Story Based Question
You’ve just launched a new online store selling eco-friendly kitchen products. As you focus on building your brand, you’re also working on improving your SEO. You’ve heard that testimonials can help with link building, but you’re not quite sure how that works. You wonder: How can testimonials help you get valuable backlinks and boost your SEO?
Exact Answer
Testimonials can help with link building by providing an opportunity for businesses to feature your feedback on their websites, often with a backlink to your site in return for the testimonial.
Explanation
Testimonials are a great but often overlooked way to build backlinks to your website. Here’s why they’re effective:
- Building Relationships with Other Businesses
When you offer a testimonial, you’re not just providing feedback about a product or service; you’re building a relationship with that business. Many businesses like to showcase customer testimonials on their websites to build trust with potential clients. As a thank you for your testimonial, they often include a link back to your website. This benefits your SEO by giving you a backlink from an authoritative, relevant source. - Earning High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks from businesses in your niche (or related industries) can be valuable for SEO. For example, if you provide a testimonial for a company that sells sustainable kitchen appliances, the backlink they give you from their site is relevant to your eco-friendly kitchen products. This relevance boosts the quality of the link and can have a positive impact on your search rankings. - Improving Trust and Authority
Testimonials on authoritative sites or businesses help to establish your own website’s trustworthiness. A testimonial can be seen as a form of social proof, which builds confidence in your brand. When search engines see your website linked from reputable sources, they recognize your site as more credible, which may improve your rankings. - Diversifying Your Backlink Profile
Backlink profiles should be diverse, with a mix of different types of links. Testimonials give you a natural and organic way to diversify your backlinks. These links often come from real businesses with good reputations, adding diversity and credibility to your overall backlink profile.
How to Leverage Testimonials for Link Building
- Ask for Testimonials from Vendors or Service Providers
If you’ve purchased products or services from other companies, reach out and offer a testimonial. Many businesses are eager to showcase positive customer feedback, especially if it’s detailed and specific. In return, they often link back to your site when publishing your testimonial. - Look for Testimonial Opportunities on Relevant Websites
Some websites specifically ask for testimonials, especially in niches like B2B, SaaS, and product-based industries. Keep an eye out for opportunities where businesses are requesting testimonials or case studies, and submit your feedback along with a request for a backlink. - Provide Testimonials for Blogs and Publications
Industry blogs and publications often seek expert opinions and testimonials. By providing testimonials for these platforms, you can get a valuable link back to your site. For example, if an industry blog writes about sustainable living, offering a testimonial about a product or service you use can help you get featured with a backlink. - Offer Testimonials for Partner Businesses
If you’ve partnered with any businesses, you can offer testimonials in exchange for backlinks. This works especially well if the partnership is already established and you’re already benefiting from mutual exposure. Offering a testimonial can further solidify that partnership and lead to even more backlinks.
Example
Let’s say you run an eco-friendly kitchenware store, and you’ve bought a composting system from a well-known eco-brand. After using their product for a few months, you reach out to the company and offer to provide a testimonial, sharing how their composting system has made a positive difference in your kitchen. The company loves your feedback and decides to feature your testimonial on their website.
As part of the testimonial, they include a link back to your store as a way to acknowledge you as a satisfied customer. This not only provides you with a backlink from an authoritative eco-brand but also helps to increase exposure to a relevant audience. Over time, this backlink will help improve your site’s SEO and build trust with potential customers who visit both websites.
Testimonials can be a powerful tool for link building. By offering thoughtful, detailed testimonials in exchange for backlinks, you can strengthen relationships with other businesses, earn high-quality links, and enhance your website’s credibility. It’s a win-win for both parties.