In e-commerce, getting high-quality backlinks is more than a numbers game. It's about attracting links that drive referral traffic, boost your authority, and influence rankings in a way that aligns with your revenue goals. Relying on gut instinct or outdated tactics won't get you there. What works today is using analytics to guide every step of your link building strategy.

By leaning into the data, you can uncover which pages on your site are naturally attracting links, which products or categories have high conversion rates, and what kind of content is resonating with your audience and others in your industry. 

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The insights are already there—you just need to know how to find them and use them to build backlinks that actually matter. Most importantly, a data-informed strategy gives you the flexibility to adapt, scale, and stay ahead of competitors who are still operating based on assumptions.

Analyze Your Top-Converting Pages First

Your most valuable backlinks are the ones that bring qualified traffic to the pages that convert. If you're not sure where to start, dive into your analytics dashboard and focus on data points that reflect actual buyer behavior, not just vanity metrics like page views.

Head to Google Analytics (GA4 or Universal) and look at your conversion paths. Filter for top-performing product pages, collections, or blog posts that consistently contribute to purchases. 

These are the pages worth supporting with backlinks. You can also sort by revenue per session or average order value to find the most impactful content to promote.

Prioritize these types of pages:

• Product pages with high conversion rates

• Collections or categories that generate consistent revenue

• Blog posts with a strong assist in the purchase funnel

Track Referral Sources to Spot Link Potential

Check your referral traffic. Are there specific sites linking to you that send engaged visitors? Pinpoint the source and page they linked to. This tells you what content types or topics attract natural links, so you can double down. Look for patterns between the types of content that earn links and the user behaviors they generate.

Measure Engagement Metrics on Linked Pages

Don't just chase backlinks—evaluate bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rate. A link that drives traffic but causes users to bounce immediately is not valuable. Use this data to refine your content and outreach strategy. Make improvements to on-page content and CTAs where needed.

Use Search Data to Inform Your Outreach Strategy

If your backlinks aren’t helping you rank, they’re not doing their job. Data from search performance can help you pitch the right content to the right prospects, ensuring your links actually contribute to SEO growth.

Use Google Search Console to find pages that rank on page 2 or 3 for valuable keywords. These are close to breaking through. Supporting them with targeted links can tip the scale. Identify low-hanging fruit keywords with moderate volume and commercial intent.

Look for pages that:

• Rank between positions 11–30 for transactional keywords

• Already have some backlinks, but not enough

• Are optimized but lack off-page support

Map Search Intent to Content Opportunities

Understand the intent behind the keywords you're targeting. 

• If a keyword has informational intent, pitch a blog post or guide. 

• For transactional intent, product comparison pages or high-converting category pages may be a better fit. 

Tailoring your link building to keyword intent ensures you're not just earning high-quality backlinks, but also matching user expectations.

Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz allow you to see which referring domains link to competitors but not to you. Focus your outreach on closing those gaps with similar or better content. You can also use this analysis to identify topic clusters that consistently attract links across your niche.

Create Content That Attracts Backlinks Naturally

No one wants to link to a thin product page. But link-worthy content doesn't have to be viral. It just has to be valuable, relevant, and packaged in a way that people want to share.

E-commerce brands have access to tons of data: customer preferences, seasonal trends, product usage, etc. Turn this into original research, trend reports, or interactive visuals that others want to reference. These assets serve as evergreen content that naturally builds links over time.

Examples of data-driven content you can create:

• Yearly trend reports based on internal sales data

• Visualized product comparison charts

• Customer behavior insights across seasons or demographics

Turn FAQs into Valuable Link Magnets

You already know what your customers are asking. Package those answers into detailed guides or explainer content. Not only do these help with SEO, but they also earn links from forums, blogs, and resource pages. Use structured data to enhance visibility in rich snippets as well.

Collaborate with Industry Influencers

Use your data to create something co-branded or co-authored with influencers in your niche. These assets are more likely to be shared and linked across multiple channels. Consider inviting guest contributors or running joint case studies to expand your reach.

Segment Your Link Building Campaigns

Use analytics to group visitors by behavior—repeat buyers, first-time visitors, high AOV shoppers. Then create content or linkable assets tailored to each group and pitch accordingly. Behavioral segmentation helps you match the tone and depth of your content to user expectations.

If you sell across different verticals, you need different backlink strategies—a blog targeting outdoor gear won’t link to a fashion accessory page. 

• Segment campaigns by category and align your outreach. 

• Assign each product line its own mini-campaign with unique outreach templates.

Top-of-funnel content like gift guides earns links from media outlets. Mid-funnel comparison pages attract links from niche blogs. Use your funnel data to match the right content to the right prospect. Don’t try to push bottom-funnel pages to audiences who are still exploring options.

Monitor and Adjust Your Strategy Based on Performance

Analytics isn’t just for planning. You need to monitor your efforts and iterate based on what the data tells you. A data-driven approach means constant optimization—not just set-it-and-forget-it.

Use tools like Majestic or Ahrefs to evaluate trust flow, citation flow, and DR of acquired backlinks. Remove low-quality directories or spammy links from your strategy. Quality links drive not only better rankings but also more engaged visitors.

Track assisted conversions and attribution models in your analytics platform. If a backlink results in a significant number of conversions—even indirectly—it’s worth replicating. Monitor multi-touch paths to understand the true influence of referral links.

Metrics to track include:

• Assisted conversions per backlink

• Time lag from referral to purchase

• Conversion rate from referral sessions

Optimize Underperforming Link Targets

If a page received links but traffic or conversions didn’t improve, revisit its content, UX, and calls to action. The problem may not be the link—it may be the landing page experience. Test different layouts, improve page speed, or enhance mobile responsiveness.

Conclusion

Link building in e-commerce doesn’t have to rely on guesswork or outdated tactics. The most effective backlinks are earned by following the signals your data provides. From identifying high-converting pages to analyzing competitor gaps and measuring link impact—analytics should guide every move you make.

Focus on creating valuable, data-backed content. Segment your outreach. Refine your efforts using performance data. When your link building is rooted in insights rather than assumptions, you not only earn better backlinks—you earn results that actually impact your bottom line.

Let your competitors chase rankings. You’ll be building long-term authority, customer trust, and revenue—one strategic backlink at a time.