Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Tips for Better Link Building

Link building is an integral portion of the search engine optimization process.  How does a search engine deliver particular information?  Engines use a number of factors to determine its offered results.  

How others view a particular page is one of the factors.  If a particular page or domain housing that page receives a good number of incoming links (links from other web properties) then a search engine is likely to consider that source valuable.  

Obviously web masters want the content on their sites to be considered valuable, warranting the need for link building.

Link building is not a black and white process.  Nor is it about automated, non-personal practices.  It requires premeditation and outreach skills.  Consider the following tips.

Would You Link to That?

Of course, every webmaster desires as many links from quality sources as possible.  However, not all content is created equally.  Some content is lacking in desirable elements.  Not many people will link to such, if any at all.  

A great question to ask is, "Would I link to this?"  Think long and hard before orchestrating content.  Hosting content just for content's sake is not good business, nor makes for good SEO.  Formulate a plan and process.  The end product should be worthy of other people's attention.

Does the content help?

Some content is theoretical in nature, while other tips are more pragmatic and actionable.  Ensure the content offers something to the reader.  Make sure it teaches them, helps them, or clarifies other information.  

The content should focus on bettering the position of the reader and not be about the webmaster, products, or services.  Speaking upon the supremacy of brands and what they offer has a place in marketing; yet, such material is usually not worthy of incoming links.  Ask the question, "Does this information augment the position of the reader?"  If so, proceed to publish.

Segment to Target Markets

Link building, as defined above, is the process of accruing incoming links to a site.  In some cases, brands will engineer specific content with that person in mind, targeting a specific group of readers to garner interest.  

For instance, a business website may post a helpful article on doing one's taxes, hoping to gain incoming links from self-finance sites.  The larger pool of the site's audience focuses on business; yet, the particular endeavor targeted a specific market with link building intentions in mind.

Don't Move On

When a webmaster gets a good link, most are immediately satisfied.  It's a win.  However, it could just be the beginning.  A webmaster could benefit from beginning a relationship with the other webmaster.  

For instance, an email thanking the giver of the link could parlay into a weekly guest spot on their site, accruing more links in the future.  Link building is a never-ending process.  Don't stop looking for more links.  And don't stop making the most out of present opportunities.
Citations:
Richard Ortiz works with a team of writers at WebiMax, addressing online marketing for a number of clients big and small.

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