Event link building is incredibly effective for generating high-quality backlinks and increasing your domain authority. You can earn authoritative links by strategically sponsoring, speaking at, or marketing events. This raises brand awareness and thought leadership.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about event-based and link building tools, including:
What is Event Link Building?
Benefits of Event Link Building
Event Link Building Strategies
Executing an Event Link Building Campaign
Tracking and Measuring Results
Let’s get started!
What is Event Link Building?
Event link building refers to gaining backlinks from event sites, calendars, directories, sponsors, speaker lists, and related media outlets. Rather than traditional outreach, broken link building has you earn and build links by actively engaging with relevant websites, conferences, trade shows, webinars, and other events.
The types of links generated via event participation include:
- Sponsor links
- Speaker profile links
- Calendar/agenda links
- Press coverage links
- Related blog posts mentioning the event.
Event link building differs from other tactics because it combines real-world networking and engagement with digital and advanced link building tips and earnings. The relationships and brand exposure gained can benefit your marketing long after the event concludes.
Benefits of Event Link Building
If done strategically, event link building for SEO offers one of the highest ROIs of any digital marketing activity. The high-quality links and real-world exposure are incredibly impactful. There are many advantages to incorporating events into your link-building and content promotion strategy.
Here is a broken link to a table outlining the key benefits of event link building techniques:
| Benefit | Description | Examples | Actionable Tips |
| Increased Domain Authority | Backlinks from industry events help increase domain authority signals, boosting search engine optimization and linking page rankings | Your domain authority rises from 27 to 37 through obtaining backlinks from other websites linked to a major conference event webpage | Negotiate to follow links in guest contributor, speaker, and sponsor packages |
| Targeted Referral Traffic | Speaking at or sponsoring web conferences and virtual summits drives qualified organic traffic to your site from digital marketing event attendees clicking your backlinks | A sponsored webinar drives 483 targeted visitors to your site over a 2-month period | Use UTM tracking parameters on event links to monitor traffic source and conversion rates |
| Enhanced Brand Visibility | Demonstrating thought leadership and expertise through content marketing at live or online events greatly expands overall brand awareness and reach | Delivering a keynote presentation at an industry summit generates press mentions in two major trade publications, greatly elevating brand visibility | Seek speaking roles at events likely to garner media coverage and leverage press outreach |
| High-Quality Backlinks | Digital marketing events deliver contextually relevant backlink opportunities that major search engines value as they come from sites with existing domain authority | Sponsoring an analytics conference scores you an author bio link from their robust site (Domain Authority 78) | Actively attract links to connect with organizers to identify links. negotiate sponsor link placement on high-domain authority pages |
| Digital Lead Generation | Direct networking with engaged audiences during industry webinars and virtual conferences allows you to capture business leads and sales | Exhibiting at a virtual summit yields 87 marketing-qualified leads, 12 of which convert to enterprise SaaS sales | Set up catchy giveaways and gamification at virtual booths to maximize lead capture |
| Strategic Partnerships | Collaborating in digital marketing events opens the door to forging powerful joint venture partnerships and strategic alignments between complementary brands | You collaborate with a complementary analytics provider on an AI-focused webinar series, forging an ongoing strategic partnership | Introduce panel discussions at own events to facilitate partnership, then reciprocate |
| Relationship Building | Direct networking opportunities at in-person or virtual web conferencing allow you to build relationships and connections with leaders in your space | Discussions held during the VIP reception at a martech conference resulted in three new strategic advisor relationships | Sponsor intimate VIP dinners and receptions conducive to deep relationship-building |
| Improved SEO from Event Metrics | Usage and engagement metrics from hosting effective industry webinars can additionally boost your overall search engine optimization both on-site and off-site | Your 13-part virtual summit on “Conversion Optimization” has been viewed by 217K viewers over 2 years, ranking first on YouTube and Google for associated keywords | Promote event videos widely to maximize viewership duration, shares, links, and signals |
Increased Domain Authority and Search Rankings
Event links are often from highly authoritative domains and come with strong relevance relevant search results. This is because companies that participate in events are usually established brands that aim to build links to support the community. These links can significantly boost your organic reach and keyword rankings in search engine results.
Greater Brand Visibility and Awareness
Sponsoring, speaking at, or hosting events raises your brand profile significantly, especially if the event has a large in-person or online audience. Participating in events is the perfect opportunity to tell more people about your brand and your message.
Thought Leadership and Subject Matter Expertise
Having staff members speak at industry conferences or related events showcases your expertise and establishes trust. Thought leadership develops trust by establishing expertise, credibility, and authenticity. When you focus on adding value and building relationships, you’ll find it easier to attract high-quality links to your website.
Lead Generation Opportunities
Events offer many chances to capture leads through giveaways, booth demos, and networking. Making a good impression on the audience and other participating brands is a great way to establish relationships. Make sure you have your contacts available, and make it easy for the people around you to give them to you as well.
Relationship Building and Networking
You can forge valuable connections with event organizers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees. Events are the perfect time and place to get under the radar of other industry experts. There’s always a lot more to learn from other people in your industry.
Enhancing Local SEO through Event Link Building
A powerful yet often overlooked advantage of event link building is its ability to significantly boost your local SEO efforts. By hosting or sponsoring events within your geographical area, you can acquire backlinks from local news sites, community calendars, and other geo-specific sources. These links not only drive local traffic but also improve your visibility in local search queries.
Example: When a local tech company sponsors a regional coding marathon, it gains backlinks from the event’s website, local tech blogs, and even the city’s online community calendar. This not only diversifies the company’s backlink profile but also strengthens its local SEO, making it more visible to potential customers searching for tech solutions in the area.
Event Link Building Case Study
Acme Co. sponsored a major industry conference and negotiated to be listed on the event website sponsors page. This page had a domain authority of 89 and was linked to the conference agenda and other high-authority pages.
From this single sponsorship link, Acme Co. gained
- 12+ referral visits per month
- Increased domain authority within 2 months
- Higher rankings for industry keywords like “cloud migration strategies”
This example demonstrates the immense value a single event link can provide.
Best Event Link Building Strategies
Participating in an event is a great way to get your brand out there and show people what you’ve got. It’s the perfect opportunity to share your message and how you can solve their problems. There are many creative ways to generate event links and integration. Here are some of the most influential event link-building tactics to try:
Become an Event Sponsor
Sponsoring an event in exchange for brand exposure is one of the simplest ways to build links. It’s the perfect platform for you to showcase how you can add value to your audience. Popular options include:
- Conference sponsorships
- Webinar sponsorships
- Trade show booths/sponsorships
- Event lanyards or banners
Ensure to negotiate prominent external and internal links, and branding as part of any sponsorship agreement. It’s important to be clear about what you aim to achieve in the sponsorship so event managers can help you accordingly.
Consider SEMRush’s sponsorship of the Social Media Marketing World conference. This strategic move provided them with a highly relevant backlink from the event’s website, boosting their SEO efforts and exposing their brand to a targeted audience without the need to organize the event themselves.
Submit Guest Posts to Event Media
Look for blogs, magazines, and other websites covering the event and pitch contributing articles. Instead of publishing content that highlights your brand, focus on adding value to the site’s relevance to readers. You can share your expertise here while giving a gentle nod to your brand. Having your content promoted through these media outlets can earn excellent links.
Social Media Marketing for Event Promotion
Social media platforms offer a fertile ground for promoting your event participation and securing backlinks. Create buzz around your event involvement on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook by sharing updates, behind-the-scenes content, and live moments. Use hashtags related to the event to increase visibility and encourage viewers to share your content, creating natural backlink opportunities that are highly valued by search engines.
Negotiate for High-Quality Backlinks
Ensure your sponsorship package includes a link from the event website. Preferably, this link should be on a page with high visibility, such as the main sponsors’ page or a dedicated blog post about the event.
Use Event Schema Markup
If you’re listed on the event’s website, ask the organizers to use event schema markup for your listing. This enhances the chance of your brand appearing in rich snippets and improves your visibility in search results.
Promote Your Sponsorship
Don’t rely solely on the event organizer for promotion. Actively promote your sponsorship through your own channels, including your website, social media, and email newsletters. This not only drives direct traffic but also encourages others to link back to your involvement in the event.
Provide Infographics or Other Assets
Offer to create exclusive infographics, guides, videos, or other assets for event organizers to share. In exchange, request they link back to your site.
Strategically leveraging infographics and other assets at events helps you enhance your brand’s visibility. It also creates opportunities for organic link building as people discover, share, and reference your valuable content.
Host a Satellite Event
Holding a local meetup, party, or side event related to the main event can generate additional exposure and generate links to other websites too. Ensure that this satellite event has the permission of the main event. You don’t want to get into trouble with website owners over copyrights and other legal matters.
Create an Event Resources Page
Compile speaker bios, vendor lists, schedule details, and other info on a dedicated web page or on your site. It’s a great way to add value to the attendees because everything they need is on your website. You can then coordinate with the event planners and people who are involved. This can help open up conversations that will help you get links from authoritative websites.
Foster Event Hashtag Engagement
Become an active participant in event-related hashtags by sharing relevant insights and commentary. This helps people who may not be able to attend the event to be part of it as well. This social engagement can garner links and pick-ups.
Claim and Optimize Event Listings
Make sure event directories have accurate information on your company. This helps the participants of the event find you. Optimizing these listings helps increase referrals and links.
Monitoring Event Opportunities with Google Alerts
Set up Google Alerts for keywords related to your industry events, brand mentions in the context of events, or specific event names. This proactive monitoring allows you to stay ahead of link-building opportunities and engage with content mentioning your brand or relevant events promptly. Timely engagement with such content can lead to natural link acquisition and improved visibility in Google’s search results.
Repurpose Event Content
Turn a presentation, workshop, or speech into a blog post, guide, or video. There are a lot of people who won’t be able to attend the event. If you repurpose the content, you get to reach out to more people on different platforms. This may also be link-worthy content that may catch the attention of other high-authority websites.
How to Execute an Event Link-Building Campaign?
After securing a part in an event, how do you make the most out of it? What can you do to get the most high-quality links from the event?
| Phase | Action Items |
| Planning | Set link-building goals- Determine appropriate event formats – Research relevant industry events aligned to the audience – Develop value propositions for organizers |
| Outreach | – Contact event organizers – Pitch speaking opportunities – Propose innovative sessions/content – Negotiate sponsorship packages |
| Preparation | – Craft compelling session content – Design sponsorship collateral like infographics – Prepare link tracking and metrics framework |
| Execution | – Post guest contributor bios and optimize link anchors linking page name/URLs – Upload sponsor content to site owners to maximize visibility – Ensure follow links are in place from deals negotiated |
| Post-Event Follow Up | – Share event content via owned channels and external websites – Monitor link equity and referral traffic gained – Reach out to make new connections – Offer organizers additional support. |
To maximize your success, follow these steps when running an event-driven link-building campaign:
Research Relevant Events
Brainstorm and search results to find conferences, webinars, expos, and other events aligned with your industry, niche, and target customers. Search event listing sites and search engines like Eventbrite to discover upcoming options.
Finding and Vetting Events for Sponsorship
Discovering the right events to sponsor requires a blend of industry knowledge and strategic searching. Start by listing well-known industry events and conferences that align with your brand’s values and target audience. However, don’t stop there. Expand your search to include local community events, seminars, and workshops that might offer valuable sponsorship opportunities.
How to Use Google Search Operators
Utilize search operators to uncover events you might otherwise miss. For example, searching for “industry conferences” + “sponsorship opportunities” + your city can reveal local events seeking sponsors. Using “industry + conference + year” site:example.com can help you pinpoint specific events within your niche.
This method helps you find events that are relevant both topically and geographically, maximizing the SEO and branding benefits of your sponsorship.
Perform Outreach and Relationship Building
Contact event organizers, speakers, and sponsors via email or LinkedIn to discuss participation opportunities. Build connections and rapport with key stakeholders.
Create Effective Assets and Content
Develop branded assets, infographics, articles, and other content to use on authoritative sites for contributions and sharing purposes. For example, create a “State of [Industry]” guide to give away from your trade show booth.
Promote and Distribute Content
Leverage social media, PR outreach, paid ads, and other channels to showcase your involvement and content assets. Consistency and a focus on building genuine relationships within your industry play a crucial role in effective content promotion and internal link building.
Follow Up and Earn Links
Reconnect post-event to request link inclusion in recaps, blogs, sponsor pages, etc. Nurture these relationships long-term. With a targeted and strategic approach, your event link-building initiatives will drive outstanding results.
How to Track and Measure Results?
Continuously optimizing based on this data will maximize the ROI of future events and link-building outreach. Be sure to closely monitor and measure the impact of your event link-building activities. Metrics to track include:
- Link growth and new referral traffic – Use Google Search Console and analytics tools to identify new event links earned and traffic sources.
- Ranking increases for target keywords – Track changes in keyword rankings, especially for location and event-related terms.
- Brand mentions and awareness – Monitor brand name searches and social listening to measure event-driven exposure.
- Lead generation and conversions – If hosting a booth or sponsored event, quantify leads captured and sales influenced.
| Metric | Tracking Method |
| Link Growth | Google Search Console |
| Referral Traffic | Google Analytics |
| Rankings Changes | SERP Tracking Tools |
| Brand Mentions | Social Listening |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What types of events work best for link building?
Industry conferences, trade shows, seminars, webinars, and expos within your niche provide the most relevant link-building and networking opportunities.
2. How can I connect with event organizers for sponsorship opportunities?
Proactively reach out to upcoming event organizers by email and social media. Highlight sponsorship assets and content you can provide in exchange for backlinks and exposure.
3. What is the best way to follow up after an event?
Email all relevant event contacts recapping your involvement and participation. Politely remind them of any links or promotions agreed upon and send any assets incoming links or content you committed to providing.
Conclusion
Event link building campaigns should be a key part of any effective SEO and content marketing strategy. The high-quality backlinks and real-world networking opportunities offer tremendous value for driving growth and visibility.
You can build relationships, establish thought leadership, generate leads, and earn coveted backlinks from authoritative sites and domains by sponsoring, speaking, or hosting events. The key is having a strategic approach – identify relevant events, build connections with stakeholders, create valuable content assets, promote your involvement, and follow up to request links. Track your progress to continuously optimize and expand the impact of your event marketing efforts.
