common practice to create content that includes relevant backlinks back to your store and product pages. 

A successful guest post involves finding relevant brands, reading their blog posts, reaching out to them, and producing high-quality content that is free of charge. Use your links sparingly so as not to crowd the page, and write your piece promptly. Then, you’ve got your new backlinks and a strengthened brand relationship as a bonus.

4. Publish free (and helpful) tooling

Free tools are a great reason for other websites to cite your Shopify store. When your store offers tools like:

• Calculators

• Templates

• Maps

• Checklists

Or another piece of tactical content, other websites will want to link to you to provide value for their readers. While some types of tools can be expensive to produce and maintain, they will help with your backlink efforts and your broader SEO strategy.

5. Have your services or products reviewed

Shopify stores have an advantage over SaaS or non-ecommerce stores, as sending out free products for people to review is great for brand awareness and backlinking. 

By reaching out to bloggers with substantial followings and sending free products, you can get genuine testimonials, more organic traffic, and strong backlinks that Google will reward you for. 

6. Use Reddit

Reddit has become an increasingly popular way for Shopify stores to build backlinks. First, familiarize yourself with Reddit’s content policy, and then try out the following:

• Create a valuable piece of content, and search for a relevant subreddit to post on 

• Publish your post and follow the subreddit’s guidelines

• Then, edit the post to include the link back to your website

This technique is most effective if your post has substantial upvotes and comments. It might take a few months of activity to build up trust and a following on Reddit, but the SEO perks are well worth it.

7. Leverage your referral traffic

By using Google Analytics, you can analyze where your existing referral traffic is coming from. Directories? Sponsored reviews? Company news announcements? Find where people are coming from (and converting) and double down on acquiring more backlinks for those types of sources. 

For example, if backlinks from product review blogs convert 25% better than those from larger publications, create a plan to start collaborating with more bloggers. It’s all about trial and capitalizing on what’s already working. 

8. Get a link or two from your manufacturer

Looking for a backlink quick win? It’s very easy for Shopify stores to ask vendors for backlinks. All it takes is a kind email to the manufacturer, asking to be added to the list of partners and retailers. 

Suppliers are likely to have a high domain authority, so a backlink to your Shopify store will be high-quality to Google. Just make sure before you send that email that your website looks professional and reasonably stocked with quality content. 

9. See who’s linking to your competitors

Competitor research is an important part of any marketing strategy, and backlinks are no exception. Enter your competitor’s domain into common SEO tools, like Moz, Semrush, and Ahrefs. From there, you’ll be able to see where they get their backlinks and which types of content they produce to secure the link. 

From there, it’s a matter of producing content on par or even better. Following a strategy that works for one niche is likely to work for another. It’s an easy way to shortcut to a strategy that’s already proven to work. 

10. Report broken links

Another easy backlink 101 strategy is to contact a webmaster and report broken links. It begins by searching the internet for broken links on relevant, high-domain-authority websites, and then reaching out with a recommendation to replace the link with a fresh one from your website. 

You can use tools like Check My Links to find broken links on websites you’d like to reach out to. Once you have your list, create a friendly email that introduces yourself, identifies the broken links, and gives instructions on how to re-link to your valuable content. 

How to take your SEO one step further

Backlinks are just one small piece of the broader SEO puzzle. By partnering with a professional team like Placeholder SEO, you’ll receive a complete audit of every content, technical, and linking opportunity to gain more organic traffic. At Placeholder, we specialize in assisting Shopify merchants in particular, and have proven data that speaks to organic traffic successes.

Book a call with our team today