The Backlink Strategy That Generated 38,000 Leads: A CBD SEO Success Story

In the competitive world of SEO, backlinks are one of the most important factors in determining a website's search engine ranking. A well-planned and executed backlink strategy can drive significant traffic and lead generation. In the case of a CBD (Cannabidiol) business, where advertising restrictions make traditional marketing difficult, a powerful backlink strategy can be a game-changer.

Here's a breakdown of how an effective backlink strategy helped a CBD company generate 38,000 leads and the lessons you can apply to your own website.

1. The Power of Niche-Targeted Backlinks
For any website, especially in a niche market like CBD, the quality and relevance of backlinks are more important than sheer volume. This company started by identifying industry-relevant websites and platforms where they could earn backlinks. This included:

Health and wellness blogs: These sites already have an audience interested in CBD-related content.

CBD industry directories: Getting listed on specialized CBD directories with strong authority.

Influencer blogs: Partnering with influencers who could write about their products and link back to their site.

Podcasts & interviews: The company reached out to industry leaders and participated in podcasts, gaining backlinks from influential sites.

The key here was that every backlink came from a site relevant to CBD or health and wellness, ensuring that the backlinks were not just quantity-based, but high-quality and contextually valuable.

2. Guest Posting for Authority and Reach
One of the most successful tactics used by the CBD company was guest posting. Writing high-quality, informative content for well-established sites within the CBD, wellness, and lifestyle niches allowed them to reach new audiences while earning valuable backlinks.

How They Did It:
Research: The company targeted websites with a good amount of traffic and domain authority (DA). They looked for sites that were willing to feature guest posts or articles on CBD-related topics.

Content Strategy: Each guest post was crafted with valuable information about CBD benefits, usage, and potential health effects, tying in their product and a natural call to action that included a backlink to their site.

Relationship Building: They built long-term relationships with other bloggers and site owners, which resulted in ongoing backlink opportunities.

3. Using Content Marketing to Attract Backlinks
Content marketing, particularly long-form, evergreen content, played a significant role in the CBD company's backlink strategy. By creating in-depth, valuable content that provided answers to questions like "What is CBD?" or "How does CBD work for anxiety?" the company naturally attracted backlinks from various sources.

Key Tactics:
Creating Resource Pages: They developed comprehensive guides that acted as ultimate resources on topics such as CBD and health. These guides became link-worthy, with other sites referencing them as authoritative sources.

Infographics: Infographics are visually appealing and easy to share. The company used visually engaging infographics to summarize complex CBD topics. These infographics were shared widely, leading to backlinks from other health and wellness blogs.

Case Studies and Data: They also used data-backed case studies on CBD benefits, providing concrete results to back up claims. These data-driven pieces were cited by others in the industry, resulting in additional backlinks.

4. Building Relationships with Industry Influencers
Influencer marketing is a powerful tool for backlink generation, particularly in a niche industry like CBD. The company reached out to influencers within the CBD, wellness, and natural health communities, offering them free products or paid partnerships in exchange for product reviews and links back to their website.

How It Worked:
Influencers' Blogs and Social Media: Influencers wrote reviews and blog posts about the products, each of which included a link back to the CBD company's website.

Building Trust and Authenticity: The company ensured that the influencer partnerships were authentic and aligned with the company's values, ensuring that the backlinks came from reputable sources.

Social Sharing: Influencers shared these posts on their social media, which also led to more organic traffic and backlinks as their followers shared the content.

5. Creating a Link-Worthy Brand Through PR
For businesses in regulated industries like CBD, public relations (PR) can be a game-changer. The company used PR tactics to get coverage in reputable publications, which helped secure authoritative backlinks from major media outlets.

PR Tactics Used:
Press Releases: They released newsworthy updates about their products or industry insights to get picked up by news outlets and industry-related sites.

Industry Events: Attending or sponsoring industry events like trade shows or conferences resulted in backlinks from event pages and announcements.

Expert Contributions: The company also positioned key team members as thought leaders in the CBD industry, contributing guest articles to prominent media outlets. This not only helped with backlinks but also built brand authority.

6. Local SEO and Backlinks
Since the CBD industry is often highly localized, the company focused on local SEO efforts, earning backlinks from local directories, business listings, and local press coverage.

Local Backlink Strategies:
Local Business Directories: The company got listed in local directories, health-focused businesses, and organizations related to wellness.

Local Partnerships: They partnered with local health stores, wellness centers, and even cafes that sold their products. These businesses linked back to their website as part of the partnership.

7. Leveraging Content Syndication and Aggregators
The CBD company also made use of content syndication platforms and aggregator sites where their content could be republished. Platforms like Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, and industry-specific forums allowed them to reach a broader audience, generating more backlinks.

Key Takeaways for Your Backlink Strategy:
Quality over Quantity: Focus on getting high-quality, relevant backlinks from authoritative websites in your niche.

Guest Posting: Reach out to reputable blogs for guest post opportunities that include backlinks to your site.

Content Marketing: Create long-form, in-depth content and share valuable data or infographics that others will want to link to.

Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with influencers who can provide backlinks to your site.

PR and Media: Use PR tactics to secure backlinks from high-authority media outlets.

Local SEO: Don't neglect local directories and businesses for additional backlinks if you're operating in a specific region.

By following these strategies, the CBD company successfully generated 38,000 leads and increased its organic traffic significantly. Implementing these same strategies can help you improve your website's SEO performance and drive sustainable growth.