Tips on Effective Link Building

Link building is vital part of your organisation's SEO campaign, often giving you the edge over your competitors. When a number of sites of the same size and age are competing for business within the same field, it can be difficult for any one organisation to rise above the rest. Backlinks represent one of the most successful ways you can set your site apart. Backlinks are links from external websites back to your site and that often act as endorsements. If a user considers the information on your site to be useful or enlightening then they are likely to set up a link from their own site to yours.

Varieties of links

There are a number of different varieties of links that websites can take advantage of, some of which are considered more valuable than others.

Reciprocal links

Reciprocal links are sometimes referred to as two way links. This type of link acts between a pair of websites to boost traffic for both. The most important thing about reciprocal links is that they are used in moderation and are always relevant to those who use your site.

Blog comment links

It is possible to enhance your site's success with regard to SERPs by using blog comments for links. These links are not particularly strong so it is best to use them in moderation. Webmasters have a good understanding of blog comments and will generally ensure that little strength is transferred through them.

Links from directories

Directory services are very useful internet resources. Some of these directories are industry-specific and others are used simply to divide online content into categories. Search engines use these directories to gain a better understanding about the area of the market you are active within. Authority, changing anchor text and PR are crucial elements to focus on here.

Article submissions

Article submissions hold quite a lot of weight. These are characterised by articles of unique content that have relevance to your particular industry or organisation. Article submission services exist that are capable of boosting your traffic significantly at a very reasonable cost. When articles are relevant and informative they also improve your level of authority within your field.

It is possible to build backlinks without eating into your budget. The following techniques are really simple and effective.

Top tens

Reader trends show that most users exhibit a great preference for content that appears in list form. Top ten lists are particularly successful at drawing traffic. When treated properly, a top ten list that is appropriate to your industry can have a really positive effect because it appeals to readers who may then share your article and link back to it. When dealing with top ten lists, it is a good idea to try to add a personal element and some opinion to stir debate and drive traffic.

Press releases

It is possible to secure backlinks through the use of press releases. These are also the ideal way to promote any new products or services that you may be in the process of launching. Online press release distribution facilities are available whose service you may be able to benefit from.

Social media

Social media is an area of the internet that is growing all the time. This is an area you should look to expand into in order to enhance the effect of your search engine optimisation campaign. The social network sites that hold the most weight are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, but there are a number of others worth taking advantage of, including Squidoo, HubPages and Digg. If you add relevant content to these social media platforms then you are more likely to enjoy more targeted traffic, backlinks and reader referrals.

Blogs and forums

Link building and SEO are on-going processes that require a certain level of commitment. This commitment often means getting involved in the online community surrounding your specific industry. Being active on industry blogs and forums gives you the opportunity to promote your site at the same time as interacting directly with your target audience. Much of your activity in this area will be to provide feedback on posts and offer advice from your industry perspective wherever possible. Many blogs and forums will also permit links which will help to boost your traffic. However, be careful that you don't spam blog and forums because you may end up being banned from them.

Guest blogs

If you have the time, it is definitely worth building links by guest blogging on other sites. This is a great way of attracting high quality links. Guest blogging on sites relevant to your industry is good way of exercising your authority, attracting backlinks and maintaining good relationships with others in your field. The blogs you appear on will also benefit from the unique content you are delivering, so this is a nice way of setting up a mutually beneficial arrangement.

RSS feed directories

Feedage and RSSMountain are examples of RSS feed directories that help promote and index websites. Securing backlinks from RSS feed directories is a real bonus as many of leaders in this area enjoy high PageRank.

Just Search offer a full suite of internet marketing solutions.

By blending the latest search engine optimisation techniques with key marketing strategies, Just Search can focus and develop a client's online presence. This not only satisfies search engine criteria, but attracts new customers and delivering ROI.

For further details on how to improve your SEO and e-commerce efficiency, visit Just Search web site Justsearching.co.uk.

Just Search operates an international service with offices based in the UK, Ireland, France & Sweden, all of which support an ever expanding pan-European client base.

Authored by Andrew North, SEO Consultant, Just Search UK Ltd.