Advanced Link Building Strategies

I found these really useful article about Advanced Link Building Strategies on here. I keep in this blog to remind me and also maybe useful for you.

Enjoy

Link building requires dedication and consistent effort. It is the most difficult, time-consuming and important task an SEO performs to get a website ranked well. Certain strategies are well known to SEOs, while others are in the realm of the experts or forward-thinkers who puzzle them out. I have attempted to list here many of the link building tactics used by the SEO community.

1. Directories

Although it may seem an obvious and tired way to build links, directory use is still valuable and valid. I have compiled an exhaustive list of directories including PR, pages that have been spidered, and submission requirements for directories – see List of SEO Directories. When submitting to directories, make sure to vary anchor text and try to use your keywords in the description and title fields as naturally as possible. A good SEO should be able to obtain between 75-150 unique backlinks just from directories.

2. Top Competition

This tactic can help you generate the most visitors to your site. Search Yahoo, Google, MSN and the other search engines for each of your important keyword phrases and make a point of attempting to get a link from each page. Oftentimes a direct phone call to site owners or a very tactful email can go a long way. I’ve even used handwritten letters to attempt to cajole site owners into giving me a link. Use whatever resources you have help persuade – links from other sites you own, money (if you have it), free SEO services, contributions of articles or content, etc.

When I use this technique, I’ll typically make a spreadsheet listing all of the sites I have a shot at getting a link from (i.e. excluding direct, obvious competitors). I then get as much contact information as I can about each one and run down the list. This can be very time-consuming, but also exceptionally worthwhile. Even if your site doesn’t get ranked much higher, each link from a site that ranks in the top 20 will bring direct, targeted traffic.

3. Link Searches

This old technique has been honed to a science by many SEOs, but there is always room to improve. The goal is to use Google/Yahoo to search for pages that let you add a link (reciprocal, paid, etc.) that already have your keyword or some closely related content on them. Often these searches turn up smalltime site operators with reciprocal link directories managed by 3rd party software. Don’t overlook these, and make sure you submit. But the real prize is pages that give free links or offer paid links to sites they feel are important – many of the highest PR links can be obtained through this method, especially if you conduct the search at SEOChat’s PR Search Tool.

The following searches are worthy of being tried, but feel free to experiment:

1. intitle:add+url “keyword phrase”
2. intitle:submit+site “keyword phrase”
3. intitle:submit+url “keyword phrase”
4. intitle:add+site “keyword phrase”
5. intitle:add+your+site “keyword phrase”
6. intitle:directory “keyword phrase”
7. intitle:list “keyword phrase”
8. intitle:sites “keyword phrase”

All of the above searches can be used without the intitle to give even more results. As with other link building processes, these are tedious and time-consuming, but it is critical to stay focused on finding quality, relevant links. When using this method, make sure you note to which other sites the page is linking and what text content is listed. If it fits well with your content, don’t worry if the page is PR0.

4. Usurping Competitors’ Links

Although this may sound unseemly, it is one of the most effective ways to build links, and is commonly practiced. The goal is to find as many domains and pages as possible that link to your competitors’ sites and get those sites to link to you as well. This is often easier than it sounds, because the site is already linking out to people in your industry. Money, services, links or simple requests are all used to get the job done.

The most effective ways to find your competitors’ links are listed below:

1. At Yahoo! type linkdomain:url.com -site:url.com
2. At MSN’s techpreview type link:url.com -site:url.com
3. At Yahoo! type link:http://www.url.com
4. At Google type “url.com” -site:url.com

These are typically the most reliable way to find the sites and pages that link to your competitors and, incidentally, those sites which link to you. Remember to be as courteous, direct and friendly as possible. Don’t forget how effective non-electronic methods of communication can be – phone, letters, etc.

5. Article Writing & Submission

Writing unique, valuable content about your subject matter for your own site is the most critical piece of on-site SEO. But it can also be a fantastic way to generate quality links from other sites. Many existing websites are designed around hosting the content of others and providing links back to them. I have listed some of the biggest 3rd-party article hosting sites below.

General Articles – These cover a wide range of subjects and will accept submission on many topics:
* Idea Marketers – http://www.ideamarketers.com/writers.cfm
* Buzzle.com – http://www.buzzle.com/secure/become-editor.asp
* EBooksnBytes – http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/articles/submit.shtml
* Article Central – http://thewhir.com/find/articlecentral/suggest.asp
* Go Articles – http://www.goarticles.com/ulogin.html
* EzineArticles – http://ezinearticles.com/submit/
* AMAzines – http://amazines.com/
* Article City – http://www.articlecity.com/article_submission.shtml
* BPubs.com – http://www.bpubs.com/cgi/add.cgi
* Business Know-How – businessknowhow.com/newsletter/articleguidelines.htm
* WWIO – http://www.certificate.net/wwio/ideas.shtml
* About.com – http://sbinformation.about.com/library/blsubmission.htm (note, this is just of many places on the site where you can submit articles – choose the subject that best matches your site)
* NetterWeb.com – http://www.netterweb.com/articles/
* Simply Search 4it – http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/addart.php
* Vector Central Marketing – http://www.vectorcentral.com/articles-form.html
* Learning Folder – http://www.learningfolder.com/SubmitArticle.aspx
* Knowledge Bed – http://www.knowledgebed.com/submission.html
* Article Insider – http://www.articleinsider.com/start.php
* Articles that Sell – http://www.articlesthatsell.com/submityourarticle.htm
* Smart Ads – http://www.smartads.info/articles/
* Writing Career – http://www.writingcareer.com/freearticles-submit.html

These are just some of the thousands of sites that offer the ability to spread your content around the web. Additional sites on your specific topics can be found using the search engines. Especially prevalent are sites offering content in website marketing & technology – there are hundreds of sites that deal in content on these issues.