The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • My Q&A
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. SEO and Digital Marketing Q&A Forum
    2. Categories
    3. Intermediate & Advanced SEO
    4. Link Building Tactics for 2012?

    Link Building Tactics for 2012?

    Intermediate & Advanced SEO
    45 23 5.9k
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • AWCthreads
      AWCthreads @alhallinan last edited by

      Case in point...the owner of the store literally walked in about 8 minutes ago and told me we are going to be the distributor for a unique and profitable product. We're going to shoot video of it in use and build some great pages for it and hopefully, generate some great links to AMAZING CONTENT!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
      • alhallinan
        alhallinan @alhallinan last edited by

        I get it, I get it... but how much AMAZING content could an air conditioning repair company create?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
        • EGOL
          EGOL @alhallinan last edited by

          Perhaps you have never searched for that content?

          Efficiency information, calculators, all types of "how to", all types of buying guides, product reviews...

          ... even if you were in the manure business there is an awful lot of content that can be written.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • alhallinan
            alhallinan @alhallinan last edited by

            Coming up with kick-ass content isn't the issue. We're really good at that. Its getting people to LINK to the kick ass content that is the problem.

            For instance, my team came up with this idea and took this photo:

            http://tampaseo.com/2011/05/seo-for-food/

            But we can't get people to link to it for the life of us. We know its funny, great content, but no links in 12 months. What the heck?

            The idea of "if you create great content, people will link to you" is bogus. We're creating great content, no one is linking.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -2
            • AWCthreads
              AWCthreads last edited by

              Alas, greatness is in the eye of the beholder not the reflection in the mirror.

              At first glance of your page, a visitor might think it wreaks of negativity. A picture of an SEO guy laying in the gutter may not elicit the response you'd like from the visitor. Do you want laughs or links?

              Also, the titles of your points are all in the negative. Write in the positive about what you do that is great instead of what others do that sucks.

              alhallinan 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • alhallinan
                alhallinan @AWCthreads last edited by

                LOL, again, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how great the content is - people will not just flock to it.

                Let's say I write the most magnificent article, take the most magnificent picture, or whatever, and post it to my website.

                People are not going to magically just start linking to it - they have to first SEE it in order to link to it.

                How do I get my websites in front of them?

                "Creating amazing content" is not the answer. I want down and dirty, nitty gritty answers on how to get it done.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • KeriMorgret
                  KeriMorgret @alhallinan last edited by

                  I just watched a TV show yesterday about buildings being built in Saudi Arabia and the double-paned windows that are actually eight inches apart and have outside air blown up through them to help keep the building heat down. It reduced air conditioning needs by 2/3. That's some pretty amazing content there!

                  My husband and I watched this while we sat in our rental house with no air conditioning of any type. What about some content for the millions of renters who want air conditioning but can't make permanent changes to their house or apartment? Such as how to safely install an a room air conditioner when the windows only go side to side vs up and down, how to keep your house secure, what size air conditioner do you need, what's the budget option vs the high-end option.

                  Give me all kinds of info about how to choose the right air conditioner so that I feel comfortable that I'm getting the right thing from your online store and I won't just head on down to Fry's or Sears and buy something there. Give me calculators about how big I need for a particular room size, give me worksheets for properly measuring my windows I buy the right sized kit for sealing the rest of my windows, etc.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                  • alhallinan
                    alhallinan last edited by

                    Good answer, Keri - but after I create that content, then what? Just because its great content doesn't mean it will get in front of website owners who can link to it. Do you agree? Its not "if you build it, they will come." How do I get people to see it after I write it?

                    KeriMorgret 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote -1
                    • KeriMorgret
                      KeriMorgret @alhallinan last edited by

                      Here are some SEOmoz blog posts that can help provide some inspiration.

                      http://www.seomoz.org/blog/throw-away-your-form-letters-or-5-principles-to-better-outreach-link-building

                      http://www.seomoz.org/blog/outreach-for-linkbuilding-whiteboard-friday

                      http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/how-to-create-and-promote-a-link-worthy-resource-list

                      http://www.seomoz.org/blog/8-tips-for-blogger-outreach

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                      • EGOL
                        EGOL @alhallinan last edited by

                        I wouldn't link to it.

                        I don't think it is very good.

                        It is chest-thumping and marketing.

                        That  does not attract links very well.

                        Just being honest.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 6
                        • alhallinan
                          alhallinan @alhallinan last edited by

                          EGOL, no one asked if you liked the content, nor did anyone ask you if you would link to it.

                          The content was merely an example - the question remains: After you create a killer piece of content, then what? How do you get it in front of people who might link back to it?

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -4
                          • KeriMorgret
                            KeriMorgret @alhallinan last edited by

                            Today's YouMoz looks at ten examples of good linkbait pieces and dissects why they were successful. It might help you get a couple of ideas for your pieces too.

                            http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/10-extraordinary-examples-of-effective-link-bait

                            EGOL 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • KeriMorgret
                              KeriMorgret @alhallinan last edited by

                              Alhallinan, in all fairness, you said in your comment "Coming up with kick-ass content isn't the issue. We're really good at that. Its getting people to LINK to the kick ass content that is the problem. " and "But we can't get people to link to it for the life of us. We know its funny, great content, but no links in 12 months. What the heck?"

                              I believe EGOL was trying to address a couple of your comments in his response.

                              In looking at that link that you shared, my first thought was "this was written for keywords, not for the user". Specifically, "Hire SEO Expert Tip" doesn't read very naturally. Second, you'll likely have a hard time having other people in the industry link to a post that has four "tampa SEO" links for your five tips. It's obviously optimized for your terms and that talks about your company specifically. It's just not a stand-alone resource that other people would link to.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 7
                              • EGOL
                                EGOL @KeriMorgret last edited by

                                Thanks.... most of the ten content items listed there required a LOT of work, usually from multiple people.

                                Also, I really like that you reported on Noah's Dad.  A really good success story about someone we know.

                                I believe that most content people will tell you that most of the content that they produce fails to get viral distribution.  But when it happens they get a lot of traffic and the stature of their site gets kicked up a notch.

                                Sharing your content via Digg, Slashdot, StumbleUpon, Reddit is a good way to begin.  Very few of the items submitted get a lot of attention, but when that happens it is like throwing gasoline on a fire.  If that doesn't happen with your content it is a sign that you need to be throwing bigger, or better or badder balls of mud at the wall.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • alhallinan
                                  alhallinan last edited by

                                  I'm pretty disappointed that I've had about 7 emails and comments on my blog about how terrible my picture was. All I wanted was some advice on how to get content in front of other bloggers, but instead, people from SEOmoz have just been emailing me and leaving comments on my website about how horrible my content is.

                                  Bummer.

                                  Paligap EGOL 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote -5
                                  • Paligap
                                    Paligap @alhallinan last edited by

                                    Maybe your assessment of what constitutes great content is a little off?

                                    People are more likely to link to you if you engage with them - if you have great content (genuinely great) - then why not search on twitter for people talking about the subject matter, engage with them and point them to the content if it is going to be useful for them. If they like it there's a chance that links will follow.

                                    Just one idea.

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                    • EGOL
                                      EGOL @alhallinan last edited by

                                      They are doing you a favor. They are telling you that you will have better results with different content.

                                      There is a lot of content on SEOmoz about linkbuilding.

                                      There isn't a lot of content on how to create successful content and how to recognize it.

                                      So the next time you have some content that you want to get in front of bloggers, why not come here and ask... "What do you guys think of this content?"

                                      You will get honest feedback.

                                      If its really good content some folks here might blog, tweet or link.

                                      If you have really good content you don't have to show it to very many people because a few eyes on great content is like throwing gasoline on a fire.

                                      AWCthreads NoahsDad 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                      • AWCthreads
                                        AWCthreads @EGOL last edited by

                                        This content blew up a server with 80,000+ hits: http://noahsdad.com/target-down-syndrome/

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                        • EppieVojt
                                          EppieVojt last edited by

                                          Here are seven actual link-building tactics that don't require you to have amazing content:

                                          1. Private blog networks - easily the most powerful "hands free" method of building links right now.  Outsource the writing of 150 word posts for $0.50 to $1.00 each.  Perfect for building deep links and anchor-specific links to sites that already have some domain authority.
                                          2. Guest posting - gives you full control over the content in your posts and the sites you get links from. Allows you to target much higher quality sites than private blog networks but you won't have as much control over anchor text.  Also, not ideal if the site you're linking to is sub par, as your author links are likely to be reviewed.  If your site is legitimate, this is one of the most powerful link building tactics around.
                                          3. Directory links - they still work and can be completely automated.  Use these to build up a base of links to a site.  I automate through a service that lets me schedule these out over an entire year (100 per month).
                                          4. Blog commenting - you can easily outsource it, automate it via Scrapebox if you want, or do it manually.  It depends on your risk aversion and own business morals.  There are simple search patterns you can use to identify dofollow blogs as well.
                                          5. Footer links from WordPress themes / plugins - less obvious but highly effective. I have a site that picked up over 3 million links last year from theme footers ("powered by" links).  If you're smart, you can automate this to vary anchor text on the fly.
                                          6. Forum profile links - easily automated but clearly spam.  If you're concerned about potentially burning a site, I wouldn't use these extensively pointing to your own site.
                                          7. Buy them - not through a network, but creatively.  You can sponsor open source software (can get very high PR links this way) or a meetup group, give to a charity, donate a prize for a community event.  If you do enough community related stuff, you may be able to spin that as a newsworthy story to the local press and nab a link there.

                                          If you combine these 7 tactics, you shouldn't have much trouble ranking.  If your content is awesome, you'll start to accrue natural links once you get the ball rolling.

                                          Hope you find this to be helpful.

                                          amit.ganguly jenadams Steve25 DeltonChilds SherWeb 8 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 5
                                          • amit.ganguly
                                            amit.ganguly @EppieVojt last edited by

                                            This is certainly very helpful.I was looking out for this answer only.

                                            Thank you so much !!

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • 1
                                            • 2
                                            • 3
                                            • 1 / 3
                                            • First post
                                              Last post
                                            • Link Building for Ecommerce
                                              Packaging-Group
                                              Packaging-Group
                                              1
                                              12
                                              235

                                            • Are We Doing Link Building Right? Do Certain Links Actually Matter?
                                              wholewhaler
                                              wholewhaler
                                              0
                                              2
                                              79

                                            • Best way to link to 1000 city landing pages from index page in a way that google follows/crawls these links (without building country pages)?
                                              lcourse
                                              lcourse
                                              0
                                              7
                                              54

                                            • What is future of Link building ? Any link building experts Here ?
                                              w1t
                                              w1t
                                              0
                                              5
                                              131

                                            • Link building
                                              RobCairns
                                              RobCairns
                                              1
                                              8
                                              370

                                            • Daily Link Building tactics to move the needle
                                              KaneJamison
                                              KaneJamison
                                              0
                                              6
                                              262

                                            • How does a competing website with clearly black hat style SEO tactics, have a far higher domain authority than our website that only uses legitimate link building tactics?
                                              Peter.Huxley59
                                              Peter.Huxley59
                                              0
                                              6
                                              492

                                            • Best Link Solicitation Email Structure - Link Building
                                              Michael-Goode
                                              Michael-Goode
                                              0
                                              2
                                              680

                                            Get started with Moz Pro!

                                            Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                                            Start my free trial
                                            Products
                                            • Moz Pro
                                            • Moz Local
                                            • Moz API
                                            • Moz Data
                                            • STAT
                                            • Product Updates
                                            Moz Solutions
                                            • SMB Solutions
                                            • Agency Solutions
                                            • Enterprise Solutions
                                            • Digital Marketers
                                            Free SEO Tools
                                            • Domain Authority Checker
                                            • Link Explorer
                                            • Keyword Explorer
                                            • Competitive Research
                                            • Brand Authority Checker
                                            • Local Citation Checker
                                            • MozBar Extension
                                            • MozCast
                                            Resources
                                            • Blog
                                            • SEO Learning Center
                                            • Help Hub
                                            • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                                            • How-to Guides
                                            • Moz Academy
                                            • API Docs
                                            About Moz
                                            • About
                                            • Team
                                            • Careers
                                            • Contact
                                            Why Moz
                                            • Case Studies
                                            • Testimonials
                                            Get Involved
                                            • Become an Affiliate
                                            • MozCon
                                            • Webinars
                                            • Practical Marketer Series
                                            • MozPod
                                            Connect with us

                                            Contact the Help team

                                            Join our newsletter
                                            Moz logo
                                            © 2021 - 2026 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                                            • Accessibility
                                            • Terms of Use
                                            • Privacy