Want to get massive traffic on Google without the tedious link-building work? You’re in luck! This guide breaks down three powerful SEO strategies that require zero backlinks. Follow these techniques to see traffic gains that will blow your mind.
Introduction
Are you tired of hearing backlinks are the only key to SEO success? This comprehensive guide offers a three-part SEO strategy that requires zero backlink building and has proven effective in driving massive website traffic. Whether you’re an SEO veteran or just starting, read on for practical ways to boost your site’s Google rankings.
Why Backlinks Aren’t Everything
Before diving into the strategies, let’s dispel a common myth: Backlinks are not the be-all and end-all of SEO. While backlinks play a significant role, Google’s ranking algorithm considers several other factors. These include:
- Expertise: Your level of knowledge of the topic
- Authoritativeness: The level of trust Google places in your website
- Trustworthiness: Whether or not the information is reliable
Remember, SEO is a multifaceted approach. You can still climb the SERPs without a ton of backlinks.
Strategy 1: Topical Authority
What Is Topical Authority?
1. Understand the Concept: The idea here is to become an authority on a specific subject or niche. Google highly values this, and one way to demonstrate your authority is by covering a wide range of topics within your chosen field, covering every angle of a topic. Google values content with Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust (E-A-T).
2. Identify Your Core Subject: Choose a subject central to your niche. For example, if your focus is on “gym exercises,” identify articles closely related to this core subject.
3. Prioritize Articles: To gain topical authority, write articles most relevant to your category. For example, if you’re in the fitness space, focus on core exercise topics first. Certain articles, like those on “bench press,” “squats,” and “deadlifts,” can be more beneficial for building topical authority than more general topics like “hip flexor stretches.”
4. Use AI Tools for Suggestions: Use free AI tools like ChatGPT to get a list of semantically relevant topics under your main category. For example, under the category of “gym exercises,” you might get suggestions like “bench press,” “squats,” and “deadlifts.”
Natural Link-Bait Content
1. Leverage Exploding Topics: Use tools like Exploding Topics to identify content types that naturally attract links.
2. Infographics, Statistics, and Calculators: These are great types of content that naturally attract backlinks.
3. Controversial Pieces: Articles that go against the grain can also attract a lot of links.
Strategy 2: Keyword Research – Targeting Zero Search Volume Keywords
Zero Search Volume Keywords
1. Myth-Busting: Keywords with zero search volume can bring significant traffic. Tools that estimate search volumes are often inaccurate. So, when the tools say there is no traffic, there still likely is.
2. Low Competition: These keywords are usually low competition, which makes them easier to rank for.
Source Ideas for Keywords
1. Answer the Public: An excellent tool for generating a list of low-competition keywords related to your topic.
2. People Also Ask: A Google feature that can be leveraged to find keyword ideas. Detailed SEO Extension and SEO Minion are great for quickly scraping questions from Google’s “People Also Ask” section.
3. Reddit: Reddit is an invaluable resource for discovering zero-search-volume keywords, which are low-competition topics that can help your content get noticed. Follow these steps to take advantage of this strategy:
- Identify the Relevant Subreddit: First, find the subreddit that corresponds to the topic you’re interested in. For instance, if you’re focusing on dogs, you might look at the dogs subreddit.
- Perform a Custom Google Search: Open Google and type in the following search query: site:[Subreddit URL] “how do I”. Replace [Subreddit URL] with the actual URL of your chosen subreddit. For example, for the dogs subreddit, your search query would look something like: site:reddit.com/r/dogs “how do I”
- Discover Low-Competition Topics: This custom search will yield a list of threads where people are asking “how do I” questions related to your topic. You’ll have access to thousands of low-competition topics you can cover.
By following this method, you can uncover many untapped topics your audience is interested in but hasn’t been adequately covered yet.
4. AI Assistance: Use AI tools like ChatGPT to get suggestions for low-search volume keywords.
Strategy 3: Crafting Optimized Articles
Research Phase
1. Analyze Top-Ranking Articles: Use a tool like Ahrefs to check out the top-ranking articles for your keyword. Use Chrome extensions like Detailed SEO Extension to understand the structure and word count of top-ranking articles for your target keyword.
2. Combine the Best: Create a master outline that combines the best elements from the top-ranking articles.
Writing the Article
1. Introduction: The introduction should hook the reader and demonstrate your expertise. Avoid fluff and get to the point.
2. Body Content: Use tools like SEO Surfer to write an optimized article. These tools compare your content to top-ranking articles and guide you toward perfection.
Additional SEO Tips
1. Internal and External Linking: Link out to authoritative sites and internally to other relevant articles on your site.
2. Word Frequencies: Use SEO tools like SEO Surfer to match the critical word frequencies that Google expects to see, increasing your content score.
Conclusion and Actionable Steps
Backlinks are valuable but not irreplaceable. You can achieve high Google rankings without backlinks by building topical authority, targeting zero search volume keywords, and crafting optimized articles. Following the strategies above will draw backlinks to you without any additional effort.
Here’s a quick checklist summarizing the critical steps for each strategy:
1. Build a Topical Map: Identify your core subject and prioritize high-impact articles.
2. Discover Zero Search Volume Keywords: Utilize Answer The Public, Detailed, and Reddit for ideas.
3. Craft Optimized Articles: Use Ahrefs for research and SEO Surfer for optimization.
And there you have it! A comprehensive guide to driving massive Google traffic without building a single backlink. Now, go out there and start creating high-quality, optimized content that Google will love.
Keep Learning
SEO is an ever-changing field. This guide will be updated to reflect the latest trends and insights. Have questions or feedback? Feel free to share, and stay tuned for more advanced topics in future guides.
Last Updated: August 2023
*Modified from ideas presented by Matt Digity
