In my previous article, I focused on a recently departed advanced SEO genius that worked mostly on the technical side of things. This time, sadly, it is time to shine some light on another specialist that left us way too early. His name was Eric Ward. As one of the earliest pioneers of SEO from the 1990s, he focused on something he termed “natural link building“.
I am doing that because I genuinely believe that most business that I work with would benefit from applying his approach in the age of AI.
Introduction to Natural Link Building
What is Natural Link Building?
Basically, natural link building is when other websites link to your content because they find it valuable, interesting, or helpful—without you having to pay for it. These links come from genuine interest in your website’s content. You earn the links the right way, by creating content that people want to share. Rather than manipulating search engines or buying links.
It is the textbook way of doing things – because, well, Eric mostly wrote the textbook.
Who Was Eric Ward?
Eric Ward, who tragically passed away in 2017, was one of the first to talk of link building way back in the 1990s. Plus, he practiced it. But I think his impact goes far beyond building links.
Why should you listen to him? Because he is the guy who Jeff Bezos hired to launch Amazon.com.
Yeah, that guy.
Eric’s Impact
More importantly, Eric’s work matters because the way he thought of SEO and link building has changed the way we write content, design websites, and perhaps even impacted how Google and other search engines work. I do not think that gets mentioned enough.
Because he was there at the start of the modern internet and SEO in the early 1990s – his beliefs have had a tremendous impact on those that built today’s web.
He influenced how Amazon.com was built and marketed. How people at Google think. Plus how some of Google’s biggest clients in entertainment and industry think. The list goes on and on.
Eric’s Beliefs and Our Expectations of Instant Success
He believed that the best way to get links was to create something people want to link to because it’s useful, informative, or unique. Natural links aren’t forced. They happen because your content is good, and people naturally want to share it with others.
It is a bit of a truism that Google and other search engines prefer natural links because they reflect the true value of a website. If a site has a lot of natural links, it shows that people trust and recommend it.
But I do not think most businesses or marketers practice natural link building. Why is that?
Quick Wins Against Instant Wins
SEO as a choice for a marketing channel usually sparks a bit of internal debate inside a business.
I find it helpful to frame the question to management and leaders in terms of quick vs instant.
Most of us want not only quick wins. We want instant wins, because the media around us shapes us to react that way. I think natural link building and SEO in general can offer quick wins, but not instant ones. So there’s a bit of a clash built in here.
Gaining a Bit of Perspective vs Business Auto-Pilot
Getting a bit of a distance between what is good for business vs our instant instinctive preferences is helpful not only in the long-run but in just a few months.
The scientific term for that is “time preference”. In one study participants reported their preference for a smaller amount of money available immediately vs. a larger amount available 1 year later. The same dynamic happens in businesses worldwide regarding SEO.
In my experience, you can get results from better SEO in four to six months. That requires three steps when I have succeeded:
- Some form of long-form middle of the funnel content about a specific niche.
- Combined with bottom of the funnel content.
- Plus natural link building (accidental or not).
Usually, when I work and do not get results – I am missing one of them.
There are two more important aspects that make natural link building necessary, if not inevitable:
- The way search engines value links is increasingly based on what Eric Ward wrote about decades ago. It is simply doubling down (social signs, link variety) what he underlines. More so in competitive niches.
- AI that takes all of those signals that search engines value and used with more basic machine learning algorithms and takes it up a notch or two.
Natural Link Building and AI
Experts think we are at a point where machine learning algorithms behind search and AI tools like Claude, Perplexity and ChatGPT) have gone from “learning” to “search” phase – advanced to the stage. That means that AI can check its own work, inputs and outputs, and find the best result or way to do something. While reducing mistakes that were common in 2022 and 2023.
Loosely, “learning” is fitting to patterns in the world, while “search” is finding the best option in a space of possibilities. – Trevor Chow, Moonglow AI (YC 2024)
How does that apply to search engines and to SEO? Search engines have doubled down on social signals, trustworthiness – factors they started implementing a decade or more ago, and ramped that up on steroids by combining with AI-generated search results:
This week, we’re rolling out search results pages organized with AI in the U.S. — beginning with recipes and meal inspiration on mobile. You’ll now see a full-page experience, with relevant results organized just for you. You can easily explore content and perspectives from across the web including articles, videos, forums and more — all in one place. – Liz Reid, Google
It is a much more visual, and social experience.
Sites that implement natural link building along with semantic SEO best practices will naturally rise to the top as those are sites that naturally (no pun intended) give the signals algorithms look for in terms of link quality, diversity, and authenticity.
If you pair that, there are early signals of user queries even simplifying and becoming more standard than ever before (example: “what are the best x for y” type of commercial queries) – we have the recipe for a world where in the next decade or two natural link building will succeed. For example, this query with Microsoft Bing Copilot:
You can see how having your brand listed in a listicle article and on review sites is worth its weight in gold when asking AI for “best of x for y” becames a popular search pattern.
Analytics tools like Plausible Analytics are also beginning to pick up traffic referred by AI chat. Here is the first visit I got for one site from Perplexity:
Speeding Up Naturalness – Eric Ward’s Ethos
So, how can we apply what Eric talked about today?
There are ways to rank with very little to no link building (and I have clients that I am doing that with right now) but most of us will need link building as we face 30+ competitors regardless if we are in a DTC or B2B business.
If you need to do some link-building – might as well do it the right way.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
One of Ward’s favorite ideas was “speeding up naturalness“. This means helping the process of natural link building happen faster by sharing great content with the right people. He didn’t manipulate search engines, but he would make sure the right audience saw the content that mattered to them.
Ok, but how do we make sure the right people see your content and you can nudge them to link to it?
Recent trends in founder-led content and personal content
It is kind of interesting to reflect how that aligns with the latest trends of founder led content and content sharing via personal feeds of employees and partners on social media – whether that is LinkedIn or on Instagram or even on Snapchat or elsewhere.
Or how SEO can align with cold outreach and event-based marketing.
The gist of it is that people as creators or small-time founders build up entire livelihoods and audiences of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, and now businesses are trying to catch up with:
- Personal LinkedIn feeds.
- Subject-area or niche-focused email newsletters
- Podcasts and YouTube channels
- Launching Slack or Discord communities
- Creating happenings or real-life spontaneity
- Making some noise in B2B networking events.
As you can see – SEO is merging together with other marketing activities into a single blend.
That’s all good for Google (for now, until an AI-competitor takes over), as the algorithm and people’s behavior aligns nicely. That’s because when people link to your content from a myriad of different sources, Google sees that as a signal that your site is trustworthy.
The takeaway
The takeaway is simple:
I have personally seen paid links work in the past, but based on what is working in the present and the future of AI, SEO is clearly being shaped to favor the approach what Eric championed.
Ward was known for his strong stand against link schemes and manipulative tactics. He wanted to help the internet become a more useful place. If there is one constant when Google talks about SEO in an official capacity is that they mirror Eric’s talking points almost word-to-word:
You can find literally hundreds of like-minded statements and replies to questions on X/Twitter from Google’s employees like John Mueller.
Secondly, I do not know about you, but for me as a, ahem, natural introvert – SEO suddenly seems like a surprisingly very extraverted subject.
Why Natural Link Building Matters Regardless of AI
In two words: competition and channels.
Consider: almost every profitable niche in DTC or B2B is mercilessly competitive. When you combine that with the general lack of new marketing channels in the past decade or new ones on the horizon – you will drift back to SEO sooner or later.
Even ignoring AI and its recent advances, natural link building is still very important in traditional SEO today. Google’s “old-school” machine learning algorithm gets smarter every year, and it’s constantly looking for ways to reward websites that earn links naturally.
Seven Ways How to Speed Up Naturalness
Human-Centric Link Building
Eric Ward’s approach to link building was always centered on people rather than algorithms.
He believed that the best way to get links was to create content that people found valuable, not just content designed to rank higher in search engines. For Ward, link building was a human-driven activity. He focused on building relationships with other website owners and content creators to make sure that links were earned, not just created for SEO purposes.
As we have already seen, Google does follow that almost to a T.
When Ward would reach out to other sites, he always made sure the connection was relevant.
He didn’t send mass emails or use automated tools. Instead, he personally evaluated each site and contacted the owners if he thought their audience would benefit from his client’s content.
This kind of personalized, thoughtful approach helped him stand out in a field where many relied on shortcuts and spammy tactics.
The reality and finding a middle ground
I am not 100% sure how that would shape up these days as automated outreach is the new normal. However, I am sure with a bit of effort everyone can come up with a middle ground.
As a marketing manager, I have received hundreds if not thousands of guest blog and link exchange email sequences so I am well aware that there are entire internal and outsourced teams working with and within brands focusing only on link building.
The Role of Content
In Eric Ward’s world, content was the foundation of natural link building. If your content wasn’t worth linking to, then no strategy would help you get quality links. Ward spent a lot of time helping businesses improve their content so that it would be valuable to their audience.
So in a way, Eric was a content marketer before the term was invented.
That drives home the earlier point – that a lot of the “Why?” behind how the Google machine is built corrolates nicely with his approach (even if it is not directly driven by it).
The second point is that anyone can write good content. Sort of like “anyone can cook” in the Ratatouille.
Ward worked with all kinds of companies, from small businesses to big names like Disney.com or Discovery.com, as well as smaller e-commerce players like JewishGiftPlace.com.
Addressing the Infinite Web: An Attitude Switch
The internet is huge, and it’s impossible for any one person to find every piece of content that’s relevant to them. Ward believed that it was natural for people to link to great content once they found it. However, because the web is so large, sometimes it takes a little help to make that happen.
The point that is often missed is that good content need not be a long-form article. It can be:
- An interactive checklist or quiz
- An explainer video
- quick factoid
- A podcast
- A Slack community post
- Or even a newsletter
All of these small nuggets can lead to your long-form effort and form a connecting spoke that extends above your own domain to other apps and platforms such as Slack or Instagram.
Ward’s point was to speed up finding your most valuable and revenue-generating content or pages by helping people out.
He didn’t manipulate search engines or buy links. Instead, he focused on getting content in front of the right people so that they could link to it naturally. He saw this as a way to help the web work better for everyone, allowing good content to rise to the top.
Editorially Earned vs. Artificial Links
A natural link is one that a website earns because the content is valuable or interesting. This type of link is editorially earned, meaning the person linking to your content does so because they genuinely want to share it with their audience. In contrast, an artificial link is one that’s created through tactics like buying links, exchanging links, or using automated tools to get backlinks. Artificial links are often placed on websites purely to manipulate search rankings, not because the content deserves the attention.
Eric Ward was a big believer in editorially earned links. He argued that links should come from people who found your content and wanted to share it because they believed in its quality or relevance. He often spoke out against link schemes and black-hat techniques that focused on building artificial links to quickly boost search rankings. According to Ward, such methods were risky because they could result in penalties from search engines like Google, and they didn’t provide lasting value.
Natural links, on the other hand, are seen by search engines as a vote of confidence. When someone links to your website without you asking them to, it signals that your content is trustworthy and useful. These are the types of links that stand the test of time and continue to bring traffic and SEO value long after they’re earned.
The Role of Outreach
While natural link building is about earning links organically, Eric Ward believed in outreach to help make this happen. Outreach involves contacting people who may be interested in your content, but it’s different from spamming. Instead of sending mass emails or automated messages, Ward’s approach was personal and targeted. He would carefully research websites or blogs that were relevant to the content and reach out to the owners, suggesting that they might find the content useful for their audience.
For example, if you’ve written an in-depth guide about a niche topic, you might reach out to bloggers or influencers in that niche and let them know about your guide. If they find it valuable, they may link to it in one of their articles or share it with their followers. This is still considered natural link building because the link is earned based on the quality of the content and the interest of the person linking to it.
Ward’s outreach strategy wasn’t about pushing people to link to content. Instead, it was about building relationships with people who might genuinely appreciate the content and want to share it with their audience.
Ethical Link Building
Ethical link building is at the heart of natural link building. It’s about earning links in a way that respects the integrity of the web. As I mentioned above, Eric Ward strongly believed that link building should be done in an ethical manner. He was against buying links, using link farms, or engaging in other tactics that marketers often try.
Ethical link building means creating content that is worth linking to, then putting in the effort to make sure the right people see it. Ward was a pioneer of this mindset, encouraging businesses to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to their links. Ethical link building builds long-term value for a website, rather than relying on quick fixes that could backfire.
Creating a Relevance Cloud Mind-Map
Something I have not seen mentioned elsewhere but I have started implementing on my own is doing a Relevance Cloud mind-map.
When someone links to your website naturally, it’s often because they have a related audience that will find your content useful, which means more potential customers for your business.
I chart the biggest and most valuable linking opportunities for a given project in a mind-map so I gain a certain level of clarity of what is out there. I do that before adding tasks to any Kanban or task management tool.
17 Examples of Natural Link Building
Example 1: The .Org Association Link
One of the most common examples of natural link building happens when businesses join industry associations or groups. For example, if your company is a long-time member of an organization like the National Poodle Fungus Association (Ward’s famous hypothetical), you might naturally earn a link when they build their website and list all their members. This type of link isn’t paid for in the traditional sense; it’s a natural result of being part of a trusted network.
Example 2: The Requested Content Link
In some cases, natural links can come from simply informing people about content they may find useful. In e-commerce, for example, if you sell movie memorabilia, think of contacting a website dedicated to specific films like Clint Eastwood films to let them know about a newly released collector’s edition of Eastwood’s films. The owner of the website found it valuable enough to link to, and as a result, other related websites in that niche also started linking to the same content.
Example 3: The .Edu Event Link
Educational institutions often have event pages where they promote workshops or seminars hosted by experts. For instance, if a financial planner like Ed Smith gives free estate planning seminars at a local college, his event might be listed on the college’s website, including a link back to his business. This is a natural link because it happens as a result of the event being relevant to the institution’s audience.
It is an healthier way to get inbound backlinks from educational institutions than the methods people usually use.
Example 4: Newsworthy Happenings and Projects
When a company or individual is involved in something newsworthy, it’s common for media outlets to link back to their website. For example, if a business launches a groundbreaking product or service, news sites may naturally link to the company’s website when covering the story. Ward worked with companies like Amazon and PBS, helping them gain links through the buzz surrounding their new projects.
Another angle to take is something Wise and others pioneered in the middle of the 2010s – doing a small happening that sparks public conversation and inspires journalists to write:
Wise (formerly Transferwise) does businesss in one of the most competitive SEO spaces in the world – money and currency. The links they got from one stunt of getting their employees to strip in the middle of London is literally worth tens of millions in contribution margin.
Example 5: Press Releases
Legitimate press releases sent to media outlets and journalists can result in natural backlinks.
When a press release is picked up by news websites or industry blogs, it often includes links back to the company’s website. This is especially effective when the announcement is something truly interesting or valuable to readers. There are paid distribution services that can help you with that but most of your effort should go into the structure and content of the piece. As well as services that give you visual examples relevant to your industry.
Here for examples are a few examples for the fashion industry from Prezly:
While having a niche-specific and a message-specific focus is a helpful fundamental first step – there’s another one to make to get media outlets to link back to you.
Today, thanks to services like Help a Reporter Out, there has been a mindset shift that started more than a decade ago. It is relatively common for professional marketers to be able to craft press releases that are actually helpful to the editorial team and the reporter of a specific niche. With a bit of effort, you can write a PR piece that actually inspires a reporter or a niche outlet to cover your efforts – to reach back to your company to ask for more or to pick your brain.
Example 6: Case Studies and Research Papers
Sharing detailed case studies or research papers can also result in natural links. When businesses or researchers publish unique data or insights, other websites and professionals often link to these resources. For example, Ward frequently helped businesses create valuable case studies that would be linked to by others in their industry.
Writing case studies and research papers in a way that is valuable to a wider audience is incredibly difficult. Even if we look at efforts of players like Salesforce who pour millions into their content marketing – it is difficult to make something that stands out:
One trend that is picking up is doing visually stunning deep dives for both D2C and B2B. Honda offers a good example with it’s Cafe Revolution article:
Example 7: Public Speaking Engagements
When individuals speak at industry conferences or webinars, they often earn links from the event’s website or from other attendees who blog about the event. Eric Ward encouraged his clients to engage in public speaking opportunities, knowing that this exposure would naturally lead to backlinks from event listings and participant recaps.
I am a little bit skeptical regarding simply having public speaking engagements and think a more in-depth approach is required. Because SEO is far more competitive these days and people’s attention spans are far shorter.
Example 8: Industry Awards
Winning an industry award is a great way to earn natural links. Award websites typically list and link to the winners, and the news about the award can spread across various blogs and news outlets. Companies who receive awards often gain authoritative backlinks from these mentions.
Better yet, give out an industry award of your own that is relevant to your customers and audience.
Example 9: Crowdsourced Content
Participating in online communities or collaborative projects can result in natural backlinks.
For example, being part of an open-source software project or contributing to a popular online discussion can naturally lead to links from others referencing your contributions. Ward often encouraged participation in such projects to help build natural links.
These days, many popular startups (say, those founded by Y Combinator) open source part of their technology and offering simply to build up a Slack Community and some buzz around their product. Lightdash is one popular example.
Example 10: Social Media Mentions Leading to Links
Sometimes, social media discussions can lead to natural backlinks. If someone shares your content on a platform like Twitter or LinkedIn, and it sparks a conversation, it’s possible that a blogger or website owner will reference your content in their articles. This is an indirect way that social media can lead to organic link building.
Probably the most effective way to do that is to lead with your founders – something I mentioned a bit above.
Example 11: Guest Columns
Writing for an established blog or website is another way to earn natural links. When an author contributes a guest post to a popular site, they often receive a link back to their website in the author bio or within the content itself. Eric Ward often used this strategy, ensuring that guest columns were well-written and relevant, so the links were valuable to both parties.
Example 12: Charitable Donations
When businesses support charities or nonprofit organizations, they sometimes receive a link from the charity’s website. These links are not paid for in the traditional sense but are a natural byproduct of supporting a cause. Ward helped businesses find meaningful ways to contribute, which often led to natural links from trusted organizations.
Example 13: Collaborative Research Projects
Partnering with universities or research institutions for collaborative projects can result in backlinks from educational and research websites. These links are typically from highly authoritative sources, as the research is valued by both parties involved.
Example 14: Media Features
Being featured in media interviews or podcasts can also result in natural links. When journalists or podcast hosts reference you or your business, they often include links back to your site in show notes or articles. Ward worked with many businesses to position them as experts, resulting in media mentions and backlinks.
Example 15: Building Useful Resources
Creating valuable tools or resources, like calculators, guides, or interactive elements, can naturally attract links. Other websites may link to your resource because it helps their audience. For example, a financial website might link to a tax calculator that your company has created.
Example 16: Open Data and APIs
Providing open data or offering an API for developers can naturally lead to backlinks as other websites use and reference your data or tools. This type of link-building happens organically when your tools are widely used and appreciated.
Example 17: Podcasts and Interviews
Appearing as a guest on a podcast or in an interview can also lead to natural backlinks. Podcasts typically link to guest websites in their show notes, giving businesses a natural way to earn high-quality links.
Starting Link Building the Natural Way
I do not think there is one given best way to go about building links naturally. However, here are some key steps you can take to begin your natural link building journey.
1. Create Valuable, Shareable Content
It is probably the biggest cliché in marketing but It all starts with great content. Whether it’s a detailed blog post, an insightful guide, or a helpful tool, the content needs to offer real value.
Ask yourself:
- Is my content informative and entertaining? It may need to be both.
- Does it solve a problem or answer a question for my audience?
- Is it something people would want to share with others?
By focusing on creating content that serves a purpose, you’ll naturally increase the chances of earning links.
2. Build Relationships Through Outreach
One of the biggest lessons from Eric Ward’s philosophy is the importance of outreach.
Reaching out to people who might be interested in your content is a key part of natural link building. But remember, it’s not about sending mass emails. Your outreach needs to be personalized and thoughtful. Here’s how you can do it:
- Find Relevant Websites: Use search engines or tools like Ahrefs to find websites in your industry that might be interested in your content.
- My personal favorite here is the often outdated but still valuable “Content Explorer” of Ahrefs. It is not the most up to date, but you can use handy little filters to find the most valuable content for a given niche or post.
- Make It Personal: Instead of sending a generic message, take the time to learn about the website owner or blogger you’re contacting. Explain why your content is relevant to their audience. That is easier said than done but usually fields far better results. Especially if you are locked into “founder mode” as the founding marketer or a late-stage co-founder.
- Be Helpful: Frame your outreach in a way that shows how your content can benefit them and their readers, not just how it will help you get a link.
3. Focus on Long-Term Relationships
Link building isn’t just about getting one link from one website. It’s about building long-term relationships with other content creators, bloggers, and businesses in your niche. These relationships can lead to multiple links over time as you continue to create valuable content that they want to share. Ward believed in building real connections, not just sending cold outreach emails. You can start by:
- Engaging on Social Media: Follow and interact with influencers or other creators in your niche.
- Commenting on Blogs and LinkedIn posts: Leave thoughtful comments on industry blogs, showing that you are engaged in the community.
- Collaborating: Partner with others on content projects like webinars, co-written articles, or interviews.
4. Diversify Your Link Sources
Eric Ward often talked about the importance of link diversity. Relying on one source for links (like only getting links from social media) is risky. Search engines prefer to see a variety of links from different types of websites. You can diversify your link profile by:
- Earning Links from Different Niches: If you’re in a broad industry, don’t just focus on one niche. For example, if you sell fitness products, try getting links from health blogs, sports websites, and even lifestyle magazines.
- Using Multiple Formats: Get links from articles, blogs, press releases, interviews, and podcasts. This creates a more natural-looking link profile.
- Targeting Different Types of Sites: Aim for links from a mix of blogs, news sites, educational (.edu) domains, and nonprofit (.org) sites.
5. Track Your Results and Refine Your Strategy
Natural link building takes time, but it’s important to track your progress and see what’s working. Use tools I mentioned above like Plausible Analytics and Ahrefs to monitor which links are driving traffic to your website. Look for patterns in the types of content that earn the most links and refine your strategy based on that data. Some tips for tracking:
- Identify High-Performing Content: Which articles or resources on your site are earning the most links? Consider creating more content like this.
- Look at Your Competitors: Analyze your competitors’ backlinks to see where their links are coming from and if there are similar opportunities for you.
