In today's fiercely competitive online marketplace, ecommerce businesses need every advantage they can get. While stunning product images and seamless user experience are crucial, there's one behind-the-scenes strategy that can significantly impact your online store's success: link building. This comprehensive guide dives deep into the world of ecommerce link building, exploring proven strategies, expert insights, and real-world examples to help your online store rise above the competition.

What Is Ecommerce Link Building?

Ecommerce link building is the process of acquiring backlinks—links from other websites that point to your ecommerce site. These backlinks serve as votes of confidence, suggesting to search engines like Google that other websites vouch for your content and products. The stronger your backlink profile, the better your chances of ranking highly in search engine results pages (SERPs)

Think of backlinks as digital recommendations. When a reputable website links to your online store, it's essentially telling search engines, "This site is trustworthy and offers valuable information or products." This endorsement helps boost your site's authority, credibility, and, ultimately, its visibility in search results. Site in question AI powered SkillTests tool has hundreds of referring domains, speaking of its trustworthiness.

Why Is Link Building Critical for Ecommerce Success?

The correlation between strong backlink profiles and ecommerce success is undeniable. Take Wayfair, for instance—as its backlink profile grew, so did its organic traffic, now exceeding 20 million organic visits monthly according to Ahrefs data 2.

Even smaller, newer ecommerce businesses can see remarkable results. Made In Cookware, founded in 2017, experienced sharp growth as its backlink profile expanded, now generating over 33,000 monthly organic visits with an estimated value of $17,800 2.

These aren't isolated examples. Effective link building delivers three key benefits for your ecommerce store:

1. Improved search engine rankings: Backlinks remain one of Google's top ranking factors

2. Increased referral traffic: Quality backlinks bring interested visitors directly to your store. When your site’s traffic increases you need to do proper inventory management for your shopify store so that you don’t run out of products.

3. Enhanced brand authority: Being mentioned on reputable sites builds consumer trust

Current State of Link Building in 2024

According to a survey of 113 SEO experts conducted in 2024, 92% believe their competitors are buying links, and 58.4% rate the impact of links on rankings as high. The same study found that 83.2% of specialists believe it takes two weeks or more to see the impact of link building on rankings and traffic.

When it comes to effectiveness, digital PR emerged as the clear winner, with 67.3% of respondents naming it the most effective link-building tactic, followed by guest posting (38.9%) and creating linkable assets (36.3%).

Perhaps most interestingly, 71.1% of surveyed experts believe it's possible to rank high on Google solely through quality content, without relying on backlinks 3. This suggests that while link building remains important, content quality should never be sacrificed in pursuit of links.

10 Proven Ecommerce Link Building Strategies

Let's explore the most effective strategies for building quality backlinks to your ecommerce site.

1. Create High-Quality Blog Content

Publishing valuable, well-researched blog content is one of the most sustainable ways to attract natural backlinks over time. When you consistently create content that addresses your target audience's questions and needs, other websites in your industry are more likely to reference and link to your resources.

For ecommerce stores, blog content should:

• Target search terms relevant to your products

• Address common customer pain points

• Include detailed guides, tutorials, or industry insights

• Feature unique research or data when possible

For example, if you sell coffee equipment, you might create comprehensive guides on brewing techniques, coffee bean origins, or equipment maintenance. These resources naturally attract links from coffee blogs, review sites, and enthusiast communities.

To find promising topics, use tools like Semrush's Keyword Magic Tool to identify relevant keywords with lower difficulty scores. Focus on creating content that's substantially better than competing pages on the same topic to increase your chances of earning backlinks.

2. Leverage HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

HARO connects journalists with sources for their stories, making it "one of the best ways to build high-quality backlinks at scale," according to Brian Dean of Backlinko 1. By offering your industry expertise to journalists, you may be quoted in their articles with a backlink to your ecommerce site.

To use HARO effectively:

1. Sign up as a source at helpareporter.com

2. Receive daily emails with journalist queries

3. Respond quickly to relevant requests with valuable insights

4. Include your credentials and website information

This strategy requires consistency and patience, as not every pitch will be successful. However, the potential reward—backlinks from high-authority news sites and industry publications—makes it well worth the effort.

UncorkedVentures.com, a wine ecommerce business, has successfully implemented this strategy to earn links from high-authority sites like MarketWatch, BusinessInsider, and Entrepreneur

3. Launch Creative Digital PR Campaigns

Digital PR campaigns can generate significant buzz and numerous high-quality backlinks. According to the 2024 link building survey, digital PR is considered the most effective link-building tactic by 67.3% of SEO professionals.

Effective digital PR strategies for ecommerce include:

• Releasing innovative products: Vollebak's "Garbage Watch," made entirely from landfill-rescued materials, earned backlinks from numerous high-authority sites 2

• Charity initiatives: Warby Parker's "Buy One, Gift One" program has generated backlinks from prestigious publications like Wired and The New York Times 2

• Creative job listings: Ooni's "Pizza Taster" job listing earned 283 dofollow links, including from CNBC and Business Insider.

• Discounts for specific groups: Rothy's discounts program for certain professions attracts links from websites related to each eligible profession 2

The fashion retailer Missguided provides an excellent case study. When their dog jumpers weren't ranking well, they paired them with identical women's jumpers and launched an exclusive story with TYLA. The campaign generated 60 backlinks, thousands of social media links, sold-out stock, and five-figure revenue.

4. Partner with Suppliers and Distributors

If you're a reseller or retail ecommerce business, your existing business relationships offer untapped link-building potential. Contact your suppliers and distributors to request inclusion in their "Where to Buy" directories or retailer lists.

For example, if you sell Greenies pet food on your ecommerce site, you could request to be added to their official vendor list, gaining a valuable backlink in the process.

Beyond product suppliers, consider reaching out to:

• Industry-specific online directories

• Local business associations

• Chamber of commerce websites

• Professional organization member directories

While these links may not all be high-authority, they contribute to a natural, diverse backlink profile and help establish your business's legitimacy.

5. Create and Share Eye-Catching Infographics

Visual content like infographics is highly shareable and can generate valuable backlinks when distributed effectively. When creating infographics for your ecommerce site, focus on:

• Industry statistics and trends

• Comparison charts for different product types

• Step-by-step visual guides

• Educational content related to your products

For example, if you sell sustainable sneakers, you might create an infographic showing your eco-friendly manufacturing process or comparing the environmental impact of different footwear materials.

Social media agency Giraffe demonstrates this strategy's effectiveness—their "five lead generation ideas" infographic was reposted by Social Media Today, earning them a backlink from a site with a strong Authority Score of 54.

Free tools like Canva and Visme make creating professional-looking infographics accessible even for businesses without dedicated design teams.

6. Target Competitor Backlinks

One of the most strategic approaches to link building involves analyzing and targeting your competitors' backlinks. This strategy has three main components:

Broken Link Building

Identify external links pointing to competitor sites that are no longer working (404 errors). Then, reach out to the linking website and suggest your relevant content as a replacement.

Lost Link Recovery

Find recently removed links to competitor sites and contact the website owners to suggest your content as an alternative resource.

Working Competitor Links

Identify websites linking to multiple competitors but not to you, then reach out to suggest adding your site as an additional resource.

Semrush's Backlink Analytics and Backlink Gap tools are particularly useful for identifying these opportunities 1. While this approach requires significant outreach effort, it allows you to leverage your competitors' link-building work to your advantage.

7. Find and Contact Resource Pages

Resource or roundup pages are dedicated to linking out to useful content on a particular topic, making them prime targets for ecommerce link building. For online stores selling plants, for example, targeting "best plant delivery" roundups could yield valuable backlinks 1.

To find relevant resource pages, use search queries like:

• "useful links" AND [your product]

• "[your product] resources"

• "best [product]"

• "ultimate list [topic]"

Once you've identified appropriate pages, find contact details using the website's contact page or email verification tools like Hunter.io. When reaching out, be concise and clearly explain why your site would be a valuable addition to their resource list.

8. Create Linkable Assets

Linkable assets are high-value content pieces specifically designed to attract backlinks. For ecommerce sites, effective linkable assets include:

• Interactive tools and calculators: Perfect Keto's Keto calculator has attracted numerous backlinks through targeted outreach 2

• In-depth guides: Cellucor's comprehensive guide to pre-workout supplements generates approximately 15,000 monthly organic visitors 2

• Original research and reports: MyProtein's report on health supplement spending habits in the UK has earned backlinks from 16 referring domains 2

• Industry awards and rankings: J.J. Suspenders' "Top 110 Blogs for Men" post generated dozens of backlinks by giving recognized bloggers an award badge they could display on their sites

• Niche business tools: Tools like attendance tracking software for businesses provide practical value to small and mid-sized companies, helping them manage operations more efficiently. These types of resources are not only functional but also earn backlinks from productivity blogs, HR platforms, and operational tech review sites.

The key to success with linkable assets is creating content substantially better than what already exists, then performing targeted outreach to sites that might be interested in linking to it.

9. Develop FAQ Pages

FAQ pages solve common problems in your industry and can attract links naturally over time. Unlike other linkable assets, FAQ pages primarily attract backlinks through search visibility rather than outreach.

Made In Cookware provides an excellent example with their page answering questions about PFOA-coated cookware. This page has attracted backlinks from 21 referring domains and ranks for 160 keywords, including numerous question-based searches 2.

To create effective FAQ pages:

1. Research common questions in your industry

2. Group related questions together on a single page

3. Provide thorough, valuable answers

4. Update the content regularly to keep it current

Over time, these pages become valuable resources that other sites naturally reference and link to.

10. Pursue Strategic Affiliate Partnerships

Developing an affiliate program not only drives sales but also generates valuable backlinks to your product pages. When affiliates promote your products, they typically link directly to your store, creating both revenue opportunities and SEO benefits.

Men's clothing brand Taylor Stitch demonstrates this strategy effectively—their affiliate program has encouraged high-authority publishers to create articles about their products, even for simple updates like new releases or sales 2.

While affiliate links are usually tagged as "nofollow" (meaning they don't directly pass SEO value), they still:

• Increase your brand's exposure

• Drive referral traffic to your store

• Lead to natural, editorial backlinks over time

Advanced Link Building Tactics for Ecommerce

Beyond the core strategies, several advanced tactics can help ecommerce businesses build high-quality backlinks at scale.

Influencer Product Reviews

Sending products to influencers and bloggers in exchange for honest reviews can generate valuable backlinks. While smaller bloggers may be happy with free products, larger publishers might require payment.

To maintain compliance with Google's guidelines:

• Ensure sponsored reviews are properly marked

• Don't explicitly request "dofollow" links in exchange for products

• Focus on genuine relationships with influencers who align with your brand values

Target Unlinked Brand Mentions

Sometimes websites mention your brand without linking to your site. These unlinked mentions represent easy link-building opportunities—simply contact the website owner and ask them to add a link to your store. For instance Clipping Path gets tons of unlinked mentions that the staff there convert to linked mentions.

Set up Google Alerts for your brand name to receive notifications whenever your business is mentioned online 2. This strategy works best for established brands that regularly receive organic mentions.

Niche Edits

Niche edits involve finding existing content relevant to your products and asking the website owner to insert a link to your store. While this often requires payment, it can be an efficient way to acquire links quickly.

For example, an ecommerce store selling portable fans might reach out to websites with articles about staying cool in summer, asking to include their products as a solution 2.

When pursuing niche edits, be selective about the websites you approach—avoid sites with too many obvious paid links, as associating with them could harm your Google rankings.

Case Study: Perfect Keto's Link Building Success

Perfect Keto provides an instructive case study in successful ecommerce link building. LinkBuilder.io helped the company build over 350 backlinks through a strategic approach 2:

1. Identifying prime link targets: They analyzed competitors to discover what type of content attracted links in the health and keto niche, then identified similar content on Perfect Keto's site.

2. Strategic outreach: They created personalized email templates and built outreach lists of relevant websites and bloggers. One particularly effective strategy involved finding websites linking to outdated keto calculators and suggesting Perfect Keto's calculator as a more current alternative.

3. Remarkable results: Their efforts led to 83 backlinks to a single page, increasing its monthly organic traffic from 2,000-4,000 views to over 30,000—particularly impressive in the competitive health niche.

Measuring Link Building Success

Tracking the right metrics is essential to understand the impact of your link-building efforts and refine your strategy over time.

Key Metrics to Monitor

1. Number and quality of backlinks: Track both the quantity and quality (domain authority, relevance) of new backlinks

2. Referral traffic: Measure how much traffic comes directly from your backlinks

3. Organic search rankings: Monitor changes in your positions for target keywords

4. Organic search traffic: Track overall organic traffic growth

5. Conversion rates from organic traffic: Measure how effectively organic visitors convert to customers

According to SEO experts, it typically takes 2-4 weeks (42.5% of respondents) or up to 6 weeks (37.2%) to see the impact of link building on rankings and traffic 3.

Tools for Tracking Link Building Performance

Several tools can help you monitor your backlink profile and measure success:

• Semrush Backlink Analytics: Track your backlink growth and analyze competitors

• Ahrefs: Considered by 74.3% of SEO experts to provide the most comprehensive backlink data

• Google Search Console: Monitor your organic search performance

• Google Analytics: Track referral traffic from backlinks

Common Ecommerce Link Building Challenges and Solutions

Ecommerce businesses face unique challenges when building links compared to other website types.

Challenge 1: Product Pages Are Hard to Link To

Product pages typically don't attract natural links because they're commercial rather than informational.

Solution: Create supplementary content around your products, such as buying guides, comparison charts, or industry resources that naturally link to your product pages.

Challenge 2: Limited Content Resources

Many ecommerce sites focus on product listings with minimal supporting content.

Solution: Invest in a robust content strategy that includes a blog, resource center, guides, and tools relevant to your product niche.

Challenge 3: High Competition

Popular ecommerce niches often have established competitors with strong backlink profiles.

Solution: Focus on specialized link-building opportunities your competitors may have overlooked, such as industry-specific directories, local partnerships, or innovative content formats.

Challenge 4: Link Building ROI Can Be Difficult to Measure

It's challenging to directly attribute sales to specific backlinks.

Solution: Use attribution modeling in Google Analytics to understand how link-building contributes to your conversion funnel, and track both direct (referral traffic) and indirect (SEO ranking) benefits.

The Future of Ecommerce Link Building

As search algorithms evolve and consumer behaviors change, ecommerce link building continues to adapt. Several trends are shaping the future of this essential SEO practice:

AI Integration in Link Building

According to the 2024 survey, 44.2% of SEO specialists already use AI tools in their link-building effort. AI is increasingly helping with:

• Prospect identification and qualification

• Personalized outreach at scale

• Content creation for linkable assets

• Competitor backlink analysis

Quality Over Quantity

Google's algorithms continue to prioritize link quality over quantity. This trend favors ecommerce businesses that focus on earning fewer, high-quality, relevant links rather than pursuing large numbers of low-quality backlinks.

Diversification of Link Types

While dofollow links pass the most SEO value, 46.9% of SEO specialists make an effort to get nofollow links as well. A natural backlink profile includes a mix of:

• Editorial links from content mentions

• Resource page links

• Directory listings

• Social media mentions

• Forum discussions

Integration with Broader Marketing Efforts

Successful businesses in ecommerce software development are increasingly integrating link building with other marketing initiatives like content marketing, influencer relationships, and PR campaigns for maximum impact. 

Conclusion: Building a Sustainable Ecommerce Link Building Strategy

Effective link building for ecommerce isn't about quick wins or shortcuts—it's about creating a sustainable strategy that builds your site's authority over time. Here's how to approach it:

1. Start by benchmarking: Use tools like Semrush's Backlink Analytics to assess your current backlink profile and identify areas for improvement 1.

2. Prioritize quality over quantity: One backlink from a highly relevant, authoritative site in your niche is worth dozens from low-quality directories.

3. Focus on relevance: According to 84.6% of SEO professionals, relevance is the main metric for assessing backlink quality, ahead of domain authority scores and site traffic 3.

4. Create linkable value: Invest in high-quality content that genuinely helps your target audience—links will follow naturally.

5. Diversify your approach: Don't rely on a single link-building tactic; combine several strategies based on your resources and goals.

6. Build relationships, not just links: The most sustainable link-building strategy focuses on creating genuine connections with other websites, influencers, and industry partners.

7. Monitor and adapt: Regularly evaluate your results and refine your approach based on what's working best for your specific ecommerce niche.

By implementing these strategies consistently and patiently, your ecommerce store can build a strong backlink profile that drives sustained organic traffic, enhances your brand authority, and ultimately increases sales. Remember that link building is a marathon, not a sprint—the businesses that approach it strategically and ethically are the ones that see the greatest long-term success.