How to Build Backlinks for Ecommerce: 7 Proven Strategies

Ecommerce Backlink Building: A Step-By-Step Guide For 2025

Backlinks are a key pillar of search engine optimization (SEO), but they are often misunderstood—especially in ecommerce. Many online store owners focus on products, ads, and content, but overlook how other websites linking to their store can impact visibility and traffic.

This guide explains how backlinks work specifically for ecommerce websites. The steps and tactics here are based on proven SEO methodologies and adapted for stores that sell physical or digital products online.

Whether your store is brand new or already established, knowing how backlinks apply to ecommerce can help you improve your site's presence in search.

What Is Ecommerce Link Building

Ecommerce link building is the process of getting other websites to link to an online store. These links, called backlinks, act as references that help search engines understand a site's importance.

In ecommerce, link building focuses on getting links to product pages, category pages, and informational content. Unlike general link building for blogs or news sites, ecommerce link building faces unique challenges because product pages aren't naturally link-worthy.

Search engines like Google use backlinks as trust signals. When reputable sites link to an ecommerce store, it's like getting a vote of confidence. These votes help determine how high a page ranks in search results.

It varies by keyword in question, but on average, ecommerce websites require 387 backlinks for page 1 rankings and 780 for top 3 positions, with 100 organic backlinks taking approximately 13 months to build.

Why Link Building For Ecommerce Websites Matters

Link building helps ecommerce stores gain visibility in a crowded online marketplace. Quality backlinks signal to search engines that your store is trustworthy and relevant.

• Higher search rankings: Backlinks are a major ranking factor in Google's algorithm, helping your pages appear higher in search results.
• More organic traffic: Better rankings mean more people find your store without paid advertising.
• Improved domain authority: As your site gains quality backlinks, its overall authority increases, making it easier for all pages to rank.

A study by Ahrefs found that pages ranking first in Google have an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than positions 2-10, showing how crucial backlinks are for visibility. Additionally, content with infographics attracts 178% more backlinks than text-only articles and is 30x more likely to be read than standard text content.

Creating Linkable Assets For Your Ecommerce Store

Linkable assets are pieces of content specifically designed to attract backlinks. For ecommerce sites, these assets help overcome the challenge of getting links to product pages.

Identify Content Gaps

Content gaps are topics that competitors haven't covered well. Finding these gaps gives you opportunities to create link-worthy content.

You can find content gaps by:

• Searching for questions about your products that don't have good answers online
• Looking at what information customers frequently ask for
• Checking competitor blogs for missing topics

For example, a kitchenware store might notice no one has created a comprehensive guide comparing different types of knives for home cooks.

Create Helpful Resources

Resources that solve problems for your target audience naturally attract links. These can include:

• Buying guides that help customers make informed decisions
• Size charts or measurement guides specific to your products
• Care and maintenance instructions for products you sell
• Comparison tools that help shoppers evaluate options

A furniture store, for instance, might create an interactive room planner that helps customers visualize furniture in their spaces.

Use Data And Visuals

Original data and eye-catching visuals make content more link-worthy. Ecommerce stores can leverage their unique position to share insights.

Simple ways to use data include:

• Analyzing product trends based on your sales data
• Creating infographics that explain product features
• Designing comparison charts for similar products

These visual assets are easy to share and often earn backlinks when other sites want to reference your information.

Proven Tactics To Get Backlinks For Ecommerce

Building backlinks requires a strategic approach. These tactics have proven effective specifically for ecommerce websites.

Partner With Suppliers And Brands

Many manufacturers and brands list their retailers on their websites. This is one of the easiest ways to get relevant backlinks.

To leverage these opportunities:

1. Check if your suppliers have "Where to Buy" or "Our Retailers" pages
2. Contact them to request inclusion if you're not already listed
3. Provide your correct store name, URL, and any required information

These links are valuable because they come from sites directly related to your products.

Create Shareable Product Guides

Comprehensive guides about products you sell can attract links from blogs, news sites, and resource pages.

Effective guides:

• Answer common questions about products
• Provide unique insights or tips
• Include helpful visuals or comparisons
• Offer genuinely useful information (not just sales copy)

A pet supply store might create "The Complete Guide to Choosing Dog Food" that explains ingredients, nutritional needs for different breeds, and common allergens.

Find And Fix Broken Links

Broken link building involves finding dead links on other websites and suggesting your content as a replacement.

This process works in three steps:

1. Find relevant websites in your niche that link to resources
2. Check for broken links using tools like Check My Links (browser extension)
3. Reach out when you find broken links, suggesting your content as an alternative

This approach works because you're helping the site owner fix a problem while also gaining a backlink.

Leverage Expert Contributions

Sharing your expertise can earn backlinks from publications looking for industry insights.

Platforms like HARO (Help A Reporter Out) connect journalists with sources. By responding to relevant queries, you can get quoted in articles with a link back to your store.

When contributing:

• Respond quickly to opportunities
• Provide clear, concise answers
• Include your name, title, and website
• Avoid overly promotional language

Evaluating Link Quality For Ecommerce SEO

Not all backlinks are equal. Low-quality or spammy links can actually harm your store's rankings.

Here's how to tell good links from bad:

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Quality matters more than quantity. A few links from trusted sources in your industry will help more than dozens of links from irrelevant or low-quality sites.

Backlink Strategies For Small Ecommerce Stores

Small or new ecommerce stores can build quality backlinks without big budgets. These approaches focus on relationship-building and creating value.

Join Online Communities

Participating in communities related to your products can lead to natural backlink opportunities.

Effective places to engage include:

• Reddit subreddits related to your products
• Facebook Groups focused on your niche
• Industry forums where your expertise is valuable
• Comment sections on popular blogs

The key is to be helpful, not promotional. By answering questions and providing valuable information, you build a reputation that can lead to mentions and links.

Create Local Connections

Local businesses have unique opportunities to build backlinks through community connections.

Local backlink sources include:

• Chamber of Commerce directories
• Local business associations
• Community event sponsorships
• Local news coverage

These links help with both local SEO and building your overall backlink profile.

Tracking Backlink Performance

Monitoring your backlinks helps you understand what's working and identify potential issues.

Free tools like Google Search Console show which sites link to yours and which pages receive the most links. For more detailed analysis, tools like Ahrefs or Semrush offer comprehensive backlink reporting.

Key metrics to track include:

• Total number of backlinks
• Number of unique referring domains
• Domain authority of linking sites
• Anchor text distribution
• New and lost backlinks over time

Regular monitoring helps you spot opportunities to build on successful content and address any problematic links.

Building A Sustainable Backlink Strategy

Effective backlink building is about creating a sustainable approach that builds authority over time.

The most successful ecommerce sites focus on creating genuinely useful content that naturally attracts links. This content supports the products they sell while providing value beyond just product descriptions.

By combining helpful resources with strategic outreach, ecommerce stores can build strong backlink profiles that improve visibility and drive more qualified traffic to their sites.

As search algorithms continue to evolve, quality will always outweigh quantity. Focusing on relevant, authoritative backlinks from sites in your industry will provide lasting benefits for your ecommerce SEO.

Book a demo to explore how Platter can optimize your Shopify storefront and help you make the most of your improved search visibility.

FAQs About Building Backlinks For Ecommerce

How can I build backlinks directly to my product pages?

Product pages rarely attract natural backlinks because they're transactional. Instead, create informational content like buying guides or comparison pages that link to your products, then build backlinks to that content.

How long does it take to see results from ecommerce backlink building?

Backlink building typically shows results within 3-6 months as search engines discover and evaluate the new links. The timeline varies based on your industry competitiveness and the quality of links you acquire.

What types of backlinks are most valuable for ecommerce websites?

Links from industry publications, supplier websites, and relevant blogs in your niche provide the most value because they come from sources that relate directly to your products.

How can I build backlinks with limited resources?

Focus on creating one exceptional resource that fills a content gap in your industry, then promote it to relevant websites. A single high-quality asset can generate multiple backlinks over time.