Building links into your website is an important part of any SEO campaign. You may well have read our previous post about J.C Penney’s and how they gamed the system. Yes, that works but only for a short time, the best way to build links is to do it naturally.
The four ideas I’ve listed below are not about getting hundreds and hundreds of new links, but about getting a dozen or so links that will help your organization out.
[strong]Ask Around[strong]
This is so obvious, yet so often forgotten. It’s very likely that you already know some people who own their own websites. This could include anyone from family and friends through to suppliers or business associates. Why not approach them and ask if there’s any possibility they could link to your brand new website? This is really easy and quick way to get a handful of potentially great links and raise awareness of your company.
Think Local
Does your local area have any websites or social media pages that promote local businesses. Most towns and cities will have a handful of website providing information on the local area. Depending on the website and the type of business you’re in, a lot of these local area websites usually enjoy promoting local business. To help your cause is there any incentive you could offer such as a discount code for local people?
Niche Directories
Submitting your website to thousands of random websites is probably not the best idea. However, if you can find a few niche directories for your industry then it’s definitely worth a go. Usually for a small fee you can submit your website for either an annual or permanent listing. If you can find several of these directories then you’ll have won your website some more relevant links.
Make Use of Social Media
This one assumes you already have a bit of a social media presence. It doesn’t mean you have to have thousands of followers on twitter, or hundreds of Facebook fans; but if you’ve already got at a presence then it’s a great way of telling everyone about your new website. Try encouraging people to link to your website, by getting involved with different causes and activities that are going on in your area.
One important aspect to keep in mind is that you need to be genuine. Don’t send out a generic email to 50 people asking them to link you but make sure you reach out to people and create a partnership where you help them out as well.
-Patrick