We all got the memo that great content is important. Google's Panda
update made that abundantly clear. But let's be honest: backlinks are
still the name of the game when it comes to ranking in the SERPs.
Hunting down quality links from websites with the right online street
cred will not only help you rank; each link also has the potential to
deliver waves of extra traffic to your website as long as the link exists.
Not too shabby.
Sounds great in theory, but in practice? It's a bit harder. Just about
every SEO on the planet is on the bandwagon right alongside you, on the
prowl for the almighty backlink. That makes competition a whole heck of
a lot tougher – regardless of your niche. Webmasters far and wide are
inundated with guest post requests, link purchase queries, and emails
that are generally begging for a shout-out. Many website owners have
already learned to tune out the begging, considering it nothing more
than white noise clogging their inboxes on a daily basis.
That's precisely the reason you should stop wasting your time on what is
essentially the email version of cold-calling. Instead, try scoring
links from lesser-known sources around the Web. Here are a few ideas to
get you started.
#1 – Publishing Positive Reviews
Is there a product or service you use for your website or blog? Is it
something you're legitimately in love with? Then sing its praises by way
of a detailed review published on your site.
There's a couple of caveats to address with this method, however. First,
make sure you're reviewing a product or service that has small- to
mid-sized popularity. Although it's possible you'll get a mention (and a
link) for promoting one of the big guys, you're much more likely to get
a reciprocal link from a smaller vendor.
Write a spectacular, highly detailed review and email the company
directly with a link to your post. Make sure to Tweet the post to your
followers and mention your tweet in your email as well. Although this
technique doesn't guarantee a backlink, depending on the company, your
chances of scoring a public plug and a link back to your post are pretty
high nonetheless.
#2 – Hooking Up with a University
Shout out to Gregory Ciotti for this super-sweet linkbuilding technique.
It's awesome because we're talking about securing a coveted "dofollow"
backlink from an .edu domain. Here's what he did:
Image 1:
You can replicate his success by tracking down a student organization or
a department at a lesser-known university in your local area that
relates to your website's niche. You'll need to have a working knowledge
of website setup, and you can do this easily by setting up a simple
WordPress blog for the organization or department in question.
Ensuring the organization you choose is related to your niche is
important – it will make the possible recipient much more inclined to
accept your offer. Side note: recently, Google has started discounting
the value of links included in theme footers and widgets, so you can
adapt Ciotti's technique by requesting an article or blog post including
your link in exchange for your services instead.
#3 – Start a Movement
This idea comes courtesy of a personal finance blogger that started a
wildly successful blog movement earlier this year. The blogger, Jeff
Rose, mobilized over 140 personal finance bloggers by declaring a
national "Roth IRA Movement" day.
After speaking at a college event, Rose was dismayed to learn exactly
how many young people had no clue what a Roth IRA was – much less how to
use one to supplement their retirement savings portfolio. To remedy
this, he called on his fellow bloggers to each post about Roth IRAs on
one pre-determined day, and the response was unprecedented.
Rose's idea helped bring attention to a very worthy cause, but a great
fringe benefit for Rose was the influx of backlinks to his blog – many
from established, high-PageRank blogs and respected news sources. You
can capitalize on this idea by choosing a cause close to your heart in
your own niche.
Call upon your peers to take part in your movement by posting their
personal take on the matter on their websites and blogs on a specific
day. Make sure to get the word out far and wide about the movement long
before the big day arrives, and reach out to other bloggers personally
to take part in the special cause. If it's something people in your
niche deeply care about, many will be more than happy to participate.
#4 – Stalking Your Competition
Use a tool to get the lowdown on the backlink profile of your key
competitors – especially those that have site stats comparable to your
own. Scour the data to hunt down backlink sources you may have never
thought of, and compile a list of the best possible websites to approach.
Try a mixed-bag method when you use this approach. Remember, today it's
all about relationship building, so if you send a mass email with each
site owner's name pasted in and ask to submit a guest post, then you're
setting yourself up for failure. Remember, these website owners are all
part of the same niche, and many already know one another, which means
they talk.
Instead, feature some of the site owners in a linkbait post, such as a
"best of" list, for example. Reach out to others simply to introduce
yourself and establish a relationship without asking for anything.
Comment consistently on some of the blogs in the list and get yourself
known around the community. The goal is to use the list as a roadmap to
build relationships – not as a list of webmasters to query about guest
posting.
#5 – Fundraising
You can try this method on its own, or you can couple it with #3 above.
If the cause you champion includes a group that needs financial
assistance in some way, try starting a fundraiser to raise awareness for
your cause. If you do this, make sure to use a service like PayPal to
track donations and keep everything above-board. This will also reassure
people that their money is going to the right place.
Write an impassioned post about the cause and your fundraiser. Spread it
far and wide – tweet it, email industry leaders about it, reach out to
your fellow bloggers. Ask them to link to your post in order to share
the info with as many people as possible. When you're giving selflessly,
you'll be surprised by the positive feedback and cooperation you'll
receive. Plus, you'll have the added benefit of knowing you're doing
something good to help your cause.
Do you have any little-known backlink-procuring strategies of your own
to share? Let us know your favorite method in the comments below!
--
my motto is "Keep it simple" and "don't leave anything for tomorrow that can be done today."
If you have any questions or comments please contact me.
Regards Gerald
Website: http://www.webcraft.ws
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
Twitter: WebcraftGuru
Facebook: Webcraft Guru
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