E-commerce Link Building: How to Earn Backlinks for Product & Category Pages

If there is one goal any e-commerce website strives to achieve, it is gaining more sales, which can be done by increasing exposure and leads, and this is where backlinks come in. 

The backlink building is the process of getting other websites to link back to your e-commerce site, which increases the conversion rate and site visits. As easy as this may sound, it is more complicated in reality. 

In this guide, we will go through the details of creating backlinks for e-commerce sites and their effect on SEO in general. 

Why to Do SEO for E-commerce?

Before diving into backlink building, we need to understand why SEO experts strive to have the best performance in e-commerce sites. 

At first, SEO is all about letting Google know that you exist, and you can serve the user in the best way possible; it’s like waving a flag. In the case of offering products, regardless of their nature, you know that the competition is high; therefore, appearing in the first results is what stands between you and the purchase. 

E-commerce SEO includes optimizing the site’s structure, then optimizing the products’ content, targeting the keywords that users search for the most. Publishing guest posts that link back to your site plays a significant role, and this is where we talk about backlinks. 

Backlinks and Websites’ Authority

Referral traffic is the amount of traffic you get from other websites linking to your own website. Good referral traffic can have an enormous effect on your e-commerce business.

In many cases, the authority of the referring website plays a role in the impact you will have. For example, if you are getting backlinks from Shopify store, the authority is bigger and the effect is better, compared to many other less-known websites. 

How to Earn Backlinks for Product & Category Pages? 

Getting referrals to your products and categories is more than purchasing backlinks on different websites. It is a whole cycle of steps. 

• 1. Create High Quality Blogs

Start writing your blogs, or restart writing. Aim to target specific keywords that are relevant to your products. For example, if you are selling camping tents, write a blog about “how to choose the perfect camping tent?”, and any customer interested in camping will search for it on Google, only to find your blog and make a purchase. 

We can’t say the process is this easy, and of course, it’s not a fast-results process. Usually, the results need 3 – 12 months, yet consistency is the key. Make sure to publish blogs on a monthly basis.

•  2. Publish Guest Posts 

Assume that you sell vitamins and supplements on your e-commerce site. How good would it be if iHerb published your blog on its site, with a backlink for your products? Maybe we don’t have an accurate number of iHerb visitors, but we know that it’s a lot, and those customers will come across your blog and most probably make a purchase from you if your content is really good. 

Big e-commerce depends on backlinks from Shopify and WordPress to gain more traffic to their websites. 

• 3. Use Tools 

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) is one of the most popular tools used for backlinks. It is a platform that links businesses with journalists and bloggers.

By creating a HARO account, you can reach many bloggers and share your knowledge and your products’ details, so they write about your industry. They may quote you in their articles. And when they do, they’re likely to link back to your ecommerce website.

Make sure that you offer valuable information that bloggers can benefit from and that makes you stand out from the competition. 

• 4. Backlink from Your Provider 

If your supplier or distributor has a website, contact them with information about your products and ask them to include them in their content, with a link referring to your landing page.  

Ask that the listing links directly to your product/category pages, not just the homepage. If you offer exclusive products, suggest a “Where to Buy” or “Find a Retailer” section on their site with your link.

FAQs

• 1. How long does it take to see results from e-commerce backlinks?

Backlink building is a long-term strategy. Depending on your industry and competition, it usually takes between 3 and 12 months to notice measurable improvements in rankings and traffic. Consistency and quality matter more than speed.

• 2. Can I buy backlinks for my product and category pages?

While buying backlinks may seem like a quick solution, it can harm your SEO if done through low-quality or spammy sites. Instead, focus on earning backlinks naturally through guest posts, partnerships, suppliers, and high-quality content that others want to reference.

• 3. What type of content attracts backlinks to e-commerce sites?

Content that provides value—such as buying guides, product comparisons, tutorials, and expert reviews—tends to attract the most backlinks. Seasonal gift guides, trend reports, and original research can also help earn links to your product and category pages.

• 4. How do I convince bloggers or websites to link to my e-commerce pages?

The best approach is to offer value: provide free product samples for reviews, collaborate on gift guides, or share unique insights about your industry. When bloggers see your products as relevant to their audience, they’re more likely to link back to your pages.