Table of Contents
Backlinks are a crucial factor in search engine ranking. They act as votes of confidence from other websites, signaling to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative. According to Linkdoctor, 80% of SEO professionals agree that link-building is an effective marketing strategy. For service companies, infographic backlinks can boost organic traffic, enhance brand authority, and improve lead generation. Let’s explore the 14 best ways to secure infographic backlinks effectively and why they matter.
Why Are Backlinks Important?
Backlinks are a fundamental component of search engine optimization (SEO) and play a vital role in determining a website’s visibility, credibility, and overall authority. When other websites link to your content, search engines perceive these links as endorsements, signaling that your site offers valuable and trustworthy information. Here’s a detailed look at why backlinks are essential for online success:
1. Enhances Organic Ranking
Search engines, particularly Google, use backlinks as a major ranking factor. Each high-quality backlink acts like a vote of confidence, indicating to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative. Websites with a strong backlink profile tend to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), making it easier for potential customers to find them. As a result, acquiring authoritative backlinks helps you stay ahead of competitors, improves visibility, and attracts a steady flow of organic traffic without relying solely on paid promotions.
2. Drives Targeted Referral Traffic
Beyond improving rankings, backlinks serve as direct pathways for users to discover your website. When a well-established and relevant website links to your content, it sends highly targeted referral traffic—users who are genuinely interested in your products or services. This type of traffic is particularly valuable because it often consists of engaged visitors who are more likely to explore your site, interact with your content, and ultimately convert into paying customers. Unlike generic traffic, referral visitors are already primed with interest, increasing the likelihood of achieving higher engagement and conversion rates.
3. Expands Brand Awareness and Industry Recognition
When authoritative websites link to your content, they introduce your brand to a wider audience, helping establish your business as a credible leader in your industry. These mentions and citations across multiple platforms build brand recognition and trust over time. If your content is consistently referenced by industry leaders, news websites, and niche bloggers, your company may eventually become a household name within your specific market. Additionally, repeated exposure through high-quality backlinks reinforces brand recall, making users more likely to remember and engage with your business when they need relevant services.
4. Strengthens Authority and Trustworthiness
Google and other search engines assess the authority of a website based on the quality and relevance of its backlink profile. If your site is frequently referenced by reputable sources, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and worth ranking higher in search results. This association with trusted domains enhances your credibility, making both users and search engines view your business as a reliable source of information. Over time, a strong backlink portfolio helps position your website as an authoritative resource in your industry, increasing trust among potential customers and improving overall search visibility.
5. Encourages Natural Link-Building Growth
Once your website starts accumulating high-quality backlinks, it becomes easier to gain even more. Websites that have already established credibility and authority attract additional backlinks organically, as other content creators, bloggers, and journalists naturally reference your material as a trusted resource. This creates a snowball effect, where your initial backlink-building efforts lead to more inbound links without requiring continuous outreach. The more reputable your content appears, the more likely other sites will voluntarily link to it, further strengthening your domain authority and search rankings.
6. Provides Long-Term SEO and Marketing Benefits
Unlike paid advertising campaigns that require continuous investment to generate traffic, backlinks offer a long-term and cost-effective SEO strategy. Once acquired, high-quality backlinks continue to drive referral traffic and contribute to higher search rankings indefinitely. This makes them one of the most sustainable digital marketing techniques, ensuring ongoing visibility and lead generation long after the initial effort of obtaining them. Furthermore, a well-structured backlink strategy enhances the longevity of your content’s relevance, allowing your website to maintain authority and traffic without constant financial input.
How to Get Infographic Backlinks
Backlinking isn’t just about accumulating links—it’s about securing high-quality backlinks that enhance your website’s credibility and authority. Infographics are one of the most powerful link-building assets due to their visually engaging nature, making them easy to share and reference. Below are 14 detailed and effective methods to help you acquire high-value infographic backlinks.
1. Replicate Your Competitors’ Best Backlinks
A great way to gain high-quality backlinks is by analyzing your competitors’ backlink profiles and replicating their most effective link-building strategies. Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to identify the websites linking to your competitors’ infographics. Once you have a list of these sites, reach out to them with your own high-quality infographic, offering it as an updated or alternative visual resource. Many of these websites are already interested in linking to similar content, increasing your chances of securing backlinks effortlessly.
2. Submit Infographics to Niche-Specific Blogs
Many industry-specific blogs accept infographic submissions as part of their content strategy. Research authoritative websites in your niche that publish infographics and offer yours for consideration. Ensure your infographic is data-driven and provides unique insights to increase the chances of being featured. By getting published on niche blogs, you not only secure high-quality backlinks but also establish credibility within your industry.
3. Create a Roundup Post Featuring Other Infographics
Instead of passively waiting for backlinks, take a strategic approach by curating a well-researched roundup post showcasing high-quality infographics from various credible sources, including your own. Choose a specific theme, such as industry trends, data-driven insights, or case studies, to make the post highly relevant and valuable to your target audience. Provide a brief analysis of each infographic, highlighting key takeaways and why they are worth referencing. Once your roundup post is published, personally reach out to the creators of the featured infographics, informing them about their inclusion and expressing appreciation for their work. Many of them will be eager to share your post on their websites, social media, or newsletters, increasing its visibility. Some may also reciprocate by linking back to your infographic or website, making this an effective and organic strategy for earning high-quality backlinks while strengthening industry relationships.
4. Guest Blogging with Embedded Infographics
Guest blogging remains one of the most effective ways to build backlinks, provided the content is high-quality and adds value. Reach out to authoritative blogs within your niche and offer to write an insightful guest post incorporating your infographic. Ensure your article provides valuable insights, in-depth research, and unique perspectives so that the host site sees it as a worthy addition to its content. In exchange, you can earn backlinks either within the content itself or in the author bio section.
5. Pitch Infographics to Journalists and Industry Bloggers
Reaching out directly to journalists, bloggers, and industry influencers can be a highly effective way to gain backlinks. Many journalists actively look for high-quality content that enhances their articles. Find relevant journalists and bloggers who cover topics related to your infographic, and send them a well-crafted pitch explaining why your visual content adds value to their readership. If they find your infographic relevant and insightful, they may include it in their articles and link back to your website.
6. Leverage Public Relations for Backlinking
A well-executed public relations (PR) campaign can significantly boost your infographic’s visibility and earn high-authority backlinks. Press releases, media outreach, and influencer collaborations can help promote your infographic across various platforms, including news websites, industry blogs, and online magazines. By positioning your infographic as a credible and newsworthy resource, you increase the chances of earning backlinks from authoritative sources.
7. Use Advanced Search Operators to Find Link Opportunities
One of the most effective ways to discover backlink opportunities is by using Google’s advanced search operators. Commands like “inurl: resources”, “intitle: infographic”, or “infographic + keyword” can help you find websites that regularly feature infographics. Once you identify these sites, reach out to them and offer your infographic as a valuable addition to their resource page or article. Since these websites already link to similar content, they are more likely to include yours.
8. Develop Free Tools That Integrate Infographics
Websites that offer free tools, calculators, and widgets tend to attract a high number of backlinks. By creating a simple but valuable tool related to your niche and embedding your infographic within it, you encourage users to share it naturally. For example, if you’re in the finance industry, a tax calculator with an accompanying infographic explaining tax brackets can generate organic backlinks as users and bloggers reference it in their content.
9. Use Images to Earn Mentions and Links
Custom illustrations, infographics, and unique visuals are highly shareable assets that can drive organic backlinks. Websites and bloggers are often on the lookout for high-quality visuals to support their content. By making your infographic easy to embed and adding an HTML embed code, you make it effortless for others to feature your infographic while linking back to your website. Additionally, submitting your infographic to image-sharing platforms like Pinterest, Behance, and Dribbble can attract more visibility and backlinks.
10. Use the Broken Link Building Method
Broken link building is an effective strategy where you find dead links on relevant websites and suggest replacing them with your infographic. Use tools like Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker to identify broken links on industry-related sites. Once you find a broken link, reach out to the site owner and suggest your infographic as a suitable replacement. Since you’re helping them fix an issue on their website, they are more likely to accept your request and link back to your content.
11. Refresh Outdated Content with Your Infographic
Many websites have outdated articles with old statistics or visuals that are no longer relevant. Identify such content in your industry and reach out to the site owner, offering your updated infographic as a fresh reference. Since updating old content improves a website’s SEO performance, many site owners will appreciate the effort and include your infographic along with a backlink.
12. Publish Comprehensive Guides with Infographics
Ultimate guides and long-form educational content are among the most linkable assets online. Creating in-depth, well-researched guides that include infographic summaries makes your content highly shareable and attractive to authoritative websites. Bloggers, educators, and industry leaders are more likely to link to your guide if it serves as a go-to resource for a particular topic.
13. Write Testimonials for Industry Websites
Providing testimonials for companies, products, or services in your industry is a simple yet effective way to secure a backlink. Many businesses include a section for customer testimonials on their websites, often with a link back to the reviewer’s site. Reach out to industry-related businesses whose products you use and offer a well-crafted testimonial. This method not only earns you a backlink but also strengthens your relationships within your industry.
14. Gain Backlinks Through Interviews and Q&A Platforms
Getting featured in expert interviews, podcasts, or Q&A platforms like Quora and Reddit can be a great way to earn backlinks while showcasing your expertise. Many industry blogs and news sites conduct expert roundups where they invite professionals to share insights. By participating in such interviews and including your infographic in your responses, you can secure backlinks from authoritative sources. Webinars, panel discussions, and expert Q&A sessions are also excellent platforms to gain exposure and earn backlinks.
Backlinks That Can Harm Your SEO: What to Avoid
Not all backlinks contribute positively to your website’s ranking and credibility. Certain types of links can do more harm than good, potentially leading to penalties or diminishing your SEO efforts. Below are the types of backlinks you should actively avoid and the reasons why they can be detrimental.
1. Links from Low-Quality or Spammy Websites
Backlinks from websites with a poor reputation, low domain authority, or those flagged as spam can severely hurt your search engine rankings. These sites often engage in unethical SEO tactics, such as keyword stuffing, excessive link exchanges, or auto-generated content, making them unreliable sources in the eyes of search engines like Google. Associating your website with such domains can diminish your credibility and potentially lead to deindexing if detected by Google’s algorithms.
2. Websites That Exist Solely for Link-Building (Link Farms)
A link farm is a website designed primarily to exchange and sell backlinks rather than provide valuable content. These sites are often overloaded with outbound links pointing to various unrelated domains, with little to no meaningful content. Search engines recognize these manipulative practices and penalize websites that engage in link farming. If your website gets associated with a link farm, it can negatively impact your search rankings and trustworthiness.
3. Backlinks from Irrelevant Niches or Unrelated Websites
For a backlink to be valuable, it should come from a website that is relevant to your industry or niche. If your business focuses on digital marketing but receives backlinks from unrelated fields like pet grooming or auto repairs, search engines may see these as unnatural or forced links. This lack of contextual relevance can dilute your website’s credibility, making it harder for search engines to determine your site’s true authority in its field.
4. Paid Links or Unnatural Link-Building Schemes
While purchasing backlinks may seem like a shortcut to boosting your rankings, search engines actively discourage and penalize such practices. Google’s algorithm, especially updates like Penguin, detects and devalues paid links, link exchanges, or networks created for artificial link-building. If your site is found participating in such schemes, it can be penalized, causing a significant drop in rankings and organic traffic.
5. Excessive Backlinks from Low-Authority Web Directories
Not all web directories provide valuable backlinks. While some high-quality directories (like those focusing on niche industries) can help with SEO, most generic or low-quality directories exist solely to host links without adding value. A sudden surge in directory backlinks may raise red flags for search engines, potentially leading to a manual penalty or ranking suppression.
6. Comment Spam Links
Many websites allow users to post comments with links, but excessive spamming of these comment sections with backlinks can hurt your reputation. If you leave links in irrelevant comment threads or use automated tools to spread your URL across multiple websites, search engines may identify these as spammy practices. Google has measures in place to counteract comment spam, and links acquired through such tactics are often devalued.
7. Site-Wide Footer or Sidebar Links
Sitewide links appear on every page of a website, often in footers or sidebars. While they might seem like an easy way to gain backlinks, search engines often consider them unnatural if they are not contextually relevant. If such links appear across hundreds or thousands of pages without adding real value, they can be flagged as manipulative and may negatively affect your rankings.
8. Links from Hacked or Penalized Websites
Websites that have been hacked or penalized by search engines usually carry a negative reputation. If your website receives backlinks from such sources, it might be associated with security risks or black-hat SEO tactics, leading to a loss of credibility. Always monitor your backlink profile to ensure your website isn’t linked to compromised or blacklisted sites
Key Considerations for Effective Backlinking
Backlinking is a critical component of SEO, but it requires a strategic approach to be truly effective. Simply acquiring backlinks isn’t enough—how you build them, where they come from, and how they fit within your overall SEO strategy all matter. Here are the most important factors to keep in mind while building backlinks to ensure long-term success and avoid penalties.
1. The Importance of Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink, and it plays a vital role in how search engines understand the context of your link. It should be relevant to the page it is linking to and appear natural within the content. Avoid over-optimized or keyword-stuffed anchor texts, as Google’s algorithms, such as Penguin, can penalize websites for manipulative linking tactics. Instead, use a mix of branded, partial-match, and generic anchor texts to keep your backlink profile diverse and organic.
2. Understanding No-Follow vs. Do-Follow Links
Both no-follow and do-follow links serve unique purposes, and having a balance of both is ideal for a natural backlink profile.
- Do-Follow Links: These pass link equity (or “link juice”) and contribute directly to your SEO rankings. They are the most valuable backlinks as they help increase your website’s authority.
- No-Follow Links: While these links don’t pass SEO value, they still have benefits. They can drive referral traffic, increase brand awareness, and prevent an unnatural link profile. Websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and major news platforms often provide no-follow links, but they can still bring valuable visitors to your site.
A well-rounded backlink strategy includes a healthy mix of both types, as an all-do-follow profile can look suspicious to search engines.
3. Keep a Natural and Sustainable Link-Building Growth Rate
Building too many backlinks too quickly can trigger red flags with search engines. Google expects link-building to be an organic process, where links are earned naturally over time.
- Avoid sudden spikes in backlinks, as they may indicate black-hat SEO practices like paid links or link farms.
- Focus on consistent, high-quality link-building efforts through guest blogging, content marketing, and outreach.
- Gradual, steady backlink acquisition is far more effective in maintaining long-term search rankings and avoiding penalties.
4. The Importance of Backlink Diversity
A diverse backlink profile looks more natural to search engines and protects your website from being overly dependent on one source. Ensure that your backlinks come from different types of domains and platforms, such as:
- Industry blogs and niche websites: These establish relevance and authority in your field.
- News websites: Links from reputable media sources can enhance credibility.
- Directories and business listings: While not all directories are valuable, niche-relevant directories can add legitimacy to your site.
- Social media platforms and forums: Even though most of these links are no-follow, they contribute to brand visibility and traffic.
- Educational and government websites (EDU & GOV links): These are considered high-authority links and can significantly boost your site’s trustworthiness.
5. Conduct Competitor Backlink Analysis for Strategic Insights
Studying your competitors’ backlink profiles is one of the most effective ways to refine your SEO strategy. By analyzing where their backlinks are coming from, you can:
- Identify high-quality websites in your niche that may be willing to link to your content.
- Find guest posting opportunities on platforms that have already accepted similar content.
- Discover industry directories, forums, or PR sites where your competitors have been mentioned.
- Understand the type of content that attracts the most backlinks and create similar, high-value resources.
Using SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz, you can analyze your competitors’ backlinks and develop a data-driven link-building strategy tailored to your niche.
Conclusion
Earning infographic backlinks is a powerful way to boost your SEO and drive targeted traffic to your service company. By using strategies such as guest blogging, broken link building, and leveraging PR, you can build a strong backlink profile that enhances your website’s authority. Backlinking is not just about numbers; it’s about relevance, quality, and strategy. Implement these best practices, focus on sustainable link-building efforts, and watch your search rankings and brand visibility soar!
Unlock the power of captivating visuals with our seasoned expertise! With 7 years of crafting compelling visual content, we’re ready to elevate your brand’s story. From stunning graphics to mesmerizing animations, we bring your vision to life. Let’s create engaging visuals that resonate with your audience and leave a lasting impression. Partner with us today for an unforgettable visual journey!