5 Unbeatable Link Building Strategies
Since this is a website about making money online, which involves industry news, blogging, web design (just to name a few topics)…it’s important not to forget how to put all of those things to use by actually driving traffic to your site.
Whether you run an e-commerce based site, news blog, personal blog or any type of web property, the two core foundations of success are still the same: content and links.
Today I want to discuss one of these foundations: some simple but effective strategies to build links and create online authority for your site. Building links is considered one of the most crucial parts of gaining high rankings in major search engines. It includes an on going effort and long time strategy to guarantee you’ll experience high rankings in organic search.
In this article I want to explore several methods for bringing quality links to your site.
Contextual Link Building
Even though it’s important to build a massive number of links, the quality of those links is more important. If your site is about Internet Marketing, but the majority of your links come from the Save The Whales Foundation, it’s highly unlikely your pages will see any substantial increase in organic rankings.
However, should you gain links from authoritative sites on your respective topic, a few links from quality and RELATED sources are much more effective than a bunch of random links from obscure and unrelated sties. This is one instance where companies promising 10,000 Backlinks In One Hour! should be avoided. Keep in mind though, if you know you’re dealing with a quality firm you can trust, and they promise you targeted links, it may be worth a shot.
Also, not only will your page rank increase from acquiring quality back links, your traffic will be 10x more relevant as well. With this said: when building links, make sure they are relevant, and come from quality sites. This is called Contextual Link Building. Too see the rank Google gives to pages (remember, search engines ranks pages not sites), I recommend downloading the Google Toolbar.
Utilizing Public Relations
One of the better link building strategies and driving traffic to your site, is leverage mainstream media and using tactics large companies use on a regular basis. Once it’s clear you have something to offer and visitors will benefit by coming to your site, write and submit a press release using companies like PR Web or Business Wire. Most of these firms have multiple packages to fit all budgets. Just make sure you include all relevant keywords and links for SEO benefit and maximum exposure.
If you don’t want to submit a press release, you can always go the traditional route of contacting newspapers in your local area, or around the nation to alert them of your services and products. There is no guarantee you’ll have a write up dedicated to your site, or even mentioned…but picking up the phone and spreading the word will only increase your chances of exposure.
Join Local Organizations
Especially if your site is geared towards exposure in your local area, I recommend joining a organization such as your local chamber of commerce chapter, or LeTip (a business networking and referrals organization.) Most likely, at least one of these groups can be found in your area. As most brick and mortar companies are expanding their online presence, there has never been a better time to partner with them. This is a great way to build links, generate leads and provide services you may offer. Most of the time this results in a link to your site, or the opportunity for it to go viral. Also, you may be able to get better inclusion in a local business directory not otherwise advertised.
Joining the local Mason lodge or other societies, may or may not help your link building efforts…but again, it’s worth a shot. I’ll leave that up to you. Instead of being featured in a business directory, you may find yourself on the homepage of Info Wars or Coast to Coast AM.
Assist Non-Profit Organizations
Most non-profit organizations and NGO’s, take all the help they can get. If you provide web design services, offer to revamp their site. Should you run a news blog, do a post about their work, and most likely they’ll add a link back to the article, or include it in a newsletter. Remember, their goal is to gain exposure too. In the case you do one of the above, it isn’t uncommon for you to ask for a link or some type of mention about your site. Even sponsoring one of their events will be worthy for them to put a link about it on the organization’s site.
Provide Valuable Tools or Information
A lot of investment sites provide mortgage, IRA and 401k calculators. This is a popular way to increase links because it adds something of value other sites will link to. Another way is to provide some type of information not offered any place else. For instance, when the papers 60 Minutes used about former President George W Bush’s National Guard Service appeared to be bogus, the site Little Green Footballs was the first to report this. They reenacted how someone could have used Microsoft Word to falsify the documents. Of course you remember what happened: Dan Rather resigned, and CBS lost some of it’s Cronkite era prestige as a credible news organization.
Now, Little Green Footballs has been mentioned across every major news network as being the sole match that lighted the blaze over at CBS.
I hope the above tips help you in your link building campaigns. Should you have a thought, or another suggestion for our viewers to use…feel free to leave a comment so it can be discussed. And, as always, let me know it it goes!
hai there….
it’s a nice post. I agree with you that joining local organization and non-profit organization may help us to increase the traffic. I have done it once and it’s really effective.
Bookmark for this nice post and blog
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