What is the Resource Page Link Building

Resource page link building is a strategy that helps you build backlinks by getting links from resource pages. These resource pages serve as boosted directories by providing site owners exposure and validation through editorial links. It also helps building backlinks from pages that have lots of external links.

There are several key benefits to resource page links:

• They provide domain authority
• The links come across as organic endorsements rather than paid placements
• Site owners are often actively seeking new pages to link to to keep their resources fresh

Here is a comparison of link-building tactics by potential impact:

Let’s dive deeper into understanding what is resource page link building and how to extract maximum value from them.

What Are Resource Pages?

Resource pages are enhanced directories that curate and link to useful online tools, content, and resources related to a specific topic or niche. You’ve likely used them before without even realizing it!

These pages come in a few different shapes and sizes:

• Blog resource pages – Many blogger outreach create dedicated resource pages that link to the recommended external sites. These are often very niche-focused, like SaaS tools for a specific need.
• Industry portals – Some websites serve as an overall portal for a particular industry, with resource pages that compile software, services, events pages, communities, and more all in one place.
• Tools/app directories – There are sites whose entire purpose is to list various online apps, software, and tools for things like project management, graphic design, etc.

The great thing about these resource pages, especially blog-based ones, is that bloggers are highly motivated to update them regularly. After all, they want to provide value to their audience with the best recommendations over time.

This means there’s a steady flow of opportunity as site owners frequently look for new worthwhile resources to showcase to their visitors.

When you can offer something new and relevant that the audience will genuinely benefit from, you have a solid chance of securing a backlink placement. Persistent, relevant outreach is key.

So, in summary:

• Resource pages link out to external tools, apps, and content for their niche
• Bloggers use them to recommend the best resources to their readers
• They need fresh link additions and updates over time
• A valuable opportunity for quality backlink wins!

Now that you understand the different types of resource pages and why they play an integral role for site owners in many niches let’s explore why quality backlinks from these pages can provide immense value.

Why Resource Page Links are Powerful

There are a few key reasons why resource page backlinks tend to pack more of a punch than your typical guest post or web 2.0 link.

First, they come across as organic third-party validations rather than self-serving promotions. After all, the site owners hand-selected your content, service, or tool to feature as something valuable for their audience.

That implied endorsement carries weight and credibility. It’s as if they’re saying, “We scour the web for the very best stuff in our niche, and we deem this site awesome enough to include and showcase to our readers.”

Additionally, sites that maintain dedicated resource pages generally have strong domain authority. Often, these are well-established blogs or niche portals that have already built significant trust and ranking prowess.

• For example, a backlink from Digital.com’s marketing tools resource page holds way more clout than one from a tiny blog.

So, along with the contextual authority endorsement, you can check directly from the domain authority passthrough, too.

Resource links also have solid longevity and low maintenance needs once initially placed. As long as your site remains relevant and helpful, there’s little incentive for the site owner to remove your link down the road. Over time, that leads to nice compounding link equity.

• This contrasts with guest posts, which may get deleted or buried in archives.

In summary, key resource page link power-ups:

• Relevancy – Curated links with topical context
• Authority – Owned by already-trusted industry sites
• Endorsement – Hand-picked as a quality recommendation
• Longevity – Links often persist for longer without upkeep

Now that you know why resource links are so valuable for SEO, let’s get into the actionable strategies for consistently securing these coveted backlink wins.

Additional Tips for Making Your Links More Powerful

You worked hard to land those coveted resource page backlinks. Let’s explore a few advanced tactics to get even MORE juice from them!

• Enhance domain metrics – Do basic SEO site cleanup first. Improve page speed, content, and UI. Boost overall Domain Rating and authority with other links. This gives prospects more confidence.
• Optional nofollow – Surprise and delight site owners by allowing nofollow on your link. Reduce the perceived risk of exploitation. Build goodwill for repeat wins!
• Quality over quantity – Carefully handpick 5-10 perfect prospect pages instead of blasting out mass emails. Curate truly custom value focused on the EXACT reader needs.
• Promote wins socially – Upon link approval, gain additional eyeballs by sharing across social channels. Tag and thank sites. Solidifies bond.

Conversions and link equity hinge largely on the value you provide. Resource pages are gateways to demonstrating a genuine commitment to others’ success – critical for longevity.

Think partnership, not transaction. Apply that win-win mentality, and your influence will compound over time.

How to Identify Resource Page Opportunities

Now that you understand why resource page backlinks are so beneficial, let’s discuss how to find promising opportunities.

Discovering relevant link prospects is pretty straightforward, with just some detective work. Here are the best approaches:

Use Targeted Google Search Operators

Google is your best friend when hunting for niche-specific resource pages. There are a handful of powerful search operators that will surface quality prospects.

Here are some of my go-to page url strings:

• “inurl:resources” + [your keyword]
  • Finds pages with “resources” in the URL
• “intitle:links” + [your keyword]
  • Locates pages titles containing “links”
• “[your keyword] + helpful resources”
  • Broad keyword variant for discovery

For example, I may search:

“inurl:resources internet marketing”

or

“content marketing intitle:links.”

Then, browse through the SERPs for resource pages that catch my eye as strong options worth pursuing.

PRO TIP: Export results to a spreadsheet using Ahrefs Site Explorer for easy organization and filtering. Prioritize prospects with stronger Domain Ratings and backlink profiles.

Analyze Competitor Resource Page Links

Identifying where your competitors have already earned resource page links can lead you to additional untapped opportunities.

Use Ahrefs Site Explorer to analyze their current backlink profile and specifically search for instances of:

• Pages with “resources” somewhere in the referring URL
• Filter by pages with a minimum URL Rating threshold

Then, compile any promising discovery into your master spreadsheet for outreach prioritization!

Leverage Link Prospecting Software

Tools like Pitchbox and Buzzstream simplify resource link discovery by combining prospect research with customized outreach workflows.

Configure your target keywords and settings; their technology will find web pages with resource sections. You can then personalize and automate your link requests!

The right tools take a lot of manual heavy lifting out of the equation. Well worth exploring options like Pitchbox and BuzzStream to boost your link-building productivity.

You now have actionable tactics for uncovering the most fertile resource link opportunities across the web! Let’s get to the fun part – reaching out to win those backlinks.

Reaching Out for Links

Once you’ve identified promising link prospects, it’s gone time! Outreach is where the rubber meets the road.

First and foremost, do your homework to locate the correct resource page decision-maker at the company. Sometimes, an advertised channel like “suggest a link” submission forms will be advertised.

Other times, you’ll need to track down the website owner, blog editor, or someone on the content team through LinkedIn sleuthing or an old-fashioned WHOIS lookup. The time invested here pays dividends in higher response rates, though!

With your outreach contact identified, craft a thoughtful, personalized email. Key elements to include:

• Catchy, benefit-driven subject line
• Brief intro complimenting their resource page
• Explanation of how you can contribute additional value to readers
• Specific suggestion for where the new link could be placed
• Appreciation and optional next steps

Avoid coming across as selfish or entitled in your requests. Think from a reader-first perspective focused on assisting them. Here’s a sample template outline:

Hi [Name],

I am extending kudos to your expansive [topic] resources page at [URL]. It’s surely an invaluable asset for the community. I have a very relevant tool that your audience may appreciate discovering.

[Your Site] provides [key benefits] to help people [outcomes]. You currently highlight tools for [niche] but don’t have great options for [competing niche]. Would you be open to listing [Your Site] in that section? I believe your readers would find tremendous ongoing value there.

Either way, keep up the amazing work! Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for how I may contribute more value to your stellar site.

Best, [Your Name]

Track open and click rates to optimize your outreach messaging over time. Tools like Mailshake and Mixmax help automate vital engagement metrics for continual refinement.

Bringing true value is instrumental in converting link recipients into ongoing fans of your brand and content. With that foundation, securing resource links becomes much more repeatable at scale. Onward!

Monitoring Your Links

You conquered the hard part by landing some initial resource page links. Well played!

But the work doesn’t stop yet – you still need to monitor those new backlinks to ensure maximum impact over time.

First, make use of link tracking software like Linkody and Link Miner to compile analytics on:

• Overall, link equity passthrough
• Ranking improvements from each link
• Identifying any future broken links to address

This quantifiable data is powerful for optimizing that first site relationship and social proof to showcase wins to prospects.

Remember, it’s always easier to get links from Website B after you have already locked down Website A in the same niche. So leverage new wins to provide credibility for additional outreach.

Finally, consider contributing supplemental guest posts to sites where you built connectivity through resource link placements. This considerably compounds your overall influence and goodwill.

Alright, the last step is to reap those ranking rewards!

FAQs

What are the best industries for resource link building?

The best industries for resource link building are ones with lots of tips, tools, and external solutions that complement websites’ core content. For example, SaaS, marketing, business consulting, and technology publishers often maintain resource pages perfect for relevant link requests.

Does resource page link building still work in 2023?

Resource page link-building is still an effective link-earning tactic in 2023 and for the foreseeable future. As long as sites maintain pages dedicated to linking to supplementary third-party tools, apps, and off-site resources, there will be prime link-building opportunities to leverage.

What kind of pages work best as landing pages for resource links?

The best landing pages for gaining resource page links are ones that directly provide additional value for that site’s audience. This may include blog posts, product pages, specialized tools/calculators, curated research content, or resources focused explicitly on reader education around website topics. Pages optimized for informational search intent align well.

Conclusion

In closing, resource page link building is an effective SEO tactic that involves acquiring backlinks from pages on other websites that curate lists of online tools, apps, or other external resources related to their niche.

Site owners maintain these resource pages to showcase the best supplemental content they’ve discovered for their readers. The pages provide real ongoing value.

By reaching out to request the inclusion of your content, sites, or services on relevant resource pages, you stand a strong chance of securing high-quality contextual backlinks.

Resource links come across as organic third-party endorsements thanks to their curated nature. They often appear on authoritative industry blogs or portals, which amplifies the SEO benefits even more through domain authority passthrough.

With a thoughtful, personalized outreach plan focused on providing mutual value for resource page site owners and their audiences, this approach can make major search visibility gains fairly and sustainably.