subject: Let's Make a Deal: The Art of Linkbuilding, Hold the Spam- 10 Tips to Successful Linkbuilding [print this page] If keyword is the subject you hear most often with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), then linkbuilding is the subject you hear the second most often. Links are an integral part of any websites success, and have to be constructed so that they work best for your individual site. As such, they can be as heavily weighted in the eyes of the search engines as keywords and in some cases, more. For this reason it is important to get good links to and from your site to make nice with your search engine friends.
Links do a number of great things for your site. First, they serve to connect your site to others that are relevant to the information on your site. Next, they provide a method by which traffic to your site is increased. This is the reason your site exists, and the reason you will bring in qualified leads. In short, links contribute to your profit and growth.
Complied below are ten tips to successful linkbuilding you can implement today and in your SEO campaign.
1. Requesting Links is a great way to connect directly with sites that you think are good resources for your site. Find websites that will complement yours and contact them and ask if they will link to your site. Often this method can be time consuming and responses will be limited, but the value of having these link back can be very beneficial.
2. Writing Articles as means of providing free information, advice, or relevant industry news and asking other companies to use them is a very effective link builder. Just make sure the companies include your credits and link back to your site.
3. Blogs are a great increasingly popular method to get links back from the internet. Posting on other bloggers posts is a great way to get out news or product information about your company. Personal blogs also can direct targeted traffic towards your website provided they are filled with good keywords and are newsworthy.
4. Press Releases should be a mainstay in your marketing program. Either consistently write press releases or hire a firm to distribute these as widely as possible. Include newsworthy information and facts about your business or industry. Be careful not to make these too sales oriented or they will not be received well. Again, make sure they link back to your site to get credit for the article.
5. Affiliate Programs are a type of paid advertising. You provide a link to someone who agrees to put your link on their page. When someone clicks your link you pay the affiliate. Pick affiliates that receive a lot of traffic and will have the types of leads you want clicking through to your site. Think Amazon.com or similar affiliate sites for maximum exposure.
6. PPC and Paid Links Pay-per-click ads, regardless of the fact that they are paid, are still a method to achieve inbound links to your site. Unlike affiliate programs, you pay to have a direct link placed on a page.
7. Keep Links Relevant by choosing sites within your industry and if outside your industry; make sure there is a logical reason that you are sending visitors in that direction. Search crawlers examine the content of these links very carefully, so any deceptive practice will not go unnoticed and you could be penalized.
8. Don't Overuse Links because this frustrates users and is deceptive practice. Only link two or three outbound links per article or blog post. It is ok to add links for other services within your text but try to keep these to a minimum to avoid stuffing.
9. Use Keyword Anchor Text as often as possible when creating links. Links that are used as your key phrases will help improve your search engine ranking as long as the link leads to a page that is truly relevant. Stay away from click here as a link phrase as it won't give you any advantage with search engine crawlers.
10. Monitor Links by periodically checking that they are in working order, still go to relevant pages, and the pages they link too are still available. A broken link is worse than not having a link at all. A broken or irrelevant link could reduce your ranking because it gives the impression your site is not maintained properly.
Building a great linking structure for your web site is not something you can do in a day's work. Like all things SEO, this is a process that takes time and needs to be nourished like a garden. Remember that quality not quantity is king so seek out sites that are more popular than yours and have relevant but non-competitive content. Linking to low-quality sites may get you penalized, so be careful whom you link to.
Taking these tips into play will greatly help your SEO campaign and enhance your web credibility. Choose your links carefully, it is your choice what is on your page so make them as capable as possible.
Let's Make a Deal: The Art of Linkbuilding, Hold the Spam- 10 Tips to Successful Linkbuilding
