Episode
E-Commerce Link Building That Actually Works with Kai Cromwell
- Podcast
- The Edward Show
- Published
- Apr 28, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2785
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Summary
E1029: How e-commerce brands should build backlinks, especially Shopify brands. Kai Cromwell, an e-commerce SEO legend, joins the show for his second time. We cover what links are worth paying for, what links to avoid, how to evaluate link marketplaces, when to use cold email, and why most e-commerce brands should be careful about building too many links directly to product pages. Topics covered: - Where e-commerce brands should build backlinks from - When a new brand should avoid spending money on links - How much Kai recommends spending if you use link marketplaces - Why link insertions are often better than guest posts - How to check whether marketplace metrics are outdated - Red flags to look for before buying a link - Why traffic history matters - How to evaluate a site's outbound link ratio - What topical relevance should look like - What makes a link insertion look natural - How Kai uses cold email for link building - Why niche sites are often more useful than big news sites - How to think about building links to the homepage, collection pages, blog posts, and product pages - Why Kai usually avoids building links to product pages - Anchor text ratios for e-commerce sites - How smaller brands can build links without a large budget - Why free foundational links still matter - How link exchanges, journalist requests, and PR can fit into a link building strategy - What makes one backlink more valuable than another - Why having a real brand and useful content makes link building easier Kai also shares a few link building stories, including one involving a food blogger, a cookie company, and a fake cookie recipe made with ChatGPT. If you're in e-commerce, this episode is a must. ⭐️ Kai's first time on the podcast - Full Shopify SEO breakdown - https://www.youtube.com/…