SEO experts and internet marketing professionals know that the key to high search engine rankings is link building. They will also tell you that link building is not all that easy until you have done it for awhile, and that there are so many techniques for link building that It is hard to sort them all out. Here are the 4 levels of link building to take you from novice to expert.
1. Do It Yourself, Quick and Easy. The easiest links to build are those for which you do not have to rely on anyone but yourself. The easiest way to do this is to submit your site to directories. Simply submit your URL, the name of your company, and a short description of your company. Know before you begin that directories are managed by humans, so you may not see results right away. Also know that some directories require a small fee for your listing.
You should also use social media as a way to get links to your page. SEO experts do not find these crucial to success, but they are still a pretty simple and cheap way to target an audience that is going to be using the sites anyway.
2. Do It Yourself, Not So Quick and Easy. Before you start on Level 2, make sure you have started a business blog. This is crucial if you want to have good content to which others can link. And the way you are going to get these links is through press release optimization and article marketing.
When you are writing your articles and your press releases, always keep your keyword strategy at the front of your mind. Links should coincide with your strategy. Before you send your press releases and articles into the ether, use a press release grader to see if they pass muster.
3. Networking Plus Significant Time. Networking is by far the most effective way to get links to your site. It is time consuming and it can be frustrating, but it can also get you results that you never dreamed of. There are many ways to go about this type of networking, but the key is putting yourself amongst those who are potentially interested in what you have to say.
The best way to do this is to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. But never make people feel like they would be lost without your presence. Engage them. Show compassion. Share your own opinions and ideas and vulnerabilities. Start by reading industry related blogs and commenting on them. Eventually you will want to establish a one on one relationship with bloggers, probably by casually mentioning third party content that they might find interesting.
Ideally you will soon be asked to be a guest blogger on blogs that are related to your niche. In the process, you can link to yourself and let others in your niche know that you know what you are talking about. If all goes well, they will start following you as well, which leads to the final level…
4. Links Resulting From Good Content. Once you have reached this level, you have established yourself as a knowledgeable resource within your field. Although you can probably never afford to abandon the strategies mentioned above, you are now generating most of your links from people who respect you and enjoy reading your excellent content. This kind of success does not happen immediately. It takes a lot of time and effort, including effort in providing your followers with an array of high quality, interesting, and relevant content. You may do his through your blog, through hosting webinars, or through publishing white papers.
The key to keep in mind as you are starting out is that, while content is crucial, you are going to have to start out doing more than creating great content. You are going to have to go out and find followers, and then give them a reason to stick around. It is not easy, but it will pay off in the end.
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