MN Interactive

Link building strategies for your blog or webs

You’re proud of your newly launched blog or website, (as you rightly should be), and envious of the ones which seem well established, but remember all sites start off with humble beginnings. To get a better idea of how a successful blog operates, visit Yaro Starak’s business timeline in which he offers details of his online ascent from a simple blog owner to a multi-millionaire.

One of the common threads you’ll see in all successful blogs, is daily content being posted with plenty of links. Links can be an excellent strategic way to build audience. Link building campaigns add on a slow audience trickle, which after awhile translates into a much larger flow. There two ways to achieve this; by adding links to other sites and by adding links to articles within one’s own site or blog. Lets see, step by step just how to start adding these links.

Offer regular content: As mentioned earlier, a simple way to ensure you have plenty of links is by adding regular content to your blog. Doing so generates link-worth material. Try and consciously begin by adding at least two links per posts. Don’t worry, gradually linking becomes natural and won’t feel so forced.

Add a blog: if your site doesn’t have a blog, now’s the time to add one. Most web hosting companies will allow you to build a blog as part of the site, but if not, WordPress and Blogger are great places to get started.

Take advantage of friends: If you’re not sure as to which links are compatible with your post and don’t have time to research them, keep links to friends sites and blogs of handy on your blogroll and link to them.

Make use of MySpace, Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn etc: If your friends have obscure sites you can’t possibly link to, another way to add links is via your social networking audience. Twitter is especially great as no matter the size of your following, you’ll always find great sites to link to within them.

Join local organizations: As a writer, I’ve had some great responses from writing groups like Professional Writers Association of Canada of which I’m a member and through which I get business. My web links on these sites enable potential clients and coaching students to find me. It doesn’t matter the kind of business you’re in; you’ll always be able to find local bodies you can link to, and in turn, get them to connect to your blog.

Buy or exchange links on Ezines and newsletters: If you have friends or colleagues who have Ezines, you can always buy or offer link exchanges with them. Sometimes you might also be able to get a guest post created, which in turn will carry your web/blog- link.

Submit to ezine directories: Publishing in ezine directories like Go Article and Ezine Articles is a great way to get you site’s name out there. Submit quality articles and watch your readership grow. While most of these directories will not allow you to insert links into the text, you can promote your company in your profile which gets published alongside it.

Write a press release: Similar to ezine directories, press releases allow you to link back to your site and can prove to be an invaluable tool in promoting your brand. You can see samples on PR Web. Make sure you do have something press worthy before you write your release. A poorly written release can do more harm than help and can damage your company’s reputation instead of enhancing it.

Use online directories: Submitting your site to online directories can work well for you, but only if you select the right ones for your business. There are hundreds of directories like jayde and Dmoz and it’s easy to get caught up in registering with all of them, but the results cannot be measured and your inbox will fill up with useless junk mail. Instead, do research for the ones most appropriate to your business and stick to them.

Experiment with social bookmarking: Like online directories, social bookmarking sites can work well if correctly targeted. The trick here is not to just bookmark your site and blog posts, but to bookmark a number of other sites/posts which interest you. In fact, you might even be penalized if you only stick to bookmarking your own offerings.

Build internal links: And finally, don’t forget to build internal links, by connecting to older articles and posts within your site. This way you’ll be regenerating forgotten posts, and encouraging visitors to move around your site.

Linking takes time and patience especially if you are to do it so it seems like a natural progression to your blogging skills and not blatant self promotion. Yet, if done correctly, it can bring in a targeted audience, promote your brand and services, and connect you to hundreds of other companies who in turn will be happy to refer back to your site.