Tier 2 link building is a crucial yet often overlooked tactic in the realm of SEO.
While Tier 1 links are the heavy hitters directly boosting your website’s authority,
Tier 2 links play an essential supportive role by amplifying the power of those primary links.
In this article, we’ll discuss what Tier 2 link building is, exploring effective strategies and best practices to elevate your SEO game.
Link building cheat sheet
What is Tier 2 Link Building
Tier 2 link building is an SEO technique that involves creating backlinks to your existing Tier 1 links to enhance their authority and, in turn, boost your primary website’s search engine ranking.
Let’s say you have a high-authority guest post published on a reputable blog, which includes a backlink to your main website (this is your Tier 1 link).
You write another article on a different, less authoritative blog within your niche. In this article, you include a link to your original guest post (the Tier 1 link).
By doing so, you are directing additional traffic and link equity to your guest post, thereby bolstering its authority and indirectly boosting your main website’s SEO.
A tiered link building strategy helps maximize the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.
In simpler terms, if a Tier 1 link is a guest post linking to your main site, a second tier link could be another article or social media post linking to that guest post on a relevant anchor text.
By doing this, you don’t just rely on a single layer of backlinks but make sure every single drop of link juice is redirected back to your site.
Tier 2 Link Building Strategies
Guest Blogging
First things first, you need to find relevant websites in your niche that accept guest posts.
Log in to your Respona account and create a new campaign using the Guest Post campaign template.
Enter your target keywords and provide a link to one of your Tier 1 posts.
Using Respona’s AI keyword suggestions can broaden your search.
Next, personalize your email sequence. Respona’s campaign template comes with a preset email outreach sequence, but you can add an AI icebreaker variable to make each email feel unique.
Then, use Respona’s search engine to find guest posting opportunities.
It’s pre-configured with advanced search operators like “intitle:‘write for us’”, covering all the terms you need.
Apply SEO filters to refine the results, ensuring you’re targeting the best sites.
Use Respona’s contact finder to locate the most relevant decision-makers and verify their email addresses for better deliverability.
You can also train Respona’s AI personalization feature by feeding it a couple of your previous manual personalizations.
This makes the AI-generated emails sound more like you.
To keep your opportunities fresh, enable the recurring search feature. Respona will auto re-run your search at selected intervals, adding new guest posting opportunities on auto-pilot.
Finally, review the AI-generated personalizations, make any necessary edits, and send a LinkedIn connection request to your prospects.
Launch the campaign, manage responses, and get those guest posts published with your tiered backlinks.
Other Blogs in Your Niche
Engaging with other blogs in your niche is a powerful strategy for tiered link building.
The exact type of collaboration doesn’t matter – you can use any Tier 1 link building strategy to get second tier links.
Resource Pages
Resource pages are an often untapped goldmine for Tier 2 link building.
These pages are curated lists of valuable resources, tools, or high quality links centered around a particular theme or topic within your industry.
Using them to your advantage can significantly boost your primary backlinks.
First, log in to your Respona account and click on the “Campaigns” tab. From there, click “Create a New Campaign” and select the “Resource pages” campaign template.
This template streamlines the entire process, making it simple and efficient.
You’ll need to fill out four straightforward fields:
- The URL of the valuable resource you want to promote.
- General keywords that relate to your resource. If you’re unsure, Respona’s AI can help generate new keyword ideas to expand your search and the scope of your outreach.
- Provide a concise one or two-sentence summary of your resource. This brief overview will be used to inform the recipients about your content.
- Mention what you can offer in return for referencing your resource. This could be an indirect link back from an upcoming guest post you’re writing.
Once you’ve filled out these fields, click “Use this template” to proceed.
From here on, the steps are the same as in the section above.
Social Media & Forums
While some link builders may view social media links as ineffective for SEO, marketers and business owners often have a different perspective.
The debate surrounding social link building largely centers on the fact that social media links are usually marked as “nofollow” or “ugc” (user-generated content), meaning they don’t pass traditional link juice. However, this doesn’t mean they are without value
Here’s how you can strategically build second tier links using social media:
- A site links to your business.
- Share a post with a link to the partner site that linked to you.
This method directly supports your partner and indirectly boosts your own site.
For example, if a website mentions you, post a thank-you note on LinkedIn or Twitter, linking back to their site.
This not only strengthens your professional network but can also drive more traffic and improve your partner’s site metrics, indirectly benefiting your own SEO.
Link building cheat sheet
Now Over to You
In conclusion, tier 2 link building involves getting backlinks to pages linking to your main site to ensure every last drop of link juice is directed to you.
You can build tier 2 links with a lot of the same strategies used for “regular” link building – like guest posting, link insertions, skyscraper technique, and others.
Need help getting tier 2 backlinks?
Don’t hesitate to start your 14-day free trial with Respona to see how we can help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Tier 2 Link Building?
Tier 2 Link Building involves creating backlinks that point to your Tier 1 links, which are the high-quality links that directly point to your main site.
This link building strategy helps to enhance the value and authority of your Tier 1 links by passing additional “link juice” through them.
Why Should I Invest in Tier 2 Link Building?
Investing in Tier 2 Link Building can significantly boost the effectiveness of your Tier 1 links, thereby improving your site’s backlink profile and overall SEO performance.
It amplifies the impact of existing high-quality backlinks, making your content more authoritative and likely to rank higher in search engine results.
What Types of Links are Suitable for Tier 2 Link Building?
Suitable Tier 2 links often include those from niche blogs, content networks, infographic submissions, press releases, and lesser-authoritative guest blogging sites.
They should still be relevant and of decent quality, even if they aren’t as authoritative as Tier 1 links.
Is Tier 2 Link Building Safe and Ethical?
Tier 2 Link Building is generally safe and ethical as long as you focus on acquiring links from relevant and non-spammy sources.
Avoid using low-quality, spammy sites or PBNs (Private Blog Networks) to mitigate the risk of penalties from search engines.
How Can I Track the Effectiveness of My Tier 2 Links?
You can track the effectiveness of your Tier 2 links by monitoring the performance of your Tier 1 links via SEO tools like Google Analytics and Moz.
Look for improvements in metrics such as domain authority, page authority, and keyword rankings for pages receiving Tier 2 support.
