Linking is important for website ranking, but link building is not the easiest thing to accomplish. When people get to know you hopefully they will want to link to your site. To help them along, give them some content they can’t resist.
Inbound Links
A website is your place in cyberspace. When people learn how great you and your products are, they can let others know about you. Linking to your website is one way to do that. It is also called a backlink. It is a link to your site on their website or blog.
There are two kinds of inbound links: reciprocal links and organic links. Reciprocal links are those that you get when you agree to swap links with another site. It could be a friend who wants to help you out and vice versa. Getting links like this is okay but not the best when it comes to moving up in the ranks.
You have to look at the quality of the sites that you are linking with. They may offer to swap links but if the site is not optimized, reputable and/or well-presented it can backfire. You can be marked down for poor link building. And paying for links isn’t much better. After you have worked so hard on your site, you don’t want it to go to waste like that.
Organic links come from those who are not asked to link to you. They have heard about you (through your stellar marketing campaign) and want to let others know something awesome is in their midst. These links are rated higher by search engines. When you are just getting started it is hard to get links like this.
Obtaining Links
How do you get the links you need and want?
Use your content. Writing content that is optimized for keywords in your niche can rank high. Others will click on you first. Sites within your niche that are trying for those higher spots will check you out to see why they can’t knock you off the top.
Establish expert status. Post content to article directories. Write for other blogs. Being found in other places increases your visibility and adds to your credibility. Everyone wants to be associated with an expert.
Comment on blogs within your target market. Go to where your potential customers are. Give sound advice and add a link to your website. Pretty soon these people may become loyal readers who will link from their blogs to your website.
Use your content to help build quality links. The combination can lead to increased traffic and subsequently more sales.
