No-Nonsense Guide To Enterprise Link Building For Complex Websites

Enterprise link building.

It’s like regular link-building but on a larger scale.

And sometimes, with a lot more red tape—think massive websites, complex architectures, and workplace bureaucracy.

It’s not for the faint of heart.

But if you can overcome the challenges, the ROI is totally worth it.

So, why not kick this thing off with just that? Challenges 👇

Challenges of Enterprise Link-Building (and How to Overcome Them)

I’m not going to beat around the bush here, link-building isn’t easy. Add in a layer of stakeholders, management hierarchy, and project budgets, and you’ll be reaching for the aspirin in no time.

Let’s avoid the headaches—here’s some advice on tackling the challenges from start to finish.

Initial Approval

Don’t let the suits kill your project before getting it off the ground. Sure, initial approvals can be tough, but not impossible.

So, what’s the play here?

First, you need to understand the company’s policies and procedures. Do they have a strict approval process for new marketing campaigns? Are there specific guidelines for link building? The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be.

With that understanding under your belt, next, build your case. Don’t just waltz into your higher-up’s office and say, “Hey, I want to build some backlinks.” You need to have a solid plan, a clear budget, and a compelling argument for why link-building will move the needle for the company’s success. You need to show them the value and the potential ROI.

Oh, and remember to speak their language.

When talking to stakeholders, use terminology they understand. Don’t just talk about “backlinks” and “domain authority.” These terms aren’t going to cut it. Instead, focus on how link building improves brand visibility, drives traffic, and generates leads. Translate enterprise SEO talk into something that resonates—references to a happier bottom line never hurt.

And what if the company has a strict “no outreach” policy? Don’t give up. There are other ways to build links, like creating content that attracts natural links or partnering with fellow publishers (I’ll elaborate on these strategies a little later).

Internal Alignment

You’ve somehow snagged those initial approvals. Look at you!

But don’t get overconfident. You still have a mountain to climb: getting everyone on the same page.

This can be a real headache, particularly if you’re a contractor or freelancer. You can be looked upon as an outsider. Ruffle too many feathers, and things could go south. You’ll also realize that everyone’s got their own agenda, their own priorities, and their own opinions about what “good” link-building looks like.

So, how do you break through these potential barriers?

Communication is key. Don’t just assume everyone understands your link-building strategy. You need to explain it clearly and often. Explain your goals, your tactics, and how link-building will benefit the company as a whole.

Next, don’t stay siloed. Reach out to other departments, build relationships, and show how link-building will help them achieve their goals. The more people you have on your side, the easier it will be to get things done (and the less likely you are to get stabbed in the back by some insider busybody).

Now, here’s the real secret to internal alignment: create a shared vision. Get everyone on the same page by creating a clear roadmap for your link-building efforts. This could be a formal document, a presentation, or even just a shared spreadsheet where everyone can track progress and contribute ideas.

And finally, don’t let your link-building efforts get bogged down in bureaucracy. Streamline your workflows, automate tasks where possible, and make it easy for everyone to contribute.

Managing Complex Websites

Okay, let’s talk about the Kraken in the server room: the complexity of enterprise websites. Managing these beasts can be a nightmare. They’re all over the place. Why is it important to whip them into shape? A well-organized site architecture maximizes the flow of link equity throughout a site.

Here’s where to start: use tools like Screaming Frog or DeepCrawl to crawl your website and identify any structural issues, broken links, or orphaned pages.

Once you’ve got a handle on the website’s structure, it’s time to optimize those internal links. Make sure the internal links are clear, relevant, and strategically placed to maximize the flow of link juice (and user engagement).

Also, keep in mind that some pages are more important than others, and those are the ones you should prioritize for link building. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to identify your most valuable pages based on factors like traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates.

But don’t forget about the little guys. While you should prioritize your most important pages, don’t neglect the rest of the website. Even those less popular pages can contribute to a site’s overall link profile and authority.

And finally, keep it clean. A complex website can quickly become a tangled mess of broken links, outdated content, and technical errors. Regularly audit the site, fix any issues, and maximize your link-building efforts.

Learn more: link-building mistakes to avoid.

Enterprise Link Building Strategies

With the challenges out of the way, let’s get to the crux of this thing: strategies.

Digital PR

Think PR is just for celebrities and politicians? Puh-lease! Digital PR has moved on, and it’s now about getting brands featured in all the right places, schmoozing with journalists and influencers, and generating enough buzz to make a website the talk of the internet.

Just keep in mind that nobody wants to read a boring press release that sounds like it was written by a robot. Instead, you need to craft compelling stories.

How? First, craft personalized pitches that are so irresistible that journalists will be fighting over who gets to feature you first. Highlight the company’s unique story, offer exclusive data or insights, and make it clear why the brand is worth featuring.

Next, don’t just treat journalists and influencers like link dispensers. Build real relationships with them. Engage with their content, offer them valuable information, and show them that you’re not just in it for the backlink.

And don’t forget about the content! You can’t expect people to link to your website if you don’t have anything worth linking to. Create high-quality content that’s so good you’ll have journalists mouthing, “Now that’s a story!”

Stuck? We offer press release services.

Linkable-Worthy Content

Let’s be blunt: most content online is boring. It’s the same generic blog posts, the same rehashed ideas, and the same tired advice. Sure, it might rank, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll attract backlinks. Crickets, maybe, but not links.

We’re not talking about anything groundbreaking here, so to state the obvious, if you want other publishers to link to an enterprise website, you need to create content that’s worth linking to. We’re talking about content that offers a fresh angle.

So, what makes content truly linkable?

1. Originality. Don’t just rehash the same old information. Conduct your own research, analyze data, and uncover never-even-conceived-before insights. Be the one who breaks the news, not the one who rewrites it.
2. Depth. Go beyond the surface level and create content that leaves no questions unanswered. Think guides and step-by-step tutorials.
3. Engagement. Make your content fun and interactive. Transform boring data into stunning visuals that tell a story worth reading.

Link Reclamation

Links break. Websites disappear. Content gets updated. And before you know it, backlinks a team once worked so hard to earn are gone, vanishing into the internet ether.

For enterprise websites, this can be a particularly painful problem. With potentially thousands of pages, keeping track of all those backlinks becomes almost an impossible task.

Thankfully, there’s a strategy here you can use to reclaim those links and potentially restore any lost rankings: link reclamation.

Link reclamation involves finding lost or broken links and bringing them back to life (or at least redirecting them to a relevant page on your site).

Here’s how this works:

1. Track your backlinks: First, you need to know which backlinks you’ve lost. Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz to monitor your backlink profile and identify any broken or lost links.
2. Identify the culprits: Once you’ve found a broken link, you need to figure out why it’s broken. Is the page gone? Has the URL changed? Is the website no longer active?
3. Reach out and reconnect: If the page still exists but the link is broken, reach out to the website owner and politely ask them to fix it. Provide them with the correct URL and explain how it will benefit their users.

Unlinked Brand Mentions

Unlinked brand mentions—websites that mention your client’s brand but don’t bother to link to their website. They’re opportunities to turn casual shout-outs into valuable backlinks that will benefit your client’s authority and visibility.

So, how do you find these websites that are name-dropping your client without giving them the link love they deserve?

You could reach for a paid option, but Google Alerts will get the ball rolling. Set up alerts for the company’s brand name, product names, and services, and Google will notify you whenever someone mentions them online.

Once you’ve found a few culprits, drag out your laptop and shoot off a few outreach emails. Politely point out that they mentioned your client’s brand but forgot to include a link. Make it super easy for them by providing the exact URL you want them to link to. Easy-peasy!

Strategic Partnerships

Want a simple and effective way to build high-quality backlinks for your clients’ enterprise websites? Collaborating with other businesses in the industry is the go. You can cross-promote each other’s content and exchange links, creating a win-win situation for both parties.

Here’s how:

• Look for businesses that offer products or services that complement your own. For example, if you’re a web design agency, you could partner with a content marketing agency or an SEO tool provider.
• Don’t be shy! Reach out to potential partners and propose a collaboration. Explain how you can benefit each other and what you can offer them in return.
• Share each other’s blog posts, infographics, and videos on social media. Link to each other’s websites from relevant pages on your own sites.

Learn more: 12 link-building strategies that actually work.

Should You Outsource Enterprise Link-Building?

Considering outsourcing this thing? I’ll help you out. Here’s the good and the bad of outsourcing enterprise link-building:

The Good:

• Link-building agencies are specialists. Masters of their art. They have the experience, the tools, and the know-how to tackle even the most complex link-building challenges.
• Enterprise link building is a time-consuming beast. Outsourcing frees up your internal team to focus on other important tasks, like content creation, technical SEO, or internal linking.
• Need to ramp up your link-building efforts quickly? Agencies can scale their resources to meet your needs, whether you need a few high-quality links or a full-blown link-building blitz.

The Not-So-Good:

• Outsourcing can be expensive.
• You’re giving up some control over the process. But a good agency will keep you in the loop and involve you in key decisions.
• Not all agencies are created equal. You need to find one that understands your specific needs, your industry, and your company culture.

Conclusion and Next Steps

You’re now officially equipped to build a backlink profile that would make Google bow down in awe (or at least give you a high five).

But let’s be real: enterprise link building isn’t a walk in the park.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or just want to leave it to the experts, we’re here to step in whenever you need us.

🚀 Head over to our link-building services page, and let’s start earning those enterprise backlinks. 🚀