DIY SEO: Link Building​

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If you spend any time at all exploring the plethora of information on SEO you will invariably uncover topics exploring link building, the process of acquiring inbound links to a given website.  These links count like votes on the web that ultimately impact search rankings.  Along with the content on a particular website; the quantity, quality, and relevance of the individual back links will determine how much impact is made on specific keyword search rankings.  Needless to say link building is a powerful SEO tactic, fundamental to almost every well-planned SEO strategy.

Link building is not something easily done without the help of someone who has credible SEO experience, however most businesses have relationships and resources that they can leverage to get started. It should be mentioned that without relevant website content and the proper on-page SEO up front, links could have a much smaller impact on overall results.

SEO Assets

The first thing to examine is the businesses’ SEO assets, this can vary quite a bit from business to business, but usually every business has some opportunities they can leverage.  What kind of business is yours, B2B, B2C, Commercial, Industrial?  Depending on the business your resources may vary, the following are examples of opportunities that businesses can use to acquire links.

Retail:

  • What brands do you carry? Each company should have a website that may have a retailer/local directory, you need to make sure you are listed there with current information and a link to your website.
  • What professional associations or organizations do you belong to?  Make sure your linked from their website directory.
  • Are you a member of any local chamber of commerce?  Better Business Bureau?

B2B/Industrial

  • Who are your partners?  Do you have business relationships that you might be able to leverage to gain links from?  Does your business partner’s website have an area that makes sense for a link to your website?
  • What professional associations or organizations do you belong to?  Make sure your linked from their website directory.

Media & PR Coordination

Does your company have a marketing department or person who helps manage and create promotional events?  Do you do any community outreach?  Do you ever receive write-ups or media coverage?  Do you donate or help promote to charities? 

Description unavailableExposure from traditional media such as radio or television has long represented tremendous opportunities for businesses everywhere, following up to ensure that you receive a website link from all possible parties is crucial!  If you sponsor a charity you should be listed on their site, if an online newspaper mentions you in an article you should ask for a link, if you sponsor an event you should be linked from the event webpage.

Professional Experience

Lastly, if you are a new business with no existing relationships or marketing support there is one area almost every business can offer, and that’s professional experience.  Whether you are an Insurance corporation or a local plumber, you have unique professional experience that makes your knowledge valuable to those without your particular skill set.

Experience = Quality Content

There are a number of ways to leverage this experience for your website but the best place to start is probably blogging and guest blogging.  I suggest starting by incorporating a blog into your company website, there are a number of options out there like wordpress and blogger.  You may need to hire a web developer to integrate your blog, but it’s worth the effort.  Your blog will be the primary way you can continue to promote your site long after the official launch, and with one lucky newsworthy post you might get the links you need to really improve your search rankings.

Blogging

Blogging ReadinessNow I know you may not be keen on writing, but if you dedicate some time to providing valuable information to potential customers online, you will find that you may receive the link support you need to make real SEO progress.  Remember, links work like votes on the web, so you want to write content that gets a lot of votes from relevant websites.  If you’re a plumber it would be good to write a blog post on “ways to maintain your drains”, or even better “how to avoid getting ripped off by a shady plumber!”  You will want to write blog posts that speak to your audience and attract links from other relevant websites.

I suggest writing at least a couple posts a month and breaking them up with photos, links, bulleted lists, tables, and anything else that helps people scan rather then read.  Organize the post by sections or steps that are easy to follow, the more easily people can digest your content the more likely they will be to read, and ultimately share it.

Wrapping Up

SEO is not rocket science but it can get complicated with all the strategies and tactics that are used today.  If you’re lucky you have a marketing budget and are able to hire a qualified SEO to mange your campaign, if not the preceding suggestions should give you a place to start getting links from and improving the quality of your website.  There aren’t really a whole lot of secret tricks in link building anymore, if you want to get ahead before hiring an SEO I suggest the following.  Leverage links from the current relationships you already have, follow up on new marketing PR opportunities that could yield links, and create website content that offers value to your audience and is relevant to the products and services that drive your business.

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