A Detailed Guide to Resource Pages

by Venchito Tampon Jr | Last Updated on June 28, 2023

What is a resource page?

A resource page is a carefully curated collection of links to valuable tools, services, products, or websites that can benefit your target audience. Commonly referred to as a “recommended tools” page, an affiliate links page, or a brand “toolbox,” resource pages serve as a go-to destination for relevant and useful resources. They help users easily access and find high-quality information.

For example, a resource page about sleeping has subsections for sleep disorders, for sleep forums and discussion boards, and for sleeping best practices. See the image below.

 

There are many resource pages on different topics in various industries. These pages are curated so people don’t have to search for other websites to see these resources. And so it allows people to save time researching the best content on a given subject. All they have to do is to click on each hyperlink on the resource page, and they will land on each resource.

 

Resource Page VS Blog Post

A resource page is different from a typical blog post.

A typical blog post contains multiple texts, videos, and images. While a resource page only has a list of links (internal and external backlinks) pointing to resources. Though you’ll sometimes see a resource page with brief descriptions for each resource link.

What is resource page link building? 

Resource page link building is a link building tactic where a person contacts a webmaster and suggests recommended content assets to be added to a resource page.

This link building technique isn’t new. It has been around for decades and popularized by link building experts like Jon Cooper and Garrett French. With their new creative ways to improve the process of building links from resource pages, many SEO professionals have started using it for their marketing campaigns.

 

Before we proceed to the “how-to” of resource page link building, let’s start with more information about resource pages.

1. Resource pages are being updated from time to time.

Though not all resource pages are getting updated, there are many of these types that owners want to change links. Either they remove any broken links they’ve found or add links to any new relevant content.

The beauty of doing resource page link building is that you don’t have to force the owner of the resource page to link to you. Link curators (as we call it) add a link to your content if they find it relevant and valuable enough for their audience.

 

2. Resource pages can bring traffic (and assisted conversions) to your client’s site.

The best types of links are contextual links that drive traffic to your website.

Getting a link from a resource page can help generate additional traffic (referral traffic) to the page it was linked to. This referral traffic is visitors absorbed from another website.

The traffic includes potential customers (assisted conversions) you may convert later in your sales process. If the audience on the linking from the page is part of your target customers, there’s a higher chance of a conversion from a visitor into a customer.

Building links from resource pages isn’t just for rankings and assisted conversions.

 

3. A link builder can get 1 to 3 links (pointing to different content assets of your client) from the same resource page.

Resource page link building is a scalable link building campaign that allows you to get one link and multiple links to different content pieces of your site – all from the same resource page.

 

Imagine if you can build relationships with owners of many niche-specific resource pages, and you can scale the promotion of every new content asset published on your site.

 

Resource Page Link Building Process

Every successful resource page link building campaign starts with a plan. You don’t pursue your link targets without any resources to show them. And even before you start your prospecting process, you initially identify whether they are your target audience.

So in building links from resource pages, I have a 5-step process to guide you in making your execution successful.

 

1. Strategize

If you’re an agency, you have a team of link builders. One of which must be a strategist. And if you’re doing a solo link building campaign, you don’t have a choice but take the role of strategizing the campaign.

 

So what does a link strategist do?

A link strategist loves the research process.

It takes hours, days, and even years to master the link prospecting methodology for resource pages. It’s not the same outreach with bloggers and publishers; you’re dealing with link curators.

When you strategize a campaign, you must be diligent enough to do some additional research, not only for the target audience but for discovering specific search queries and other niche-specific approaches your team might be using for link discovery.

A link strategist defines the mission of the campaign.

You’re not just building resource page backlinks for rankings; you’re doing it because you serve a specific linkable audience. They have a need, and you must serve it with your resource.

A mission-driven resource page link building campaign helps your team to set expectations for themselves and the campaign, even before it even gets started.

When your team has a mission, they’ll take the campaign seriously. If the prospect for backlink targets, they don’t look for generic sites but try to find ones that will fit the campaign’s standards. If they reach out to link curators, they craft email pitches that will engage those people and not just send them a resource for link inclusion.

It’s different when a mission is included right at the start of the campaign. It sets the team’s mood, ensuring you work on the same page.

A link strategist understands “linkable audience.”

Garrett French has created a list of 601 linkable audiences. Coming from his experience with hundreds of resource page link building campaigns, he knew which groups of link curators tend to link out to resources most often than not.

 

Linkable audiences are link curators who belong to communities with high academic, medical, or government interest levels.

The visiting resource pages are likely to be publishers and ordinary people who do research for their projects.

Understanding that gives you the idea that linkable audiences need a certain type of content that isn’t just a 5000-word-ish page but a page that addresses an academic need of a particular audience group.

One note is that these linkable audiences will differ from your target customer personas.

Truth to tell, there is a tendency to go too far away from your brand’s customer audience to make a resource page that suits your preferred audience. So be cautious of picking a linkable audience that no longer aligns with your brand’s primary and secondary audiences.

A link strategist suggests linkable content ideas for writers.

Ideation is different from drafting. A person who researches topic ideas differs from the one who crafts the content.

A link strategist helps generate topic ideas that suit a particular audience but are still relevant to a customer audience, to one brand’s category, or to the brand’s niche.

A link strategist shifts the mindset from sales content to linkable content.

Link curators (linkers from resource pages) are not looking for sales/landing pages or event products/services; they are looking for academic content.

2. Prospect

Once the linkable audience and linkable content topic have been determined, the next phase is to start link discovery.

A link prospecting team can be composed of two or more researchers. Their task is to fill in a given spreadsheet or a given database with relevant resource pages.

 

What does a link prospector do?

A link prospector finds who linked to similar content guides.

You don’t have to start from scratch to make your initial list of backlink prospects. You may go to similar content guides and collect links pages pointing to them.

You can use Ahrefs to check a page’s existing links.

 

The more similar content assets you could reverse engineer for your topic, the more resource pages you could find and reverse engineer for your resource page link building campaign.

A link prospector bookmarks similar content assets while looking for link opportunities.

You’ll often find a resource page that links out to similar content topics you could never find simply through Google research. In that case, bookmark them and reverse engineer them to discover more link opportunities.

A link prospector uses different methods to discover resource page link opportunities.

There are many ways to prospect for resource pages. You can start with Google search using advanced search opportunities; here are some search queries you can use:

• intitle:links “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:sites “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:resources “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“useful links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“useful sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“useful resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“suggested links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“suggested sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“suggested resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“recommended links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“recommended sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“recommended resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“more links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“more sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“more resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“favorite links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“favorite sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“favorite resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“related links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“related sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• intitle:“related resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:links “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:sites “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:resources “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“useful links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“useful sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“useful resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“suggested links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“suggested sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“suggested resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“recommended links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“recommended sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“recommended resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“more links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“more sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“more resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“favorite links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“favorite sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“favorite resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“related links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“related sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• inurl:“related resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• “list of resources” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• “list of sites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• “list of websites” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource
• “list of links” “KEYWORD” ~guide ~resource

 

For agencies, you can use Citation Labs Link Prospector. Here’s a video tutorial from the product creator, Garrett French — on how to use CLP for resource page discovery.

 

LEARN MORE:

A link prospector organizes link opportunities in a spreadsheet

A link prospector must know how to organize every detail of a resource page needed for an outreach campaign.

If you’re not using Buzzstream, Pitchbox, Ninja Outreach, or other outreach tools like Gmail with Gmail extensions, a Google spreadsheet is enough to organize your resource page link opportunities.

Here are the column inputs you will provide on a spreadsheet:

• URL (of the resource page)
• Domain (where the resource page is hosted)
• Duplicate (an Excel function to check if a URL/domain has a duplicate in another row)
• Broken Links (inputs if there are any broken links found on a resource page)
• Anchor texts (anchor texts used by the link curator on links to broken resources)
• First name (contact person)
• Email address / Contact form
• Pitch and follow-up dates (more on this one later)

 

Given that you’ll be collecting hundreds, if not thousands, of resource pages, you have to ensure you have a strict input gathering process for your link prospectors.

A link prospector checks resource pages for any broken links.

Oftentimes, resource pages have broken external links. By pointing these defunct backlinks to the page’s owner, you can initiate the email conversation.

You can use LinkMiner to manually check if the resource page has any broken links. For one links page, the tool will take 15 to 30 seconds to check all of the external links for any broken links.

3. Create

The linkable content piece is the bridge between an outreach specialist and a linker.

You can only get a link from a resource page if you have a good content asset to offer. You are not selling your commercial product/service but a content asset that provides value to their audience.

 

A great content asset requires the role of a content developer — from its planning to actual publishing.

When creating the content piece, a content developer thinks of his/her audience.

The content developer begins creating when the link strategist submits the list of linkable topic ideas. From the introduction to the conclusion of the piece, the content developer must have a linkable audience in mind, as it is who he/she is writing for.

A content developer fills key knowledge gaps.

The way to make your content asset more comprehensive than other similar assets is to identify what gaps in terms of information others haven’t yet fulfilled in their own content that you can fill in yours.

A good question to ask is this:

Can you add something about the topic that hasn’t been written or mentioned from their content, or better – elsewhere?

To solidify and emphasize certain information, look for content gaps like defining terms or relevant industry data/statistics. By giving your consumers a new blend of tastes they won’t find anywhere else, you increase the comprehensiveness of your content and its potential to acquire links your competitors won’t copy easily.

A content developer suggests a new format for the overall content asset.

Different people have different styles of learning. Adding elements like videos, images, audio, and other content formats to your content asset would make your content easy to consume for different people and increase its value to people looking for references for their content works.

Always remember to aim at the highest level of utility and not just word count. You can create a 10,000-word page, but you may have wasted resources on additional unnecessary text if it doesn’t satisfy its target audience’s needs.

A content developer should be open to revision requests.

Big agencies normally have support systems for quality control of the content. They have a team of other content writers who check and balance information if it’s updated and suited to particular industry standards.

The content developer must be patient to go back and forth with the content for any upgrades and revisions the team may have identified as they check the page.

Best Resource Pages Examples

Here are some websites to inspire you to create linkable content assets, specifically ones that are constantly producing pieces that get links. I also included below links to their best resource page examples:

DrugRehab.com

 

Resource page examples from DrugRehab:

• A Substance Abuse Guide for Parents (~500 referring domains)
• Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse (~340 referring domains)
• Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence, and Substance Use (~358 referring domains)

Accredited Online Schools

 

Resource page examples from Accredited Online Schools:

• Bullying Awareness and Prevention (~249 referring domains)
• College Resources for Veterans and Their Families (~262 referring domains)
• Understanding & Preventing Plagiarism (~276 referring domains)

4. Engage

Content creation is only half of the battle. The other 50% is promoting your brand asset.

 

Here comes the role of outreach specialists.

What does an outreach specialist do?

An outreach specialist crafts email copies.

When crafting email copies, consider these three Cs:

1. Clarity

Your email copy must be clear enough to understand your link curators. It should contain why you’re reaching out to them and the description of your resource content.

A good tip for you is to send it to at least three team members to check if your email copy has clarity.

 

2. Captivity 

Does your subject line capture the interest of your link curators? If it’s too generic just like other email templates scattered on the different SEO articles — and does not personalize specifically to your target link curators, your email copy may lose one component – captivity.

 

3. Continuity

Here is a good email crafting tip from Dave Gerhardt, VP Of Marketing of Drift.

subject line & the first 2 lines of a sales (or marketing) email are everything.

Things to skip:

– “as [job title] you know that [pain]”
– “I know you’re busy, but.”

Use the 1st line to get someone to read the 2nd.

2nd like to get them to the 3rd, etc.

— Dave Gerhardt (@davegerhardt) May 6, 2019

Your target link curator must be able to start opening your email and continue reading it until the end. It requires some copywriting skills, but as you constantly improve your email copies, you get a sense of what works and what does not.

An outreach specialist sends follow-up emails to non-respondents.

Follow-ups are needed for link curators who don’t respond to your initial pitches. Write a short, non-aggressive follow-up email copy to inform them of your previous message, or include it in your follow-up email template.

An outreach specialist converses with respondents until he gets links.

There’s no sure-fire way to create email templates when you’re already talking to your target prospect.

Dynamics come to play in email conversations. An outreach specialist must be trained to answer different email copies in different contexts and linkable audiences being talked with.

You can check out this post on six email outreach tips.

Here are some tools you can use for doing outreach campaigns

• Voila Norbert
• Hunter
• Mailtrack
• Email Verification Tools
• Outreach platforms

5. Win

The last step on how to build links from resource pages is to win the link.

 

Often, there will be link curators who will not respond to your initial pitch, even your follow-up email, but will link to your content from their resource page.

Silence in response doesn’t mean “no.”

The link strategist or outreach specialist must learn to monitor any new links to the content asset you’re promoting.

You can use Ahrefs to discover any new links to the page quickly.

 

So, that’s how you build links from resource pages. Follow the 5-step process: Strategize, Prospect, Create, Engage, and Win.

Resource Pages Link Building Resources:

The No Non-Sense Guide to Broken Link Building: A super-detailed guide to broken link building with many real-life examples and techniques.

Four Reasons Why You Don’t Get Resource Links: Failures are part of a resource page link building campaign. Learn why link builders don’t get resource links in this article.

4 Advanced Link Prospecting Techniques for Increased Efficiency: Speed up your link-gathering process to collect more link opportunities for your campaign.

Getting Dofollow Backlinks from Primary Schools. Most links come from primary and secondary school websites, learn how to acquire do follow backlinks from this article quickly.

 

Resource Pages Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a resource page?

To create a successful resource page, consider these 5 key tips:

1. Organize your resources by category.
2. Provide brief descriptions for each resource.
3. Include high-quality and relevant resources.
4. Regularly update your resource page.
5. Make your resource page easily navigable.

By following these tips, you can create an effective and user-friendly resource page on your website.

 

What should a resource page look like?

A well-structured resource page should have valuable content, including links and keywords related to the topic. It provides a comprehensive overview of the subject, making it a go-to source for information. When optimizing a resource page, ensure it offers a macro view of the topic and covers relevant subtopics to enhance its value. Remember to include clear headings, descriptive titles, and properly formatted URLs for better SEO performance.

 

What is the importance of resource page?

Resource pages are crucial for SEO due to two main reasons. Firstly, they benefit publishers by generating social shares and backlinks from those featured on the page. Secondly, external resource pages can serve as valuable assets for link building efforts, boosting website authority and visibility.