Link building (aka link building) is a term that describes anything that is done to redirect incoming links to a website (also known as backlink building). This can be done by posting comments on forums, posting articles, posting links to directories, posting links on social sites, etc.. Link building for websites is one of the main factors of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) practice. the good one. Page rank is based heavily on the quality of the sites linking to that site. Building a good link portfolio takes time, effort and perhaps money, but can significantly improve the performance of the site. See Step 1 below to find out how.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Weaving the Web of Links
Step 1. Understand how link building works
Link building is the process of creating backlinks to your site. This happens naturally with good content, but it can also be helped in a number of ways. Backlinks are important because they can affect your site's ranking and where your site will appear in search results. Some factors to take into account include:
- Trust - this is the level of trust between the linked sites. Links to trusted sites will be much more influential.
- Link environment - this is the general level of the sites linking to your site and the sites you link to. For example, a spam site will often link to other spam sites thus creating a lower linking environment.
- Link text (aka anchor text) - this is the text displayed on the link. The link text must be relevant to the content being linked to, as search engines compare this text to the link's destination.
- Freshness - A page will slowly become less popular, so link relevance tends to rot. Fresh links are a sign that the linked content is still relevant and helps improve rankings.
Step 2. Find blogs and forums related to your site's content
Both have a place where you can add your website link on your profile, as well as on your profile signature. Every time you post a comment in a forum, your signature will be left in the comments for anyone to see, including search engines.
To build a good link network, find sites that fit your genre. Competition is not something to be ignored or avoided. Instead, team up with other sites in your field, and your site will soon grow
Step 3. Submit the article
Article submissions take a little longer to build links, but will help increase your website's page rank if submitted to the right sites. Start by writing simple but related articles on the content on your website. Then submit this article to a website that will send a link to its visitors. Make sure you add a link to your site in the source section of the article. Thus web crawlers submitted by search engines will find article links when crawling the site.
This method may not be as effective as it used to be, due to an update to Google's "panda" algorithm
Step 4. Submit an RSS feed
RSS or "Really Simple Syndication" is a technique with a web feed format for publishing frequently updated works in a standard format, such as websites, blogs and news headlines. An RSS document is called a feed (aka feed) which contains text and metadata to publish if the site or blog is updated. The benefits are great, as RSS feed submissions allow webmasters to auto-publish the content of their websites or blogs. The more sites to submit RSS feeds to, the more often your new content will be published and found by search engines. As with most link building techniques, there are many sites available to submit your site or blog's RSS feed.
Step 5. Answer the questions
Answering questions can be a very productive link building technique, but it can be time consuming. There are many sites where someone can post a question and wait for someone else to answer. This can be very productive, as most of these sites allow you to also post a source link in the answer. The web crawler will find your link while allowing others looking for the same answer to follow the link back to your website.
- Including a link on the question type site will also greatly increase your site's ranking, as the site itself ranks higher.
- Don't spend your entire day answering questions. This technique is best used for answering only a few questions each week. Over time, backlinks will start to build.
Step 6. Create a blog
Blogging is a link building technique that can really help your site, but it can also be time consuming. Done right, a blog can not only help build backlinks to your site, it can also help your site by attracting new visitors and promoting new pages and information to your site. Remember to always add a link to your blog post, so that web crawlers and visitors can follow that link back to your site.
Step 7. Submit your website to site directories
Site directories are one of the oldest and most common forms of link building. A directory is a collection of links that share a site's genre or subject. This directory can later be read by readers and web crawlers.
- Some popular directories for example: Open Directory Project, Yahoo! directory, and others. There are also directories specific to your niche, so do your research and then submit your site.
- Most directories require you to submit your site manually, and some are done by volunteers. This means there will be a significant delay until your post is posted.
- Submitting a site can be a time-consuming process, and is often outsourced to save time and money.
Step 8. Contact other sites directly
If you have a site that will complement another site, contact the webmaster of that site and ask about exchanging links. Links to and from related content will increase the trustworthiness of both sites and can be mutually beneficial.
For example, if you have a site about jewelry cleaning tips, you can contact jewelry stores and jewelry trading sites
Step 9. Comment on related content
A quick way to spread links is to comment on blogs and other articles related to your content. There are different opinions on the best way to do this. Some suggest placing a contextual link to your site in the comments, while others suggest placing a link in your signature or profile.
- Place your link in a natural location. A link surrounded by context is far more considered a good link.
- Avoid placing links in the sidebar and footer of comments. These two sections are much less likely to be crawled by search engines.
Step 10. Link out
In addition to building backlinks to your page, post links to other trusted sites in your field. This will help build trust and improve the link environment. Webmasters from other bonded sites will see positive traffic from your links, leading to partnerships and link exchanges.
Just like any other link building technique, make sure you are linking out to relevant content
Step 11. Link to more than just the main page
When linking to your site in other articles and comments, link to the relevant page or article and not to the main page of your site. This will help you increase the ranking of other pages besides your main page, thereby increasing your site's overall presence.
Step 12. Create guest writing
Many sites and blogs feature regular guest writers. Prepare some samples, then call and ask the webmaster about where to guest write. Guest writing is a great place to place a few selected links to your site, as well as include the link in your signature.
- Make sure that your links are relevant.
- Don't use too many links, or your post will be considered spam.
- Some webmasters might not be happy with too much self-promotion, so make sure your guest writing is still good and worth reading.
Step 13. Use an RSS feed
Make sure that all of your articles are being broadcast via RSS feeds, and that the feeds have been submitted to the relevant RSS directories. This will increase the traffic that comes to your articles and lead to more natural backlinks.
Part 2 of 3: Creating Quality Content
Step 1. Write original content
The most important way to get natural backlinks is to create useful content. Other people will link to your site if your content is useful or looks interesting. Creating good content is an art form, and it will come with a lot of practice.
- Use alternative ways to deliver content. Use comics, podcasts, videos, or other forms of communication to help stand out and build a good brand identity.
- Interviews are a great way to create engaging content and networking. Interviews are factual, and generally viewed by an interested demographic.
Step 2. Create self-authority
If you are an expert on a particular subject, take advantage of that expertise and create self-authority on the subject. By providing useful and unique content for your niche, you will find other people linking to you for referrals. These are some of the strongest links you can create, as they have a huge impact on your trust rating.
If you are able to establish self-authority, you will be linked in news articles and other great publications. This will make a huge increase in traffic as well as your site's ranking
Step 3. Stay abreast of the latest news and developments
Interesting things on the internet keep changing and will still be much sought after. Tailor your content to keep up with what's trending so that your site is linked all over the place.
Step 4. Make sure your article is error free
No one likes to read articles that are poorly written or full of spelling mistakes. Take the time to proofread your writing. Good articles will come with practice and patience.
Step 5. Write evergreen content
Evergreen content is content that will always be relevant. This content is good for consistent links, as it will be searched again at a later date. A strong link portfolio has some mix of evergreen links in it. Some of the best evergreen content includes romance, food, parenting, weight loss, pet care, and more. Common evergreen formats are for example:
- list
- Review
- Tutorials
Step 6. Make sure that your site is well designed and usable
An ugly and useless site will hurt your backlinks campaign before it even starts. Visually appealing sites are very important, as readers will quickly overlook sites that are difficult to use or difficult to read.
Part 3 of 3: Using Social Media
Social media sites typically use NoFollow links, meaning they won't count towards your ranking. These sites are still excellent for building traffic and bringing in visitors that are profitable for you. This can indirectly build links, as readers who are drawn to your site will start linking themselves.
Step 1. Maintain your presence on major social networks
Use as many social networks as appropriate for your site. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and others are abundant sources for sharing links. Make sure you have a presence on many of these sites within your time and budget. Building a simple social page usually only takes a few minutes but can pay off well, as you can add lots of information and links that help your website rank and attract new visitors. Millions of people every day look for new information on social sites, then share that information with their friends and family.
Step 2. Build social media pages that reflect your content
Make sure that all your social media visitors can see your latest content. This will get them to come to your site, and potentially create backlinks to your articles.
Step 3. Take advantage of social bookmarking sites
Social bookmarking is a way for internet users to organize, store, manage, search and share online resources, such as websites. Digg, Reddit, Pinterest, Stumbleupon, and others are great ways to get your articles out in front of new visitors. Many of these sites allow you to submit your own articles, although there is a frequency limit for doing so. Ideally, readers will submit your site to these social bookmarks, which will build popularity and trust.
Many blogging platforms have plugins that allow your readers to easily submit your articles to social bookmarking sites
Tips
- Create a diverse portfolio of links. Google changes its algorithm frequently, and linking techniques that work well may be blocked and ineffective. You should build links naturally and not artificially.
- Always find out if the links posted on a website are "follow" or "no follow".
