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.

6. Forums & Online Communities

Generating links through forums is often considered spam, but forums are valuable tools for link builders as long as the proper methods are employed. The forum signature of a member is certainly a fair place to promote your site, and while doing so may not provide a worthy backlink in the search engines’ eyes, it does offer visitors on the forum a chance to see your site.

The primary goal of joining a forum should be to contribute and learn from the community, but promotion certainly isn’t out of place, as long as it remains on-topic. In SEO forums, people constantly plug their new directories, tools, articles, etc. These are all appropriate as long as they are subtle, relevant and not overdone.

When a specific page, tool or link would provide a great resource or answer to a question in a community, don’t hesitate to provide it. Much of the information used to write this article and the SEO Survey tool was provided in forums through links. Just remember to carefully read the terms of use for the forums you post in – many are harsh if they feel someone is there to spam or advertise.

7. Blogging & Comments

Blogging is a very effective way to get natural inbound links, and by having a personal blog at your site, you can more easily make commentary at other sites that link back to you. DO NOT spam blog comments with advertisements; your goal is to create an online reputation you can be proud of. Blog owners and visitors will not take kindly to blog spam. The key to effective blogging for links is to make sure you comment relevantly & intelligently about the specific subject in the blog. A well thought-out response to a relevant blog or article can bring not only search engines, but more importantly other readers of the blog to your site through the link. If your content proves interesting, you could build much more than just a single link through your comments.

Another important thing to remember is that your link in blog comments may not count at all in the search engines. Many blogs prevent access to these comments or don’t provide direct, spiderable links for blog visitors. This, combined with the fact that these comments are buried at least 2-3 links deep from the main page means that you should keep your focus on the visitors you might generate, rather than the search engine optimization you might get.

However, you should still be as SE friendly as possible. If the subject matter deals directly with your keyword phrases, you’re in fine shape, but if they are on related subjects, it can’t hurt to use your keyword phrase(s) once or twice in a longer comment/entry. You should also try to make your ‘name’ – which is typically the anchor text for your link contain at least one of your kw phrases, but remember to keep it varied and never let it overtake the importance of getting visitors, i.e. if your site is about Orange County T-Shirts, having a ‘name’ of OC-Tshirt-Man can’t hurt you, but Orange-County-T-Shirts is probably not as wise.

8. Renting Pages from Authority Sites

This tactic is not often mentioned, but can be extremely valuable. The premise is to rent, for a monthly fee, a page hosted on a larger or more authoritative site in your industry. You then add content & links on the page to your own site(s) with the anchor text you choose and in the format you select. These are almost like ‘advertorials’ in magazines, where you provide content that the site links to (hopefully not more than 2 links from the homepage) and then link back to your own site.

The fundamental difference between this tactic and simple article hosting is that you approach a site or company that doesn’t normally host other people’s content about having your information. Although rejection is often likely, the benefits can be phenomenal, as the page itself may rank well for your search terms very quickly.

9. Purchasing Online Advertising

Link building through advertising is exceptionally expensive, but it can bring in good returns if properly managed. Make sure as you buy links that you get the click-through rate from the seller for the past 6 months. You should get a lot of other statistics to review as well – make sure to avoid advertising in places where the seller doesn’t have good information on click-through rates, visitors, etc. You’ll also have to work around re-direct scripts, links sent through ad networks (like DoubleClick), etc. As long as you are up front and friendly, you’ll be able to have some success in this arena as long as you have the funding.

10. Text Link Brokers

Although initial thoughts about link brokers can give a bad impression, this new industry can actually have a positive value on your link building efforts. I recommend against purchasing sitewide links unless your only goal is to build PR (i.e. directories or SEO related sites, etc.). Sitewide links have come to be associated with “manipulation” of the SERPs by search engines and should be largely avoided. However, purchasing text links on specific, related sites surrounded by the content of your choice can be beneficial, if difficult to find.

The key to a successful text link is that all the components of natural SEO are there:
* Is the page closely related to your site’s topic?
* Is the link placed in a strategic position – i.e. not in an obvious advertising space or footer?
* Is the site related to the topic of your site and the topic of the page?
* Is the site spidered frequently by the search engines and do the pages have visible PR?

If the link meets these criteria, it could be very worthwhile. However, be careful to avoid paying high prices for a particular page or site, simply because of its PR. It is more likely that multiple low PR (3,4 & 5) pages are worth more to you than a single PR7 or 8.

Several lists of text links sellers are available online:
1. Link Sellers – List of Text Link Ad Sellers
2. Text Link Brokers – Discussion and some links at SearchEngineWatch Forums

Be wary and always do some search research and asking at the major SEO forums prior to buying from text link brokers. The industry is, sadly, rife with scammers & companies that don’t deliver as promised.

11. Unique Tools & Services

By offering specific, relevant free Internet tools/services at your site, you can generate naturally built links. My recommendation is to find a tool or service that isn’t currently offered or that you believe you can improve upon. For some industries, this will be much harder than others, but creativity is your best tool. Imagine what automated web service, list of resources or submission-type tool would best benefit you and then build it and offer it on your site.

Some excellent examples are listed below (these come straight from my imagination):
* For a site about animals, a tool that visually diagrams the phylum/genus/species relationships
* For a site about travel, a tool that creates a pre-planned itinerary based on a selection of interests
* For a site about real estate, a tool that estimates property value or gives a % chance of selling for a based on time, region & price.

The possibilities are endless, and there is little doubt that the web can automate and make easier hundreds of tasks in any industry. The key, after you have built your tool, is to promote it with industry leaders – send it to bloggers who discuss your subject matter, ask people to use and evaluate it on forums, etc. You can even try to promote it by writing an article about your findings, development or the simple existence of the tool and submitting it across the newswires.

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