Link Building Strategies to Boost School Site Traffic

Gaining backlinks remains one of the top ranking factors used by Google and other search engines. According to Backlinko, they are one of the top eight ranking factors. Yet, most private schools don’t invest enough time and resources in ethical, high-value link-building strategies to maximize awareness, authority, and conversions for their websites.

Without sufficient quantity and quality of backlinks from relevant websites, sites suffer from low organic visibility and visitor traffic, ultimately diminishing student applications. But armed with the right strategic approach, your school can dramatically amplify its digital presence and reputation through targeted outreach, high-value content publication, and other white hat SEO link-building tactics covered in this guide.

After learning the core differences between followed and no-followed links, as well as actionable best practices for earning coveted backlinks ethically from highly trafficked websites like Wikipedia, your school will be armed with the blueprint needed to execute a cutting-edge link-building campaign aimed toward substantially increased organic search engine visibility and student lead generation objective success within the coming fiscal year.

Nofollow vs Follow Links

When building links to improve your website’s search engine rankings and visibility, you’ll inevitably encounter nofollow and follow links. Understanding the difference between these two link types is crucial for an effective link-building strategy. But what exactly sets them apart?

Definition

There are two main types of backlinks:

• Follow Links: These are the most coveted types of backlinks. They pass on link juice or link equity to your website. Link juice is essentially a measure of a website’s authority and trustworthiness, which search engines like Google consider when ranking websites in search results. Therefore, follow links can directly impact your school’s search engine ranking and drive organic traffic.
• Nofollow Links: Unlike follow links, nofollow links do not directly influence your search engine ranking. They include a specific code that instructs search engines not to follow the link and not to pass on link juice.

Origins of Nofollow

Google originally introduced the nofollow tag in 2005 to combat comment spam. Shortly after, Yahoo, Bing and a few other search engines also announced their commitment to the nofollow tag. (Source: Ahrefs) Back then, spammers left comments on blogs containing links to their websites, manipulating search engine algorithms by artificially inflating their backlinks. The introduction of the nofollow attribute prevented these spammy comments from influencing search engine rankings.

Differences

There are a few key ways nofollow vs. follow links differ:

• Search engines only crawl and index follow links, ignoring nofollow links.
• Follow links have direct SEO value for rankings, whereas nofollowed links have no direct influence.
• Having too many follow links could potentially be seen as manipulative or over-optimization. Mixing in some nofollow links helps avoid this perception.

As you can see, leveraging both link types strategically provides the best SEO results. However, it’s important to note that having too many follow links can raise red flags for search engines, potentially indicating over-optimization tactics. Therefore, building a balanced backlink profile that includes both high-quality follow and nofollow links is crucial.

Strategies for Acquiring Backlinks

Gaining new backlinks should be a core part of your website’s SEM strategy. But how exactly should you go about acquiring links? There are a variety of proven tactics and best practices to employ:

Create High-Quality Content

One of the best ways to earn links is to consistently produce content that delivers tremendous value for your target audience. Aspirational sites that establish thought leadership in their niche naturally gain more links over time. The focus should remain on informing or entertaining readers rather than chasing links. If the content offers uniqueness and utility, the links will come.

Guest Post Outreach

Reaching out to complimentary yet relevant sites to contribute posts allows you to secure high-quality backlinks pointing back to your own website. The key lies in getting featured on reputable, popular sites that cater to the same target audience. Ensure your content aligns closely with their brand and offers differential value.

Link Reclamation

An underutilized technique involves finding broken links on other websites, which leads visitors to 404 “Page Not Found” dead ends. You can then provide working, relevant content on your own site to replace those broken resources the site owner links out to. Reach out, explain the broken link, and offer your content as a better user experience. Site owners are often happy to update the links and give your site visibility.

Link Insertion

Research third-party websites and pinpoint areas where linking to substantive information on your school’s site would provide differential value for their existing content; pitched appropriately, editors may find merit in embedding contextual references.

However, link insertion can be tricky; if not done correctly, it could potentially harm your site's reputation. You might consider hiring professional link insertion services to avoid these risks and ensure the links are placed strategically and effectively. These services bring the necessary expertise to secure high-quality placements, helping to enhance your site's authority and drive targeted traffic.

Link Roundups

Pursue opportunities for inclusion of your school’s website in relevant link roundups published by educational authorities. Such recognitions position schools appropriately within broader conversations.

Competitor Backlink Analysis

Conduct periodic audits analyzing the scope and sources of competitor websites’ backlink profiles. Derive insights into successful tactics you could deploy through your own lens.

How to Get Backlinks from Wikipedia

Beyond citations, Wikipedia’s external link section offers a prime opportunity to earn high-quality backlinks. However, improperly going about it can get all links removed and damage your site’s reputation. Here is the cautious, ethical approach to acquiring Wikipedia backlinks:

1. Create a Wikipedia Account - Establish credibility within the community by making an account to contribute value without self-interest.
2. Understand Guidelines - Wikipedia maintains strict guidelines against promotional links and conflicts of interest. Study what is allowed to avoid wasted effort or sanctions.
3. Identify Relevant Pages - Search for pages related to your school, academics, or other topics aligned with your website’s goals. The page should have strong existing authority.
4. Create High-Quality Content - Ensure your site offers truly differential value for Wikipedia visitors to earn links ethically. Avoid self-promotion or low-quality fluff. Demonstrate expertise.
5. Become a Contributor - Make minor constructive edits on relevant pages over time to build community standing organically as a knowledgeable editor.
6. Find Broken Links - Leverage online tools to check for dead links on identified Wikipedia pages that your content can fix or improve upon. Replace poor resources.
7. Monitor and Maintain - Getting links is the first step. Vigilantly continue providing value and monitor links to address changes or violations alleged by editors.

Wikipedia backlinks become possible by understanding policies, building relationships slowly, and always focusing on value rather than promotion. But quick fixes won’t work. Put in the time and effort.

Conclusion

By now, the critical importance of incorporating ethical, diversified link-building efforts into your overall digital marketing campaigns should be clear. Earning backlinks remains among the highest leverage activities for driving site metrics that impact parent trust, new student applications, and lower student acquisition costs over the long term.