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Search Engine Optimization
Link Building and Link Development
Increasing the number of relevant inbound links from other on-topic web sites is the most important activity businesses can engage in to boost the rankings of their web sites in the Google organic search engine results. Link building for Web sites has been around as long as the Web exists even before the Yahoo Directory and the first generation search engines were launched. Link building in the early days primarily focused on generating Web site traffic through referrals from other sites. But after Google.com launched in 1998 with a link count dependent PageRank algorithm to help rank web pages that match a given search query, link building has become an important search engine optimization activity.
What is Link Building?
Link building is a search engine optimization activity primarily focused on getting quality Web sites to link to a Web site, in order to improve search engine rankings. Link popularity, link context and link quality are all factors that play a major role in the link building process because they affect the relevancy algorithms that rank web site pages in the Google organic search results. The number of trusted, on-topic, inbound links that are pointing to a web site determine the link popularity, while link context and quality is boosted by the authority, credibility and content of the web sites the inbound links appear on. Inbound links from web sites with related on-topic content carry more weight then off-topic links.
Custom Link Building Plan
A link building effort must start with the development of link campaign plan that is tailored to the specific needs of the web site and should includes a combination of link building tactics necessary to meet the link building campaign goals. A solid link building plan is comprised of a planning phase that includes discovery, research, strategy, tactics/techniques, an implementation phase and ongoing campaign management.
Goals and Discovery. The first step in the development of a custom link building plan is the goal setting phase, which includes determining the clients' goals and objectives, research, client demographics, online competition, target market characteristics and more.
Strategy. Based on the goals and constraints set in the previous phase, businesses and site owners can decide on a link building strategy that includes the best combination of tactics and link building channels to achieve the campaign goals set in the discovery phase. Selecting the proper combination of link building techniques goes a long way in building a sustainable link building plan.
Link Building Tactics. Link building tactics determine the most effective and best way to acquire links for building a diversified web site link graph. This can mean mixing writing of guest articles and blog posts, online press releases, blogger outreach, social media content development and aggregation, with other link building techniques, such as reaching out to web site owners, securing links from vertical web directories and distribution of widgets and tools with embedded links.
Link Building Plan Execution
There are many link building techniques that can be used in a link building campaign; some are more effective than others. The exact composition often depends on business goals and objectives, the type of business and web site. We have listed 7 proven link building tactics below.
General and Niche Web Directories. General and local Web directories, business listings and association membership web sites (e.g. Chamber of Commerce) can all provide links that build a good foundation for a link building campaign because they provide one-way themed links. Directory submission involves submitting the URL of the web site or web pages to the appropriate category of the directory. Most Web directories charge a one-time, or annual, inclusion fee.
Link Requests. One-way to boost web site link popularity is to obtain free, authoratative and high quality inbound links from related web sites we contact on the clients behalf. This activity is time-consuming and entails identifying potential partner sites, contacting them to request a link, following up and sometimes returning a link. Reciprocal linking with quality web sites is not recommended as a complete strategy, but as part of a larger link acquisition campaign, some reciprocal linking between high quality topically relevant web sites can be a good tactic.
Guests Posts and Article Writing. Guest blogging and article writing for high traffic blogs and media web sites has become a highly adopted, but time-consuming link building tactic for acquiring valuable links.
Widgets and Tools. A proven tactic is the viral distributing of widgets or small, portable Adobe Flash or JavaScript mini-applications, tools and contests that work with most browsers and can easily be incorporated in any blog or web site. They will carry links back to a web site for the purpose of link building.
Social Media. Social media links are fairly easy to disseminate through channels such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. While these links are all no-follow and therefore are not passing Google Pagerank, their secondary benefits can be significant. One popular tweet from Twitter or update from Facebook can generate a fair number of high-quality do-follow links that pass Google PageRank from web users who decided to follow up with a blog post with an embedded follow link or share the link somewhere where the link is followed.
Link Baiting with Content Development. Link baiting is an established method of link building, where web site owners or bloggers place specific, often highly desirable, linkable content on their web sites or blogs and submit this content to Digg, Reddit and other discovery/content voting web sites to attract links from other web sites, blogs or social networking sites. When the link bait has been developed and implemented on the web site or blog it will be promoted online via email and on social networking web sites to generate exposure and attract links.
Link Reclamation. Link reclamation is the process of recapturing inbound links that point to non-existing web site pages. This tactic works well for established and large sites since the restoration of existing links recapture link juice passed on from these links, which will ultimately translate into higher web site rankings in the organic search results at the major search engines. Link reclamation should include:
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Discovery of broken and incorrect links, improperly redirected links and links pointing to non-existing pages |
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Finding and contacting the web sites the links reside on and advice on changing links and fixing broken and incorrect links |
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301 redirect of links to non-existing pages so that link juice can be funneled to existing pages on the web site |
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Discover all pages with a "wrong" 302 redirect or 404 pages and redirect them in a proper way |
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Past Presentation
CBS Scene 2010
May 2010, Foxboro, Massachusetts
"Deep Understanding of Search"
Presenter: Louise Rijk
Vice-President Marketing and Sales
Advanced Media Productions
Click here to play the video.
128 Business Expo 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009 - 12:00 noon
Westin-Waltham Hotel
Waltham, Massachusetts
"Twitter and Blogging for Business"
Presenter: Louise Rijk
Click here to play the video
Middlesex Savings Bank Business Success Seminars
Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 7:30AM
Crowne Plaza Hotel,
1360 Worcester Street, (Rt 9), Natick, MA
"Using Internet Marketing to Build Your Business"
Presenter: Louise Rijk
Click here to play the video
Clark University
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 8:45-12 noon
Grace Conference Room
Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
“Search and Digital Asset Optimization”
Presenter: Louise Rijk
Click here to play the video.
WebmasterWorld PubCon 2008
Las Vegas
“Integrating Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) into the Advertising Mix”
Presenter: Louise Rijk, Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Click here to play the presentation
128 Business Expo 2008
The Westin Waltham-Boston Hotel
“Using Social Media to Connect with Prospects and Customers”
Presenter: Louise Rijk, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales
Click here to play the video.
495/MetroWest Business Expo
Sheraton Framingham Hotel
Pre-Expo Keynote Presentation
“A Strategic Approach to Integrated Marketing”
Presenter: Louise Rijk, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales
Click here to play the video.
Bentley College, 2008
Waltham, MA
“Planning and Integrating a Targeted Internet Marketing Campaign”
Click here to play the video.
WebmasterWorld Pubcon 2007
Las Vegas, NV
“Planning and Integrating a Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) Campaign”
Click here to play the video.
BizAction 2007
Washington DC
"Email, Social Media and Search in the Overall Marketing Mix"
Click here to play the audio.
128 Business Expo 2007
September 2007
"Blogging and Podcasting For Business"
Click here to play the video.
495/Metrowest Business Expo
Pre-Expo Keynote
"The Rise of the Internet as a Mass Advertising Medium"
Click here to play the video.
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If you would like more information on Internet Marketing, Consulting, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing and Email Marketing, please
click here.
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Copyright © 1996-2010. Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
251 West Central St., Suite 28, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, USA
Tel: 508-647-5151 Fax: 508-647-5150
E-mail: info@advmediaproductions.com
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