There are many link building strategies in the
SEO world. Some work and some do not. Here are the techniques Internet
marketers should focus on in 2011 to increase link popularity.
Link building is an extremely important part of
SEO. The more Websites you have linking into your site, the more credible your
site appears to the search engines. Credible Websites get awarded with higher
search engine page result rankings which will allow more potential customers to
see your Website, therefore increasing sales. There are many ways to increase
your link popularity. Here are some tips and trends from Search Engine Land to
help you with link building this year.
In 2011, Bing and Blekko will
become great places to build links. Last year, many link builders relied
heavily on Google and Google's search listings. However, although Google
is never going away, other search engines will step out of the shadows and
bring great link building opportunities to marketers.
Start to concentrate on
creating well-rounded link popularity. Make sure your links are coming
from a variety of places such as social media networks, link directories,
blogs, older sites, newer sites, articles, social bookmarking sites and
more. Generating links from many different platforms will allow you to
create a larger list. It also makes your site look more credible to search
engines than if all your links were coming from just link directories or
just social media networks alone.
Link builders should begin to
focus more on how to secure links rather than just ways to generate lists
of link building sites and opportunities. Without the right link building
technique, a list isn't worth much in the long run anyway.
The rise of apps is beginning
to take people away from actual Websites. In order to combat this, it's
important to develop a loyal following to use for link building as well as
product announcements. Try to gain opt-in email addresses and split your
Internet marketing campaign into two parts, one to focus on link building
and one to focus on driving traffic to your site, email marketing and
social media. Building your following leaves you with a back-up plan if
apps do end up totally driving people away from Websites, because you’ll
be able to get links from your fans/followers.
In 2011, expect to see smaller
brands ranking better based on customer service reviews and social media
interaction. In the previous years, big brands have had the most power
when it comes to online marketing. However, smaller brands tend to provide
better customer service and now social media and customer review sites
have allowed that quality to shine.
Start using social media
networks Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for link building. Here’s how:
Facebook: Post links to your
Website on your wall, in discussion and on other people's walls (when
appropriate, don't spam.) Also search for Groups that are associates with
your keywords, join these groups and start and respond to discussions.
Make sure to leave a link to your site at the end of each response. You
can also use Facebook ads to buy links and target them by region, gender,
keywords and more.
LinkedIn: Not only can you
post links to your "wall" but also participate in LinkedIn Answers using
keywords. By answering multiple questions posted by other members each
week, you'll establish credibility and attract links and sales leads. You
can also leave the link to your Website as a reference which will help
with your link building efforts. When you're done answering a question
you can also ask the person who asked it for a link back to your site.
Twitter: Make sure to use
keywords in every tweet and include a short link back to a relevant page
on your Website. Since tweets are now being indexed in Google this will
greatly help your link building efforts and drive more traffic to your
Website.
Look for fresh sources and
sites when it comes to traditional link directories. As your social media
followers if they would like to host articles or blogs you’ve written on
their sites. You’ll be surprise how many respond which will get you a few
valuable links.
Participate on forums and
review sites. Leave your link with your signature.
Try to gain .gov and .edu links. These credible sources will
have a positive impact on your search engine rankings and are also
relatively easy to gain if your site is relevant to the subject of the
organization.
Remember that quality over quantity is important
when it comes to link building. Do not conduct any link exchanges with Websites
that are irrelevant to your industry or topic. Google and other search engines
frown upon this. This year, concentrate on building quality links that will
last and gaining loyal followers/fans/customers who will help drive traffic to
your Website.
Wendy Suto, President
and CEO of Search Circus, which is a full service certified and ethical search
engine optimization and marketing firm that offers Internet marketing, corporate
blogging, PR distribution, PPC consulting, link building and other online
marketing solutions with proven results.
