smplx.
Shopify SEO

Link Building for E-Commerce: Strategies That Actually Work

smplx. Team··12 min

Links are still one of the three main ranking factors on Google -- and for e-commerce, they're even more important than for other industries. Why?

E-commerce is competitive. If your product is "buy running shoes," you're competing against Nike, Adidas, and hundreds of specialized stores. The only way to differentiate yourself from this competition is through authority -- and authority is built through backlinks.

Case studies show: Stores that actively do link building see:

  • +50-100% higher visibility within 12 months
  • +30-60% more organic traffic
  • Better rankings for high-volume keywords

The problem: Link building for e-commerce is different from blogs or SaaS. You can't simply write "list-based articles" that other sites link to. You need a strategic approach.

At smplx., we've developed a link building system that works specifically for e-commerce. In this article, we share our proven strategies.

The best link profile is built organically. Websites link to you because your content is valuable -- not because you asked them to.

Examples of organic link building:

  • A journalist researches "sustainable fashion" and finds your guide
  • A blogger writes about "best running shoes 2026" and links to your top 5
  • A student finds your studies and cites them in their thesis

How do you create content that others link to?

  • Original data/studies: "We analyzed 10,000 customer reviews..."
  • Surprising insights: "Most running shoes are overpriced" (backed by data)
  • Ultimate guides: 5,000-word resource articles
  • Tools/calculators: A free tool that provides value

Outreach means proactively contacting websites and asking for links -- but in an intelligent, non-spammy way.

Good outreach reasons:

  • "We wrote about [topic] and thought you might be interested"
  • "You mention [product] in your article -- we have a better resource"
  • "We built a tool that fits your article"

Bad outreach reasons:

  • "I want you to link to my site"
  • "Would you like to exchange links?"
  • "My store is great, please link to it"

Building your own link network -- not your website, but partners who link to you.

Examples:

  • Local supplier networks
  • Industry associations
  • Affiliate partners
  • Co-marketing partners

2. Organic Link Building: Original Content Strategy

Data and Studies as Linkbait

The best linkbait for e-commerce is original market data.

Example: Premium Mattress Store

Instead of simply writing a blog about "best mattresses," conduct a study:

"We analyzed 5,000 customer reviews from
mattress stores. Here are the surprising results:"

Result 1: 73% buy mattresses online, not in-store
Result 2: Average mattress is replaced after 8.2 years
Result 3: Side sleepers spend 23% more than stomach sleepers

This data is valuable because other websites want to link to it.

How many links does this generate?

  • A solid data article: 15-40 links in the first 3 months
  • A viral data article: 100+ links
  • With outreach: 50-150 links

Ultimate Guides as Linkbait

An "ultimate guide" is a 3,000-4,000 word article that completely covers a topic.

Structure of an ultimate guide:

TITLE: "The Ultimate Guide to [Topic]"

1. Introduction (problem + value proposition)
2. Chapter 1: Basics
3. Chapter 2: Best Practices
4. Chapter 3: Common Mistakes
5. Chapter 4: Tools & Resources
6. Chapter 5: Case Studies / Examples
7. FAQ
8. CTA to Products

Example: Sustainable Fashion Store

Ultimate Guide: "Buying Sustainable Clothing: The Complete Guide to Fair Trade, Eco Fabrics, and Ethical Brands"

Sites that link to this guide:

  • Sustainability blogs
  • Fashion magazines
  • University resource pages
  • Eco-lifestyle websites

Typical result: 20-50 links in 6 months.

Tactic 1: Resource Page Requests

Many websites have "resources" pages that link to related content.

Example:

  • A running shoe store finds a fitness website with a "resources" page
  • This page links to 20 running shoe guides
  • You write a better guide
  • You contact the owner: "I wrote a guide that fits your page"

Outreach Template:

Subject: Resource for Your Running Shoe Page

Hello [Name],

I came across your "Running Shoe Buying Guide" page --
great material. I thought you might also be interested
in our comprehensive guide:

[Your ultimate guide URL]

It covers running shoes for different foot types and
has considered over 100 customer reviews.

If interested, I'd be happy if you would link to it.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Success rate: 10-20% (when well-written and relevant)

Broken link building means: You find links that are broken and offer a better replacement.

How it works:

  1. Find pages with broken links

    • Use Google: site:competitor.com link:example.com
    • Or: Screaming Frog > Reports > Broken Links

  2. Find where the link went

    • Wayback Machine: What was on this URL?
    • Alternative: Similar topic in your content?

  3. Outreach

    Hello [Name],

I found a broken link on your page:
[Broken Link URL]

The original article was about [Topic].
We have a similar (better?) article:
[Your URL]

If interested, could you link to this one?

Success rate: 15-30%

Tactic 3: Guest Posting and Bylined Articles

Guest posts are articles you publish on other websites (with a link back to you).

Best target sites:

  • Industry magazines
  • Competitor blogs (if they accept guest posts)
  • Industry publications

Tips for successful guest posts:

  1. Analyze the target site: What content ranks there?
  2. Write better content: Better than other guest posts on the site
  3. Show business value: "This will help your readers"
  4. Place links naturally: Not hidden spammily in the footer

Example:

  • You write a guest post for a fitness blogger network
  • Title: "Running Shoes and Knee Injuries: What I Learned"
  • At the end: "This post was written by [Name] from [Your Store]"
  • Link text: "Here are our top running shoes for knee protection"

Success rate: 80%+ (if the site accepts)

Tactic 4: Digital PR and Media Outreach

Digital PR means: You create newsworthy content and send it to journalists.

What is newsworthy?

  • Your study reveals surprising trends
  • You sponsor a local initiative
  • Your CEO becomes an expert in a topic
  • You have a controversial opinion about the industry

Example: Sustainable Fashion Store PR

PRESS RELEASE:
"New Study: 85% of Consumers Want Sustainable Fashion,
but Only 10% Are Willing to Pay for It"

Summary of findings:
- Survey of 10,000 consumers conducted
- Focus on willingness to pay for sustainability
- Implications for the fashion industry

Press contact: [Email]

You send this press release to:

  • Fashion journalists
  • Sustainability reporters
  • Bloggers in the fashion space

Result: 5-10 articles in media that link to your study.

For stores with a local focus:

Opportunities:

  • Local industry associations: If you're a member, they often link to you
  • Chamber websites: IHK, Handwerkskammer
  • Local news: Regional news outlets link to local businesses
  • Universities & schools: Tech stores > link to partners

Example:

  • You're a tech store in Munsterland
  • You sponsor the local football club
  • Club website links to you
  • Local news reports on the sponsorship

Link sources in Germany:

Germany-specific:
- German Trade Associations
- Industry Associations (VDI, VDMA, etc.)
- Chamber Websites (120+ chambers)
- KfW Development Bank (for innovative stores)
- German Startup Portals

Austria:
- Wirtschaftskammer Osterreich
- APA (Austrian Press Agency)
- Austrian Tech Communities

Switzerland:
- Kammer Handwerk Schweiz
- Economiesuisse
- Swiss Tech Blogs

Affiliate and Partner Networks

Strategy: Collaborate with affiliates who benefit from your service.

Example:

  • A fitness center recommends your running shoes to their members
  • They receive affiliate commission
  • They link to you in their "Partners" section

Setup:

  1. Create an affiliate program (Shopify has native affiliate features)
  2. Contact relevant partners
  3. Give them an attractive affiliate link
  4. Natural links emerge (with a good commission structure)

Challenge: Fewer websites link to luxury products.

Strategy:

  1. Expert content: Position your business as an authority
  2. Case studies: "How Customer X solved a 5k+ problem"
  3. PR: High-ticket purchases are newsworthy
  4. Industry events: Sponsor conferences, build visibility

Challenge: Less search volume = fewer natural links.

Strategy:

  1. Community building: Find your niche community on Reddit, Facebook
  2. Micro-influencers: Partnerships with 5k-50k follower accounts (often better ROI)
  3. Niche blogs: They link more when relevant
  4. Forum participation: Help in niche forums, your store gets mentioned

Tramontina is a Brazilian major manufacturer that expanded into 8 new countries. As a Shopify Technical Partner of smplx., we led their link building program.

Challenge:

  • Brand not yet known in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
  • Competing against established local brands (WMF, Rosle, etc.)
  • Limited budget

Strategy:

  1. Original data: Study "European Kitchen Trends 2026"

    • Analysis of 50,000 recipe databases
    • Which pots/pans are most common?
    • Result: Surprising trends

  2. Premium guide: "The Ultimate Guide to Premium Cookware"

    • 4,000 words
    • Material guides
    • Brand comparisons

  3. Influencer partnerships: 15 food bloggers (10k-100k followers)

    • Send free products
    • They review them
    • Natural links emerge

  4. Digital PR: Press release about the expansion

    • "Brazilian kitchen brand enters German markets"
    • Distributed to 50+ regional media outlets

Results after 12 months:

  • 280+ new backlinks
  • Domain Authority: 22 > 38
  • Visibility for "premium cookware" +156%
  • Organic traffic: +89%

Essential Tools

Link Research:

  • Ahrefs: Backlink analysis, link gaps, competitor backlinks
  • SEMrush: Alternative to Ahrefs, good for local
  • Moz: Link profile, Domain Authority

Outreach Management:

  • Pitchbox: Automate outreach (expensive but effective)
  • GMass: Personalized cold emails via Gmail
  • Google Sheets: Simple, free, works

Link Monitoring:

  • Monitor Backlinks: Track new and lost links
  • Ahrefs Site Audit: Broken links, linking opportunities

Outreach Workflow

1. RESEARCH (1 week)
   - Identify target websites (industry-relevant pages)
   - Collect contact emails
   - Evaluate link quality (Domain Authority, relevance)

2. PERSONALIZE (1 week)
   - Create personalized outreach messages
   - No generic "Hi, I'd like a link"
   - Be specific: "I saw your article about X"

3. OUTREACH (2-3 weeks)
   - Send emails (10-20 per day)
   - Follow up after 1 week if no response
   - Track responses

4. NEGOTIATE (Ongoing)
   - Some want something in return (guest post, exchange)
   - Negotiate, but not too aggressively

5. MONITOR (Ongoing)
   - Track whether the link was placed
   - Monitor backlinks with tools

White-Hat (OK):

  • Create original, valuable content
  • Conduct genuine outreach
  • Build partnerships
  • Guest posting on relevant sites
  • Digital PR and media outreach

Black-Hat (Avoid):

  • PBN (Private Blog Networks): Networks of cheap websites only for links
  • Link buying: Regularly purchasing links
  • Spam comments: "Great post! Check out my shop" comments
  • Automated linking: Bot services that promise 1,000 links/month
  • Link schemes: Massive exchange networks

Why avoid?

  • Google detects these practices
  • Manual Action (Google Penalty)
  • Ranking loss of 50-90% possible
  • Hard to recover

Rule of thumb: Would I be proud of this in front of Google? No? > Black-hat.

Google Search Console shows:

  • Which websites link to you
  • Which anchor texts are used
  • New and lost links (monthly)
  1. Go to GSC > "Links"
  2. View "Top links"
  3. Check new links monthly

Track Ranking Progress

After link building, you should see:

  • Month 1-2: No major ranking changes (Google needs to crawl + process)
  • Month 3-4: First ranking improvements for better-anchored keywords
  • Month 6: Significant visibility increase
  • Month 12: 30-50% visibility gain (depending on link quality)

Link Building Strategy for E-Commerce (from 10k):

  • Comprehensive link building strategy specifically for your store
  • Competitor backlink analysis
  • Identify 20-30 outreach targets
  • Build PR and media list
  • Acquire first 10-15 links
  • Monthly reporting

Ongoing Link Building (from 2.5k/month):

  • Continuous link acquisition (5-10 links/month)
  • Run outreach campaigns
  • Identify new link opportunities
  • Backlink monitoring and reporting
  • Strategic partner outreach

This investment often pays for itself through improved rankings and organic traffic within 6-9 months.

Successful link building for e-commerce requires:

  1. Patience -- rankings improve over months, not weeks
  2. Authenticity -- genuine outreach works better than spam
  3. Value creation -- links emerge when you offer real value
  4. Consistency -- regular, strategic work beats sporadic bursts

Next steps:

  1. Analyze your current backlink profile in Ahrefs/SEMrush
  2. Review top 20 competitor backlinks
  3. Identify your first 10 outreach targets
  4. Create content that others want to link to

If you need help with a strategic link building campaign, contact the smplx. team. We've implemented successful link strategies for stores like Tramontina and Bekateq.

Contact: hello@smplx.de | Munsterland, NRW

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