What is a Linkable Asset?
Due to the sea of online content, it’s not easy to stand apart from the crowd. One effective strategy to build domain authority is link building, a practice that has changed over the years.
The nature of the digital space makes it hard to pinpoint exactly what works and what doesn’t, but we know that search engines reward authentic backlinks. Your strategy should be about creating quality content, and that’s where linkable assets come into play.
A linkable asset is any content, resource, or feature available on a website that can attract links from other websites due to its value. The higher the value of linkable assets, the better the chance of attracting backlinks from other web pages.
Search engines reward quality content by having them appear first in search engine results. Effective linkable assets provide valuable information and a better user experience for visitors. So, when other websites link back to said other linkable assets, the search engine considers the linked content to be authoritative when it comes to the keywords being searched for.
Here are 12 examples to help you better understand why creating effective linkable assets should be an important part of your SEO strategy.
Ways to Create Linkable Assets for Link-Building Strategies
1. Infographics
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Visual Data Representation
While delivering quality content via articles, service pages, and such has benefits, one can’t deny the impact of a well-designed visual. Humans are visual beings. We react quickly to color and images (sometimes, even on an instinctual level) compared to reading a sentence and making sense of it.
Infographics are handy when sharing complex data. The numbers, statistics, facts, etc., can easily be presented in colorful imagery through infographics.
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Simplifies Complex Information
Attracting attention is vital if you want to direct traffic to your website. Infographics can help simplify complex information, and they are more accessible, so they are more likely to attract more eyes.
Think about it. Would you rather go through a long list detailing a community’s shopping habits, or would you prefer to see a pie chart instead?
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Easy to Share and Link
Due to their accessibility, infographics can be easily shared and linked to from other websites and social media platforms. An infographic shares important information in a single image, and sharing an image is easier than sharing a long text-filled article (which, when you break it down, is a series of alphabets against a white background).
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Ideal for Social Media Platforms
The shareability of infographics makes them a good candidate for being spread over social media. People spend hours scrolling through social media posts. Like a well-designed infographic, a visually attractive image can make them stop and pay attention to the high-quality content being delivered.
The visual appeal helps increase the reach of the infographic when people share it on their socials, as well as the chances of getting more backlinks from other websites.
The infographic below is from Less Plastic. Such a linkable asset provides nine valuable tips for living with less plastic through visuals.
2. Interactive Tools
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Calculators or Quizzes
Another way to engage with an online audience is through calculators and quizzes. Such linkable assets, interactive content, or online tools can cover a variety of niches.
For example, a real estate website could create an easy-to-use calculator to help people calculate a mortgage. A pop culture website could make a quiz for people interested in knowing which superhero they resemble the most. And the list goes on.
Other websites covering the same niche could feel encouraged to link back to such calculators and quizzes.
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Engages Users with Personalized Results
People like to feel important and be paid attention to. One way to make them feel such emotions is through personalized results. Interactive online tools entice people to use them and remain engaged. They don’t want to leave a website until they see their personalized results.
Knowing that an interactive tool works the way it’s supposed to increase the chance of existing users sharing it with others.
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Increases Time Spent on Site
Search engines pay attention to high-value sites. One way to make your website high-value is by keeping your target audience engaged for as long as possible. Interactive tools boost the duration of time visitors remain on a webpage. This helps signal value to search engines, resulting in better rankings.
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Engages Users, Encouraging Shares
A successful linkable asset, such as an engaging, interactive tool, encourages users to share their results online. Others in their social circles then feel compelled to use the tool to get personalized results. This leads to a chain reaction with multiple shares and higher engagement levels. Of course, more engagement increases the chances of the tool being backlinked by other web pages.
The New York Times has created a Buy Vs. Rent Calculator that offers impressive engagement and quick results.
3. Comprehensive Guides
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Covers Topics in Depth
What kind of value does your website provide readers? Is your content even worth linking to?
Your content needs to deliver quality to attract backlinks of quality. One way to do so is by creating high-value content. That’s why you should focus on creating content that provides in-depth discussions about the topic a visitor is searching for.
The types of linkable assets also include in-depth guides. Thoughtful information and insights through comprehensive guides provide value to readers. They remain engaged by the evergreen content and feel that you respected them enough to give the answer they sought instead of regurgitating content commonly found online.
If you rewrite what’s already in other blog posts, why should readers continue visiting your website? Why should your content appear first on search engine results pages?
So, focus on creating high-quality content via guides to boost reader satisfaction and engagement.
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Acts as an Industry Reference
Positioning yourself as an authoritative voice in your niche through comprehensive guides can be an asset to your link-building campaign.
A well-researched and well-written comprehensive guide has the potential to be seen as a valuable linkable asset within the industry, prompting other pages to link to it naturally.
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Serves as a Go-To Resource
People like having a go-to source for information, which is one of the reasons Wikipedia ranks high. Online traffic doesn’t want to be stuck in a loop of clicking backlinks to hopefully find the information they are looking for.
A well-designed comprehensive guide offers readers convenience, which increases the chances of the guide being shared and gaining high-quality backlinks.
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Frequently Cited by Other Websites
Other websites frequently cite quality guides. And what are those citations deemed to be as far as SEO is concerned? Well, they are considered link-worthy, of course.
Having a guide cited or referenced by several websites helps encourage other websites in the niche to follow suit. The more citations your guide gets, the more visibility and authority it has as a valuable linkable asset.
Forbes Advisor has a well-detailed guide on how to begin a business in 2024.
4. Original Research and Data
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Surveys or Studies
An effective way to earn links is by providing readers with something unique. Why should they read your content instead of someone else’s? Why should your opinion be considered valuable linkable content?
That’s why you should deliver originality.
You can boost the originality of your content by conducting research and then using the results to offer readers unique data, better insight, or a different perspective. Original content aids with creating a distinctive voice for your website.
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Offers Unique Industry Insights
Analyzing data to provide unique industry insights can help set you apart. Finding such a voice allows you to present yourself as an authoritative content creator in the marketing space you’re working in.
People will be interested in what you have to say about a particular topic. They will be willing to share your insights with others in the industry via backlinks. Your content will be looked at as a reliable resource page.
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Provides New Insights, Attracting Links
As mentioned, providing new insights helps attract links. With you being considered an authority in the niche, people will want to link back to your content as an authoritative source to help strengthen their opinions on a specific subject matter.
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Data Often Quoted in Other Articles
Original research and data are more likely to be quoted by other websites. Depending on the type of market research you conducted, your data could appear quoted in authoritative publications because of the higher content quality.
For example, Buzzsumo’s Steve Rayson analyzed 1 million articles to determine the percentage of original research by content creators. His insightful results served as a highly reliable resource page.
5. Ebooks
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In-depth Information on Specific Topics
Similar to in-depth guides, another way for you to create high-quality linkable assets is through ebooks. Even though a downloadable ebook takes traffic away from the source website, it still has benefits. You can link to your other web pages in an ebook, encouraging organic traffic.
An ebook is a great way to tell your audience you will provide in-depth information on specific topics. Well-written ebooks will make you a leader in the niche.
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Comprehensive Coverage on Niche Subjects
Ebooks are a great way to target a niche audience. That said, ebooks don’t have to be thick like an encyclopedia. As long as they provide valuable information, a quick-read ebook will work just fine for link acquisition.
Depending on the target demographic, you can create many ebooks on niche subjects to serve as a valuable resource to the intended audience. Conduct some keyword research to see which areas lack informative ebooks.
Also, compared to traditional books, ebooks are more accessible and can be updated with new research and data if necessary. This helps you deliver the latest content.
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Downloadable, Shareable Content
Ebooks are easy to download and share, increasing your content’s reach in the targeted niche circles.
If your ebook is considered a valuable resource, other relevant websites could backlink to it, further increasing its authoritative value among other resource pages.
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Generates Leads with Email Sign-ups
Ebooks are a beneficial way to create an engaged community. When people think your ebook offers valuable content, they want to remain engaged with you, the author. You can boost their engagement by encouraging them to sign up via email.
Building an email subscriber list increases your chances of promoting your content and services to an ever-growing community by generating leads.
For example: along with being a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and having founded numerous firms, Scott Galloway continues to release best-selling ebooks about finance.
6. Videos
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Tutorials or Explainers
While creating written content is useful, some people prefer the information to be delivered through a video tutorial. They want to see you demonstrate a step-by-step process instead of having to read and understand everything.
That’s why your link-building campaigns should consider the creation of video content.
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Demonstrates Processes Step-by-Step
Creating visual content via videos and demonstrating processes step-by-step is a great way to maintain audience engagement. Just make sure the content delivery is easy to understand and accessible. No one wants to watch a video tutorial that isn’t able to make learning digestible for them.
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Highly Shareable, Increases Engagement
Videos have a high chance of being shared on a social media platform. Whether your video appears on Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, or any other platform, it has the potential to be seen by more people.
A larger audience that is positively receptive to videos boosts the chances of said video being considered a good linkable asset.
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Viral Potential on Platforms like YouTube
Videos have a chance of going viral on social media platforms. A viral video can generate links for months to come.
Thus, a video’s viral potential is an important avenue for creating a linkable asset for your brand.
Along with creating blog posts focusing on digital marketing and SEO strategies, Semrush also has a YouTube channel with various video content for better accessibility.
7. Podcasts
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Interviews or Discussions
Reaching out to other important people in your niche can benefit your link-building efforts. While you should work on establishing a voice of your own, your audience wants to hear from others, too. A podcast featuring interviews with industry leaders and experts can provide that to your targeted audience.
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Features Industry Leaders and Experts
Don’t hesitate to contact industry leaders and experts in your strategy to create a linkable asset. While they are your niche competitors, they are also your peers. Inviting authoritative voices to your podcasts can lead to insightful discussions that will be valued by your audience.
An in-depth interview has an increased chance of being shared online. A clash or union of perspectives can lead to audience engagement via comments. Other websites can link to the podcast when quoting a specific portion of the interview.
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Grows Audience Through Various Platforms
Your content strategy doesn’t need to be confined to one space. From web page content to ebooks and podcasts, you can use various linkable assets to grow an organic audience for yourself.
The more platforms you use to promote your content actively, the higher the chances of getting your name out there and building high-quality links in return.
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Accessible on Multiple Podcast Platforms
Podcasts offer a lot of accessibility to the target audience. Users can listen to a podcast while driving to and from work or doing chores around the house.
Podcasts are also available on multiple platforms, such as Spotify, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and more. Uploading them takes a minute or two.
You can even convert a video interview into a podcast if you’re into it.
A Moz Podcast Series with Chima Mmeje is an excellent example of offering audiences insightful interviews, marketing tips, and more.
8. Case Studies
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Real-World Success Stories
There’s always someone out there you can learn from. That’s one of the reasons people love success stories. Such stories are inspirational. If someone can achieve a goal, you can, too.
Focusing on case studies is an effective part of creating linkable content assets. The real-world results provide authentic evidence. People will be encouraged to follow the highlighted strategies to replicate the results for themselves.
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Highlights Effective Strategies or Solutions
Once you have selected the type of case study you want to highlight, you can create content and linkable assets discussing the practical strategies and solutions used in said case study.
Remember that when creating linkable content, you need to focus on delivering it in an easily understandable manner. The insight and opinions you bring via the case study can serve as valuable, linkable content down the line.
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Demonstrates Expertise and Results
Case studies showcase the success people want to replicate for themselves. Successful people are seen as credible. The results of your successful case study can prove to the target audience that you know what you’re doing and how you can help them achieve similar results.
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Builds Trust with Potential Clients
Successful outcomes and solutions appeal to your target audience, and case studies help build trust. They know they can rely on your opinions because you know what you’re doing.
It’s Fun Doing Marketing has compiled a list of case studies highlighting effective strategies for brand growth in 2024.
9. Webinars
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Live or Recorded Sessions
Webinars are a great way to promote audience engagement and build a community. You can conduct live or recorded webinars. It’s recommended that you try both to see which works best for your link-building strategy.
Engaged audience members can share your webinars online and help build links organically. Please do your research to identify search intent related to the audience and then construct a webinar around it.
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Offers In-Depth Exploration of Topics
Webinars are supposed to offer in-depth exploration of topics. That’s what the audience expects and exactly what you should focus on delivering. Don’t worry about a webinar not being long enough. As long as you offer valuable information, it should be okay, regardless of the runtime.
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Educational, Builds Authority
Webinars can help position you as an educational voice in your niche. Think of them as your chance to deliver an in-depth lecture to a classroom full of your intended audience.
Presenting yourself as the instructor helps establish your online persona as an authority figure in the niche. People will be interested in what you have to say and teach them, which leads to better link-building opportunities.
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Positions Brand as Industry Leader
Your online presence is your brand identity. Webinars can give your brand a professional aura. The live aspect of a well-constructed webinar can do wonders for your online presence when paired with a well-written blog post and other interactive tools that are part of creating linkable assets.
Semrush has a bunch of webinars offering insightful content.
10. Blogs with Unique Insights
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Opinion Pieces or Analysis
People want to read unique insights regarding opinion pieces about current trends. They want to learn something new. That’s why, when creating content, you should focus on delivering a different perspective to the targeted audience.
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Offers Fresh Perspectives on Current Trends
It’s easier said than done when you want to create linkable assets through blog posts.
A well-compiled blog post should demonstrate your voice. What makes you unique from the others in your space? Your blogging strategy should answer this question.
Offering unique insights on current trends can help build links organically, as people will be more inclined to read what you have to say and share it with others.
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Attracts Backlinks Through Unique Perspectives
If someone likes what you have to say, there’s a higher chance they’ll share your opinion online. They can share it on social media platforms, consider your content link-worthy, and cite it on their web page.
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Encourages Engagement and Discussion
When it comes to online engagement and getting high-quality links to your content, the good goes with the bad. By this, I mean that you shouldn’t feel forced to agree with popular opinion. If you have something different to say, share it. An opposing opinion can give rise to a lively online discussion.
Just remember not to be controversial for the sake of being so to earn links. Your online brand presence is on the line, and people can sniff inauthenticity. Whatever opinion you share, be prepared to stick with it.
Of course, it is important to learn from the ensuing discourse and widen your perspective. Just remember to be authentic to yourself.
The Sofia Log is an example of a travel blog with a unique voice because its content and linkable assets are presented as a personal diary.
11. Visualizations (Maps, Charts)
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Geographic or Trend Data
As discussed above, you can create a linkable asset via visuals. One such type of visualization regarding successful linkable assets includes maps and charts that present geographic or trend data in an informative manner.
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Illustrates Data in an Engaging Way
Geographic and trend data can cover various niches. They can be about the most searched food venues in specific locations, the area with the most cell phone users, or anything else. You get the idea.
Reading all of the data can be a chore for website visitors. However, they are more likely to be engaged by the same data if it’s illustrated instead. The visual representation also has a higher chance of being shared online and promoting link-building.
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Makes Complex Data Accessible
People like to receive information in an accessible manner. Would you rather read through pages of data, or do you prefer a visual summary?
It’s all about attracting the attention of your target audience. Seeing complex data being represented via visuals helps boost audience retention. And when other websites see you’re capable of keeping the audience engaged through the visuals, they will be encouraged to think of the visuals as valuable linkable assets.
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Helps in Understanding Large Data Sets Easily
Quality linkable assets are supposed to offer value to readers. And you can accomplish that when you create linkable content that presents large data sets in an accessible manner.
Linkable assets in the form of a data-focused visual can promote understanding and audience retention.
This geo-based visual by Ensia presents data on bycatch in an accessible manner.
12. Templates and Checklists
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Practical Tools for Immediate Use
People like convenience. They also like the ability to replicate certain actions while feeling in control. A well-designed template, linkable asset, or checklist provides them with such convenience and power.
There’s a reason many authoritative websites have links to downloadable templates and checklists—especially the types of linkable assets that users can customize (to an extent).
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Simplifies Tasks or Projects
A major way to attract your intended audience is to give them something useful. They need to see what value your website brings to their lives. Templates and checklists are supposed to help simplify tasks or projects. If you create convenient linkable assets, people will start using and sharing them with others to boost organic traffic.
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Helps with Planning, Attracts Links
The type of planning-related help that templates and checklists can provide doesn’t necessarily have to be about the corporate side. Even ones focused on simplifying daily tasks can do the trick when trying to create linkable assets.
A well-designed downloadable template for grocery shopping (for example) can do wonders for your website (if that’s your target niche).
Again, similar to interactive tools, templates, and checklists have the potential to be shared online, attracting even more of your niche audience and helping with building links.
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Useful for Organizational or Planning Purposes
Organizational templates and checklists are great for targeting more “serious” or “professional” niches. A financial planning template can help position your website as authoritative. Being seen as a leader in your niche aids with attracting quality backlinks.
Such backlinks, internal links, and inbound links help position your website as a valuable resource for search engines. So, give these linkable asset ideas a whirl.
CapCut has free TikTok video templates to assist people with creating viral video content.
