Creating Linkable Assets for Successful Link Building Strategy

Not all content is created equal, and not every blog post attracts external links. Securing inbound links for each blog article can be incredibly time-consuming due to the extensive outreach needed for just one article or page.

Instead of focusing your link building efforts solely on outreach, developing linkable assets can attract links and boost your outreach success rates.

This guide will help you start creating linkable assets, allowing you to build a natural link profile more efficiently.

What Is A Linkable Asset?

Linkable assets are premium content pieces crafted to secure backlinks from other websites through promotional efforts or link-building outreach. These assets can be infographics, articles, videos, online tools, or downloadable documents.

The best linkable asset is a detailed, long-form resource that outshines top-ranking content in its niche. It should deliver unique value and resonate with your target audience’s interests.

The effectiveness of a linkable asset often hinges on a site’s demonstrated expertise, experience, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T) within its domain. Enhancing or establishing E-E-A-T can increase the appeal of your content to publishers. Now, let’s briefly delve into the concept of E-E-A-T.

To ensure efficient traffic flow to your website, links should direct users to a specific webpage. Thus, the linkable asset should either be an HTML page or embedded within an existing page.

Additionally, understanding and applying WDFIDF (Within-Document Frequency * Inverse Document Frequency) analysis can further optimize your content. WDFIDF is a method used to measure the relevancy of terms within a document compared to other documents. By using this analysis, you can identify and incorporate relevant terms that improve your content’s visibility and attractiveness to search engines and users alike.

There are numerous types of linkable assets. These assets should be created to attract links naturally and improve your outreach response rates. This guide will help you start creating linkable assets, allowing you to build a natural link profile more efficiently.

Applications Of E-E-A-T In Linkable Content

Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines introduced the concept of E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trustworthiness), providing a framework for users to evaluate content quality.

E-E-A-T has become increasingly significant in SEO, content marketing, and link building. To optimize a linkable asset, ensure it demonstrates each of these elements:

• Expertise: Showcase the author’s knowledge and understanding of the topic through education, experience, or publications.
• Experience: Highlight the author’s firsthand knowledge of the subject via personal experience, interviews, or research.
• Authority: Establish the author’s reputation and credibility through credentials, affiliations, or the quality of their work. The authority and recognition of your content are crucial to attract links and build a strong linkable asset.
• Trustworthiness: Demonstrate the author’s honesty and integrity through transparency, neutrality, or avoiding conflicts of interest.

Quality Rater Guidelines and E-E-A-T don’t disclose the specifics of the algorithm, Google asserts that raters who adhere to these guidelines achieve comparable results. Optimizing an article for E-E-A-T can enhance its Google ranking and shareability.

Additionally, understanding and applying WDFIDF (Within-Document Frequency * Inverse Document Frequency) analysis can further optimize your content. WDFIDF is a method used to measure the relevancy of terms within a document compared to other documents. By using this analysis, you can identify and incorporate relevant terms that improve your content’s visibility and attractiveness to search engines and users alike.

Pro tip: Answering real questions asked by people in your niche is a great way to showcase your expertise and experience.

This approach not only showcases your knowledge but also creates linkable assets that naturally attract links.

The rise of generative AI, like ChatGPT, has sparked questions about how to demonstrate E-E-A-T in AI-generated content. Next, let’s delve into the role of generative AI in content creation.

Leveraging Generative AI for Content Ideation

Generative AI is transforming the way content marketers conduct research, generate ideas, and create content. Tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing Chat can significantly reduce research time and provide compelling content topics, aiding in the development of linkable assets and valuable resources.

As AI content generation advances, search engine and publisher policies on AI-produced content are evolving as well. To maintain the authenticity of AI-generated content and prevent plagiarism, it is essential to integrate subject matter expertise (SME), personal experiences, case studies, and thorough topic exploration.

This approach enhances the credibility and uniqueness of linkable assets.

Utilizing AI automation and platforms like Make.com can streamline the process of creating linkable assets, resource pages, and web pages. These tools can help in efficiently managing the workflow, from content ideation to publication, thereby improving search engine rankings and building links more effectively.

By integrating AI tools with SME insights and personal experiences, marketers can develop high-quality linkable assets that serve as valuable resources. These linkable assets can then be featured on resource pages and other web pages to attract links and boost search engine rankings.

Incorporating these advanced techniques not only optimizes the content creation process but also enhances the overall quality and appeal of the produced content. This strategic approach to utilizing generative AI and automation tools can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of building links and creating high-ranking linkable assets.

How To Generate Content Ideas Using ChatGPT

1. Identify Your Topic or Niche: Begin by selecting a specific topic or niche that aligns with your content goals. This step is crucial for content marketing professionals aiming to create a valuable resource.
2. Prompt ChatGPT Effectively: Use a detailed prompt to guide ChatGPT. For instance, type: “Act as blog idea generator that has 3.5 billion database entries and provide a list of 20 unique long-form content ideas for [your topic/keyword].” Utilizing online tools like ChatGPT can streamline this process.
3. Evaluate and Refine Ideas: Review the generated ideas, focusing on relevance, uniqueness, and searchability. Compare these ideas with top-ranking content on Google to ensure they are competitive and valuable. This helps in attracting links and creating high-quality blog posts.

By following these steps, you can efficiently generate and refine content ideas using ChatGPT, ultimately attracting high-quality links and enhancing your content marketing strategy.

How To Create An Outline Using ChatGPT

1. Generate the Initial Outline: Prompt ChatGPT with: “Act as an expert from [industry blog or notable figure] and develop a detailed outline for an article titled ‘[title]’, incorporating contemporary content marketing strategies to create linkable assets.” Utilizing online tools like ChatGPT ensures the outline is comprehensive and relevant.
2. Refine with Editorial Input: Have an editor review and refine the AI-generated outline, ensuring it aligns with high-quality content standards that attract organic traffic from search engines.
3. Enhance with Bard: Use Google Bard to identify common questions related to your topic. Prompt Bard with: “What are common questions about ‘[topic/keyword]’?” This will help you address key queries that your target audience may have, making your blog post more engaging and valuable.
4. Update and Modify: Integrate the questions and answers from Bard into the outline. Adjust the ChatGPT-generated sections from an experienced expert’s perspective, deciding which parts to include or remove for maximum impact. This helps in crafting a blog post that appeals to other websites for link building.
5. Ensure Authenticity: To avoid content appearing too robotic, use tools like ZeroGPT or ChatGPT AI Classifier to refine the tone and flow of your content, ensuring it feels natural and engaging.

By following these steps, you can create a well-structured and compelling article outline using ChatGPT and Bard, making your content a valuable resource that attracts links from other websites, improves search engine rankings, and drives organic traffic from your target audience.

When To Use ChatGPT Vs. Other Generative AI

Bing Chat and Google Bard can access real-time search results and current content, whereas ChatGPT receives monthly updates and does not have internet access.

Use Bing Chat and Bard:

• For conducting research and gathering the latest information from search engines.
• To access up-to-date content that informs your content creation process.

Use ChatGPT:

• For generating titles, outlines, and process lists for your blog posts.
• To develop comprehensive outlines that can be refined into high-quality linkable assets.

Generative AI can significantly enhance topic selection and the creation of outlines for linkable assets, addressing some of the common challenges associated with developing linkable content assets. These tools help ensure your content is relevant and valuable to your target audience, thus attracting links from other websites and improving your organic traffic.

Next, let’s examine the pros and cons of creating linkable content assets to better understand their impact on search engine rankings and overall content strategy.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Linkable Assets

Developing high-quality linkable assets can generate numerous links and drive significant traffic, though this link-building strategy also comes with its challenges.

Advantages:

• Scalable Link Acquisition: Informational content provides link opportunities across a wide range of topical areas, making it easier to acquire high quality links.
• Enhanced Organic Visibility: Long-form, informative articles can attract thousands of monthly visits across various keywords, boosting your blog post’s presence on the search engine results page.
• Relationship Building: Linkable assets can help establish and strengthen relationships with influencers and industry experts, fostering collaboration and trust.
• Long-Term Value: Valuable and relevant content assets can continue to attract backlinks and traffic over time, offering enduring benefits.
• Brand Exposure and Credibility: Developing linkable assets can enhance your brand’s reputation as an industry expert, increasing trust and credibility.

Disadvantages:

• Links Not Targeting Ideal Pages: While links often point to the asset itself, a commercial page might be more beneficial for improving search engine rankings.
• Time and Resource Intensive: Creating high-quality linkable assets can be demanding, requiring significant time, effort, and resources, which can be challenging for smaller businesses or teams.
• No Guarantee of Backlinks: Even with high-quality content, there is no assurance of obtaining backlinks or achieving SEO rewards.
• Difficult to Measure Success: Assessing the impact of linkable assets on SEO can be complex, as it may take time for search engines to recognize and reward acquired backlinks.
• Increasing Competition: The growing competition for backlinks and organic visibility makes it harder to stand out in the crowded digital landscape.

By understanding the pros and cons and the various types of linkable assets, you can strategically use blog posts and other content formats to build high quality links and improve your presence on search engine results pages.

Using Linkable Assets For Link Building

Linkable assets can be tailored for specific link-building techniques or audiences, or created for a general niche. Here are two primary strategies to consider:

Content-First Approach

This strategy involves creating content for a specific audience or niche and then finding opportunities to earn high quality backlinks for that piece. Start by using existing content or creating new linkable content that appeals to an expert audience. Ideation techniques might include:

• Subject Matter Expert (SME) Focus Groups: Gather insights from experts to create valuable content.
• Answering Unanswered Questions: Find and address questions online that lack solid answers.

Unique distribution methods for the content-first approach include:

• Help a Reporter Out (HARO) Distribution: Use HARO to share your content with journalists.
• Emailing Existing Relationships: Reach out to your existing network to promote your content.
• Targeted Social Ads: Use social media advertising to target specific audiences.
• Content Syndication Through Press Releases: Distribute your content through press releases to reach a wider audience.

Technique-First Approach

This approach focuses on creating content tailored for specific link-building techniques and audiences. The process involves pinpointing relevant sites, forums, bloggers, or influencers interested in a specific topic, crafting content tailored to their interests, and distributing it via targeted email outreach or promotional efforts to secure links.

Examples of technique-first methods include:

• Skyscraper Technique: Create superior content to outperform existing top-ranking articles.
• Ranking Statistical Articles: Develop content based on valuable statistics.
• Niche Forums: Engage with niche-specific forums to share your content.
• Competitor Link Building: Analyze competitor backlinks and create content to attract similar links.
• Guest Posting: Write guest posts for other websites to earn backlinks.

By utilizing these strategies, you can create linkable assets that attract high quality backlinks and improve your blog post’s presence on other websites. Understanding the different types of linkable assets and tailoring your approach accordingly can significantly enhance your link-building efforts.

Types of Linkable Assets

When Brian Dean found the SkyScraper technique, creating content to secure links has been a major focus for link builders. Even before that, various strategies were in use. There are numerous content types that can be effective for securing links, and the possibilities seem endless.

Here is a refined list of asset types that can improve outreach response rates and earn high-quality backlinks under the right circumstances:

1. Infographics: Crafting Tips:

• Research: Use thorough keyword research to gather accurate data and statistics.
• Design: Invest in professional design to ensure the infographic is visually appealing and easy to understand.
• Promotion: Share the infographic widely on social media, industry forums, and through outreach emails. Infographics are highly shareable and can attract numerous backlinks, making them excellent linkable assets.

2. Data-Driven Articles: Crafting Tips:

• Data Collection: Gather unique and relevant data through surveys, research studies, or industry reports.
• Presentation: Use charts, graphs, and tables to present data clearly.
• Analysis: Provide in-depth analysis and insights that add value beyond the raw data. Blog posts that provide valuable insights and statistics can position you as an authority in your niche, making them ideal linkable assets.

3. Case Studies: Crafting Tips:

• Real Examples: Use real-life examples that showcase your expertise and success.
• Detailed Analysis: Include detailed explanations of the problem, solution, and results.
• Visuals: Use images, charts, and infographics to illustrate key points. These create linkable content that is highly valued by other websites and can help earn links by demonstrating your effectiveness.

4. Expert Interviews: Crafting Tips:

• Choose Experts: Select well-known and respected experts in your industry.
• Ask Unique Questions: Pose questions that are not commonly answered elsewhere.
• Promotion: Promote the interview through various channels, including social media and email newsletters. Conducting interviews with industry experts can provide unique and authoritative content that attracts links.

5. Guides and Tutorials: Crafting Tips:

• Step-by-Step: Break down complex processes into easy-to-follow steps.
• Visual Aids: Use images, videos, and diagrams to enhance understanding.
• Comprehensive: Cover the topic thoroughly to make the guide a go-to resource. Comprehensive, step-by-step guides and how-to articles can serve as valuable resources for your audience and are likely to be linked by others.

6. Resource Pages: Crafting Tips:

• Curation: Curate a list of the best tools, articles, and resources relevant to your audience.
• Regular Updates: Keep the page updated with the latest and most useful resources.
• SEO Optimization: Optimize the page with relevant keywords to attract organic traffic. Curated lists of useful tools, articles, or information that serve as a go-to reference for your target audience are excellent for earning backlinks.

7. Videos: Crafting Tips:

• Engaging Content: Create content that educates, entertains, or solves a problem for your audience.
• Quality Production: Ensure high production quality with clear audio and visuals.
• Promotion: Share videos on your website, YouTube, and social media platforms. Engaging video content that educates or entertains can be a powerful linkable asset, especially when embedded in blog posts or resource pages.

8. Statistical Roundup Lists: Crafting Tips:

• Aggregation: Collect statistics from reputable studies and organize them into appropriate categories.
• Source Credibility: Use data from trusted sources to enhance credibility.
• SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords to ensure the content ranks well in search engines. Statistical roundups can be very effective in attracting backlinks due to their comprehensive nature and the value they provide.

9. Unique Research Studies: Crafting Tips:

• Original Research: Conduct surveys, analyze company data, or compile data from resources like Google Research, data.gov, or Kaggle.
• Methodology: Clearly explain the research methodology and insights.
• Visuals: Embed charts and graphs from the study within the article to enhance its appeal. Unique research studies can attract high-quality backlinks and establish your site as an authority in the field.

10. Listicles of Companies, Tools, or People: Crafting Tips:

• Organization: Create bullet or numbered lists with brief descriptions, explanations, or commentary for each item.
• Examples: Include examples and visuals to enhance the content’s value.
• SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords to attract organic traffic. Listicles are easy to skim and can be used in almost any industry, making them versatile linkable assets.

11. Excel & Google Sheet Templates: Crafting Tips:

• Practical Use: Create templates that help organize projects, manage budgets, or perform other useful tasks.
• SEO Optimization: Optimize the template pages with relevant keywords to attract search traffic.
• Promotion: Share the templates on your website and through social media to attract backlinks. Templates are valuable resources that can attract significant traffic and backlinks, particularly in B2B niches.

By focusing on these types of linkable assets and integrating thorough keyword research, you can create linkable content that significantly enhances your link-building efforts and improves your presence on search engine results pages.

More Types of Linkable Assets

In addition to the common linkable assets, several other types can effectively attract high-quality backlinks. Utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity can help in the creation of these assets, making the process efficient and innovative. Here are some more asset types that can be crafted into valuable linkable assets:

1. Planning Tools: Description:

• Planning tools are online web apps that simplify the planning of specific tasks, whether for simple consumer needs or complex business projects. Creation Tips:
• Use AI tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm and develop features for your planning tool.
• Ensure the tool is user-friendly and provides clear, actionable steps. Examples:
• Event planners, project management tools, and personal scheduling apps. Keywords Integration:
• Creating planning tools as linkable assets can help attract backlinks from other websites interested in efficient planning solutions.

2. Calculators as Content: Description:

• Online calculators that serve specific needs, such as investment calculators, home improvement calculators, or depth calculators. Creation Tips:
• Utilize Perplexity to gather data and algorithms that power your calculator.
• Ensure the calculator is accurate, easy to use, and provides clear results. Examples:
• Mortgage calculators, ROI calculators, and fitness calculators. Keywords Integration:
• These calculators can serve as valuable linkable assets, attracting high-quality backlinks due to their practical utility.

3. Checklists or Cheat Sheets: Description:

• Lists of steps or tasks needed to complete a specific project, available as online apps, Excel templates, or PDFs. Creation Tips:
• Use ChatGPT to compile comprehensive and detailed checklists or cheat sheets.
• Design the checklists to be visually appealing and easy to follow. Examples:
• Project management checklists, study guides, and DIY project steps. Keywords Integration:
• Checklists and cheat sheets can be highly effective linkable assets, drawing backlinks from users looking for structured guidance.

Ideas for AI-Based Tools as Linkable Assets

1. Content Idea Generators:
   • Description: An AI-based tool that generates content ideas based on user input keywords.
   • Creation Tips: Use ChatGPT to power the idea generation engine.
   • Keywords Integration: Such tools can be excellent linkable assets, attracting links from content marketers and bloggers.
2. SEO Auditors:
   • Description: An online tool that performs SEO audits for websites, providing insights and recommendations.
   • Creation Tips: Leverage AI to analyze website data and generate reports.
   • Keywords Integration: SEO auditors can serve as valuable linkable assets, earning links from website owners and digital marketers.
3. Grammar and Style Checkers:
   • Description: Tools that check grammar, punctuation, and writing style.
   • Creation Tips: Integrate AI algorithms to provide detailed feedback and suggestions.
   • Keywords Integration: These checkers can be powerful linkable assets, attracting links from writers, students, and professionals.
4. Budget Planners:
   • Description: Online tools to help users plan and manage their budgets effectively.
   • Creation Tips: Use AI to create dynamic budget planners that adjust based on user inputs.
   • Keywords Integration: Budget planners can be significant linkable assets, drawing backlinks from personal finance websites and users.

By developing these types of linkable assets with the help of AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, you can create high-quality content that attracts valuable backlinks from other websites, improving your overall SEO strategy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating linkable assets is a powerful strategy for enhancing your SEO efforts and building high-quality backlinks. By focusing on a variety of content types, such as infographics, data-driven articles, case studies, expert interviews, guides, resource pages, and videos, you can develop compelling linkable assets that attract links from other websites. This boosts your online visibility but also facilitates effective link gathering, ultimately improving your search engine rankings and driving organic traffic to your site.

Additionally, incorporating innovative tools like planning apps, calculators, and checklists, and leveraging AI tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, can help you create linkable assets that stand out and provide significant value to your audience. These assets not only improve your search engine rankings but also establish your brand as an authority in your niche.

Remember, the key to successful link building is to create linkable assets that are relevant, valuable, and engaging. By continuously refining your approach and exploring new types of content, you can effectively create linkable assets that drive traffic, enhance your online visibility, and build strong relationships within your industry.

Ultimately, the effort you invest in creating high-quality linkable assets will pay off in the form of increased organic traffic, higher search engine rankings, and a robust online presence. Keep experimenting with different types of linkable assets, and use AI tools to streamline your content creation process, ensuring your linkable assets remain fresh, relevant, and highly linkable.

FAQ: Linkable Assets and Link Building

Q1: What are linkable assets? A1: Linkable assets are high-quality content pieces specifically designed to attract backlinks from other websites. They include various content types like infographics, data-driven articles, case studies, expert interviews, guides, resource pages, and videos. The goal is to create valuable and engaging content that other sites find worth linking to.

Q2: How do I create linkable assets? A2: To create linkable assets, focus on producing content that is unique, informative, and relevant to your audience. Use thorough keyword research to ensure your content addresses popular search queries. Incorporate visual elements like images, charts, and infographics to enhance the appeal. Additionally, leverage AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity to brainstorm ideas and streamline the content creation process.

Q3: What types of content make the best linkable assets? A3: Effective linkable assets include infographics, data-driven articles, case studies, expert interviews, guides and tutorials, resource pages, videos, statistical roundup lists, unique research studies, listicles, and planning tools. Each type offers unique advantages and can be tailored to suit your audience and niche.

Q4: How can I use AI tools to create linkable assets? A4: AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can assist in brainstorming content ideas, generating outlines, and even creating content. For example, you can use ChatGPT to develop detailed guides or listicles, and Perplexity to gather and analyze data for creating statistical articles or unique research studies. These tools help streamline the content creation process and ensure your linkable assets are comprehensive and engaging.

Q5: Why are linkable assets important for SEO? A5: Linkable assets are crucial for SEO because they attract high-quality backlinks from other websites, which are a key ranking factor for search engines. Backlinks signal to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative, helping to improve your site’s search engine rankings and organic traffic.

Q6: What are some strategies for promoting linkable assets? A6: Effective strategies for promoting linkable assets include:

• Outreach: Contact bloggers, influencers, and industry experts who might find your content valuable.
• Social Media: Share your content across social media platforms to increase visibility.
• Content Syndication: Distribute your content through press releases, HARO (Help a Reporter Out), and targeted social ads.
• Networking: Build relationships with other websites and offer to guest post or collaborate on content.

Q7: How can I measure the success of my linkable assets? A7: Measure the success of your linkable assets by tracking metrics such as the number of backlinks acquired, referral traffic, social shares, and improvements in search engine rankings. Tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and SEMrush can provide insights into how your linkable assets are performing and their impact on your overall SEO strategy.

Q8: Can small businesses effectively create linkable assets? A8: Yes, small businesses can effectively create linkable assets by focusing on high-quality, targeted content that addresses the needs and interests of their audience. Utilizing AI tools to streamline the content creation process and leveraging cost-effective promotion strategies like social media and networking can help small businesses compete with larger organizations in link building.

By understanding and implementing these strategies, you can successfully create linkable assets that enhance your SEO efforts and attract valuable backlinks.