SEO Backlinking: The Backbone to an effective Search Engine Optimization Strategy
One critical aspect to maximizing your site’s effectiveness is search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine optimization affects virtually all aspects of online marketing for which you’re responsible. Therefore, it’s important that you understand arguably one of the most important factors that influence your search engine rankings – backlinks.
What is a Backlink?
In SEO terms, a backlink is any link to your site from an external domain. This usually refers to editorial links (PR, blogs, articles, etc.) as opposed to those from search engines or paid traffic sources such as a banner ad. Despite being a source of natural, targeted traffic for your site, these links are vital to your organic search rankings.
How do I Create Good Back Links?
Actively Commenting on Blogs
By finding and commenting on blogs that have similar content to your website you are both learning and building backlinks at the same time. I would highly suggest you take the time to make an insightful and meaningful comment to the post. This will ensure your post is approved and that people will follow your link back to your site as well.
Articles and Article Directories
Backlink development via article submissions is quickly becoming a very popular method to generate backlinks fast. The process works by creating and distributing quality, relevant content that utilizes keywords and links back to your site. As people pick up your content and post it to their sites and blogs you instantly have relevant backlinks.
Leverage Social Content
As you create useful social content (blog, video, images, audio) in your integrated marketing efforts, make sure you are sharing and linking to that content from other sites. Great content that cannot be discovered via search engines is a lost opportunity to reach an audience that may be looking for it.
Don’t Forget Website Directories
Website directories are slowly, but surely losing their relevance due to the rise of social media. However, they are still useful in acquiring backlinks. To save yourself time when submitting to any of the thousands of site submission directories, consider using automated submission software and be very selective of the directories you post to.
RSS Feeds
In a nutshell, RSS feeds syndicate to the world what is new on your site or blog. Simply create one and then syndicate it through Feedburner and it will be distributed to hundreds of RSS aggregators across the web.
Videos
As you create videos are part of your content strategy, make sure to use the latest video optimization techniques and include links where you can back to your site.
As with any marketing strategy, the key to success is relevance. A backlink from a site about your favorite colors is not going to help promote your hospital or financial institution. Additionally, any aggressive link-building techniques almost always backfire and result in lower search rankings or bad publicity from bloggers and other online commentators. Link building should be approached with the same respectfulness as any other marketing program.
Happy linking!
On Twitter? Follow me at @BrianBierbaum. Follow Priority at@PriorityResults.
