Brooklyn USA
I played basketball through junior college.
I could shoot the rock.
But I never mastered my handle.
I hooped a little bit.
But if I called the New York Knicks front office and asked for a tryout I would not not expect a return call.
At my peak, in 1994, I developed the skills of a junior college hooper not an NBA player. My skills did not match the position. Or, my skills did not match the ambition.
Struggling bloggers sometimes try to get backlinks from the top bloggers on earth as if backlinks grow on trees. Some expect top pros to hand out backlinks like candy to a baby, like if I expected the Knicks go give a guy who played JUCO basketball 30 years ago a try out.
Blogging does not work that way. The NBA does not work that way either. Few if any institutions in the world work that way. One needs to be qualified to get offered a job. One needs to work jobs effectively to get paid.
Building backlinks does not work that way. Asking a highly successful blogger for a link before your blog is ready makes no sense. Millions of bloggers follow this nonsensical approach. But doing what never works……never makes it work.
High quality backlinks are earned. Diligent bloggers who become highly skilled through patient practice get high end backlinks.
The skills need to match the ambition. Practice to become skilled. Gain links from top bloggers.
My Backlink Building Deal
Before Neil Patel linked to Blogging From Paradise Dot Com I patiently developed my blogging skills for years. I also dropped a few genuine comments on his blog.
What does “patiently developing my blogging skills” mean?
I spent thousands of hours writing content. Imagine a guy sitting before a laptop writing his ass off for the next few years. He typically writes for a few hours daily…..BUT…..every day for the following few years.
This is what putting in the work looks like.
Right now I am a little jet-lagged from a 6 month trip to England. New Jersey sits 5 hours behind the UK as far as time zones. I woke at 4:30 AM. I decided to finish writing this post.
This is what blogging looks like.
I earned this highest of quality backlinks from one of the top bloggers.
He linked to my blog because he perceived it to be a valuable resource. Top pros only link to credible sites to keep their credibility.
I practiced blogging for 1000’s of hours to build my blog into a trusted resource (as some pros perceive it to be). Almost every blogger skips this part. Few bloggers land quality links because almost no one commits to working the process for years.
Quality Backlinks Are Not for Beggars
For whatever reason, bloggers beg for backlinks from top bloggers.
Imagine if it were that easy?
Top pros would dole out quality backlinks to struggling bloggers like hot cakes.
Top pros would lose their credibility by littering their blogs with low quality backlinks.
What once seemed like an easy, in-demand, trusted backlink would become worthless.
Top bloggers and the mendicant recipients of backlinks would gain nothing from the foolish interactions.
Imagine this scenario……
Hundreds of struggling bloggers ask me for a backlink. I grant their wishes because I feel guilty. You read one of my blog posts, click through to a low quality blog, lose trust in me, lose trust in the blogger and nobody wins. I lose readers. You lose credibility. Readers lose out on finding trusting resources through my external backlinks.
Stop asking pros to link to your fledgling blog. Picture the above scenario to understand why pros never link to untested bloggers.
Master Blogging by Being Consistent
My blog never sniffed a high quality backlink unil I consistently published posts and off-site content for years.
I practiced writing for 1000’s of hours. My less than inspired content became a quality offering. Trusted bloggers deemed my blog to be credible. I nabbed high quality backlinks.
How long did the process take?
Bath England
That’s the wrong question to ask.
How much intelligent work and time did I put into the process?
I published targeted content for 1000’s of hours spanning years of my life.
Few backlink builders process these numbers without cringing. Most wince at the “1000’s of hours” part because the world wants quality backlinks today, not 2 years in the future. Most humans want something for nothing. But that mindset needs to go if you want quality blog backlinks.
This is why few bloggers get quality backlinks. Most make the same mistake daily over 24 hour cycles versus thinking long term for the next 1, 2 or 3 years.
Typical Scenario
Cold email 100 established bloggers. Pitch a less than inspired blog. 100 bloggers ignore your email. Perhaps one less sane blogger without much of a following bites but rare indeed is this fool. Even if he or she does point a link to your blog I already explained how everyone loses unless links are organic, based on valuable, detailed, targeted content.
Do Only This
Publish long-form, targeted content for your ideal reader.
Be consistent.
Publish one post weekly. Ramp up your publishing schedule if it feels fun to you.
Create off-site content through guest blogging, genuine blog commenting and social media marketing. Pick one, two or three of the prior strategies.
Invest the next few years of your life to do these things consistently.
Do only that.
High quality backlinks will flow to your blog.
What Is the Biggest Challenge?
Dissolving psychological attachments – in your mind – to gaining quality backlinks is difficult.
Bloggers want quick results.
Few display immense patience.
Discipline your mind to publish high quality, long form blog posts and off-site content consistently.
Treat building backlinks like a leisurely marathon not a quick sprint.
Do the mental legwork first and foremost. Develop the right mindset.
Build content assets. Let the assets passively accrue high quality backlinks.
Develop posture.
Stop chasing every blogger that moves.
Create something that drives high quality backlinks to you.
Do as pro bloggers do.
Conclusion
Sorry; blog backlinks do not grow on trees.
Create helpful content consistently.
Publish passive backlink building assets.
Think like an entrepreneur not a beggar with a backlink cup.
