What Is Resource Page Link Building?
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If you want to expand your link building efforts, you are perhaps at the stage where you are considering resource page link building. Is it a good way to acquire backlinks? How much time and effort does it require?
Let’s explore the benefits of this tactic, and give you some practical tips.
What Is Resource Page Link Building?
Resource page link building is building backlinks from pages that have lots of external links.
These pages are often listicles, i.e. articles written in a list format. Think “50 Best Pancake Recipes”, where each recipe links out to a different website.
Resources pages can also be written and formatted like regular articles. For example, an article about learning SEO which links out to a bunch of relevant resources also falls into this category.
How Does Resource Page Link Building Work?
Resource page link building is quite similar to other types of link building. In involves:
- Finding resource pages you want to be featured on
- Qualifying these pages based on value and relevance
- Reaching out to each website and asking to be featured in their post
It goes without saying that in order to get mentioned, you need to have an article or a resource in another format that is worth linking to.
The most time-consuming part of the equation is finding relevant resource pages, but with our guide, you’ll become more effective at it. The outreach itself can be done with the use of a quality template, personalized for each website. More on that later as well.
Is Resource Page Link Building a Good Way To Build Backlinks?
Resource page link building can be more effective than blogger outreach and other link building tactics. If your industry and niche allow, you can have the opportunity to get featured by some high quality websites, and significantly boost your backlink portfolio.
Note that some niches provide very few of these opportunities though, while others are brimming with them. You may need to think outside the box, and find ways to get featured by websites in niches adjacent to yours.
How To Build Resource Page Backlinks
Now that you understand the basics of resource page link building, let’s break down each step:
Find Lists Of Links
Your first order of business is to find as many relevant and quality resources pages as you can.
The first place to look is of course Google. Simply type in the kind of list you are looking for.
You can phrase your query in different ways. Start with the obvious choices and see what comes up. Venture further than the first page, and see what’s ranking on pages 5 and 6 as well.
Try search strings with the terms “resource(s)” and “list” too. They can give you slightly different results.
Find Other Types Of Resource Pages
You can also look for resource pages that aren’t technically called that. These are the in-depth, ultimate guides we’ve mentioned previously.
Start in Google yet again, and look for all the comprehensive, top-level topics you can think of that might benefit from featuring your page. Then go smaller and smaller, honing in on the topic.
Try to think outside the box. For example, if your page is a pancake recipe, you can get it featured on lists of pancake recipes, breakfast ideas, recipes to make with kids, lazy Sunday recipes, and so on.
The wider your search, the better. You will filter through your results later. Create a spreadsheet where you will compile your list of opportunities, and analyze it once you are done with the research portion of the task.
Check Out Your Competitors’ Resource Page Backlinks
When looking for link building opportunities, it’s always a good idea to check out what the competition has been doing.
Ahrefs or SEMRush can be your biggest help here. Export a list of your competitors’ backlinks, and look for pages that have resource page-like titles.
This is also a good opportunity to check out their other backlinks too.
Check For Broken Links
This is not a tip that will help you build better resource page backlinks, but it’s a good one to have in mind.
While you are looking over various resource pages, check for any broken links on them. Check My Links is a handy Chrome extension to have for the task.
If you stumble upon a broken link, you can use it as an opener in your outreach email. More on that in our guide on broken link building!
Carefully Vet Sites Before Reaching Out
Once you have a list of resource pages, it’s time to consider which ones you want to reach out to.
Domain rating is usually a good place to start. Eliminate any websites that have a DR you deem to be too low to get a backlink from. You can also eliminate websites based on website traffic.
Once you have cut your list down, start looking at the links already on the page. Are they pointing to reputable, relevant websites? Or are they a list of spammy websites, and the list was clearly created to try and lend them some credibility?
Some resource pages will only feature top-tier backlinks, and you may have practically no chance of getting featured on them. Others will feature more of a mix, and you may have a higher chance there.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the highest quality websites, especially if your content is really good. If you make a good enough case, you might just score a very valuable backlink.
How To Get Featured On a Resource Page
While you already know that the prerequisite to getting featured on a resource page is to have a resource that can be featured, there’s no harm in repeating the fact.
The better the quality of your page, the higher the chances you will get a backlink. Don’t try to push a lower quality article onto a high quality resource page.
Here’s what else you need to know about successful resource page link building:
Contact The Right Person
First, make sure to reach out to the right person. Don’t send a generic email to a generic address. Only use a contact@ email if you have found no other point of contact.
Look for the name of the author on the resource page. If there is none, reach out to the editorial team. Mention which page you are reaching out about in the subject, so it can get to the right hands.
Make It Easy For Them To Feature You
When writing your outreach email, point out exactly where your resource can go in the article. Don’t make the author do all the work.
Think of it this way. You are asking for a favor from this person you’ve never met. The least you can do is save them time and trouble, and give them the context your link would fit into best.
If you need to provide a bit of content, write that as well. For example, sticking to our pancake example, describe your recipe in the same way the others have been described on the page.
The author may decide to place your link elsewhere, or write any necessary content themselves. However, you will have at least shown them your level of commitment and attention to detail.
Be Polite
Always be polite when asking to be featured on a resource page. Write in the tone of voice the article has been written in. If it’s formal and informative, don’t write a completely laid back email.
Say thank you, address the person by name if you can, and stress that you know they get these kinds of requests often, but that you would really appreciate the time they take to check yours out. You wouldn’t believe how much impact a nicely-written, non-generic email can have.
Be Convincing
Give the author a compelling reason to feature your resource on the page. How is it different from the others? What do you say that they haven’t?
Find something unique about your approach, your style or the information you feature itself that you can highlight in your outreach email. A website will have no reason to link out to another resource of the kind they already have. But if you can prove yours has something the others don’t, they are likely to consider it. After all, it’s in their interests to make their page as valuable as it can be.
Make It Personal
While you can use an email template to save time when doing outreach, make sure to personalize each message to an extent.
Use the author’s name whenever possible. Mention something about their article, their website, or some of their other work that has struck you or stayed with you. Your goal is to establish some sort of rapport with them, and to make yourself memorable. Bloggers get dozens of outreach emails a day, you want yours to stick out.
Don’t be sleazy or cheezy. Be friendly and forthcoming, casual and relatable.
Offer Something In Return
Finally, you can also consider offering something in return for the backlink. This something should never be money, and it should also not be couched as quid pro quo.
For example, you can mention that you’ve shared one of the writer’s posts on your social media (after you have obviously actually done that). You can include a link to them in one of your own posts, if it provides real value (just make sure it’s not in the page you are trying to get a link to).
You can even strike up collaborations, meet some of your peers and forge great working relationships this way.
Wrapping Up
Ready to start looking for resource pages to build backlinks from? Or is this a tactic you’ve been using for a long time?
If you are new to this practice, analyze each resource page carefully and put a lot of thought into your outreach emails. You’ll soon get the hang of it, and you’ll be able to run through the steps faster.