Ecommerce Link Building

Boost Your Store’s Visibility, Authority & Sales with E-commerce Link Building Strategy

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The Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce Link Building with 12+ Strategies

If you're running an ecommerce store right now, you already know the truth. You’re battling a saturated market where thousands of stores shout, “Buy from me!” every second. But let us ask you: How do customers find you in the first place? How does Google know you’re the one worth ranking above your competitors? The answer lies in one of the most powerful, misunderstood, and underused strategies in all of Ecommerce SEO Services: Link Building.

At Media Search Group, we offer specialized ecommerce link building services in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Miami, and all other locations in the United States and beyond. We create thoughtful link building strategies for ecommerce stores and digital marketers managing Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or custom stores and looking for better rankings. Why us?

13+ Years of industry experience
2000+ projects handled globally
60+ in-house industry experts
Proven ecommerce link building strategies
Monthly link building report for evaluation

Create a Link Building Strategy for Your Ecommerce Store today.

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This guide is your roadmap to creating an authority and brand trust with solid link building tactics.

What is Link Building for eCommerce?

Link building is the process of getting other websites to link to your site. Every time a blog, a magazine, a forum, or a product review website includes a clickable hyperlink pointing back to your store? That’s a backlink.

Google thinks, “If other sites are referencing you, you must be important, relevant, and worth showing in search results”.

But here’s where ecommerce gets tricky...

Unlike blogs or news websites, ecommerce stores don’t naturally attract backlinks. That’s because most people don’t link to product pages.

Backlinks vs. External Links vs. Internal Links in Ecommerce SEO

Backlinks (Inbound Links)

These are the links from other websites pointing back to your domain. These are the gold standard as they pass authority to your site and boost SEO.

External Links (Outbound Links)

These are the links on your site pointing to other websites. Yes, they have value too because when used correctly, they increase your credibility and provide value to readers.

Internal Links

These are links within your own site connecting your product pages, categories, blogs, FAQs, etc. They help Google crawl your content more easily and pass link equity internally.

Key Link Building Terms in Ecommerce You Must Know

DoFollow Link: This is a normal backlink that tells Google to pass on the SEO value to this site. You want these..
NoFollow Link: Tells Google not to pass SEO value. Still useful for traffic and visibility, but less valuable for ranking.
Anchor Text: The actual text that gets hyperlinked. For example, if someone links to your site using “best running shoes,” that’s your anchor text. Natural, branded, or partial-match anchor text works best. Too much exact-match anchor text looks spammy.
Link Equity (a.k.a. “link juice”): The SEO value that’s transferred from one page to another through a link. The higher the equity of the linking page, the more it helps you.

What Results Can You Expect from eCommerce Link Building?

If you’re going to invest time and budget into building links, you want to know what you’re getting out of it. Here’s what ecommerce link building delivers when done right:

Improved Keyword Rankings (Especially for Competitive Terms)

The more high-quality sites pointing to you, the more likely Google is to rank you higher, especially for high-intent commercial keywords.

Want to rank on page one for terms like:

“Eco-friendly shoes”
“Custom engraved watches”
“Buy protein powder online”

You’ll need backlinks. Not just any backlinks but relevant, authoritative, editorial ones. The kind we’re teaching you to build in this guide.

Greater Organic Traffic to Category & Product Pages

You don’t always need links to every product page. If you build links to category pages, collection pages, and supporting content, and then internally link to your pages that actually bring money i.e. product pages, you’ll get a rising tide effect. Google will crawl and rank more of your store, faster, and your traffic will go up accordingly.

Increased Domain Authority & Trust

While “Domain Authority” is technically a third-party metric (thanks, Moz), it’s a solid proxy for how much Google trusts you. When your store has a strong backlink profile, Google treats it as a brand, not just a website. That means:

Faster indexing
Better ranking stability
Preference in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages)

In short: You stop being a no-name seller and start looking like a trusted leader in your niche.

Boost in Brand Exposure and Referral Traffic

When you’re featured in gift guides, product roundups, niche blogs, and affiliate lists, you get exposed to audiences who are already in buying mode. And many of them click through. That’s referral traffic, and it’s often high-converting.

Long-Term SEO Compounding Effects

Every link you earn builds a stronger foundation for the next one. Every ranking gain brings more visibility. Every new customer increases your chances of getting more links organically (especially if you create share-worthy content or unique product experiences).

What Makes Link Building for eCommerce Different?

If you’re coming from a service business, SaaS site, or blog, prepare to change your mindset. Ecommerce link building isn’t just different, it’s more complex, more creative, and requires precision.

Product pages are built to sell, not to inform, entertain, or inspire. They’re often short, commercial, and repetitive (especially if you’re dropshipping or selling commodities). That makes them bad link targets.

So instead, you build indirect link assets, resources that earn links, and then use internal linking to guide that equity to your product pages.

What Kind of Backlinks Should eCommerce Sites Look For?

Contextual Links (The SEO Gold Standard)

These are links embedded naturally within relevant content, typically in blog posts, guides, or listicles.

Why they matter:

They carry maximum SEO value
Google sees them as earned, not forced
They often generate real referral traffic

Editorial Links (Harder to Get, Worth the Effort)

These are links you don’t ask for directly. They’re placed because of the value of your content, brand, or insight.

For example:

You publish original research or data
An influencer mentions you as a favorite brand
A journalist links to your sustainability initiative

These links tell Google: “This brand is legit”.

They’re not easy to earn, but they build long-term ranking power like nothing else.

Resource Links (“Best Of” Lists, Product Directories, etc).

These are links from pages that exist specifically to recommend tools, products, or brands.

Examples:

“Top 10 Yoga Mats for Beginners”
“Where to Buy Organic Baby Food in 2025”
“Tools Every Dog Owner Needs This Year”

If you’re listed here, you get a backlink and often a stream of buyers with high intent.

Pro tip: Many of these pages accept submissions or are open to pitches if you have the right asset or product.

High-Authority Domain Links (DR 50+ and Relevant)

You want links from big players, but only if they’re relevant to your industry or audience. A DR 75 site about fitness linking to your fitness supplement page? Amazing. Stick to topically relevant, high-DR domains to gain authority.

Review & Unboxing Links (Especially for DTC Brands)

If you sell direct-to-consumer (DTC), you need product reviews and unboxings.

Why?

They build trust with buyers
They often include a natural backlink to your ecommerce shop
They generate social proof and long-tail SEO (e.g., “[Brand] shoes review”)

Reach out to niche YouTubers, bloggers, and micro-influencers. Offer your product in exchange for a feature and secure a link.

Local Citations (If You Have a Physical Location)

Running a local or hybrid ecommerce shop? You’ll want to get listed on:

Google Business Profile
Yelp
Local Chamber of Commerce sites
Industry-specific directories
Local blogs or event pages

Even if most of your sales are online, local backlinks help build authority and diversify your profile, which Google loves.

Top 13 Ecommerce Link Building Strategies (with Action Plans)

Here are the most effective ecommerce link building tactics, each with an actionable starting point.

1. Create High-Quality, Keyword-Targeted Blog Content

Action Plan:

Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google’s “People Also Ask” to find buyer questions
Write detailed, skimmable guides around those queries
Focus on formats like:

Add internal links to product and/or category pages that are relevant

Bonus tip: Promote your blog content for link building via outreach, social media, and partnerships.

2. Use HARO to Become a Source for Reporters

Action Plan:

Sign up as a source on:

HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

Terkel.io

Help a B2B Writer

Respond quickly to relevant queries (within 30–60 minutes)
Include:

Bonus tip: Keep a swipe file of your best answers as you’ll reuse them often.

3. Launch a Data-Driven or Creative PR Campaign

Action Plan:

Create something newsworthy:

Use tools like Prowly and PressPlugs to find relevant journalists
Pitch your story with a compelling subject line and hook
Include a link back to your site as the data source or brand mention

Bonus: A strong PR campaign often earns social media shares, brand mentions, and organic links, just from one effort.

4. Ask Your Suppliers, Vendors, and Partners to Link to You

Action Plan:

Ask to be listed on:

Offer a testimonial or product success story, and you can do so by offering them an opportunity for backlink exchange (they win too).
If appropriate, consider reciprocal linking only when it makes sense for users and stays within Google’s guidelines.

These are low-hanging fruit links that most ecommerce stores forget, and they come from highly relevant, authoritative domains.

5. Design and Promote Unique Infographics

Action Plan:

Turn your best-performing blog post or product data into an infographic
Use quality design tools like Canva that are available for free
Add an embed code with a backlink to your site
Pitch to:

Pro tip: Add “infographic” as a tag or category on your blog, as this helps with SEO and makes content easier to pitch.

6. Reverse Engineer Competitor Backlinks

Action Plan:

Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Semrush to pull your competitors’ backlink profiles
Filter by:

Ask:

Then, reach out with a pitch that shows why your brand or content is a better fit. It’s not copying, it’s competitive SEO warfare.

7. Reach Out to Relevant Resource and “Toolbox” Pages

Action Plan:

Search Google using queries like:

Evaluate whether your product, blog post, or buying guide fits naturally
Craft a concise pitch explaining why your link adds value (e.g., unique benefit, better usability, updated info)

These pages are low-maintenance and evergreen once you land a spot; they often send traffic and SEO value for years.

8. Optimize Your Internal Link Structure

Action Plan:

Build a clear hierarchy:
Use keyword-rich anchor text, but keep it natural and varied
Regularly audit for broken links and orphaned pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them)

Bonus tip: Add links from blog posts to category and product pages using phrases like “explore our full [product] range” as this passes authority and improves crawlability.

9. Get Featured on Review Sites and Blogs

Action Plan:

Identify bloggers, YouTubers, or reviewers in your niche
Offer free products, trials, or samples for an honest review
Pitch your brand story and what sets your product apart

Make it easy for them by providing:

High-quality images
Product specs and features
A discount code or custom link for their audience

This is especially effective for DTC, niche, or lifestyle brands looking to reach targeted buyers.

10. Get Listed on “Where to Buy” and Buying Guide Pages

Action Plan:

Partner with niche blogs, affiliate marketers, and curation platforms
Offer to be featured in:

Incentivize with:

These links boost your SEO and drive traffic that converts.

11. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) and Testimonials

Action Plan:

Feature customer photos, videos, or quotes on product pages and blog posts
Encourage happy customers to write reviews on their own platforms (blogs, Medium, LinkedIn)
Offer affiliate perks, loyalty points, or social shoutouts as incentives

Don’t underestimate the ripple effect: one post from a loyal customer can land dozens of backlinks if it’s authentic, helpful, and searchable.

12. Sponsor Events, Podcasts, or Local Causes

Action Plan:

Seek out relevant:

Negotiate backlink placement on:

Bonus tip: Go beyond logos. Offer expert content, giveaways, or a short guest appearance to deepen the relationship (and SEO benefit).

13. Repurpose Your Existing Assets into Linkable Resources

Action Plan:

Convert:

Brand the assets, host them on your site, and promote in:

These resources turn passive product info into evergreen link magnets because they are useful, searchable, and worthy of citations.

Strengthen Your Ecommerce SEO with Strategic Link Building and Core Optimization

Effective Link Building is essential for boosting your ecommerce site’s authority and rankings—but it delivers the best results when supported by a full-spectrum SEO strategy. Start by identifying high-impact search terms through precise Keyword Research, and ensure your site structure is solid with expert Technical SEO. If you're managing thousands of products or location pages, Programmatic SEO helps scale your efforts efficiently. Reach nearby customers with targeted Ecommerce Hyper Local SEO, and make sure each page is search-friendly with smart On-Page Optimization. When combined, these tactics amplify the authority-building power of your link strategy.

Build Quality Links for Your Ecommerce Website with Media Search Group

Want This Done for You? Get in touch with Media Search Group to benefit from top-quality ecommerce link building services. We’ll analyze your ecommerce store, find your competitors’ best backlinks, and show you exactly how to outrank them with link building tactics that actually work.

Whether your ecommerce store ships products within Texas, New York, California, or any other state or across the United States, our ecommerce link building agency can help you build authority and trust among potential online customers.

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