How Data-Driven Visual Content Builds Links

For over a decade we have been creating linkable assets for clients to attract organic and editorial links that move the needle.

Throughout these years we’ve experimented with lots of topics, formats, and content positioning tactics until we have narrowed down these tactics to those that never fail to work.

If you research content-based editorial link-building online, you’ll come across a variety of terms that basically all mean pretty much the same (yes, our industry loves new fancy terms. Some SEOs feel important when introducing new ones).

Here are a few of them:

• Link magnets = content that attracts links
• Infographics = visual content that attracts links
• Linkable assets = content that attracts links

I am sure there are more ways to describe this very clear concept: Creating content targeting link amplifiers (i.e. people who can link to your page) instead of targeting your target customers.

And yes, the reality of SEO is that you need to target both: your customers and people who have platforms to link to you. And those are usually two different strategies (you cannot usually target both from one piece of content).

As we have been developing our link-building program for years, we have come to two important conclusions:

• You cannot just build awesome content and expect it to attract links (unless you are writing for CNN or something). You need to be proactive with getting it in front of people who can link. We use Reddit marketing and manual PR outreach.
• Visual content is more effective (more on that below)

So why visual content?

Two answers:

• More distribution channels
• More discovery channels for ever-green impact

Distribution channels

When we actively promote our infographic, we need as many channels as possible. When you have an image to promote, not only it makes a page more appealing and engaging (every blogger can use your image when writing about it), but it also expands your reach to channels like:

• All kinds of image-driven subreddits in Reddit (DataIsBeautiful, Infographics, etc.) 
• Pinterest (ranks incredibly well in Google)
• Instagram (especially in niches like beauty, food, travel, etc.)
• Image-specific curation platforms (e.g. Visual Capitalist, and many others)

No other format (even video) has such a huge variety of highly popular distribution channels).

Discovery channels

This is somewhat of a missing step for every company that is trying to do what we do, i.e. create successful backlink-generating content assets: Long-term discovery.

In fact, Google is your best link-building tool. Once you rank your content magnet in Google, links will just keep coming. And that’s always the goal for our infographic campaigns: We want them to rank.

Image packs are very common in Google for all linkable topics. Things like “keyword stats”, “keyword report”, and “keyword trends” (where keyword=your topic) often generate image packs in organic search, and that’s where our image can really stand out.

It is very hard to miss for any journalist or blogger researching this topic.

Now, keep in mind that we also drove links to that asset during the active promotion (Reddit positioning and journalist outreach), as well as used other channels with high-ranking potential (Reddit, Pinterest, etc.). So our asset is suddenly all over Google SERPs driving backlinks, brand mentions, and organic visibility to your brand in the long term!

Best link generation formula

So if you were wondering how to adjust your content strategy to keep driving fresh signals (backlinks + brand mentions + clicks) to your brand, this is what we do:

Come up with a link magnet (on the topic that is likely to be researched by journalists and bloggers) + Visualize it (to increase your distribution and discover channel) + Optimize it for more discover channels (know your keywords) +  Put it in front of link amplifiers (outreach and Reddit)

You can try this at home, or get in touch with us!