Web Linking Strategies
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Improving your page rank through link building doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, the web 2.0 era, has brought advancements that has made some of the link building process some what automated. This automation, will make it much easier to obtain some of those links in a cost effective manner. The key to building up your links, is to do it gradually, and schedule accordingly. Remember that this is not a race, but more like a marathon.
Web 1.0 Link Strategies
Although the web 2.0 era has made it much easier to get back links to your site. Web 1.0 link strategies can still be effective when done properly. As mentioned before, the key is to do it gradually and to have a schedule in place to better make use of your time.
Blog and Forum Commenting
Commenting on other forums and blogs in your niche can bring you many backlinks. There a couple of ways you can do this. One will require that you do a little search on Google, while the other can be done automatically, using a special software tool. If you prefer to do it manually, then do the following on Google:
- For forum search: your niche topic+forum ex: “dog training tips+forum”
- For blogs search : your niche topic+blog ex: “dog training tips+blogs”
To do it the easy way, use a free link building software like Comment Kahuna, which searches for blogs that are within your niche and brings up their page rank. In order to maximize on this strategy, its important that you read the posting carefully and make appropriate, constructive comments. Once you find and have selected the blogs where you will post your comments, make certain that you leave your name and URL address.
When commenting on forums, be certain you read the rules and regulations they have in place. It is always a good idea to contribute to the discussion of the threads so that you establish some credibility and not be labeled as a spammer. Don’t forget to create a signature file, with a link back to your site, which is automatically added at the end of your posted comment.
Do’s and Dont’s to Blog and Forum Commenting
Do find high page ranked blogs and forums and post responsibly, and follow the rules. As mentioned before, when posting on blogs, post constructive and appropriate comments. If you make a post like “nice blog”, or something along those lines, you’ll immediately get flagged as a spammer. Forums do’s; Read and follow the rules established within the forum, and do contribute constructively. One of the more popular forums on the net, is the Warrior Forum
Article Marketing
According to some, article marketing has proved to be NOT be as effective as it once was. Although it is debatable, don’t underestimate its traffic generation potential. The key to article marketing is to write a key word reach article on a specific topic, fill out a compelling bio box or resource box, and submit it to the article directories. If you are unsure what the “bio box” is, it’s simply a short summary about the author, (also referred as the “resource box” or author sig) which in this case, would be you. The purpose of the “bio box”, is to compel the reader to click on your links, who then visits your website. Most marketers will use the following tactics, like offer a free report, free gift, or eCourse.
How It Works
Once you’ve completed your key-word rich article, check it for spelling, and complete your bio box. Your next step will be to submit it to the article directories. The easies way to do this, is to use an automated software like, Article Submitter, Unique Article Wizard, or Artcle Post Robot. (check them out for yourself and decide which one is right for your). After you’ve submitted your article, here’s how the process works:
- Submit Article To Directories
- Person Visits Directory
- Person Likes Article and Takes Back To Add Their Site
- If They Do It Correctly-They Keep Your Bio Box In Place
- Which Gives You a FREE One-Back Link From Their Site
This is just demonstrating one person, if you right an excellent article, it can easily be picked up by many other webmasters, maybe a few high page rank sites. Just keep in mind that this is not going to give you results overnight.
Where To Submit Your Articles
One of the more popular ones, is EzineArticles.com. To get the top 50 article directories by traffic and page rank go here. On a side note, most article submission software will have a list of directories in place.
Things To Consider
As mention, your article must be key word rich, but don’t over-do it. There is a delicate balance here due to the search engines of possibly seeing your article as being spammy. Sprinkle your key words throughout and if necessary, have someone else read it and have them give you their input.
One important thing that needs to be mentioned about EzineArticles.com. As of May of 2008, they have changed their policies regarding self-serving links. They’ve enacted this policy in order to attract high profile expert authors and differentiate those who write thin content for the sole purpose of generating back links. You can learn more about it here.
Link Exchanges
The link exchange process works sort of the same way as with forums and blog posting, except you actively exchange links. You find similar websites that are in your niche, with whom you aren’t in direct competition and offer an exchange. You do this by placing a link on your site with a description, and they do the same for you. It’s like getting a vote. If possible, try to get links to websites with a high page rank. The higher the page rank, the better. Although the process of getting links can be very tedious and time consuming. There is good news, as the process can almost be done on complete autopilot. Here a few website that really simplify the process:
LinkMetro.com
EthicLinks.com
CyberLinkPro.com
30MinuteBackLinks.com
Web Directories
As far as web directories are concerned, there are literally thousands where you can list your site. Some marketers find this a waste of time. If you go this route, understand that it is not quick process, as it can take weeks to get listed. If you decide to do so, here are a couple of sources for you to check out and decide if web directories are right for you:
Conclusion
Web 1.0 link strategies are and can still be highly effective ways of generating traffic to your site. To better maximize, it is highly recommended that you put a schedule in place. For example, you can make it a point to actively participate in forums 1 hour a day, and post to blogs 30 minutes a day. Write 3-4 articles a week and submit to directories over the weekend, and do active link exchanges after that. This just a suggested schedule, the trick is to implement an accumulation of links using each of these strategies. Over time, you will reap the benefits of your hard work.
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