Link building is important for two reasons – natural ranking on search engines and referral traffic from other websites. The subject of links has been discussed over and over in numerous online forums and SEO information sites and yet some basics are always left unclear. This article provides a short but definitive overview of the 5 most important link building services all businesses should tap into.
1. Related Websites
This includes links from resellers, suppliers, affiliates, industry associations, partners, trade bodies, government organisations, educational institutions and even indirect competitors. Whilst these may be the hardest of the five to come by, they also bring the greatest value.
2. Press Releases
Online PR can generate a lot of quality traffic to a site. It can also be very helpful in building large numbers of inbound links to the site from some very high ranked news portals. The trick with press releases is to ensure that the information contained in them is newsworthy.
3. RSS Feeds
Content from your website can be syndicated on third-party sites using really simple syndication. If this content contains links back to your site, it can result in visitors clicking that link to your site. It also counts as an inbound link from a very relevant site, since unrelated sites would most likely not syndicate the content.
4. Social Networks
Blogs and other fast-growing social network sites can be excellent sources of quality traffic and links. Modern viral campaigns harness the power of blogs and other social networks, such as business networks, alumni networks and online dating sites, to build links and generate a buzz about a new product or service.
5. Directories
Internet directories are still an important source of one-way inbound links to a website. There are tonnes of new directories online, offering both free and paid listings. The most important ones though, such as Yahoo! Dmoz and Yell, are the only ones that really bring substantial traffic.
Link building is not a simple task of submitting ones’ site to a couple of other websites or exchanging reciprocal links with a handful of sites identified by some cheap software. Suchoptimisation practices have no benefit and can often get a site banned.
It is important for online businesses to use professional link building services to dedicate time and resources solely to obtain quality traffic and linkage with the vast number of other websites that are related to their business.
About the Author
Farhad is the Group CEO of AccuraCast. With over 20 years of experience in digital, Farhad is one of the leading technical marketing experts in the world. His specialities include digital strategy, international business, product marketing, measurement, marketing with data, technical SEO, and growth analytics.
