3 Effective Link Building Strategies

For many site owners, link building is a drag. It’s just another thing that “has to be done” in order to build and grow their site. Most are looking for quick and easy link building methods because they consider it to be a necessary SEO evil instead of a long-term marketing opportunity.

In a recent article on Search Engine Land, Debra Mastaler discussed three highly effective tactics anyone can use to jump-start linking efforts.

Debra describes the following Link Building Strategies :

Refer & Recommend.. Getting recommendations and endorsements from highly visible industry experts almost eliminates the necessity of selling yourself and is the epitome of getting business in general to link to you. When you look at it from this point of view it makes sense to focus your efforts on getting links from the power players in your niche rather than chasing down reciprocal links or buying site-wide ads. Consider creating a company advisory board and invite the movers and shakers of your industry to be part of it. Tap into the collective business knowledge and link power these people hold.

Show and Tell. Whether you offer a service or product, dangle a carrot and give away something of value in exchange for the link. Step away from the mindset that you have to swap a link for a link and offer a free or lite version of your product as the incentive instead.

Expose Yourself. Now, now, not that kind of exposure! I mean the type of editorial exposure you get when you work the media. Explore alternative angles in addition to doing the standard press release submission. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, podcast, blog, periodical or trade publication in your niche about an issue that’s relevant to your business. Editors who are presented with well written cogent pieces will most likely reprint the piece and/or link to you in response. After all, everyone wants good content these days so make sure it’s yours their getting!

Link building is like anything else worth having— if you want the good stuff, you have to work for it. No matter what marketing strategy you use, it’s the passion and drive you have for your products and business that will be the single greatest element in attracting links to your website.