SEO Basics - Part Eight - Acquiring Incoming Links

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Here we are at part 8 of the SEO Basics series. In the last few posts I’ve been talking about the important of incoming links to your SEO strategy. Links have long been considered the “Holy Grail” of high rankings. The big question becomes, then, how can you go about acquiring the type of incoming links your website needs as part of a well balanced SEO diet?

There are numerous ways to acquire incoming links, some much more effective than others.

A steady aim helps link builders hit the target

Here’s a partial list of the common ways of getting links, and how helpful those links will be.

Class 1. Marginally useful links. They aren’t a huge help, but they don’t cost much to get in the way of time or money.

1. Social network submissions and bookmarking.
2. Free directory submissions
3. Forum signature links.
4. Blog comments
5. Reciprocal links

The trouble with links from these Class 1 marginally useful links is that they’re easy to acquire, meaning it’s equally easy for everyone on the internet to get such a link. For example, anyone on the internet can “shove their page in Digg”, but consider that means that there are millions of such pages, and none of them carry much weight. Add to this the fact that the “Nofollow” tag has been added to many such submissions, and you realize you’ll be doing a lot of fishing in this category and will end your day with an empty net more often than not. Big Fish link builders don’t spend all day in the kiddie pool, but look for more serious ways to get links.

Don’t forget any link you add on someone else’s domain can also be altered or deleted at a later date. A so-called “Dofollow” blog can have the “Nofollow” tag added that day, effectively deading the work you’ve been doing. If you spend the majority of your time attempting to add links to other people’s websites, you are probably neglecting your own content which can actually attract natural linkage.

Class 2. Generally useful links.

1. An inline citation
2. A sidebar or blogroll link
3. One way Directory listings

Class 2 Generally useful links are a bit harder to get. You will either need to pay money or have enough talent that you attract links naturally. Certainly, more people than ever are paying for these types of links, and it’s unknown what percentage of these links still occur naturally. For websites with a large enough link profile, it can be assumed the links have been acquired naturally, over time. If not, it might be a case of a big marketing budget.

The main way for you to acquire such links is to maintain a solid content website, promote your content, and establish a generalized authority in your niche. These issues quickly become matters of quality. If your website lacks quality, and you know it, you need to either fix the issue by improving you website, or increasing your ad budget.

Class 3. Very Useful Links

The last type of link we’ll look at is the “gold standard” link. These are links that are almost always helpful.

1. An inline link from a related, established, and ranking web source
2. A blogroll link (non recip) from a website that’s higher up the food chain than your own
3. A deep link to a deep page, including a matching theme, domain authority and age, and matching anchor text

Again, your strategies for acquiring such links will rest squarely on your own abilities and talents. If your website is truly extraordinary, a one of a kind marvel that leaves people gawking with silly looks on their face, admiring its’ sheer grandeur, then you’ll have no problem acquiring these types of links, and you’ll be quickly rewarded with a number one position.

When I speak of a “gold standard” link here, I’m referring to one link. Of course many internet marketers and SEOs don’t stick closely to one approach, preferring instead to “take what they can get” and overwhelm the search engine algos through their sheer force of their will and personality. If one were use such a strategy, it’s not hard to believe it could work. But, like any other link building methods, such a frontal assault on the SERPs is not without its’ drawbacks.

First, you’ll need a big budget. Second, you’ll need to devote endless energy to your project. Lastly, you’ll be living and dying by the “link”. In a sense, you’re leaving your flanks exposed by following a “links only” approach. You’ll be left with your ass out, and a clear target pointed at it unless you’re very, very careful. I don’t see a need for such a short sighted approach. Ranking high in search engines is all about a synthesized approach that doesn’t leave you relying on one “trick” or method that could be just another short shelf life loophole that will soon be closed.

In the end, as always, the easiest way to acquire incoming links is to have “gold standard” content in t he way of text, videos, how-tos, tools, or any of the broad category of websites that help people do something and attract links by default.

Continued from SEO Basics - Part 7 - Outgoing Links.

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