Building Better Backlinks
Link building is all about quality, not quantity. In distant years gone by, it might have been enough to submit your website to as many other websites as possible, but search engines have come a long way since then. Google in particular places focus on rewarding sites for being considered an authority, therefore modern link building practice revolves around trying to achieve this. Here are four quickfire suggestions for building better backlinks in 2013.
1. Directory Submissions
Website directories have by no means gone the way of the dinosaur, but they do require more scrutiny to be effective. Look only for directories that are either respectable or relevant, and err on the side of quality rather than quantity. You can sort directories by niche and page ranking on websites such as DirectoryCritic.
2. Organic Link Building
A long-term investment, and a highly worthwhile one. Organic link building refers to creating content that is naturally shared because of its usefulness or interest, thus creating “organically” made links back to your website. This content often includes such as things as top 10 style lists, insider tips and tutorials, opinion pieces, comics or videos – it all depends on your business, your content and your style. Post it from your blog and include plenty of sharing links, or submit it to social aggregate sites such as Reddit and Digg.
3. Comment Links
One way to get your site back linked on quality, industry-relevant websites is to include it in the comments you leave on blog posts, articles or forums. However, it is critically important that you do not spam. Most websites will have approval processes to ensure low quality comments don’t get through anyway, so take the time to leave a thoughtful comment that contributes to the conversation. Share a link to a relevant resource on your own site, or include the link only in your profile or signature. The key to this is to be helpful and genuine, so that you not only get a strong back link but the potential for human traffic. Just make sure you follow the correct procedure.
4. Blog Guest Posts
Blogs have become industry staples. Fresh insights, perspectives and tutorials are always welcome regardless of topic. Having your own blog is good, but you can reach new audiences by offering to guest post on other popular sites. Make sure you check in case they specifically don’t want solicitations for guest posts, then send a polite and positive email explaining what you’d like to write for them. The post should be just as good as anything you’d have on your own blog, if not better – after all, you’re making an impression on a new and wide audience. Search for top industry-related blogs yourself or use a service such as GuestBlogIt or MyBlogGuest.
Taking the time to build quality back links is not a walk in the park. It takes commitment, but it does mean your website’s SEO will be much more stable and successful.
Link building is all about quality, not quantity. In distant years gone by, it might have been enough to submit your website to as many other websites as possible, but search engines have come a long way since then. Google in particular places focus on rewarding sites for being considered an authority, therefore modern link building practice revolves around trying to achieve this. Here are four quickfire suggestions for building better backlinks in 2013.
