Using backlinks in any effective content strategy seems pretty straightforward: write informational, high-quality content, add good backlinks to increase the page’s value, and find reputable sources to link back to your content. How hard can it be?
Typically, our efforts can only take us so far. If we’re choosing random, albeit good, pages to link to from our site, we could be wasting significant growth potential.
Taking your linking strategy a step further doesn’t have to be difficult, however, it does need to be intentional. This is where the idea of closed-loop backlinking comes into play. Simply put, this method, created by David J Ebner, President and Founder of Content Workshop, introduces a tightly-woven network of links. And links to those links. And links to those links….
A quick backlink recap
To ensure we’re on the same page, a backlink is essentially a vote of confidence. It’s a hyperlink from one website to another that signals to search engines, “Hey, this website I’m linking to is reputable, I trust it, and it’s an authoritative reference on the topic at hand.”
When a site publishes high-quality educational content, the likelihood people will want to share that content increases. With each link they share comes more trust and credibility. When a site becomes more reputable for the valuable content it offers, Google and LLMs (Large Language Models) are more likely to reference it in relevant search results.
Better backlinks from high-ranking domains boosts your own authority as well. And right now, attaining a high Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) score is what search engines, LLMs, and other content creators look for when they direct traffic to others’ pages.
Your content needs to increase Page Authority
Any time you head to Google, you’re likely searching for a specific topic. The results that pop up aren’t usually going to direct you to a website’s homepage, but rather, to a highly relevant page that focuses specifically on what you’re searching for.
This is why it’s essential to focus your efforts on ranking individual pages, rather than only focusing on your domain as a whole. PA (Page Authority) is a metric created by Moz to determine how likely a page is to rank within search engine results. It’s a helpful tool to see how your efforts are paying off, but it’s also what content creators will be using to determine which credible pages they could link to in their own writing.
A page with a high PA score carries weight. It’s already been deemed trustworthy and reputable, so linking to it is a safe bet. And ultimately, when you have a high PA score on your pages, it usually increases your DA (Domain Authority) over time.
That’s why the overall goal is to get that score up as high as possible. And to do that? You need backlinks that direct to your specific pages.
For Google, backlinks = authority
With the rising popularity of generative AI, zero-click content, and information summaries replacing the need to dig into multiple articles for answers, Google can’t use traditional strategies anymore. Long-gone are the days when content success is measured by click-throughs, dwell time, and other behavior data.
In this new search environment void of the traditional ranking metrics, algorithms elevate one of the few remaining metrics–Page Authority. In turn, because PA is more important than ever, so are backlinks.
4 is the magicish number
Backlinks are one of the prime factors when determining a page’s authority, but the weight they hold changes depending on how many you have. Here’s what that looks like.
Let’s say you’ve just published a new page. That page’s initial authority score is a factor of the Domain’s Authority. We call this a Base Page Authority. At the writing of this article, a new page published on Content Workshop’s site (like this very blog) has a page authority of 17, while Domain Authority is 30.
To increase your PA, you need backlinks. The first backlink to your new page will raise your PA score by two points. In our example above, that would make our Page Authority 19.
Then, it increases one point per backlink until it receives four links.
After that, we see diminished returns. At this point, it takes multiple links to increase that page’s PA by a single point.
So, how can we get the backlinks we need to increase our score without wasting time linking to a page that won’t reward our efforts? Enter the closed-loop backlink method.
Content Workshop’s closed-loop backlink method
The closed-loop backlink method was developed through months of brainstorming, implementation, experimentation, and extensive data analysis. Ebner had a hunch it would work, but didn’t want to introduce it until he knew for sure it would be effective. And it was. Very.
The main idea stems from the fact that we have control over backlinks and that backlinks hold authority.
According to Ebner, “The higher a page’s authority, the more weight a link is going to have when they direct back to us. So how do we affect the PA score of the pages linking to us? We help those pages get backlinks, too.”
While running the experiment, Ebner facilitated the publishing of a handful of articles on external sites. Each article contained two backlinks linked to two separate pages on the Content Workshop site.
As he continued to publish new pieces of content, he didn’t just link back to the Content Workshop site–he also linked to articles that linked to the Content Workshop site. This cycle raises the external page’s authority, which in turn increases the authority of the backlinks that live on said page.
After a page within this loop gets four backlinks, it’s removed from the cycle, and a new article with few or no backlinks takes its place. This continues until every page gets four.
This method didn’t just boost PA scores. It also increased their DA score, led to more organic traffic, and improved average keyword rankings.
A Very Important Note:
PA does not increase when a site links to a page more than once. To increase PA, a link needs to be from a unique referring domain. So once Content Workshop links to an external backlink article, we don’t target that same page with another link from our site. Instead, we include links to the pages in question from other sites. We publish dozens of pages on external sites every month, and with the permission of the site owners, we can include links to these target pages.
Remember, we only need four unique links to a page, so it doesn’t take long to reach that tipping point.
Backlink smarter, not harder
As the digital space continues to evolve, we want to ensure we stay up-to-date on what works. That means our approach to marketing will likely have to shift as well.
But according to Ebner, a handful of key points remain relevant throughout these shifts. If anything, they’ve become more important over time.
- Find credible partners. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to people in your industry about collaborating on pieces or linking to each other’s work, as long as it’s done ethically. Continue publishing high-quality content and collaborate with like-minded people who share the same standards.
- Use reputable marketplaces. Don’t give in to the appeal of cheap backlinks. They likely won’t do anything positive for building your authority. If you’re going to buy backlinks, which is absolutely legit, make sure to do so from reputable marketplaces that still value high-quality partnerships and output.
- Maintain control of your content. Writing your own content means you can ensure the quality. Continue creating high-quality, educational pieces that people want to read. Your content should give value, not waste time.
- Find good backlinks. Look to partner with sites with a low spam score, high DA and base PA score, high traffic, and those that allow two backlinks.
- Target newer pages first. Remember, those first few backlinks carry the most weight. Ensure you’re getting the most return for your time and focus on newer pages with fewer than four referring domains.
- Work in sprints. Create a strategy, get everything organized, and then go! This allows you to reap the rewards in shorter periods of time. It also encourages better focus on the method, because with so many moving parts, it can be overwhelming if stretched out for too long.
We’ve got your back with backlinks
There’s no way to sugarcoat this: the closed-loop backlink method can be a lot to take in. It involves strategy, organization, data, effort, and time, and maybe a little bit of nerding out.
Adding this into your content strategy is a surefire way to boost your authority and get more traffic to your site, but tackling it takes commitment. If this approach leaves you feeling excited about the possibilities but also, a little overwhelmed about the implementation, that’s where we come in.
We live and breathe backlinks (weird, but it’s true), and we’d love to help your business grow. Let’s chat about what a custom backlink strategy can look like for you.
p.s. click the image above to watch me talk about this method.
