Link Building Strategies From Easy To Hard
Link building strategies have always been a large part of website visibility efforts. But ever since the Google Penguin algorithm penalty that hit links hard by de-ranking sites with profiles that don't comply with Google webmaster guidelines, it's gotten really hard and downright tricky.
I'll admit, it's the least favorite part of SEO I can do. It's labor intense, takes a lot of thought and huge amounts of great content to get just a few links.
I'll go over the strategies you can use, from the easiest to the most challenging.
Link Building Strategies With Directory Sites
Not all directory sites are bad for linking. Business listings on Google, Superpages, Yellow Pages, Yelp!, Merchant Circle and Manta, for example, are great for your local SEO strategy and link building. These business listings are counted as citations and reputable links.
Highly specialized, professional association directories are also good link partners. If you're a physical therapist, getting listed on the American Physical Therapy Association's site under "Find A Therapist" is a legitimate link that counts in your site's favor.
Many professional directories charge a small yearly fee for listing your business. Local listings for SEO, such as Yellow Pages have free or paid business listings you can choose from.
These are the easiest links to build, and they're safe.
Social Media Link Building Strategies
It's perfectly fine to link back your pages from social media. However, these links are "no follow," which means Google bots won't transfer page rank from the page the link is on that points back to your site.
Social media links are also quite easy to build, and if your stream contains compelling items, can drive good traffic to your web pages.
Getting Links From Associated Vendors
Your vendors often are great link partners! If you remodel homes, real estate agents, local lenders, construction material providers and rental agents are great link partners! These can usually be easy links to create, as there's a high trust level in you and your web site.
The Hardest Link Building Strategies
Once you've exhausted the easy ones, the most difficult, but very valuable links are those you get from sites you do outreach to. Usually these are sites you have no previous relationship with, and given how much press the Google Penguin penalty for links is out there, you will probably get a lot of rejections for your link exchange request.
These make me sad, because a lot of these web owners are under the impression that all links from stranger websites are bad in Google's eyes. If you really think a site is worth getting a link from, build a relationship with the web owner and make the offer at the appropriate time.
Other link building strategies include guest blogging, which can be treacherous if it's not done right or buying ads on sites that appeal to your target audience.
And here's the most up to date information about the Google Penguin penalty.
Want to know more about link building? Come to an Invenio SEO training course, and learn link building in-depth, content marketing, keyword research and more.
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Until we meet again, let's keep it safely between the ditches, umkay?
All the very best to you,
Nancy McDonald
image courtesy of pixabay.com
