There are a variety of ways to capture more links to your site. As you may know there are two keys to successful search engine positioning: Links and Content.
In fact, the content can be used to help capture those links. So that is tactic one.
Tactic 1 – Writing compelling content
For some people it can be easier to simply write great content than go out and hunt out sites to request links from.
Then there is the hassle of likely having to set up and maintain a reciprocal links section to the site, and monitoring it regularly for spam.
This is why some have turned to creative content in order to capture links they may not normally have gotten.
Such content can be difficult to write, however, therefore such a link building tactic may prove fruitless in the short term. With practice, however, using content to generate inbound links can work once you have figured out the right message.
Tactic 2 – Directory Submissions
This can be a quick and easy way to get a bunch of incoming links. This may not necessarily be the most effective way of capturing good quality one way links, but it can garner you a huge quantity of links which can help in engines which rely less on quality.
To find these links, simply search for “free directory list” or “free keyword directory” where “keyword” is your niche. For example, if yousell medical products you would search for “free medical directory” or “free medical products directory.”
Such tactics generally do not require reciprocal linking (although the directory usually will not discourage it) however their value is in doubt because of the potential abuse of such sites.
Tactic 3 – Manual Link Building
This is probably the most time consuming, however most rewarding, way to build one-way (and reciprocal) links to your site. There are many ways to complete it:
- Search for your keyword(s) and make a list of all sites ranking. Then attempt to contact them and ask for a link back to your site.
- Search out your competitors and see who links to them, and then request links back to your site.
- Search out other industry related sites and request links from them.
- Search out geographically related sites and request links from them.
These are just a few of the ways to try and build links manually. In order to help make this process go a little more smoothly and quickly, be sure to have a selection of link text and descriptions you can provide to the sites you have requested links from. Do not just email them and say “hey could you link to my site – here is the URL” because you will get little (if any) value from a straight URL link. If you have gone through the trouble of finding the site and requesting the link, then spend the effort to figure out what you want your link to say.
Tactic 4 – Taking Advantage of Automated Tools
As you have probably already noticed, the above tactics are usually time consuming and very manual.
This is where software can help automate the process to a certain extent. And there are a few good alternatives out to help improve this process. Here are a few:
Arelis – Arelis is a tool which can help you manage not only reciprocal linking campaigns, but identify new linking opportunities. It can examine your competitors links to find good sources of links and even automate the request process.
SEOSpyglass – This is a relatively new program on the market. It is similar to Arelis in that it can automate your link gathering process, however it has a few different features. For example, it can help you sort link opportunities based on a variety of criteria. It even shows you current link text and other page factors which could influence your decisions.
WebCEO – This is a more full featured search engine optimization management package – it not only helps you manage your link popularity but it also helps you optimize your website and track your results.
SoloSEO – Another relative newcomer, this one is also more a full featured SEO management package. It does have some link management and monitoring capabilities which should make it easier to track improvements in inbound link counts.
What is the best way?
This is a question you will need to answer for yourself. Each tactic has benefits and shortcomings, as does each software package mentioned above. But that is not to say you should not try them all to see what works best. What you will probably find is that a combination of tactics (and tools) will achieve the best results.
