Blog

You probably already know that quality back links are the currency you need to earn Google’s trust and to achieve higher search engine placement. But how do you get them? Despite the fact that most SEOs say link building is their least favorite activity, getting quality back links might be easier than you think. Here are some tips to get your link building campaign started.

• Give testimonials for products and services you enjoy—As businesses continue to look for ways to build trust with their online shoppers, a growing number of websites are publishing testimonials from satisfied customers. Is there a product or service that you really enjoy? Submit a testimonial to the company with your name and a link to your website. There’s a good chance they’ll place it on their website and give you a quality back link.

• Guest post on other blogs—The benefits of guest blogging are numerous. First, whenever you have a guest post published on another blog, the blog owner will give you a link back to your website (tip: Try to use keyword-rich anchor text in these links). But guest blogging is about more than just link building. It also exposes you and your company to a new audience, and it helps position you as an expert in your field.

• Get interviewed on a podcast—Like blogging, podcasts have significantly increased in popularity as they’re an easy way to engage and inform your target audience. No matter what industry you’re in, you can rest assured there are dozens (even hundreds or thousands) of podcasts dedicated to it. Reach out to the owners of these podcasts to see if they’d be interested in allowing you to share your expertise with their listeners. Once again, this will earn you a back link, and it will establish you as a leading expert in your industry.

• Have your press releases picked up by quality outlets—With the advent of free press release publishing sites, every company can easily publish press releases online. If optimized properly, these press releases tend to rank well, and they can be effective for link building. But you should also set your sights higher. Don’t just settle for having your press release published on a free site; try to get it picked up by well-respected news sources as well. A link from a major newspaper or trade journal will be of far higher quality than one from a press release distribution website.

• Examine your competitors’ back links—If you’re looking to launch a link building campaign, it’s only logical to see what the competition has done. Analyzing your competitors’ back links is as simple as going to Google and typing “link:www.yourcompetitorssite.com” Chances are, you’ll find they have links on websites that you can get a link from too.

• Submit your posts to blog carnivals—Blog carnivals are essentially online magazines that pull content from the best blogs in their niche. There are blog carnivals on every topic imaginable. Find a blog carnival that covers your industry, and submit your best posts to them. If your post is republished, you’ll reach a wide audience while earning another quality link.

• Look for mentions of your company without links—Have you performed an ego search lately? An ego search is where you “Google” your name or the name of your company. You might be surprised at what comes up. One thing you’ll probably find is that your company is being mentioned on a website without a link back to your site. If this is the case, contact the webmaster with your web address so they can add the link.

Which link building tips would you add to this list? Share your best strategies in the comments!