5 Link Building Strategies That Work Today – Stop Wasting Your Time Using the Old-School Methods

Anybody that has been involved in link building for a while will have experienced a real evolution in the process.

When it come to link building, many people will say that it has always been about getting only quality links, it is hard to deny that it was possible to prosper using automated software, large numbers of low quality links, and less than sophisticated methods. Times have changed, though, and it has now become considerably harder to get results from these tactics. So what are the tactics that are working today?

Link Building for Traffic

This technique involves a shift in mindset. Traditionally, the aim was to get links in order to increase your ranking position in the search engines. When you focus more attention on building links for traffic, you no longer have to be completely reliant on your position in Google.

For this to work, identify the various places where your target audience spends their time. There will probably be many forums, blogs, and groups where you can place a backlink in the relevant context. Become an established presence on social media and your links will be shared frequently, but always be sure to add value to anything you do. People will naturally click the links and increase your traffic, but you will also see additional benefits in your search rankings.

Start Making Phone Calls

This has always been a good technique, but it is now more important than ever. High quality links are harder to come by with Google cracking down on link networks and paid links. It is more difficult to manufacture a link that has the appearance of being on a quality site, but really only exists to boost your site or other paying website owners. Building relationships is the key to success now, and getting in direct contact is something your competitors won’t be doing.

Quality websites will usually have a phone number on their contact page, but if you cannot track it down you could reach out by email. While everyone is different, focusing on your passion for the niche will usually win over any fellow business owner. However, it is natural that everyone will put their own site first, so consider how you can benefit them in your interaction. Some good methods are guest blog posts, interviewing them for a podcast and asking them to promote it, prize giveaways, and sending them a copy of your product for review.

Quality Not Quantity

One of the major benefits of contemporary link building methods is the focus on quality over quantity. Previously, conducting research on a profitable niche used to bring up many mature sites with thousands of links. This was a daunting prospect in itself, but you also had to ensure you didn’t build your own links too quickly and face a penalty.

Today, getting your site to the first page of the search engines can be achieved with a small amount of powerful links. This means link building becomes far less of a chore, and you can turn your attention to creating great content. The other main advantage is the fact your competition will find it harder to get the same backlinks, typically still following the old methods of building masses of poor quality links.

Find Relevant Links

While quality links are most important, there is also the relevancy factor you need to take into account. The best type of links will be the ones that are placed on quality sites in a similar niche to your own. The upside of placing importance on relevancy is the fact that it will make more sense when you approach site owners for a link. The only real downside is that some of these site owners might view you as competition, but a considered, mutually beneficial approach can often reduce these issues.

Finding relevant links should not be too difficult. There are software products that can perform searches for you, but often simply using the search engines will uncover a lot. Installing an SEO toolbar in your browser can give you a lot of valuable information about a site in advance, enabling you to disregard the lower quality sites.

Diversify your links

In the past, link building was a far less refined process. You could often find one or two methods that got results, then simply direct all your efforts at them. Many different techniques had their day in the sun, including blog networks, article marketing, social bookmarking, forum profiles, and mass blog commenting. Focusing all your efforts on a single method will only get your site banned nowadays, with diversification being key right now.

Thankfully, there are countless places you can get a link from. As long as you focus on the strategies mentioned above, any different type of link will be beneficial. Some good places to start would be with video marketing, guest blogging on the major industry sites, applying to the top directories, crafting newsworthy press releases, and developing a diverse social media strategy.

If any of these link building strategies sound daunting to you, they really shouldn’t. Now is a great time to be focusing on SEO and link building, mainly because so many business owners have been leaving frustrated. They are now switching attention to other methods, creating a lot of space for new opportunity. Link building requires a lighter touch than before, but a smart strategy can make all the difference to your end results. – ©The Cleveland Seo Guy