Archive for the ‘Link Building’ Category

The Latest News in Successful Link Building

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

What Works Best?
The primary way of building your site’s SEO through link building is to use manual linking rather than any type of automated methods. Although there is software available which proclaims to build all your links for you—avoid it, and do the work necessary to manually place high-quality links in your site. Automated methods rarely continue to offer results over the long haul, and because Google’s algorithms continue to evolve and get smarter, it is highly likely that bulk comments and directory submissions will probably begin to be flagged.

Manual Directory Submissions and Forum Comments
Manual directory submission requires you to actually go to the directory and input your information. The advantage of manual submission is that you can change your headings in order to minimize the risk of getting slapped down by Google for building the same anchor text link time and time again. Rather than automate forum and blog comments and responses to gain valuable links, spend a little time on each forum in order to get a solid feel for it. Then post an insightful, relevant comment, along with relevant links to your website. Even though some of the latest automated software is better, automated comments are still pretty easy to spot and flag as spam, so do the work yourself.

Look at Your Competitors Prior to Building Links
Stalk your competitors to find out the directories they are listed in and sites they are mentioned on. This will give you a necessary starting point which will then evolve into a comprehensive strategy targeting specific sites. If your direct competitors are ranking high on Google, then they must be doing something right, so it’s your mission to find out what that “something” is. Discover how they build their links, then use some of their knowledge to build your own website.

The Good and Bad Regarding Reciprocal Linking
Until a couple of years ago, reciprocal linking was a perfectly viable method of obtaining coveted links to your website. Unfortunately, the practice was so abused that it became almost a spammy technique, actually causing your site to get lower ratings. Reciprocal links can still work under certain circumstances. If you have an extremely tight niche and trade only with equally “niched” sites in your specific area, then reciprocal linking can be beneficial, however it’s not likely to bring volumes of visitors to your site.

Work on Your Backlinks
Backlinks, also known as inbound links can be a huge benefit to your site as they are typically ranked highly by Google and other search engines. However if you go overboard and have a ton of incoming links from low-quality or junk sites, not only will you see your page rank plummet, but you will have lost all your carefully cultivated credibility—something that is hard to recover once it’s lost.

In Short, Don’t Engage in Lazy Link Building
Most automated services can be equated with lazy link building, and the quality of those links will reflect that lack of effort. Any link which can be made without benefit of any human involvement is essentially a low-quality link. Resist cutting link-building corners, and should you simply not have the time to devote to your manual link building campaign, then consider hiring a reputable link building service to do it for you.

Link Building Strategies to Avoid
Any time you are being offered some ridiculous number of anything, including directory listings or forum and blog comments—beware. This level of promise means it is automated and done in bulk, and if it’s easily automated, it’s equally easy to spot and to devalue. The goal of Google is to provide the very best search results to users, not the site which has the best spam links around. Unfortunately, such excellent link building strategies as social bookmarking and RSS feeds have become increasingly easy to automate, meaning they are losing their cachet.

Strategies for Advanced Link Building

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

If you’ve had your website for any length of time, you are aware that the strategies for search engine optimization are ever-evolving. There is a fierce level of competitiveness in current Internet marketing, meaning traditional methods of getting your site to the top ranking may get stomped on, on any given day. Creativity is crucial, and combining this with varied strategies may possibly offer the only real hope for even the most seasoned website optimizers. So, when building your linking strategies, remember to think out of the box then take the appropriate action to ensure that creative thinking comes to fruition.

Link Bait

Having absolutely nothing to do with catching the biggest trout, link bait is a technique which focuses on content creation, and can come in such forms as video, blog entries, articles, blog postings, pictures or info-graphics. While some experts believe link bait to be a specific technique, others believe it’s a by-product of consistently producing quality content on your site. Link bait occurs when a piece of content is placed on a web page which has been designed for the specific purpose of gathering links from the maximum amount of sources—in other word the specific item is, in effect, the “bait” for attracting large numbers of visitors.

You’ve heard of sites or photos or videos going “viral,” and one extremely interesting page on your site can bring you a huge number of links once someone notices the page, shares the link, etc. Therefore, in theory at least, if you can write great content and submit it to the sites which will get it noticed, then hopefully for you the result is greatly increased traffic. Do a thorough research of your chosen topic and search for other sites which you think will be interested to share your content. Successful link bait will be content written with the intent to educate, it will be relevant and focused, and it will greatly exceed the expectations of your readers.

What is Widget Bait?

A widget is essentially a simple feature which can be added to websites and blogs by copying a snippet of code from one page and pasting into your own. One of the original widgets was the page view counters seen on eBay auctions. Generally speaking a widget will offer the user a specific function to the page it is imbedded in. Because inbound links are so incredibly important in the overall SEO wars, some sites have begun to use widget “bait” in an attempt to increase backlinks. The site develops and distributes widgets which include a link as part of the code you copy and paste.

Once you’ve added the widget, you are either knowingly or unknowingly linking out to the site which distributes the widget. Obviously there is abuse potential here, and, predictably, some are using extreme black hat widget bait. If the link is clearly visible, relevant to the site it links to, points to the page that provided the widget, is a single link rather than many and the anchor text is the name of the site being linked to, then you are safely in the white hat zone. If any or all of those things are not true, beware as Google could penalize you for what they consider unethical linking.

Do You Have Link Magnetism?

If your link campaign focuses on triggering both the emotions and the needs of your target audience through offering incentives as a method of gaining links, then you are engaging in link magnetism. If your goal is to become a link magnet, you must not only be extremely creative, but must clearly identify a problem in your niche, then develop a solution which is then offered as a “prize” to those to link to you. Like widget bait, there is the potential for misuse, so be careful when using this technique.

These three advanced link building strategies are really only the tip of the iceberg, however it can greatly benefit your site to try several new methods in order to see what works the best for your particular site.

Planning and Tracking to Ensure the Most Efficient Link Building

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

The two primary ways you will get increased web traffic are through links pointing to your website and improved search engine rankings—which can be obtained in part through lots of high-quality links. While there are dozens of ways to bring new links to your site, not all of them will be equally fruitful, and some will require much more time and patience. The trick is to find the most efficient mix of link building methods rather than focusing entirely on one method.

What Are the Most Efficient Ways to Build Links?

Of the many ways to create beneficial links to your website, the top honors go to article submission, directory submission, blog commenting, guest blogging and social bookmarking. Further down the list are link exchanging, buying links and the less-than-ethical black hat techniques and link baiting. The core principles of a successful link building campaign include structure as well as planning and tracking.

What Link Building Techniques Will Get Your Site Penalized?

Always treat link building with caution and respect, and realize that it is a gradual process which can render dynamic results if you persevere. On the flip side, there are some types of link building which can undo all your good work, nearly in one fell swoop. First and foremost, avoid building your link base through purchasing links, primarily because Google forbids it and will probably slap you with a penalty. Competitors can now report you for purchasing links through Google’s reporting tool, getting your site penalized or even banned. Google’s latest algorithm is much smarter at detecting paid links and even if you don’t get caught, paid links are hardly a long-term solution to bumping your site up the ranks.

Directory Link Building and Link Exchanges

While some still advocate using web directories for posting links, others believe they are outdated, and, frankly, not that useful. While you may use web directories in the beginning, try not to rely on this as your sole means of link building. Link exchanges, while potentially very beneficial, are not as favored as they once were. Just remember that exchanging links with sites which are as far down the ladder as you are is unlikely to offer any benefit to your site.

Strive for Multiple and Diverse Sources of Links

The more sources you have for your website’s links, the “safer” you are should some of them stop working in the future. You also don’t want Google to see that every one of your links come from the same few domains. A steady flow of fresh links is what you are aiming for to grow your visitor base and prove that your content is in high demand. Though it sounds tedious and time consuming—and likely will be—track your link results closely to avoid wasting your time and money on techniques which are not successful. Keep the best, cut the rest loose.

Focus on Anchor Text

The value of anchor text was originally largely ignored, but has gained popularity due to its success in increasing site ranking. Although Google’s latest algorithm has made anchor text somewhat less effective, it is still considered a time-honored way to create a successful link-building campaign. When you create links to your anchor text, you are effectively building backlinks for your most desired keywords as well as increasing the credibility of your site. The page which is pointed to by the anchor text is believed to be significantly relevant to most search engines as they not only consider the linked page, but also the page containing the anchor text.

Rather than jump in to link building for your website without any forethought, a well-planned out link building campaign with continuous tracking can ensure your website becomes one of quality and success.

Advanced Link Building Techniques

Monday, March 5th, 2012

If you are already familiar with the basic link building techniques such as article distribution, blog commenting and listing your site in directories, then you may be looking for more advanced methods of building links for your website. Links are essential to the success of your site for several reasons. First of all, links help search engines find your pages. The search engine crawlers follow links and index web pages—the more links to a specific web page, the more quickly your page will be indexed. The overall value of each web page is determined by the number of links to the page then those links allow the search engine to determine what the page is about.  If your link text contains keywords, then the search engine is able to get a sense of what the page is all about which is one reason keywords re so critical. In order to send your web pages up the rankings, links are crucial, so the more you learn about advanced link building, the better for your site.

Building from Dead Links

One advanced link building technique focuses on looking up websites which are related to yours and are authorities on the same subject as your website. Search for broken or dead links on their pages which relate to your content and your site, then present your content as a replacement for the link which is no longer viable. You will do this through contact with the website’s owner in which you will let him or her know about the dead link, then politely suggest your own content as a substitute for the link. This is definitely a time-consuming tactic but can result in a significant boost in your website’s PageRank.

Theme Sponsorship for Link Building

Search on forums such as Digitalpoint or Webmasterforum to find theme builders which are looking for sponsors. Sponsoring a theme is not all that pricey and can be a great asset when starting a substantial campaign to build links. You will place encrypted footer links on sites such as WordPress which can in turn generate literally thousands of links using your keyword as anchor text. The only caution here it to make sure the website theme you choose relates in some way to your own website so the links will be relevant.

Write an Ebook

Write a resourceful ebook with superior content which relates to your site then put the ebook out to PDF directories where it will be seen by your competition. You can also conceal links in your ebook which point to your site or product pages within the content however this is walking a thin line between white and black hat techniques. If your ebook was clearly meant to offer information rather than marketing a site, and the content is shared through directories, then you have a good chance of snagging links from your competitors as well as from the PDF directories.

Build Relationships within Your Niche or Industry

Building important relationships and interacting with other sites which are in the same industry or niche as you are is a great way to build high-quality links, not to mention develop your brand. You can reach out to your prospects through e-mail outreach, the use of Facebook and Twitter, commenting on the blogs of others, writing blogs and submitting as a guest or even picking up the phone and making a call. This type of relationship-building can lead to link exchanges, mentions within other site’s content, referrals and mentions in social media—all of which will give you superior search rankings as well as more applicable traffic flocking to your site.

Post Guest Blogs on Other Sites

Guest publishing in the form of submitting guest blogs to other sites which are relevant to your own can garner you high quality site links, however you must ensure you are guesting on sites which currently have a higher rank than your own as well as significant levels of traffic for this technique to be successful. You can also invite other influential bloggers in your area to write guest posts for your own site. Since guest bloggers usually promote their content on their own site as well, you will be able to capture a certain percentage of their followers as well as getting quality content to share with your readers.

There are many ways to build the links on your site, and taking the time to do so can have amazing results.

Mixing it Up Gets You the Ideal Link Strategy

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

Varying your linking strategy can be the very best way to not only get those great ratings, but to keep them. In our ever-changing world of the Internet and shifting SEO strategies, not to mention search engine algorithms which seem to change faster than the weather, the best advice to remember is that what works today may not work tomorrow. Make a concerted effort to experiment with your linking campaign, and search continuously for the holy grail of high-quality links.  After all, if you want to land high up in the search engine rankings—and who doesn’t?—then getting links from other quality sites to your own is one significant way to do so. Yes, content is still king, and you should never, ever skimp on the quality of your copy, however if you have no inbound links on your pages, you may never reach your SEO goals.

The Perfect Link

Everybody in the industry has at least a slightly different opinion of just what constitutes the “perfect” link, and nearly all website owners are out there constantly, looking for that lottery winner which will have visitors pouring in to their site.  While you may never achieve perfection, to get as close as possible, make sure your links come from high-ranking and high authority websites which come from sites which are highly relevant to your own. Your anchor text should always include very relevant keywords—which are related to the page topic. Avoid footer links as many feel they carry less value than those links which are more fully integrated into the content of your page. Deep linking strategies tend to appear much more natural to search engine, but avoid directing all your web links to your home page. Finally, the perfect linking system will have a wide variety of links streaming in from many high quality websites—this is much better than many links from fewer websites.

Consider Page Rank in Your Linking Strategy

Increasing your Page Rank is as simple—or as complex—as getting links from other sites who are, themselves, in the enviable position of having a high Page Ranking. In other words, don’t waste your valuable time and energy obtaining tons of links from sites which currently rank below you—there is literally no value in doing so. If you currently have a Google page rank of 5, then linking to a site which is struggling with a rank of 2 can only hurt you. Ideally you would only want sites whose rank was a six or above. Don’t forget link relevancy when you are considering Page Rank—if your site sells solar panels, then linking to a site which sells shoes for children will hardly help your linking strategy.

Using Anchor Text to Your Advantage

Anchor text is an often-overlooked linking strategy which can be highly beneficial to your overall linking campaign. Anchor text is the visible text in a hyperlink which is clickable. You know, the blue, underlined text you see scattered throughout websites, and which take you (hopefully) to an equally high-quality website which will offer your reader value and quality. Anchor text tells Google what your web page is all about and can ultimately determine your Page Rank. Google actually wants you to be able to find what you need in the quickest manner possible, and one great way to do this is by using anchor text throughout your site—judiciously, of course. Remember, that anchor text will only be effective if you have done your keyword research and are up to speed on what people are really searching for. Never, ever use the “click here” strategy, and make sure your anchor text is highly relevant. Anchor text can be used for main page links, external links from other sites, internal links, navigation maps and links to images, so use them wisely and increase your rankings.

The Trust Factor

Trusted sites rank high with Google, and those trusted sites will not have linked to any type of low-quality or spammy sites. Google calculates this trust by the number of quality links to a site, so make sure any links you garner are high on the trust scale as well as highly relevant to your site.  Inbound links, outbound links, reciprocal links, internal links, site-specific software-embedded inbound links and offline links—the list goes on and on. Do your homework and understand the importance of each type of link, then use them together to create your ideal linking strategy.

Link Popularity through Article Marketing

Monday, February 27th, 2012

Once you’ve gotten your website for your online business up and running, you may step back and take a moment to pat yourself on the back. A word of caution here—make sure that moment is a short one, because your work is really just beginning. Successful online businesses take constant work and promoting your online business can be frustrating, tedious, yet (hopefully) ultimately rewarding. While some online business owners choose to pay for advertisements in their quest for getting noticed, others go the article marketing route.

Successful Article Marketing = Increase Link Popularity and Quality

While article marketing has many benefits, one of the greatest is that it can improve both your link popularity as well as your link quality. Considering the vast importance of links in getting your site to the top, you can see why article marketing is crucial.  If you have decided to use carefully crafted article marketing strategies to grow your online business, take note of the following ideas.

If You are Unfamiliar With Article Marketing…

For all the online business owners struggling to get their message out to their target market, article marketing and promoting may well be one of the most well-liked strategies around. As you know, search engine bots go through the Net with a fine-tooth comb, using incredibly complicated algorithms to neatly index the vast array of pages. These algorithms use (among other factors) offpage optimization techniques which target both link popularity and link quality in their final assessment. Link popularity encompasses those links which purpose back to your site while the link quality basically refers to importance of other websites which leave a breadcrumb trail back to your business website.

Article Marking Brings Multiple Backlinks

Article marketing consists of adding a resource box at the end of the article with at least one link back to your site. Once the articles are submitted to multiple article directories, you will happily receive a link from each directory back to your website. Additionally, other website owners who are hungrily looking for content for their own site can use your article, sending yet another link back to your site. Don’t forget, however, that any old hastily-written article just won’t do. If you are serious about increasing your link popularity and quality, then your articles must be compelling and of the highest quality.

Qualities of Successful Articles

Obviously the text in your articles should, in some compelling way, relate to the content on your website. Your chosen keywords should appear relatively sparingly through the body of each article, and you should take special care with your resource box at the end of your article to ensure it contains a catchy phrase to encourage a solid click-through to your site. You also must consider anchor text as well as the words surrounding it. Anchor text is what you see and click on in an article which takes you to the web page link, and can definitely affect your link quality. Make sure only your most relevant keywords are used in anchor text, and also make sure your article has a totally compelling, attention-grabbing title which will persuade your readers to click and read.

Mechanics of Article Writing

Of course after you’ve crafted the most amazing title in history, you have to back it up with a great article which delivers solidly on the title’s promise.  You don’t want to leave your reader disappointed in the time they’ve spent, feeling as though you left your promise unfulfilled. As most of us are aware, reading on a computer screen is vastly different from reading a book. Break up your text into short paragraphs, and use headings, bullet points and numbering (judiciously) throughout the article, making skimming much easier. Using trusted resources, scatter plenty of details and facts throughout your article and—it cannot be said enough—proofread, proofread, and proofread again. Many find they can more easily see mistakes on a printed copy than on a screen, so sacrifice the ink, print out a copy and proofread yet again.

In the end, article marketing for site promotion is not particularly complex, but it does require persistence, patience and dedication to the end result. While you will likely not see a huge impact from one single article, the more you write, the more backlinks you receive, and, ultimately, success is realized!

Link Building Tips which are Still Respected by the Panda

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Countless websites took a heavy hit during Google’s latest algorithm, known as the Panda, and those which contained weak or “spammy” content probably took the hardest hit of all. The underlying message from the Panda is that every site on the web should be striving for the evolution of organic search quality. Another component of the algorithm determined the relative trustworthiness of each site, and part of this trust was determined by actual human analysis.

Ad-Stuffing, Content Value and Link Quality

Those real human beings had a list of specific questions which were designed to evaluate their overall comfort level with a website. Those sites which were over-stuffed with ads (especially ads above the fold) were rapped the hardest as it was felt these overabundant ads were a deterrent to trustworthiness. Further criteria for a slap on the wrist from the cuddly bear included content value and link quality. Fortunately, those who have continued to rely on tried and true link building strategies escaped the Panda’s displeasure. Traditional tactics can bring targeted and unique traffic to your site, and quality links provide solid click-through traffic.  So, just what are those “traditional” techniques you ask? Read on!

Partnerships and Networking

Establishing blog partnerships with a handful of highly relevant sites (no marginally relevant or totally irrelevant sites allowed) is an excellent way to develop your own Internet networking base. Start by making a list of all your real-life business contacts, then reach out to them. These days nearly all businesses have websites, so choose your business contacts which are within the same niche as you are, making sure their websites are trusted and well-ranked, although not directly competitive.  Choose a few of the very best ones then offer to mention their site on your blog if they will do the same for you. Convey a sense of enthusiasm for the project, and make a point of mentioning the mutual benefits for both parties. If the other webmaster is unsure of how to manage reciprocal links, send along an easy-to-understand, step-by-step flow chart to make it as easy as possible.

Offer to Guest Blog

In the same way you reach out to your business contacts to exchange links and create a network of online partners, you can also offer select sites your services as a guest blogger. Additionally you can find other sites within your industry who accept guest bloggers simply by typing into Google’s search bar an industry-relevant keyword along with “write for us.” This type of search should take you straight to the top-rated sites which continuously post fresh content into the world of blogs. Every time you post a guest blog, you garner a relevant backlink—or two. Take extra care to create a highly valuable and informative guest post, and you will see benefits in the form of increased traffic and deeper link authority.

Comment on Other Blog Sites

Although there are a certain amount of spammers who have discovered this formerly valuable link building technique, it is still quite valuable when used properly. It is very possible to not only build on your loyal fan base, but to increase your brand exponentially and generate highly targeted traffic through blog commenting. While this particular link strategy takes time and patience, just remember to employ creativity and value when adding comments—no sloppy “what a great posting” allowed. Give your readers valuable information and insight, and let your personality shine through. Don’t be afraid of a little controversy—after all, that’s what keeps the comments streaming in. If everyone is of the same opinion, there is little to interest readers. Google is still very happy with high-quality blog comments which link back to your site, so employ this strategy wisely and reap the rewards.

More Still-Respected Link Building Tips

If you have offered your skills or knowledge in some volunteer or charity manner, ask politely to have the favor returned through a text link from their blog to your website. Send out a press release for a charity event—not only will you be bringing in additional traffic, you are adding to your image in a trustworthy manner. The goal is to acquire high-quality, trustworthy, respectable and honest backlinks, and while this takes time, these strategies should allow you to remain safe from Google’s next update.

Link Building through Guest Blogging

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

Links are the lifeblood of your website’s eventual success and there are a variety of ways to secure high quality links, as well as a number of different types of links. Some of the more productive ways you can obtain those coveted links include inviting guest bloggers to post on your site, agreeing to be a guest blogger on another site which is in the same niche as your own, adding links to social media sites, as well as a whole array of other nifty link building techniques. Focus on one area at a time, such as bringing in guest bloggers to your site, then doing some guest blogging of your own.

Bringing in a Guest Blogger

It can be exceptionally beneficial to bring in a guest blogger to post on your site. Although it takes some time and effort to get the best guest bloggers, it can be a worthwhile endeavor. Once you’ve chosen a few potential guest bloggers, contact them and discuss your expectations. These particular expectations could include your requested word count or any other ideas you have regarding the guest post. Once you’ve loosely agreed on a topic, you should also agree to a deadline to ensure you actually hear from them again. Make sure you give the guest blogger credit then once the article or blog is live, send out the link along with a thank you for the post. Many times guest bloggers will forward the link to their friends, families and business acquaintances, giving you great link exposure.

Becoming a Guest Blogger

First and foremost do your research before you decide to submit guest posts. Take some time to get to know the content of the blogs you are considering as well as their owner and the audience. Read through the comments and get a good feel for what is popular on the blog. Once you are comfortable with the blog, brainstorm a few ideas, then narrow them down and submit an idea for a guest post which is both relevant and fills a necessary gap in their content. When you are pitching your post, provide your credentials and make the owner of the site truly understand why you are the best person to write this particular guest post.

If your own blog statistics are impressive—share them. Be straightforward when pitching your idea, go easy on the compliments and don’t embellish your credentials, but do show you are a pro at blogging not to mention your particular subject—which should also be the subject you are proposing to write a guest blog for. Provide links to your blogs as well as any other online writing you may have done. It’s a good idea to have your blog posting written before you pitch your idea, then you can quickly provide it should the other person agree.

Make sure your guest blog posting is the highest quality, and has been checked and re-checked for mistakes of any kind. While you shouldn’t overload the post with links, you do want to include a short bio with one or two key links to a page or website which will provide access to further links. You don’t want your guest post to look “spammy,” so avoid peppering it with links. Once your guest post goes live, you must promote it, sending the maximum amount of traffic to the site as humanly possible. If the other blogger sees a definite jump in traffic, you will probably be asked to write another guest post…and another. Each guest posting, whether one you write or one another writes for you will add valuable links to your site and increase your traffic and rankings.

Is Deep Linking Still in Legal Limbo?

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Deep linking is a technique which has had its critics in the past, and, in fact, was subject to a lawsuit involving Ticketmaster, nearly a decade ago. Ticketmaster sued a rival company known as Tickets.com in the United States District Court of California claiming Tickets.com featured links which took consumers deep within Ticketmaster’s site, bypassing home pages. When the courts were finished with the case, the bottom line was that while it was fine to link to another’s home page, deep linking without permission was a definite no-no. So, all these years later, where do we stand with deep linking, and is it beneficial to your site?

What is Deep Linking?

A “regular” link points to the home page of a website, such as yahoo.com, while a deep link points to a specific web page inside yahoo. In the same manner, a regular link would point to Facebook.com, while a deep link would take you to a specific member profile or specific page within Facebook.

What’s So Bad about Deep Linking?

Larger companies discourage deep linking into their website, feeling it sends visitors directly to a specific page they are interested in, bypassing sponsor advertising or other features that are fiscally beneficial to the company. In other words, although the user is getting exactly what they want through following a deep link, the company may not be getting every last penny they possibly can from consumers.

In some cases, deep linking can also be considered detrimental to the company being linked to simply because they have their web pages in a certain sequence, and that specific sequence is necessary to gain the maximum benefit from the site. If someone posts a deep link to page 17 which bypasses the prior pages which are leading up to 17, then the user has potentially lost some of the value of the site.

What’s Great about Deep Linking?

In fact there are many exceptional benefits of deep linking; it has been definitively shown that getting from a homepage to a specific product page contributes to over a fourth of the failures in getting a user to purchase a product. When deep linking is incorporated, the user does not have to spend inordinate amounts of time navigating a company’s unwieldy website in search of a specific product. When users are taken directly to the information they are looking at, then the conversion rates go up significantly, whereas if the link is only to the homepage of a company, the user must take many more steps to find the exact product they are looking for.

Even though companies might be losing out on the user seeing the initial advertisements on their home page, the payoff generally offsets that minor disadvantage many times over. Many of us have suffered through such a situation: we want a simple item such as a recipe for chocolate-chip cookies. After typing the words into the search bar, we are taken to a homepage that wants us to do many more things, and wants to give us the royal runaround before finally giving us the recipe we wanted. It can be extremely aggravating for consumers with limited time who merely want what they want in the most expedient manner possible.

Deep linking can boost your website’s page ranking, and, if done in an ethical manner is not only perfectly legal, but can also improve the site you are linking to by providing enhanced customer satisfaction to users.

How You Can Unintentionally Undermine Your Link Building Efforts

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

While most all of us certainly set out with only the best intentions and motives when building our website through organic SEO and link building, we may inadvertently stumble and fall along the way. Whether these falls are due to inexperience, sheer carelessness or simple short-sightedness, they all have the same end result—they short-circuit our efforts to move our site up the ranks in an ethical manner.

Haste Really Can Makes Waste

The old adage is especially true in this context, and rushing around to add as many links as possible in the shortest amount of time can end up causing you serious grief. Sometimes we may simply be short of time or in a hurry—after all nearly everyone is overbooked and overly busy, and finding time to take care of our website may be difficult to do. Even so, the primary thing we should remember when building links to our site is that “any links are better than no links” is really just not true. We must remain focused on getting the crucial, relevant, high-quality links our site needs, and if this will not happen immediately—and it likely won’t—then patience is required. In other words, any old links just won’t do, and can hurt you much more than they may help you, so slow down, take a breath, and map out a realistic strategy for exception link-building SEO.

No Bad Behaviors Allowed

Even in our technology-filled world, politeness and consideration is still highly valued. Even though your goal may be to contact as many other webmasters as possible in an attempt to build links to your site, mass e-mails are an immediate turn-off to most of us. E-mails which are short on politeness and finesse are equally frowned upon, and worse, others will have a mental black mark against both you and your website from now on. All of this can be avoided simply by not approaching other web owners in a cold or generic fashion. Just as you build relationships in the real world, so should you do online.  Introduce yourself, provide some quality interaction, show that you have actually read the other person’s website by detailing some key points about it, then persuasively show the advantages of the linking to your site. Building strong networks can pay off handsomely in the future, so take the time, and remember your manners.

Don’t Waste Valuable Time and Energy Targeting the Wrong Sites

By “wrong” sites, I mean those that we agree to even though in our gut we know they are like the fruitcake under the Christmas tree—something we don’t really want, like or need, but we accept anyhow. That fruitcake likely sits on a shelf, taking up space and collecting dust, effectively wasting valuable resources until we finally have a cleaning frenzy and throw it out. Links which have little value or quality can seriously undermine our website while also taking up valuable resources. Expending your precious energy getting links which are not relevant to yours, and may actually drag your site down is just not smart. Don’t wind up with a stable full of useless links, rather prioritize your goals and go for a handful of quality links instead.

Patience is Mandatory

Link building takes time, like it or not, and a mistake which is seen often involves premature link promotion. Whether we are too impatient, or we are trying to cut corner in order to meet the demands of clients, getting links from other sites which just don’t meet quality standards is one of the reasons many people end up abandoning the entire SEO process completely. In other words, if you hurry to get your site ranked before it’s really ready, your return on investment probably just won’t happen. Your site absolutely must project credibility or users will fail to be impressed no matter how highly you are ranked. It can save you tons of wasted time to simply get it right in the beginning, and that generally means taking it slow, and building quality links which are highly relevant to your site. In most of life, the things which are truly worth having are neither easy nor fast, yet hard work and patience generally pay off in the end. So it is with link-building.