Ranking a site on the popular search engines takes time, patience, and a strategic approach. Usually, in order to have a well ranked site you have to make sure that you are doing all the little things that search engines consider in the ranking process. One major thing that helps a site rank is the number of quality backlinks a site has.
Backlinks are links from other sites that point to yours. In this article we will analyze different backlinking strategies and the benefits or adverse effects that each one can have on your site.
List of Backlinking Strategies
Guest Posting– Guest posting can be a very effective method of obtaining backlinks. Posting on other blogs is a great way to share your information and knowledge with others in your niche. The trick to guest posting is finding high quality sites. It can be difficult to find sites like these because most high quality sites do not overly advertise their guest posting opportunities. Writing a good guest post is vital. A good guest post consists of unique and original content that is relevant to the site. If you provide a good guest post, that site may be willing to let you post regularly.
Blog Commenting and Forum Posting– Commenting on blogs and posting on forums with a link back to your site can be helpful but as more people do it, it’s becoming more spammy. In order to have this method work for you, you need to be a part of that community. By this, I mean that you cannot just create a profile and only post your link on discussions without ever submitting meaningful content. I like to think of these as conversations. If you are in a conversation with someone and the only time you say something, you are promoting your business, they will discount your constant advertising. On the other hand, if you have a nice conversation with someone and talk about what they’ve said and share your feelings, they will be much more apt to listen when you quickly give a blurb about your business at the right time in the conversation. This is how blog comments and forum discussions should be.
Profile Backlinking– Many people participate in online discussions just so they can get a backlink on that page. Instead of posting the link in their comment, they can put their link in the description of their profile. This does provide a backlink, however it often seems spammy and unauthentic.
Directories– The number of online directories has shot up in the past few years. With the increasing number of directories, there is an increase in spammy directories. Many directories require payment to be listed. Before you list your site on a directory, it is important to ask yourself if you are doing it to increase traffic to your site or if you’re just doing it for the backlink. If you are doing it just for the backlink, you probably should just not do it.
Link bait– Link bait is content that you have on your site that others see as valuable and want to link to. There are many different types of link bait that has been created over the years. Types of link bait include videos, articles, apps, widgets, resources, guides, surveys, promotional offers, infographics, reviews, contests, awards, and many others. High quality linkbait does exactly what it’s name suggests. It baits other sites to link to yours.
Infographics– Infographics have emerged to be a great linkbait strategy. Infographcs are images that use pictures, statistics, facts, and information to provide a consolidated, attractive, and easy to read piece.
Press Releases-Submitting information to press release sites can be a useful supporting backlink strategy. By supporting, I mean that it should not be your primary approach. In my own experience, I have not seen much benefit from posting on press release sites but they can help get the word out about your site or articles you’ve written.
Using these backlinking strategies will help you get your site ranked and exposed to more people. Just remember that you need to stick to sites in your niche. If you are a health blogger, a random link from an automotive dealer would not be of much worth. Be smart and strategic in your backlinking strategies and you will find success!
Ranking a site on the popular search engines takes time, patience, and a strategic approach. Usually, in order to have a well ranked site you have to make sure that you are doing all the little things that search engines consider in the ranking process. One major thing that helps a site rank is the number of quality backlinks a site has. 