Tips on how to Link build for Google

Lately there has been plenty of ranking changes in Google attributed to the change of value given to certain links. What many SEOs have long prepared for is finally come to fruition in Google.

Here are some fundamental keys to linking and ranking victory in Google. It's a quick version but nonetheless accurate to my observations and those in the field.

The following items have significantly reduced values in terms of link weight (and by link weight I mean how much PR juice is sent to the recipient.)

1) Directory submissions. Completely irrelevant. Have you ever seen your links from directories in the GOogle webmaster consoles? I have, a handful; not 500 like some promise to get. Drop $15 for an offshore directory submitter to submit to 500 directories and leave it be.

DO however, focus on local directories and niche market directories. They tend to have slightly higher values, but again, it's a directory.

DO purchase paid for directories if you have an extensive budget. DON'T bother otherwise. YOu can get buy just fine without paying 1000/year on directory links in business.com, botw, and Yahoo.

Summary: Directories can be ignored regarding their value to pass PR juice. Tiny niche market web sites may benefit more than medium sized web sites from directory links. Major corporate web sites who have the budget should acquire the links from paid directories since the competition is also participating in those locations.

2) Writing Articles for ezines. It's come to pass in the past 3 years that ezine directories are going in the same direction as regular directories. Web sites with extensive ezine links are being canned to the bottom of the SERP barrel because these links are slowly becoming USELESS.

Small market niche's will benefit from the brief boost of one way links. One article that's the same across 50 ezines will be placed in the supplementals thereby removing PR relevance. Changing the article and article title between each ezine will increase the value of the PR passed to your site.

Summary: Still a bare minimum method of getting one way links for sm. to medium web sites. Big sites can steer clear. In total maybe 2-5 total articles to be submitted over 4 months.

3) Blogging: Blogging for links is moot since nofollow. Bloggin on your own blog very class and very worthy, more on this later.

You could search for .edu or .gov blogs that don't have no follow. Typically if they are popular enough to not have old posts in the SERPS they will have Nofollow on blog links. You can also look for those who participate in 'ifollow'--the mvmt against nofollow.

4) Forum links. Again no worthy since nofollow. Some forums permit one-four links in the signature without nofollow. Value to your rankings is almost zero (but slightly higher than a directory link). Good way to expose yourself to likeminded industries and customers.

Summary: Forums are useful not for the links, but to expose yourself to your clients, learn what they think and what they want.

5) Email marketing: a targeted email list is a great resource, however, value to link building is minimal.

6) Guestbook: gone the way of the dodo, don't invest.

7) Press Release. Press releases are here to stay, but the thing is, the release eventually is put in the supplementals because there are 1000s being released daily. It's still a great way to get exposure and promotion. It is quite valuable in small market niche's where you do'nt have much information about products/services.

Approach the PR release in a similar way to ezines: don't submit the same thing with the same title to everyone. Mix it up to increase chances of not getting into the supplemental results.

8) Reciprocal links. Valuable if they are worthy to your consumers/visitors. More valuable with web sites with higher PR (but harder to get).

9) banner ads, ads. Not a great way for links but good way to expose yourself and your brand to targeted audiences.

10) Purchasing links. If Google devalues all the methods of getting links quick and easy that means there are two methods left to get links that won't be devalued:

1. Buy them
2. Write for them

Purchasing links still remains a viable method of getting ranks faster than the competition with a smaller links building budget. Quite simply, corporations with marketing dollars can rank easily over competition that doesn't have the cash. It used to be a fact that SEO broke down positional advantages online, but now, more money (which is not accessible to small firms) will mean buying more links = better ranks, period. Thanks a bunch google.

11)edu and gov links. These are tied with my conclusion.

*Note* TLD DOES NOT HAVE AN IMPACT ON PR JUICE PASSED TO YOUR WEB SITE. .com .net or .anything will have the same value of PR juice passed if all things are equal. It just so happens that .edu and .gov links have great content not found elsewhere and hence many links. Any dot com like that would reap the EXACT benefits.

Any SEO who believes otherwise is confused.


12) Social media - great way to target specific audiences, get one way links, and get lots of traffic quick (but brief.) this method is tied with the conclusion.

Conclusion:

All of our old methods are pretty much gone. There are some other ways of getting links not mentioned here, but for the most part I've covered it. What does that leave us? Buying links and WRITING FOR THEM.


Super, great, relevant, unique, valuable CONTENT is the single best way to get links. PROMOTING that content is also equally crucial.

What do you need to do? Before heading into the foray invest time to discover WHERE your market hangs out. If it's techies, then Digg is the place. If it's newshounds, perhaps newsvine,.... there are countless social media outlets out there with a specific audience. Find your audience (maybe it's connected to an active forum you participate in).

When you find your audience, where they hang, and what they want, you can write content for them and market them that content. Don't write about llamas and submit it to digg. No matter how great your article is nobody will care cause it's in the wrong location.

Great links related to great content is the wave of the future. Get on that train, if you don't know where your markets are then you need to quit now or find someone who can identify markets and where they are so you can get links.

Any 'SEO' that still exclusively favours the above techniques (1-11) is behind the game. Period.

 

it's as good as this one

 

Good article, most of it re-confirming my own thoughts.

 

Conclusion: a lot of unique content is king.

 

I loved the part where you warned about spamming Digg. I love Digg and I hate it when every "seo guide" says submit your content to Digg......I'm the one that has to go and weed through the spam..

 

Good point about the 'find where your target market people are at'. I run a few sites that wouldn't do crap in Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other service like that.

I found several forums, but thats about it.

 

Nice Article. I'll vote for Press Release.

 

well written...thanks for the tips

 

Great "link building tips for google" djstreet

 

Does purchasing relevant links really boost PR quickly? Can just one make a big difference?

 

Nice Article, thanks for tips

 

good info.
thanx!

 

seem like we dont have many choices left. but anyway i think those methods still help just you have to do it yourself and dont waste your money with those. just think on this way that we make links for popularity purpose but not for PR purpose. ^^ cheers.

 

A very informative one thanks for this.

 

nice tips, thanks a lot!

 

Nice artciles, here are other articles worth to look at:

Link Building Tips and Resources

Best 23 Social Bookmarking Sites [June 2007]

 

Thanks for the nice tips...

 

Guys, i suggest you seek a second or third opinion


Okay, I am biased, but I sincerely doubt that anyone can lay claim to absolute knowledge of how Search engine Algorithms will develop

 

I say that link value is still a mystery as far as Google goes, simply because they don't show all the links to a site.

 

Interesting post, but it is not the be all end all either. There really is much more to this than meets the eye.

I found the best way to build links was to build my own network of sites.