I’ve spent the better part of my SEO career watching people fall into the same trap. They chase rankings the wrong way—buying cheap placements, stuffing phrases into anchor text, or spamming blogs that no one reads. And then they wonder why search performance tanks or why search engines stop trusting their site.
That’s not how I work.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the strategies I rely on to earn valuable mentions without resorting to gimmicks. These are the same methods I apply to client projects—methods that actually last.
Let’s get to it.
What You’ll Learn from This Guide
- Why shady tactics don’t help and often backfire
- What makes a mention worth having
- How I create authority through smart outreach and content
- Common pitfalls I avoid in my campaigns
- The exact ways I measure whether my efforts are paying off
Why I Don’t Use Spammy Shortcuts
Back in the day, people got away with some strange practices. Comment spam, link farms, buying placements—you name it. Today, those same moves can get a domain penalized.
Search engines are far better now at detecting manipulation. If you’re relying on outdated methods, you’re not just wasting time—you’re hurting your chances.
When someone comes to me with a sudden drop in rankings, one of the first things I check is their referral profile. If it’s bloated with irrelevant sites or sketchy patterns, that’s usually the problem.
That’s why I keep my acquisition methods clean and focused.
What I Look For in a Valuable Mention
Not every mention is helpful. Some do more harm than good.
Here’s what I look for:
1. Topic Match: The site should be in a similar space. If I’m doing SEO for a finance company, a backlink from a gaming blog isn’t helpful.
2. Placement: The reference should appear within the content—not buried in footers or sidebars.
3. Credibility: I check if the source site publishes consistently, ranks for its own terms, and has authority in its field.
4. Contextual Language: I avoid stuffing specific phrases into the hyperlink. I use natural, varied expressions that readers expect.
The idea is simple: if a real person would find it useful and click, it’s a strong signal.
Strategy 1: I Create Resources That Attract Organic Mentions
One way I consistently earn attention is by publishing content people naturally want to refer to. That could be a how-to guide, a research summary, a tool, or even a well-designed checklist.
These assets act like magnets—not because I beg for attention, but because they solve real problems.
For example, my beginner’s guide gets cited often because it breaks down a complex subject in plain language.
Useful content does most of the outreach for you.
Strategy 2: I Use Guest Articles—Without the Sales Pitch
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do guest content. I take the right path: offering value to real readers, on credible platforms, in my own voice.
I never over-optimize or try to sneak in multiple URLs. I focus on helping the publication’s audience first.
If you want a closer look at how I manage this, check my approach to guest contributions, and my thoughts on pitching that actually works.
Done right, guest features bring trust, exposure, and traffic—without triggering alarms.
Strategy 3: I Fix Broken References (and Offer Something Better)
Even top-tier websites have outdated content. Sometimes, they link to pages that no longer exist. I use this to my advantage.
I find these broken connections with tools like Ahrefs, then suggest a helpful, up-to-date alternative—usually a piece I’ve published that fits the original context.
It’s a fast way to replace something missing with something useful.
I explain this more fully in my article on repairing old links.
Strategy 4: I Follow Up on Brand Mentions That Aren’t Linked
You’d be surprised how often people mention a business or brand but forget to include a URL.
That’s where I step in.
Using monitoring tools, I find these references and send a quick message to the writer or publisher. I don’t pressure them—I simply point out the missed opportunity.
When the content is positive, this method has a high success rate. It’s one of the easiest ways to turn existing recognition into valuable referral points.
Strategy 5: I Pitch to Resource Pages and “Top Picks” Lists
Sites that curate “best of” or “recommended” content are always on the lookout for great sources.
If I have something that fits their audience, I send a short, direct pitch explaining why it’s worth considering.
No long backstory. No fluff. Just relevance.
This still works well, especially when paired with insights like those in my strategy breakdown.
What I Avoid Like the Plague
Over the years, I’ve built a firm list of things I just don’t do:
- Buying spots on random blogs
- Using exact-match anchors everywhere
- Stuffing the same phrase into every article
- Sending the same pitch to 50 sites
- Ignoring “nofollow” tags just because they don’t boost authority
You can find more red flags in my post on common outreach mistakes.
Clean, smart outreach always beats the quick-and-dirty approach.
How I Measure Success Without Guesswork
A mention should serve a purpose. I track results using:
- Visitor referrals from each placement
- Keyword improvements over time
- Site trust metrics
- Retention and removal rates of placements
I explain the tools and methods I use in my full guide on tracking performance.
If a mention doesn’t move the needle, I reevaluate the strategy.
Final Thoughts: Relevance Over Everything
This isn’t a game of volume. It’s a matter of quality and consistency.
I don’t focus on building as many references as possible. I focus on building the right ones—with content that deserves to be mentioned, on websites that make sense, in ways that actually help people.
No tricks. No gray areas. Just a system that works because it’s based on value, not shortcuts.
Want your work to stand out? Earn attention with substance, and the referrals will come.
