Link Building

Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your store. They are one of the most important factors that search engines use to decide how high your pages should rank.

When a reputable website links to your store, it acts as a vote of confidence. The more quality backlinks you have, the more authority your store builds in Google's eyes.

Why Backlinks Matter

Higher search rankings. Pages with more quality backlinks consistently rank higher in Google.
Faster indexing. Google discovers new pages by following links. Backlinks help your new content get found faster.
Referral traffic. People click links on other websites and land on your store. This is free, targeted traffic.
Trust and authority. A store with backlinks from respected websites is seen as more trustworthy by both search engines and visitors.

Types of Links

Not all links are equal. Understanding the difference helps you focus your efforts:

Dofollow links. These pass SEO value (often called "link juice") to your store. They are the most valuable type of backlink.
Nofollow links. These tell search engines not to pass SEO value. They still have benefits though: they drive referral traffic and make your backlink profile look natural.

A healthy backlink profile has a mix of both dofollow and nofollow links. Don't worry about chasing only dofollow links.

Safe Link Building Strategies

The key rule with link building is to earn links naturally rather than trying to manipulate search engines. Here are proven strategies that work well for affiliate stores:

Create content worth linking to

The best link building strategy is to create content so useful that other people want to reference it. This includes:

In-depth buying guides and comparisons
Original research or data in your niche
"Ultimate guide" style articles that cover a topic thoroughly
Useful tools, calculators, or checklists

Guest posting

Write articles for other blogs and websites in your niche. Most will let you include a link back to your store in the article or author bio. Focus on websites that are relevant to your niche and have real audiences.

Resource page outreach

Many websites maintain "useful links" or "resources" pages. If your store has genuinely helpful content, reach out and ask to be included. Search for phrases like "your niche + useful resources" or "your niche + recommended links" to find these pages.

Broken link building

Find broken links on other websites in your niche (links that lead to 404 error pages). If you have content that could replace the broken link, contact the website owner and suggest your page as a replacement. This helps them fix their site while earning you a backlink.

Social media and forums

Sharing your content on social media, Reddit, Quora, and niche forums can generate nofollow links and drive referral traffic. These links also help your backlink profile look natural.

🔗 Social Signals and SEO

Business directories and listings

Submit your store to relevant, reputable directories in your niche. Avoid low-quality or spammy directories. Focus on ones that real people actually use.

What to Avoid

Some link building tactics will get your store penalised by Google. Stay away from:

Buying links. Paying for backlinks violates Google's guidelines and can result in your store being removed from search results entirely.
Link farms and PBNs. Networks of fake websites created solely to link to each other. Google is very good at detecting these.
Spammy blog comments. Dropping your link in blog comments adds no value and can get your store flagged.
Automated link building tools. Any tool that promises hundreds of backlinks quickly is almost certainly creating low-quality spam links.
Irrelevant links. A link from a random, unrelated website is worth very little and can look suspicious to Google.

If a link building method feels like a shortcut or a trick, avoid it. Google's algorithms are constantly improving at detecting manipulation. Focus on strategies that would still make sense even if search engines didn't exist.

Be Patient

Link building is a long-term strategy. You won't see results overnight, but consistent effort over months will steadily improve your search rankings and traffic.

Even one or two quality backlinks per month can make a significant difference over the course of a year.