How To Create Linkable Assets For SEO | A Simple Guide

Getting traffic from Google feels like a black box, doesn’t it? You write good content. You update your blog. You’re doing all the “things” you’re supposed to, but your site just… sits there. Stuck on page five.

Meanwhile, you see your competitors ranking for the keywords you want. Even the ones with terrible-looking websites. What’s their secret?

More often than not, it’s backlinks.

It’s high-quality, authoritative links pointing to their site, telling Google, “This place is the real deal.” But how do you get those links? You don’t build them, not really. Not anymore.

You earn them.

And you earn them by creating things people genuinely want to link to. That’s the entire game. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on exactly how to create linkable assets for SEO. This isn’t about cheap tricks; it’s about a solid strategy. It’s a simple, repeatable guide to creating content so good, so useful, and so authoritative that linking to it becomes a no-brainer for other people in your industry.

Let’s get started.

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Key Takeaways

• A “Linkable Asset” is Content Built to Earn Links: This isn’t your average blog post. It’s a high-value resource (like a free tool, a deep guide, or original research) made with the specific goal of attracting backlinks.
• Links Are “Votes of Confidence”: Backlinks are still one of Google’s biggest ranking factors. They signal Trust, Expertise, and Authority (part of E-E-A-T) to search engines.
• Format Follows Function: The value of your asset matters more than its format. A simple, data-packed spreadsheet can be far more linkable than a flashy, useless interactive page.
• Creation is Only Half the Battle: You must have a promotion and outreach plan. Building an amazing asset is pointless if nobody knows it exists.
• Start with “Link-Intent” Research: Stop guessing what people will link to. Use SEO tools to see what already gets links in your niche, then go create something ten times better.

What Exactly Is a “Linkable Asset” (And Why Should I Care)?

This is the perfect place to start. We throw this term around, but what does it really mean?

A linkable asset is not just another blog post. It’s not your “About Us” page. A linkable asset is a piece of content on your website that is specifically designed and created to attract backlinks. Think of it as link-bait, but with a Ph.D. It’s not a cheap gimmick. It’s a resource of such high value that other bloggers, journalists, and industry experts voluntarily and naturally want to reference it. They link to it from their own content because it makes them look smarter.

Why should you care? Simple. Backlinks are, and probably will be for a long time, a massive ranking signal for Google.

Each link from a quality, relevant website is like a “vote of confidence” for your site. It tells Google your domain has authority, expertise, and trustworthiness. The more high-quality votes you get, the higher Google will rank all of your pages, not just the asset itself. These links build your entire site’s authority. So, while your new ultimate guide on “XYZ” might be the page getting all the links, it has a “rising tide lifts all boats” effect. It helps your boring (but profitable) product and service pages rank higher, too. That’s why you should care. It’s the engine of long-term, sustainable SEO.

But Isn’t “Link Building” Dead?

I hear this one all the time. It usually comes from people who either got burned by spammy tactics a decade ago or are just repeating something they heard somewhere.

So, let’s be crystal clear: Spammy, manipulative, low-quality “link building” is dead. And good riddance.

Buying links on Fiverr? Dropping your URL in thousands of unrelated comment sections? Using automated “blog network” software? Yes, that’s dead. Doing that today is a fantastic way to get your site penalized by Google.

But “link earning“? That’s more alive and more important than ever.

The game has changed. It’s no longer about the quantity of links. It’s about the quality and relevance of those links. One single link from a major, respected university or a top-tier industry publication is worth more than a thousand spammy links from junk directories. Google’s algorithm is incredibly sophisticated now. It understands context. It knows the difference between a link that was editorially given (because your content is awesome) and one that was paid for or manipulated.

This is where E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) comes in. How does Google measure something as abstract as “Authority”? Backlinks are a primary way. When other experts (authoritative sites) link to you, they are essentially vouching for your expertise. Creating linkable assets is the single best, white-hat way to prove your E-E-A-T and earn the high-quality links that Google loves.

How Do I Know What People Will Actually Link To?

This is the million-dollar question. You can’t just guess. Wasting three months building a complex tool that nobody wants is a soul-crushing experience. Trust me, I’ve been there.

The secret is to stop guessing and start investigating. You need to find out what people in your niche already link to. This removes the guesswork and bases your strategy on proven data.

It’s all about finding the “link gaps.” What topics are people constantly referencing? What questions are they trying to answer where a good resource is lacking? What data do they wish they had? Your job is to find those gaps and create the definitive resource to fill them.

Can I Just Spy on My Competitors?

Not only can you, you must. This is the single best place to start. Your competitors who are already ranking well have done some of the hard work for you. They’ve created content that has successfully earned links. Your job is to figure out what that is and, more importantly, why it worked.

Fire up an SEO tool like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz. Most of them have a “Backlink Analytics” or “Competitor Analysis” feature. Plug in your competitor’s domain and look for their “Top Linked Pages” or “Best by Links” report.

This report is a goldmine. It will show you the exact pages on their site that have attracted the most backlinks. Ignore their homepage and product pages. Look at their content.

Are they getting hundreds of links to a specific blog post? What’s it about? Is it a “how-to” guide? A “statistics” roundup? An original study? Note the topic, but also note the format. This data tells you exactly what kind of content resonates with linkers in your industry. You’re not looking to copy them. You’re looking for the template of success. You’re looking for a topic that is proven to attract links, which you can then improve upon by an order of magnitude.

What If My Niche Is “Boring”?

I love this question. I once had a client in the industrial adhesives space. “Boring” was an understatement. Their products were literally glues and resins sold to manufacturers. They were convinced they could never earn links. “Who would link to a glue website?” they’d ask.

They were looking at it all wrong. “Boring” niches are often the best for this strategy because no one else is doing it. The bar is incredibly low.

We didn’t create “The Ultimate Guide to Glue.” Nobody would link to that. Instead, we dug into their technical data. We found they had a ton of internal research on material bonding strength, chemical resistance, and curing times under different temperatures. We worked with their engineers to turn this “boring” internal data into a “Material Bonding & Chemical Compatibility Chart.” It was a simple, filterable database on a single webpage.

It was utility. It wasn’t flashy, but for an engineer or product designer, it was a godsend. It solved a highly specific, technical problem. It started getting links from engineering forums, university resource pages, and technical publications. “Boring” niches are full of opportunities like this. You just have to focus on utility and data over “flash.”

Are Keywords Still Important Here?

Absolutely. But you have to think about a different kind of keyword. Most SEO focuses on “commercial intent” keywords—phrases people type when they want to buy something (e.g., “best running shoes for men”).

For linkable assets, you want to target “informational intent” or, even better, “link intent” keywords. These are phrases that signal someone is doing research or looking for a resource to cite.

Think about the kinds of content you link to when you’re writing. You’re not linking to a product page. You’re linking to a study, a statistic, a definition, or a comprehensive guide.

Keywords that often signal a great linkable-asset topic include:

• “[Topic] statistics”
• “[Topic] data”
• “[Industry] study” or “[Industry] survey”
• “How to [Complex Task]”
• “What is [Complex Concept]”
• “[Topic] calculator”
• “[Topic] checklist”
• “Ultimate guide to [Topic]”

Targeting these keywords does two things: First, it helps people discover your asset through search. Second, the keyword itself guides you in creating the type of content that people (bloggers, journalists, academics) are actively looking to cite.

What Are the “Heavy Hitters”? The Best Types of Linkable Assets?

Okay, so you’ve done your research. You have a few topic ideas that are proven to attract links in your niche. Now, what do you actually build? The format of your asset is crucial. It needs to match the user’s (and the linker’s) intent. While the possibilities are endless, most successful linkable assets fall into a few key categories. These are the “heavy hitters” that I’ve seen work time and time again.

Could a Simple Blog Post Really Be Enough?

Yes, but with a major caveat: it can’t be “a simple blog post.” It has to be the blog post.

We’re talking about “Ultimate Guides” or “Definitive Resources.” This is content so comprehensive, so in-depth, and so well-researched that it becomes the last click a person needs to make on that topic. If the average post on a topic is 1,500 words, yours needs to be 8,000 words. It needs to have more (and better) images, clearer explanations, expert quotes, and up-to-date information.

This is often called the “Skyscraper Technique,” a term coined by SEO expert Brian Dean. The idea is simple:

1. Find a piece of content in your niche that has already attracted a lot of links.
2. Analyze what makes it good, but also identify its weaknesses. Is the data old? Is the design bad? Is it missing key sub-topics?
3. Create a piece of content that is significantly and demonstrably better on every level.
4. Reach out to the people who linked to the original, inferior piece and show them your new, improved version.

This works because it’s a proven topic. You’re just giving linkers a better resource to point to.

What About Using Original Data or Research?

This is the gold standard. It is, in my opinion, the most powerful type of linkable asset you can create.

Why? Because it’s unique. You are the primary source. If a journalist or blogger wants to cite that data, they have to link to you. There is no other option.

This sounds more intimidating than it is. You don’t need a Harvard-sized budget.

• Run a Simple Survey: Use a tool like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey. Ask 500 people in your target audience 10 interesting questions about your industry. Publish the results. “We Surveyed 500 Marketers About AI… Here’s What They Said.” Boom. Instant linkable asset.
• Analyze Your Own Internal Data: Are you an e-commerce store? You have data on what’s popular in different states. Are you a SaaS company? You have data on user behavior. Anonymize it, find an interesting trend, and publish it.
• Collate Public Data: Sometimes the data is already out there, but it’s messy and spread across 20 different government or university websites. Be the one to do the hard work of collecting it, cleaning it, and presenting it in one simple, easy-to-understand post.

I did this years ago for a small client. We just ran a simple survey of our own customers about their buying habits. We got about 200 responses, compiled the most interesting stats into a blog post with some simple charts, and it became the most linked-to page on their entire site. Why? Because it was new data nobody else had. For guidance on how to properly conduct and present survey research, academic resources like Harvard’s Program on Survey Research offer best practices, which can add a layer of authority to your methodology.

Are Calculators and Tools Really Worth the Effort?

One hundred percent, yes. If original research is the gold standard, a free tool is the platinum standard.

A tool provides utility. It solves a problem for the user, right then and there. And people love to link to useful tools. Think about all the “mortgage calculators,” “BMI calculators,” “SEO site analyzers,” or “headline generators” out there. They are link magnets.

Why? Because they are “evergreen.” A study from 2023 will eventually become outdated. A tool that calculates a mortgage payment will be just as useful five years from now as it is today. This gives it immense, long-term link-earning potential.

“But I’m not a developer!” you say. That’s a common hurdle. But these days, you can often build simple calculators with no-code tools or plugins. And even if you have to hire a developer for a few hundred or a couple of thousand dollars, think of it as an investment. A good tool can attract high-authority links for a decade. The ROI can be astronomical compared to writing a dozen blog posts that no one ever links to.

What About Infographics and Visual Assets?

Infographics had their moment in the sun, didn’t they? Around 2012, you could just turn any list post into a colorful graphic, and it would get links.

That’s not really the case anymore. The internet is flooded with low-quality, “chart-junk” infographics that are all style and no substance.

However, a good visual asset is still incredibly powerful. The key is that the information and data in the graphic must be compelling on its own. The visual design just makes that data easier to understand and, crucially, easier to share.

The real power of infographics and other visual assets (like maps, charts, and diagrams) is in their embeddability. When a blogger wants to use your infographic in their post, they will often embed it. And the standard practice for embedding an image is to provide a credit link back to the source. It’s a built-in link-earning mechanism. Just be sure to include a little “Embed This Graphic on Your Site” box with the copy-and-paste HTML code. This makes it effortless for people to link back to you correctly.

Have You Tried Using “How-To” Guides or Tutorials?

This goes back to the “Ultimate Guide” concept but with a specific, practical focus. A great “how-to” guide that solves a complex problem is a fantastic linkable asset.

If your niche involves a technical process, a complicated hobby, or a difficult-to-understand concept, a tutorial is perfect. The key is to be insanely thorough. Don’t assume any prior knowledge. Walk the user through every single step.

What makes a great, linkable “how-to” guide?

• Clear, Numbered Steps: Make it easy to follow.
• Tons of Screenshots and Images: Show, don’t just tell. Annotate your screenshots with arrows and boxes.
• Video Content: Embed a video walkthrough for those who prefer to watch.
• A “Tools Needed” or “Ingredients” List: Put this right at the top so the user can get prepared.
• A “Common Problems” or “Troubleshooting” Section: Anticipate where they might get stuck and provide the solution.

When you create a guide that actually helps someone complete a difficult task, they become a huge fan. And other bloggers who are writing about that topic at a high level will link to your guide as the go-to resource for the “how-to” specifics.

I’ve Created My Asset… Now What? Why Isn’t Anyone Linking to It?

This is the part that trips everyone up. You’ve spent weeks, maybe months, creating the world’s best guide to [Your Topic]. You hit “publish.” And then… crickets.

You feel defeated. You think, “This doesn’t work.”

You’ve just forgotten the most important rule: Creation is only half the battle.

This is the “build it and they will come” fallacy. The internet is too noisy for that. You have to be your asset’s biggest champion. You have to get it in front of the right people. This isn’t just “promotion” in the sense of sharing it on your Twitter account. This is targeted, strategic outreach. Your asset doesn’t exist until the right people have seen it.

Do I Really Have to “Promote” My Content?

Yes. I’ll say it again: Yes. Enthusiastically, strategically, and unapologetically.

Think about it from the linker’s perspective. How is a busy journalist at a major industry publication supposed to find your brand-new, amazing resource, which is currently sitting on page 50 of Google? They won’t. How is a blogger who wrote a post on a related topic three years ago supposed to know you just published a new study that would be a perfect addition to their article? They can’t.

You have to tell them.

This is the work. The “asset creation” part is the price of admission. The outreach is how you win the game. You should be spending just as much time, if not more time, promoting your asset as you did creating it. This isn’t spam. This is distribution. You’ve created something of genuine value. Now, your job is to connect that value to the people who will appreciate it (and link to it).

How Do I Find the Right People to Reach Out To?

This is where your initial research pays off. Your “prospect list” is the list of people you’re going to contact. Where do you find them?

Go back to your competitor’s “Top Linked Pages” report. That report doesn’t just show you what content gets links; it shows you who linked to it. This is your number one, A-plus, high-priority prospect list. These are people who have already demonstrated that they are interested in your topic and that they link to content about it.

Your second list comes from “link-intent” keyword research. Google your target keyword (e.g., “social media marketing statistics”). Look at the top 100 results. Who is writing about this topic? Who is ranking? These are all potential linkers.

Your third list is “resource page” linkers. Search Google for things like:

• “[Your Topic] resources”
• “[Your Topic] helpful links”
• “inurl:links [Your Topic]”

This will uncover pages that are literally just lists of helpful links. These page curators are actively looking for good content to add. Sending them your new asset is often the easiest link you’ll ever get.

Isn’t “Email Outreach” Just Spam?

It is, if you do it like a spammer. If you send a generic, templated, “Dear Webmaster” email to 1,000 people, you are a spammer. And you will fail.

But if you do it like a human being connecting with another human being, it’s called “networking” or “public relations.”

Personal, genuine, and value-focused outreach is the key. It’s not, “Hey, I have a blog. Please link to it.”

It’s, “Hey [Name], I was just reading your fantastic article on [Topic]. I especially loved your point about [Specific Thing]. I saw you referenced [Old/Outdated Resource] to back up your point. I actually just published a more comprehensive, up-to-date study on that exact topic, which includes [Interesting Stat]. Thought it might be a useful addition for your readers. No pressure at all, just wanted to share!”

See the difference? It’s specific. It’s complimentary. It shows you’ve actually read their stuff. And it offers clear, direct value.

Here’s a quick checklist for outreach that doesn’t feel like spam:

• Do: Use their real first name.
• Don’t: Use “Dear Webmaster” or “To Whom It May Concern.”
• Do: Mention something specific about their site or an article they wrote.
• Don’t: Send a generic template that could apply to anyone.
• Do: Explain why your asset is a good fit for their specific audience.
• Don’t: Just talk about yourself and how great your asset is.
• Do: Have a clear, but low-pressure, ask. “Might be a good fit for your resource page” is great.
• Don’t: Be demanding. “Please add my link” or “Link to me and I’ll link to you” is terrible.

This is a slow, manual process. But it works.

How Do I Make My Asset Look… Good? Does Design Even Matter?

Yes. It matters. A lot.

Think about E-E-A-T again. Trustworthiness.

Imagine you land on two pages with the same data. One is a wall of text, written in 12px Times New Roman, with no headings and a few blurry, pixelated charts. The other is beautifully designed with a clean layout, large and legible font, clear headings, custom-made high-resolution graphs, and plenty of white space.

Which one do you trust? Which one looks more authoritative and professional? Which one are you more likely to link to?

It’s the second one. Every time.

Design is not just “making it pretty.” Design is about usability and credibility. Your amazing, 10,000-word ultimate guide is useless if it’s an unreadable-in-practice wall of text. Good design makes your information accessible. Bad design puts a barrier between your user and your value.

You don’t need to be Apple. But you do need to be professional. This means:

• A legible, modern font (like Inter, Montserrat, or Lato) at a readable size (18px+ for body text).
• Short paragraphs. No more than 3-4 lines each.
• Tons of descriptive subheadings (like the ones in this article!).
• High-quality, relevant images.
• Bullet points and numbered lists to break up text.
• A layout that works just as well on a mobile phone as it does on a desktop.

If design isn’t your strong suit, this is the place to spend a little money. Write the content yourself (you’re the expert), but hire a good freelance designer to format it and create custom visuals. It’s a small investment that massively increases the “link-worthiness” of your asset.

Can’t I Just Outsource This Whole Thing?

You can. But you should be very, very careful.

The temptation is strong. Just go to a content mill, pay $500, and get a “linkable asset.” This almost never works.

Why? Again, E-E-A-T. Expertise.

A generic freelance writer who doesn’t work in your industry cannot fake true expertise. They don’t know the nuance. They don’t have the experience. They’ll end up just rewriting the top 5 Google results, which results in a generic, “me-too” piece of content that has no unique value. And no one links to generic, “me-too” content.

Creating a true linkable asset requires your brain. Your unique data. Your unique perspective. Your years of experience.

The best approach is a hybrid one.

1. You (The Expert) come up with the core idea, the data, the outline, and the unique insights.
2. A Writer (maybe) can help you flesh it out, clean up the prose, and make it engaging to read.
3. A Designer formats it, creates the graphs, and makes it look professional.
4. A Developer (if needed) builds the tool or calculator.
5. You (or a Marketer) handle the strategic outreach.

Don’t outsource the expertise. That’s the one part that can’t be faked.

What’s the One Mistake Everyone Makes?

I can answer this one from painful, personal experience. My biggest failure in this area was years ago. I became convinced that we needed to build a huge, flashy, “interactive data visualization” for a client. I spent months and a significant budget on developers and designers. It was beautiful. It had spinning globes and animated charts.

We launched it. And… nothing. It got almost zero links.

The mistake? I built what I thought was cool, not what our audience found useful. I focused on the format (a flashy interactive) over the function (the data). The tool was so complex that it was hard to use, and the data it showed wasn’t even that interesting. I hadn’t validated the idea. I hadn’t checked if anyone was actually linking to data on this topic. I just assumed “if we build something cool, they will link.”

I was wrong.

The biggest mistake is falling in love with a format instead of a problem. Don’t say, “I’m going to make an infographic.” Say, “I’m going to create the best resource for [Problem], and the best format for that might be an infographic.” Or it might be a simple, clean table. Or a spreadsheet. Or a tool.

Start with the value, the data, the utility. Then, and only then, pick the simplest, most effective format to deliver that value.

How Long Does This Take? When Do I See Results?

This is not a “get rich quick” scheme. This is a long-term, sustainable SEO strategy. It’s farming, not hunting.

Creating a single, high-quality asset can take weeks or even months. The outreach process can take another few weeks. And even after that, it can take time for those links to register with Google and for your rankings to improve.

Sometimes, you’ll hit a home run. You’ll publish an asset, send 20 emails, and a major journalist will pick it up and you’ll have 50 new links in a week. It happens.

More often, it’s a slow burn. You’ll get a few links right away from your outreach. A few months later, someone will discover it in Google and link to it. Six months later, it’ll be included in a university’s resource roundup. This is how authority is built: brick by brick.

The key is to be consistent. Don’t bet your entire strategy on one asset. Aim to create one or two truly great linkable assets per year. Over time, you’ll build a portfolio of these assets, all of them working 24/7 to attract links and build your site’s authority.

This is the real secret. It’s not a trick. It’s a commitment to creating real, tangible value. It’s about being the best, most helpful, most authoritative resource in your space. When you do that, the links just… happen.

FAQ – How To Create Linkable Assets For SEO