So you have a site and you know you need to get links to your site. Where to start? Link building is a long-term goal that eventually happens quite naturally when you have an established site full of great content. But new sites have to begin somewhere, so let’s examine some starting points.
Directories
Don’t go overboard, but start with a few top directories and a few secondary ones that have been around for a while.
Submit to the Open Directory Project, a large, respected and free directory. But expect to wait months and months to get a listing if your site meets their quality guidelines. If you do get a listing this is a very valuable link. Submit to the Yahoo Directory if your budget allows ($299 US per year). Make sure your site meets their guidelines though, because the fee is NOT refundable. Some other good directories: GoGuides, JoeAnt and Best of the Web.
You don’t want a majority of your links to be from directories so don’t bother with lists of hundreds - or in some cases thousands - of general directories. (I got an email today offering to submit my site to 2700+ ‘quality’ directories. Put those straight in the junk bin.) However, you should check whether there are industry-specific directories you can use. For example, there are lots of real estate, travel, education or industrial directories. Look for some in your industry. Don’t forget local directories, especially if you operate within a specific geographic area.
Reciprocal linking (you link to me, I’ll link to you) should be done carefully and in moderation. Don’t trade links with everyone who asks. Ideally, any sites you trade links with should be of genuine interest to your site visitors. Try searching for some of your own or related keyword phrases and look through the sites you find. Look for some that are in a similar topic area while not being competitors.
Many people view link building simply as a means to improve PageRank. Aim for quality links - the PageRank will follow.
Examine your competitors and see who is linking to them. A good way to get started with this is to enter their URL in Yahoo’s Site Explorer and choose the ‘in-links’ tab.
Consider your existing clients, suppliers or others with whom you have a business relationship. Would they be willing to give you a link? Some business groups provide links to their members.
The process of link building is covered in more detail in our basic search engine optimization training courses. Upcoming dates include Calgary September 21 & 22, and Vancouver October 19 & 20.
Tags: inbound links, Link Building, link reputation, linking