{"id":2237,"date":"2023-06-20T05:05:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T05:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/how-to-find-quality-backlinks-for-your-website\/"},"modified":"2023-06-20T05:05:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T05:05:29","slug":"how-to-find-quality-backlinks-for-your-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/how-to-find-quality-backlinks-for-your-website\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Quality Backlinks for Your Website"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>We all know that link building is a crucial part of any SEO campaign. But to be successful, it is all about quality over quantity.<\/p>\n<p>This is where the process of link prospecting comes in. Finding and evaluating the quality of a potential site is essential for link building success. In this article, we will look at how to do link prospecting in five easy\u00a0steps.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is link prospecting?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Link prospecting is the process of finding and evaluating potential sites to acquire links\u00a0from.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This means identifying potential sites depending on the type of link building strategy you are using, checking the quality of that site, and finding the appropriate people to reach out to as part of your outreach campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Link prospecting is the essential first step to building a solid link strategy. Without it, every other aspect will likely fall to pieces.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is link prospecting important for\u00a0SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Link prospecting helps you identify sites to acquire links from and, more importantly, helps you identify sites to\u00a0avoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With Google making it a priority to \u201cneutralize the impact of unnatural links on search results,\u201d the last thing you want is to intentionally attract any kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/link-spam\">link spam<\/a> to your\u00a0site.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, with our December 2022\u00a0link\u00a0spam\u00a0update, we\u2019re leveraging the power of SpamBrain to neutralize the impact of unnatural\u00a0links\u00a0on search results. The update launches today &amp; will take about two weeks to rollout. Learn more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ACO2Ut8wmi\">https:\/\/t.co\/ACO2Ut8wmi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/googlesearchc\/status\/1603074725256781824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 14,\u00a02022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Of course, every website can naturally pick up some spam links. Coupon sites and auto-generated blogs are just some undesirable sites that can link to\u00a0yours.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, link prospecting allows you to ensure every link you build is intentional and adds value, improving your site\u2019s relevance and authority in the eyes of search engines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Link prospecting in five easy\u00a0steps<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now we know what link prospecting is and why it is important, we need to know how to actually do it. There are five key steps to link prospecting, so let\u2019s take a look at those in more detail.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1. Consider your link building strategy<\/h3>\n<p>The types of link prospects you need to acquire and the methods you use to find them will heavily depend on the tactics you intend to\u00a0use.<\/p>\n<p>The best link acquisition tactics to use include:<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to establish a clear strategy regarding which tactic you will use. If you are going to use multiple tactics, you will need certain prospects for each type of campaign you intend to\u00a0do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you want to try guest blogging, you need to identify relevant sites in your niche that meet your evaluation criteria and are open to publishing content from guest authors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Whereas if you want to run a skyscraper campaign, this will involve analyses of your competitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2. Identify your evaluation criteria<\/h3>\n<p>You also need to establish your evaluation criteria. What makes this site a good prospect? There are certain metrics that are good for weeding out potentially poor prospects, including:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: This will depend on your business, goals, and your link building efforts. There are two types of relevance: topical and geographical.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to acquire links to build perceived authority with search engines, you will need links from a site with high topical relevance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Whereas, if you are looking to improve your local SEO and get business from local customers, you will want to build geographically relevant links from sites like other local businesses or news outlets, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Domain Rating<\/strong>: The <a href=\"https:\/\/help.ahrefs.com\/en\/articles\/1409408-what-is-domain-rating-dr\">DR<\/a> of a website is a good indicator of how strong its backlink profile is, as well as how much link equity can be passed to your\u00a0site.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Organic traffic<\/strong>: How much <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ahrefs-seo-metrics\/#section7\">organic traffic<\/a> a website gets each month can indicate the quality of the site and that the backlink profile has not been manipulated in any way. For example, a site might have a super high DR with zero traffic, which would be one to\u00a0avoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can check these metrics of any site by plugging it into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> to get a quick overview.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1714\" height=\"652\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7.png\" alt=\"Organic traffic and value data, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7.png 1714w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7-680x259.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7-768x292.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7-1536x584.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1714px) 100vw, 1714px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1714\" height=\"652\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7.png\" alt=\"Organic traffic and value data, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7.png 1714w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7-680x259.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7-768x292.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image7-7-1536x584.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1714px) 100vw, 1714px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3. Find relevant and high-quality link prospects<\/h3>\n<p>Now that you have a clear link building strategy and evaluation criteria, it\u2019s time to start finding relevant and high-quality link prospects.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can use several different methods to do this, and we will look at my four favorite ones in more detail.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finding prospects through competitor analysis<\/h4>\n<p>Using competitor analysis is one of the quickest ways to find quality link prospects.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Why? Assuming your competitors have already evaluated the quality of these sites, the qualification process is likely to be much faster. And since those sites have already linked to your competitors, there is a probability that they will link to yours\u00a0too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Are your competitors mainly guest blogging? Using niche edits or HARO link building? These insights can help you replicate your competitors\u2019 link building efforts and even the playing field on the search engine results pages (SERPs).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can check out your competitors\u2019 links in a couple of different ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can start by identifying your competitors with the <strong>Organic competitors<\/strong> report in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1930\" height=\"896\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6.png\" alt=\"Organic search competitors, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6.png 1930w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6-680x316.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6-768x357.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6-1536x713.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1930px) 100vw, 1930px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1930\" height=\"896\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6.png\" alt=\"Organic search competitors, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6.png 1930w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6-680x316.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6-768x357.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image8-6-1536x713.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1930px) 100vw, 1930px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Next, select your most important competitors and use the \u201cOpen in Link Intersect\u201d option.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"996\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6.png\" alt=\"&quot;Open in&quot; option in Organic competitors report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6.png 996w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6-680x415.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6-768x469.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 996px) 100vw, 996px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"996\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6.png\" alt=\"&quot;Open in&quot; option in Organic competitors report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6.png 996w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6-680x415.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image10-6-768x469.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 996px) 100vw, 996px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>This will give you all of the referring domains your competitors have and show how many different competitors have links from those\u00a0sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1648\" height=\"1502\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8.png\" alt=\" Ahrefs' Link Intersect tool\" class=\"wp-image-161407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8.png 1648w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8-466x425.png 466w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8-768x700.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8-1536x1400.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1648\" height=\"1502\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8.png\" alt=\" Ahrefs' Link Intersect tool\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161407\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8.png 1648w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8-466x425.png 466w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8-768x700.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image6-8-1536x1400.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1648px) 100vw, 1648px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>If you want to analyze the types of links your competitors are acquiring and which kind of content is being linked to, you can put a competitor\u2019s URL into <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and view the <strong>Best by links<\/strong> report.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not only can you see the content driving links to the site, but you can also see which websites are linking to those pages. This works great for building skyscrapers and linkable asset campaigns, especially if you are figuring out what type of content to build the campaign around.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you can filter the results to meet your evaluation criteria.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1608\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5.png\" alt=\"Best by links report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5.png 1608w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5-633x425.png 633w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5-768x516.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5-1536x1032.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1608px) 100vw, 1608px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1608\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5.png\" alt=\"Best by links report, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5.png 1608w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5-633x425.png 633w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5-768x516.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image9-5-1536x1032.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1608px) 100vw, 1608px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Another way to use competitor analysis (focusing on the Skyscraper Technique as an example) is to put the keyword for your intended skyscraper post into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Using the SERP overview, you can see competing articles on the SERP, as well as the backlinks for each of those articles.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1848\" height=\"1004\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6.png\" alt=\"Backlink data displayed in SERP overview, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6.png 1848w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6-680x369.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6-1536x834.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1848px) 100vw, 1848px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1848\" height=\"1004\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6.png\" alt=\"Backlink data displayed in SERP overview, via Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6.png 1848w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6-680x369.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image5-6-1536x834.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1848px) 100vw, 1848px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>By clicking on the number of backlinks for a result, you will be taken to the <strong>Backlinks <\/strong>report<strong> <\/strong>for that page. You can filter the results to meet your evaluation criteria and simply export the\u00a0list.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1033\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5.jpg\" alt=\"Backlinks report with applied filters, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5-680x351.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5-768x397.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5-1536x794.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1033\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5.jpg\" alt=\"Backlinks report with applied filters, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161412\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5-680x351.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5-768x397.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image1-5-1536x794.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finding prospects with Google and search operators<\/h4>\n<p>One of the easiest ways to find link prospects is to use Google with the help of some advanced search operators. Use terms that are relevant to your business or niche and add modifiers like \u201cguest post\u201d or \u201cwrite for us\u201d to narrow down the results.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, if you use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">SEO Toolbar<\/a>, you can see important site metrics like DR right in the search results, helping you narrow down prospects even faster.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are many <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-advanced-search-operators\/\">search operators<\/a> you can use to help you build a comprehensive prospect list. As an example, let\u2019s look at some search operators you can use if you are finding prospects for guest blogging:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cContribute\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGuest blogging spot\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cGuest contributor\u201d<\/li>\n<li>inurl:guest*author<\/li>\n<li>inurl:guest*blogger<\/li>\n<li>\u201cguest blogger\u201d + inanchor:contact<\/li>\n<li>\u201cguest article\u201d + inanchor:contact<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of one of these in\u00a0use:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1422\" height=\"784\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5.png\" alt=\"Using Google and Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar for link prospecting\" class=\"wp-image-161414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5.png 1422w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5-680x375.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5-768x423.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1422px) 100vw, 1422px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1422\" height=\"784\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5.png\" alt=\"Using Google and Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar for link prospecting\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5.png 1422w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5-680x375.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image4-5-768x423.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1422px) 100vw, 1422px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Using appropriate search operators, you can build a list of prospects into a spreadsheet. You can even automate the process with this <a href=\"https:\/\/linkpitch.io\/scrape-google-search-results\/\">free tool from LinkPitch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1011\" height=\"239\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14.jpg\" alt=\"A spreadsheet of link prospects from Google\" class=\"wp-image-161416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14.jpg 1011w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14-680x161.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14-768x182.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1011px) 100vw, 1011px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1011\" height=\"239\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14.jpg\" alt=\"A spreadsheet of link prospects from Google\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161416\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14.jpg 1011w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14-680x161.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image14-768x182.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1011px) 100vw, 1011px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finding prospects with Content Explorer<\/h4>\n<p>Another great way of finding link prospects is by using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a>. It allows you to find content on relevant topics.<\/p>\n<p>This particular method for finding link prospects is great because it works for a number of different link building tactics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, using the \u201cPages\u201d tab can help you find relevant content for potential niche edits. Also, if you visit the page and use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">SEO Toolbar<\/a>, you can easily find invalid links for <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/broken-link-building\/\">broken link building<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, with the \u201cAuthors\u201d tab, you can find relevant authors and influencers to reach out to when starting a digital PR campaign.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1455\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6.png\" alt=\"&quot;Authors&quot; tab, via Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6-584x425.png 584w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6-768x559.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6-1536x1118.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1455\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6.png\" alt=\"&quot;Authors&quot; tab, via Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6-584x425.png 584w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6-768x559.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image3-6-1536x1118.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>The best thing about using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a> for link prospecting is that you can use advanced filters to ensure prospects meet your evaluation criteria. You can choose to show pages or websites within a certain DR range, with a specific website traffic or traffic value.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4.jpg\" alt=\"Applying filters in Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4-680x422.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4-768x476.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4-1536x953.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4.jpg\" alt=\"Applying filters in Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4-680x422.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4-768x476.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image11-4-1536x953.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Plus, once your filters are applied, you can simply export the results into a spreadsheet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finding prospects with Web Explorer<\/h4>\n<p>Ahrefs\u2019 new <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/web-explorer\/\">Web Explorer<\/a> tool is a game changer for link building and is perfect for link prospecting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The tool allows you to do a number of different things that make finding link prospects quick and easy. For example, you can find pages that are getting backlinks with specific keywords in the anchor text or topic-specific blogs that accept guest\u00a0posts.<\/p>\n<p>My personal favorite (as someone who does a lot of digital PR) is the fact you can find pages with unlinked brand mentions. You can simply export the results and reach out to a site, requesting it to add a link because it\u2019s already mentioned your\u00a0site!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1150\" height=\"437\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5.png\" alt=\"Finding unlinked brand mentions with Ahrefs' Web Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5.png 1150w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5-680x258.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5-768x292.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1150px) 100vw, 1150px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1150\" height=\"437\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5.png\" alt=\"Finding unlinked brand mentions with Ahrefs' Web Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5.png 1150w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5-680x258.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image2-5-768x292.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1150px) 100vw, 1150px\"\/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Pro Tip<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>You can further expand your list of prospects by finding their \u201clookalikes.\u201d See this video tutorial for more details:\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4. Analyze and evaluate link prospects for quality and relevance<\/h3>\n<p>Once you have gathered a list of potential link prospects, it\u2019s time to evaluate them and prioritize the best ones. If you\u2019ve been following your evaluation criteria, this should be a reasonably straightforward process.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that we are looking initially at the evaluation criteria of relevance, Domain Rating, organic traffic, and traffic value.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the metrics I tend to aim\u00a0for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Relevance<\/strong>: Either niche relevant or relevant to my target audience, depending on the campaign<\/li>\n<li><strong>Domain Rating<\/strong>: DR 40\u201380<\/li>\n<li><strong>Organic traffic<\/strong>: 1000+ per\u00a0month<\/li>\n<li><strong>Traffic value<\/strong>: $1000+<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are the metrics I work with initially to qualify sites in the first overview stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, it is important to note that you should be wary of metrics and not use them as your only way to determine the quality of a site. Many authority metrics can be manipulated, so it is always advisable to check each site to do your best and avoid\u00a0spam.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that although buying links is against Google\u2019s guidelines, it has become a common practice in our industry. Many website owners know the potential to earn money from link placements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For less experienced site owners who aren\u2019t as adept at spotting spammy sites, there lies a great opportunity to throw up any old site designed solely to sell links. It\u2019s in the interest of a site like this to manipulate metrics and look more authoritative than it\u00a0is.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are some things to look for when spotting a spammy website:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Little and\/or poor-quality content<\/li>\n<li>Poor website design<\/li>\n<li>More display ads than content<\/li>\n<li>No \u201cabout\u201d or \u201cauthor\u201d pages<\/li>\n<li>Individual posts without specific authors listed (attributed to \u201cEditorial team,\u201d for example)<\/li>\n<li>Individual posts with lots of outbound links<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a site meeting all of the evaluation criteria we\u2019ve talked about:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1828\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3.png\" alt=\"Site metrics, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-161423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3.png 1828w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3-680x109.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3-768x124.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3-1536x247.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1828px) 100vw, 1828px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1828\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3.png\" alt=\"Site metrics, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3.png 1828w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3-680x109.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3-768x124.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image15-3-1536x247.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1828px) 100vw, 1828px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>However, when you visit the site, you can see it is poorly designed with a mass of poor-quality content. And for the most part, there are more display ads on the screen than actual content.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"764\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13.jpg\" alt=\"A spammy site with more ads than content\" class=\"wp-image-161424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13-573x425.jpg 573w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13-768x570.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"764\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13.jpg\" alt=\"A spammy site with more ads than content\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13-573x425.jpg 573w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image13-768x570.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>This is a prime example of why it pays to check out each site individually. Sites that don\u2019t cut the mustard need to be removed from your prospect list.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5. Find contacts for your prospects<\/h3>\n<p>The whole point of prospecting is to find sites to approach via outreach and acquire links from them. But you need contact details as part of your prospecting to reach out to\u00a0them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This will be the last step in narrowing down your list of prospects. Any potential sites you can\u2019t find valid contact details for can be struck off your\u00a0list.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The easiest way to do this is to use an email lookup tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/hunter.io\/search\/\">Hunter<\/a>. This tool allows you to input any domain, bringing up all associated email addresses and information about the company.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1093\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12.jpg\" alt=\"Searching &quot;ahrefs.com&quot; in Hunter\" class=\"wp-image-161426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12.jpg 1093w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12-680x361.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12-768x408.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1093px) 100vw, 1093px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1093\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12.jpg\" alt=\"Searching &quot;ahrefs.com&quot; in Hunter\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-161426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12.jpg 1093w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12-680x361.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/image12-768x408.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1093px) 100vw, 1093px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Then, once you have found relevant emails for your prospects, plug them into a tool like Pitchbox to start your outreach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Link prospecting is an essential part of SEO, and it\u2019s important to take the time to do your research and evaluate link prospects properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Remember to always check for quality and trustworthiness. Google penalizes sites with low-quality backlinks, so make sure you don\u2019t overlook any potential signs of spammy sites.<\/p>\n<p>Once you have identified a list of high-quality sites relevant to your niche or target audience, you can start the outreach process and begin acquiring some awesome links for your\u00a0site.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to learn more, you can check out our videos on link prospecting in our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/academy\/link-building-course\">Advanced Link Building course<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/seowithjenny\/\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-prospecting\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all know that link building is a crucial part of any SEO campaign. But to be successful, it is all about quality over quantity. This is where the process of link prospecting comes in. Finding and evaluating the quality of a potential site is essential for link building success. In this article, we will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}