Apparently it is here to stay: the power of the inbound link. Google values the inbound link in a powerful way. It's a vote for your site, and without the votes, you don't get that Googletrust and you don't get that ranking. Getting the right mix of links is crucial, and how to even get these links is a mystery to most, and a pain in the rear to the rest of us. But with the right effort and knowledge, you can create a logical mix of inbound links that will indicate to search engines that your site is valuable.
But first to point out the obvious, without a decent, valuable site, your link building will be wasted. Search engines try and mostly do reward sites that are relevant to search terms, useful to visitors. So gaming the system without trying to truly have a worthwhile site will not work. It may work for a short time, but for longevity, you are still wise to focus on what the visitor wants and needs.
That said, you still have to do a ton of work that you would not normally do for visitors only, if you want to rank for your words. It is just not possible to build a site just for visitors and expect to rank. MAYBE if you have 4 years, MAYBE if the nature of your business coincidentally is one that demands new content naturally for visitors, MAYBE if you are such a huge authority in your field, if your field happens to be something worth linking to, MAYBE then you can just randomly and naturally build up enough inbound links to rank high enough to turn a profit. But what if you sell socks? I mean, how much content can you possibly 'naturally' put on your site about socks? Is it really helping your visitor? And how many websites in the world are just dying to link to your fabulously well written valuable articles (1-2 new ones a month, right?) about socks, choosing a color, knee socks vs. crew, etc. It is all just fluff, and this is what the search engines want (expect) us to do.
So accepting that you will have to manipulate your marketing plan for the search engines as well as visitors, you will embrace this intimidating link building campaign. You must get links. Gotta do it. No getting around it. And link baiting, enticing people to link to you by offering rich valuable content, or free widgets, or press releases, is a big part of it. But baiting is just not enough for most sites, you will have to do active building the hard way: one at a time or buying them. You will want lots of smaller links, and a few big boys. Some links in content from a high PR will work magic on most sites, especially mixed in with the average links. A few authority links such as EDU links or GOV links will complement your smaller links and give you a big boost.
Link campaign tips: Keep it well rounded. Work towards a mix of high PR links and lots of smaller ones, even PR below yours. Shoot for links in content whenever possible, they are still absolutely the best. Keep the timing natural, you do not want tons of links showing up at one time, it is unnatural. Use a variety with your anchor text, do not overoptimize for one keyword. And point the anchor text to the complementary internal page, not just the homepage.
Overwhelming? Link building is not for the faint of heart, and the SEO companies that are taking this on are worth every penny. - 15615
But first to point out the obvious, without a decent, valuable site, your link building will be wasted. Search engines try and mostly do reward sites that are relevant to search terms, useful to visitors. So gaming the system without trying to truly have a worthwhile site will not work. It may work for a short time, but for longevity, you are still wise to focus on what the visitor wants and needs.
That said, you still have to do a ton of work that you would not normally do for visitors only, if you want to rank for your words. It is just not possible to build a site just for visitors and expect to rank. MAYBE if you have 4 years, MAYBE if the nature of your business coincidentally is one that demands new content naturally for visitors, MAYBE if you are such a huge authority in your field, if your field happens to be something worth linking to, MAYBE then you can just randomly and naturally build up enough inbound links to rank high enough to turn a profit. But what if you sell socks? I mean, how much content can you possibly 'naturally' put on your site about socks? Is it really helping your visitor? And how many websites in the world are just dying to link to your fabulously well written valuable articles (1-2 new ones a month, right?) about socks, choosing a color, knee socks vs. crew, etc. It is all just fluff, and this is what the search engines want (expect) us to do.
So accepting that you will have to manipulate your marketing plan for the search engines as well as visitors, you will embrace this intimidating link building campaign. You must get links. Gotta do it. No getting around it. And link baiting, enticing people to link to you by offering rich valuable content, or free widgets, or press releases, is a big part of it. But baiting is just not enough for most sites, you will have to do active building the hard way: one at a time or buying them. You will want lots of smaller links, and a few big boys. Some links in content from a high PR will work magic on most sites, especially mixed in with the average links. A few authority links such as EDU links or GOV links will complement your smaller links and give you a big boost.
Link campaign tips: Keep it well rounded. Work towards a mix of high PR links and lots of smaller ones, even PR below yours. Shoot for links in content whenever possible, they are still absolutely the best. Keep the timing natural, you do not want tons of links showing up at one time, it is unnatural. Use a variety with your anchor text, do not overoptimize for one keyword. And point the anchor text to the complementary internal page, not just the homepage.
Overwhelming? Link building is not for the faint of heart, and the SEO companies that are taking this on are worth every penny. - 15615
