Link building is one of the most important tools for SEO because it builds domain authority and increases website referral traffic.

If you want to increase your website’s ranking in search results, you need to work on link building, which usually means making connections within your niche.

As a lot of work is involved in link building, many website owners outsource to a link building service like HARO. HARO backlinks are high authority backlinks that can increase your ranking in search results, bringing more traffic to your website and increasing business revenue.

Work with the HARO link building service to appear on some of the top websites from leading media outlets.

This guide shares everything you need to know about HARO link building.

What Is The HARO Link Building Service?

HARO link building, which stands for Help A Reporter Out, is one of the best ways to get high-quality links.

PR and Major Publications

Using the HARO link-building agency can earn quality backlinks from media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and other leading websites.

HARO operates as an online public relations platform for many businesses. It allows you to publish your story and find reporters who are interested in publishing it.

Why Use HARO?

While there are many other link-building methods you can try, HARO link-building services are perhaps one of the best because they can guarantee links as journalists are actively looking for stories and sources.

The links typically come from high-authority sources, enhancing your SEO with substantial link juice for improved rankings. Now, let’s explore how HARO link-building functions.

How Does HARO Link Building Work?

Help A Reporter Out is a great resource for journalists and businesses because it offers a constant supply of sources.

For a website owner or business leader, using the HARO link-building services can generate links with high-authority publications, offering increased domain authority for your website’s high referral traffic.

Using the HARO service for link building requires substantial effort, as crafting effective pitches to stand out is essential. This commitment to perfecting HARO pitches parallels other link-building strategies regarding time investment. Next, we’ll explore how HARO Link Building Works.

Perfecting HARO Pitches

Journalists using Help A Reporter Out get hundreds, if not thousands, of daily requests from SEO agencies, businesses, and other sources for links.

With so many HARO requests, reporters find it difficult to find anything of value. This is why, along with many others, if you do not work on creating a relevant HARO query, you can easily be ignored.

Every day, new requests from the HARO outreach team require quotes or information from insider sources. This means there are many opportunities for you to take advantage of this free service and gain HARO backlinks from some of the top publications or business sites.

Reporters are always looking for relevant link opportunities, but you need to do more than show your relevance in your pitch. 

HARO pitches should also be engaging, informative, and special to show the reporters using the HARO service you offer more than anyone else in their inbox.

How To Pitch Perfectly

Hundreds of businesses and website owners use HARO link building to increase domain authority and rank higher in search results.

Appearing on websites with incredible domain authority, such as publications and media outlet sites, can significantly increase your ranking in search engines, which will draw in traffic. With a HARO link, you can also expect good referrals, which can do wonders for your business.

Building links requires a lot of work, even when using a service such as HARO, which your business may struggle with.

Hire SEO Experts

This is why many website owners hire a link-building agency or SEO professionals to work on their HARO campaign.

Experienced professionals enhance your chances of receiving HARO responses by crafting compelling pitches that distinguish your website from others. This expertise increases visibility and paves the way for discussing the benefits of HARO link building.

Benefits Of HARO Link Building

HARO can be a great link-building method for websites and offers a range of benefits, such as:

High Authority Links

As Help Professional reporters use a Reporter Out, you can get links to a range of top publications and business websites, which will increase your website’s domain authority.

More Traffic

Many users have built links with outlets with thousands of viewers every day, bringing in a lot of website traffic.

Natural Backlinks

For the best results in terms of SEO, having a natural embedded link is ideal, and this is what can be provided with HARO, as it improves the readability of the final article. All links are dofollow links.

Using HARO can also avoid duplicate links, as each new article that uses your quotes offers new links to your site.

Safe And White Hat Links

All HARO links adhere to Google’s quality guidelines, guaranteeing safety and effectiveness. This compliance is essential for maintaining the integrity of SEO strategies, leading us to our discussion on developing a HARO SEO Campaign.

How To Develop A HARO SEO Campaign

Every day, you will be sent HARO emails for the latest requests, so you will have multiple opportunities for link placements on some of the top websites.

As with all link-building tactics, some skill is required when generating HARO links.

If you do want to use HARO to build high-quality backlinks to your website, there are some practices you should use to ensure success, such as:

Understanding The Rules

As you may expect, there are rules to follow as a HARO user, and you need to understand these before registering and trying to get links.

There is an exact section called Rules For Resources, which you should familiarize yourself with before responding to anything. This section outlines the best practices and how to avoid issues when using this service.

HARO is quite strict about its user guidelines. You will only be given one warning before your account is banned. Warnings can come from various things, such as pitching products or link swaps for high-authority backlinks.

Likewise, users cannot demand journalists’ links but can request them.

Respond Fast

Time is one of the most important factors when building HARO links.

The HARO outreach team will email users three times a day, every day, requesting sources and quotes on a range of topics. If you can provide good insight, the journalist will provide HARO links from their platform, which can help increase traffic to your website.

To ensure that you get HARO links, you need to be able to respond quickly and be the best source for the journalist.

Reporters usually work with strict deadlines, many of which can occur the same day, so they are looking for the best first option they get for sources.

With this in mind, most HARO requests that have been present for more than 24 hours are usually old news and, therefore, will not grant you a link-building opportunity.

To ensure you get the best links from HARO, respond as soon as possible to the most relevant requests and get there before your competitors.

Stay Relevant

While time is an important factor in HARO links, relevancy is the primary focus for all users.

While getting as many links as possible to increase your search engine ranking may be tempting, this has never been a good SEO strategy, and it certainly does not work with HARO.

Journalists actively seek relevant sources, so you should only offer HARO responses for articles within your niche and market.

After all, you will be offered HARO links for providing insight or more information regarding the topic of the piece, so you need to be able to do this to be used. Being relevant to the subject allows for natural links in the article, offering better HARO SEO for you and the reporter.

But Also Consider All Options

Of course, you need to ensure your website and the information you can provide to the reporter is relevant to their subject, but this does not mean you have to sell yourself short.

There may be more relevant queries for your work than you realize simply because you are too focused on the main subject.

One of the most common HARO link-building examples comes from any request regarding entrepreneurship, marketing, or even modern consumers. A digital marketing agency, for example, can provide insight into these subjects, even if they do not specifically refer to online advertising.

While you need to stay relevant to ensure you can get links from the HARO service, do not sell yourself short when it comes to accessing the daily opportunities. Consider what insight your experience can provide on various subjects.

Be Concise

HARO responses should be 200 words or less and contain several links to your content or social media platforms.

To ensure that you get the reporter’s attention and showcase the value you can provide to their article, ensure that all responses are concise so they fit into the word count.

Include your main website URL as the resource, but only add one link. Adding more than one link looks messy and impacts the readability of your information, which is likely to lead to a rejection from the reporter.

It is common for even the best responses, which offer a lot of insight and information, to be rejected simply because they were not succinct, which can be easily avoided. 

This is not like creating guest posts for link building but rather a short paragraph that can provide more authority to the article.

Be Insightful and Useful

Journalists get hundreds of responses to all requests, many of which do not offer any value.

There is no shortage of self-proclaimed experts online, and journalists get many responses from these kinds of people every day. Offering a generic insight or ‘pro tips’ without backing will not get you high-quality backlinks.

Instead, ensure your response is genuinely informative, showcasing your understanding and education.

If advice or tips are required, ensure your content is actionable to provide the most value to the journalist and their readers.

Avoid Filler

Similarly, to ensure you get links from HARO reporters, you must avoid adding filler content to your response.

Short responses are also valuable for reporters. You do not need to add more fluff around your advice or information to make up a word count. Instead, you need to get to the point to showcase your knowledge and ensure you provide value to the reporter.

As mentioned, responses should be 200 words or less (unless specified otherwise).

Remember that you are not writing a blog post when getting links from HARO but offering a short insight to support an article.

Include Your URL

Include your main website domain in your pitch to ensure you get the benefits of link building when using HARO.

Avoid cluttering your pitch with multiple links or using complex domains; however, including your main website can streamline the process for journalists and enhance your link-building efforts if they include your quote. This consideration is key as we discuss what to avoid when using HARO for link building.

What To Avoid When Using HARO Link Building

HARO SEO can be highly effective for websites, increasing their search engine ranking for increased traffic.

Although most of the links developed through HARO are high-quality, this may not always be the case, and there are some things you should avoid when using this link-building service for best results.

This includes:

Anonymous Requests

You may find anonymous requests in your HARO emails, but these should be avoided.

A respected journalist usually includes who they work for, so if the request is anonymous, it usually comes from a low-authority website.

Responding to this may result in links, but these will be low-quality links that may negatively impact your SEO.

When using HARO or any other link-building opportunity, you want to ensure you connect with websites with an authority rating of more than 40.

Late Replies

As we have mentioned, timely responses are highly valuable when using HARO.

To ensure you can get links from this service, you want to respond as soon as possible. Any request that has been on the site for more than 24 hours is already too old and should, therefore, be avoided.

Instead, wait for a new request rather than replying to older ones, as this shows you are organized and reliable, which can lead to getting more links from the reporter.

Typos and Grammar Mistakes

While you want to send your responses off soon, proofread your work first.

As you are replying as an expert or a professional in a particular field, you want to make sure your pitch reads well to showcase your knowledge.

Errors are common in many forms of writing. Still, obvious mistakes that you have overlooked in your rush to reply do not bode well when using HARO.

Failing To Back Up Your Work

Adding too many links to your pitch does not read well and can result in your response being rejected, but this does not mean you should not include anything.

Responses should include a short bio that outlines your work, qualifications, and social numbers to show your relevance and value to the journalist.

If you lack evidence, a reporter may reject your response due to a trust deficit. Demonstrating your website’s credibility is essential in your pitch to establish trust. This importance of evidence in building trust leads us to our next discussion on Summary.

Final Thoughts on Effective HARO Strategies

The HARO link-building service can be a great tool for website owners who want to improve their search engine ranking for increased traffic.

When done correctly, the HARO link-building service can get highly authoritative and relevant links on top websites.