Backlink Boost: How to Grow Your Blog’s Reach with Brittany Herzberg
When it comes to growing your blog, we know that SEO – and namely, backlinks – can be a confusing topic. On this episode of The Ultimate Blog Podcast, we’re so excited to welcome SEO expert Brittany Herzberg back to break it down. She’s sharing everything you need to know about blog backlinks: what they are, why they’re essential, and how to use them to boost your blog traffic in 2025.
If you’re new to blog backlinks or unsure how to incorporate them into your blogging strategy, this post will give you the details on why they matter and how to get started.
And if you haven’t checked out Brittany’s last episode on The Ultimate Blog Podcast about using case studies in your blogging business, check it out.
Meet Brittany Herzberg
Service providers call Brittany when they want to grow their visibility, reach, & income. She shows them how SEO can make this happen—quickly & powerfully! Brittany is known for keeping the mood fun, judgment-free, & basic—oh, so basic.
What Are Blog Backlinks and Why Are They Important?
Backlinks are just links from another website to your own. When someone links to your blog or website, it signals to Google (and other search engines) that your content is trustworthy and valuable.
Blog backlinks give you exposure, grow your reach, and work like marketing on your behalf. They’re one of the top factors Google considers when determining your SEO ranking.
In other words, the more high-quality backlinks you have pointing to your site, the better your chances of climbing the search engine results pages and reaching your audience.
The Blog Backlink Basics: Start with Great Content
Before you can get backlinks, you need to create content that’s worth linking to. Brittany reminds us to stick to SEO basics:
- Know your audience
- Write clear, helpful content that addresses their needs
- Stay consistent with your messaging
When your content is helpful and valuable, people will naturally want to share it.
How to Build Blog Backlinks Organically
Brittany says that to get more backlinks, you can focus on building relationships and creating value. Here are her top tips:
1. Be a Podcast Guest
Appearing as a guest on podcasts is one of the easiest ways to earn backlinks. Podcasts often link to your website in their show notes, and every platform where the podcast is hosted – like Apple, Spotify, and others – creates additional links back to your site.
One podcast appearance can result in multiple backlinks from platforms, which boosts your credibility with search engines and audiences.
2. Guest Blog
If podcasting isn’t your thing, guest blogging is another excellent option. Many bloggers and website owners welcome guest posts that offer value to their audience. In return, you can include a link to your website in your author bio or within the post itself.
Brittany says that she once wrote a guest blog for a friend who wanted to share more about SEO. In her bio, she included a link to her website. It was an easy and organic way to gain backlinks.
3. Use Social Media Wisely
Your own social media accounts can generate backlinks too. Brittany suggests creating a “links page” on your website and using it as the primary link in your social media bios.
Instead of using a third-party service like Linktree, create a simple page on your website that includes links to your blog posts, services, products, or freebies. This way, every click drives traffic back to your site and strengthens your SEO.
Common Blog Backlink Mistakes to Avoid
While building blog backlinks, it’s important to focus on authenticity. We both will delete impersonal emails from people asking us to add random links to our websites because it feels really inauthentic.
Instead, focus on building genuine connections with other bloggers, podcast hosts, and content creators in your niche.
Where to Find Your Blog Backlinks
Before diving into backlink strategies, it’s helpful to know where your backlinks are coming from. Here’s a breakdown of free and paid tools Brittany recommends to help you monitor your backlinks:
1. KeySearch
This paid keyword research tool is a great option for finding backlinks. Brittany loves how easily it identifies links to your site. If you’re already using KeySearch for SEO, you can take advantage of its backlink insights.
2. Google Analytics and Google Search Console
Both free tools, Google Analytics and Search Console, offer insights into where your website traffic is coming from – including backlinks. Brittany prefers Google Search Console because it’s user-friendly, but says both platforms are worth looking into to see which suits your needs.
3. Ubersuggest
Another paid tool, Ubersuggest, offers a look at your backlinks and SEO performance. Brittany uses this to find links from sources she didn’t know about.
4. WordPress Pingbacks
If you use WordPress, you may see pingbacks in your comments section when someone links to your blog. While not all pingbacks are positive (like scraped content), monitoring them can help you identify backlinks.
Good Backlinks vs. Bad Backlinks
Not all backlinks are created equal, and Brittany highlights the importance of monitoring the quality of links to your site:
- Good backlinks come from reputable, relevant websites and boost your credibility with search engines
- Bad backlinks can come from spammy sites or scraped content, which may negatively impact your SEO
If you notice a problematic backlink, consider contacting the site owner or using tools like Google Search Console to deal with the link.
Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links
Brittany explains the difference between these link types:
- Dofollow links allow search engines to “follow” the link and pass SEO value to your site
- Nofollow links do not pass SEO value, which can limit their usefulness for improving your rankings
While dofollow links are preferred for SEO, nofollow links still have value in terms of driving traffic and building relationships.
In this episode, we covered:
- What blog backlinks are, and why they matter
- How to create quality content worth backlinking to
- How to build backlinks organically
- The easiest way to earn many blog backlinks at once
- Common backlink mistakes to avoid
- Where to find your backlinks
- How to assess the quality of your backlinks
Links and resources mentioned in this episode:
- Connect with Brittany Herzberg on her blog, Instagram and podcast
- Listen to SEO & Grow, Brittany’s Private Podcast
- Listen to Brittany’s Episode on How to Use Case Studies for Your Blogging Business
- Try Keysearch for your keyword research
- Join The Ultimate Blog Roadmap
- Learn how to create and sell your first digital product for FREE
- Check out last week’s episode
We hope you loved this episode with Brittany Herzberg for this conversation on blog backlinks! What did you think of this episode? Please leave us a comment and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode!