Sending out link requests is a time-consuming business. So wouldn't it be wonderful if other sites linked to you without being asked?
Sound impossible? Well, it can be done and here are ten strategies to prove it. Why not start 2005 by making sure you use them?
In a link building campaign, you have to find target websites in the first place, review them to decide if asking for a link is worthwhile, identify the contact person and send them a customized link request. If you can do all that in 15 minutes per request, you'll be doing very well. On that timing, you'll be able to send out 160 requests in a 40 hour week and with a success rate of say 10%, you'll get 16 links for your efforts.
Perhaps there is a better way to spend those 40 hours.
Sometimes the best way to get links is not to ask for them. That doesn't mean you should sit back, do nothing and wait for links to appear. Spend time creating content and making your site as attractive and easy to link to as possible. There are lots of things you can do to build your link popularity without sending out link requests.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Make it clear on your own website that you want links - ask for them directly and make it easy for people to link by writing the linking code for them (using keyword phrases in linking text of course). Explain why it will help: "If you've found this site useful, please link to us so that others can benefit".
2. Play an active part in online discussion groups and forums. Not only will you learn, but you'll become known and will spot the movers and shakers - and if your people post good opinions and helpful advice, people will link to you.
3. Publish a regular newsletter and republish the content on your website. Encourage people to link by asking, "if you've enjoyed this newsletter, you can link to the permanent version at (insert URL)".
4. Publish articles on other websites - ezines, information sites, media sites, even article banks. This works well. You can find site to submit articles to by doing a Google search, e.g. - intitle:"submit an article" business - this produces over 1,000 results. Spend time looking for niche ezines and newsletters that serve your market, scan the type of content they publish and adapt your writing to their style.
5. Create an interactive tool. My favourite of old was 'The longevity text'. You answered about 20 questions and the tool predicted at what age you would be likely to die. Irresistible - I still remember that my prediction was 83. The test was designed and published by an insurance company - could they have been trying to sell me a pension? A little bit of creativity in thinking about such tools will be time well spent and a good programmer will be able to create a tool in just a few hours.
6. Create great content. (OK, it's an old trick, but it still works) Just keep publishing great stuff. One of the best at this is search engine marketer and prolific writer Jill Whalen. Her weekly newsletter from http://www.high rankings.com is a model of consistency and genuine value to her many thousands of readers.
7. Submit your website to legitimate award sites. Mike Corso's Cool Site of the Day, http://www .coolsiteoftheday.com is a must together with any others you can find. You'd be surprised at how high your chances of success are.
8. Praise and link. When you find genuinely useful resources, write a short, complementary review together with a link. Then publish on your website and click on it just to make sure it ends up in your target's referrer logs. Larry Chase of Web Digest for Marketers publishers a monthly newsletter that reviews about 10 web resources - you'll find it at http://www.wdfm.com . A few days later he writes to each reviewed site and allows them to quote his comments in return for a link.
9. Become a source of quotes. Provide sharp, useful, timely quotes for the media. You can get yourself known and you'll find journalists will seek you out. Sign up for services such as http://www.prleads.c om ($99 per month) or the premium priced http://www.sourc ewire.com (?1,200 per annum).
10. Volunteer to become an editor for several directories. You'll be able to submit reviews of your own sites and you'll have opportunities to get to know your market better - that inevitably leads to more linking opportunities. Go beyond the obvious - as well as http://www.dmoz.org, try http://www.joeant.com, http://www.skaffe.com and http://www.web-beacon.com.
Sometimes we can get too wrapped up in sending out link requests. Steeping back and thinking of some creative ways to get people to link without being asked will be time well spent.
Ken McGaffin is author of The Linking Matters Report and publishes a regular newsletter on linking strategy. He provides training and consultancy in link building and link building.
Chicago limo Skokie ..Ideally you don't want to be in the position of... Read More
When I first started out in Internet marketing, reciprocal linking... Read More
A classic way of getting seen and noticed on the... Read More
Is website traffic convertible to cash? The answer is yes.... Read More
We will begin this topic with one assumption, that our... Read More
An Introduction to Link ExchangeInitially, when the internet was in... Read More
Digital Economy : What Is e-Marketing : Internet Search Engines... Read More
If you want to get something from others, the fastest... Read More
So, you have a great product or service, yet your... Read More
Proper Use Of Meta tags For A High Google RankingGoogle... Read More
Reciprocal linking is considered by many people the most effective... Read More
To increase web site traffic, you first need determination, a... Read More
One Way Links from High Page Rank Pages are Your... Read More
There are many ways to get free traffic to your... Read More
Viral Marketing DefinedIt is allowing others to giveaway and use... Read More
If you own a business online, would like to increase... Read More
Have you spent a lot of money on advertising with... Read More
Every webmaster knows the importance of incoming links to a... Read More
Today I would like to talk about an easy way... Read More
Track all sources of traffic generation.John Reese stresses the need... Read More
1. Vary the keywords in your link 'anchor' textUnless you... Read More
There are many easy ways to get your name out... Read More
If you have any experience of work with your web... Read More
IntroductionBanner exchanges allow you - as a website owner -... Read More
OK boys and girls. Today we're having a pop quiz.I... Read More
limo O'Hare Bonfield ..Every webmaster who has personally tried promoting his or her... Read More
OK boys and girls. Today we're having a pop quiz.I... Read More
It official Yahoo has dropped Google and will be using... Read More
Much has already been said about having a content rich... Read More
Would you like to get unlimited viral traffic to your... Read More
Every website owner wants their website to be popular; some... Read More
It's a common story. Someone builds a great site, populates... Read More
Every website owner faces the same challenge: How to get... Read More
This is the first in a series of three articles... Read More
Web site traffic is essential to having a thriving online... Read More
Link development can be an absolute nightmare. It takes up... Read More
For many months after I put up my new website,... Read More
With all the buzz going on about the importance of... Read More
Do you have your own site? Do you have any... Read More
If you have a link directory on a website, how... Read More
If you agree that traffic is the true currency of... Read More
A funny thing happened to me three months ago. I... Read More
So what is this all important secret? It can generate... Read More
If your new to the internet marketing world, you might... Read More
So, you have a great product or service, yet your... Read More
When I first started out in Internet marketing, reciprocal linking... Read More
Web site traffic promotion is crucial in today's Internet world.... Read More
Digital Economy : What Is e-Marketing : Internet Search Engines... Read More
Getting links to a new website, without Google page rank,... Read More
We all know that generating traffic to your site is... Read More
Traffic Building |