How would you Oustsource Link Building if your budget is $200?

[krishru]

Hi,

We all know that Link building is a tough job which  requires persistent effort  , and for a content creator it takes focus away from his job , which is "creating content".

So content producers resort to "outsourcing" their link building.

Now, unlike business/ enterprise , professional SEO's cost a fortune and beyond reach of an upcoming content creator.

So he/she resorts to cheaper link building mediums like Forum Posts , Blog Comments , Article submissions , automate bookmarking site submissions etc.

All the above software relatively do not cost much ($50-$100) BUT create links which do not have much value and hence not desirable.

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My question is -

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How can a content producer (like me) with a budget of meager $200 spend his money to get "most value" out of his link building activities

[RyanKent]

We all know that Link building is a tough job which  requires persistent effort  , and for a content creator it takes focus away from his job , which is "creating content".

I disagree with the conclusion here. Your best source of link building IS creating content. That is what your website is all about.

Create unique, relevant content that others will want to link. I would like to offer an example relative to your website but you didn't offer a URL and your profile is not complete.

Fix a problem, share your latest experience adapting to a recent change, interview an official source, do anything you can to help users improve their understanding or experience with the subject of your website.

A key to link building is sharing quality time, not money. Visit other blogs or forums which share your site's interests, and become an active member of those online communities. Share your expertise and offer links back to your site when appropriate. I wouldn't suggest spamming these sites but instead you can casually answer a question by offering a response and mentioning that further details can be found at www.mysite.com/answer.

How can a content producer (like me) with a budget of meager $200 spend his money to get "most value" out of his link building activities

Step 1 - create the highest quality, most relevant content you can

Step 2 - do everything you can to let the world know about it

[StalkerB]

If you're creating content that isn't getting links you need to make better content.

The blog/forum comments and such like aren't just to get links, they're to make people aware that your stuff exists and if it's any good, hope that they continue to read your stuff and link back editorially. Guest post, network, get out there, but you're not going to be able to get a tool or outsource that. Accept that promotion is part of being a content producer. There's no shortcuts.

Realistically there's not much you can do with $200 (per month?) in terms of pure link building. Unless you're happy to outsource to people from poor(er) countries to do this commenting etc for you (and as it's tied back to you I wouldn't overly recommend it). So, you need to think a bit differently to attract links.

You could run competitions on your site and use that as prize money, you could give away stickers to likers or commenters, you could become a app dev and publish a free (to make and dl) iphone app, you could do any number of things to pull people to the site but you're not really going to get somebody to run a link building campaign for you at that price (I wouldn't imagine)

I don't really know what kind of site you run so can't give specifics.

[EGOL]

We all know that Link building is a tough job which  requires persistent effort  , and for a content creator it takes focus away from his job , which is "creating content".

This is my philosophy.  My job is content creation not linkbuilding. So my goal is to allow my content to earn links with very little effort from me.  The problem is that you need visibility.  You need visitors on your website to see your content and hopefully some of them will link to you from their blog or their website.  How do you get visibility?  Sites such as stumbleupon.com and reddit.com and slashdot.com enable you to submit a piece of content and then if it is superb you can get a lot of visibility - tens of thousands of visitors or even hundreds of thousands.

You can also find websites that already link out to content in your topic area and if your content is better than what they already link to, you might ask them to consider your content for a link.

You should also make it very easy for visitors to share your content with their friends.  I use the AddThis.com button to make that easy.

If you follow the above you might get some links.  If you are not getting links then there is a problem that your content is not very good - at least not good enough to get links.  Also, if visitors are not sharing your content with the addthis buttons then you know that your content needs to be better.

What to do with that $200?  Buy a digital camera and use it to take photos to support your content.  A page full of words is not very interesting. However, a page with great writing and some great photos has a much better chance to succeed.

[krishru]

I agree with you on most parts but

sites such as stumbleupon.com and reddit.com and slashdot.com enable you to submit a piece of content and then if it is superb you can get a lot of visibility - tens of thousands of visitors or even hundreds of thousands.

But I have already submitted to these sites and do not get much traffic reason being they cater to specific audience tastes for example reddit.com - funny and bizare stuff does very well ...

Not to brag , but the content I create is nothing less than awesome and people do share them via add this and I do get occasional backlinks BUT not enough to secure a commanding position on the SERP

[krishru]

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[MHagens]

This post is deleted!

[EGOL]

the content I create is nothing less than awesome and people do share them via add this and I do get occasional backlinks BUT not enough to secure a commanding position on the SERP

Great!  You are on the right track then if you are getting addthis action and a few links.  The good news is that as your traffic goes up you will get more links and your progress will accelerate because of the greater exposure.  Keep working.

But I have already submitted to these sites and do not get much traffic reason being they cater to specific audience tastes

This can be true.  Stumbleupon can be the most versatile.  If you can identify any way to share with like-minded people, such as through facebook, that could improve your results.  Or, maybe you can find bloggers in your niche who will help you.

[RyanKent]

I took a look at your site. I very much enjoy what you are doing. Here are some things you can do to help your site rank better.

1. Add a blog. Presently your site progresses like a text book stepping methodically through Java. A blog would offer you an opportunity to talk about Java in a way that is more likely to grab attention.

You can add one blog article each week. A suggested article: JavaScript vs Java - What's the difference? You can pick a popular Java program and showcase it sharing it's function, things it can do because it was written in Java and not another language, etc.

You can also talk about current events such as the latest JVM update. This is your chance to speak about topics which are popular, establish yourself as an authority, and expose people to your site.

2. Add forums. Similar idea to the blog. A forums would allow more interaction between you and your visitors. It would also allow visitors to converse with each other. The forum content is fantastic for grabbing long tail search results which would expose others to your site.

3. Add original videos. Spread the videos out amongst the most popular video sites. Yahoo, Vimeo and other sites each have followers who look to their sites first for videos. By adding your content there, you are exposing your site to people who otherwise would never know your site existed.

4. Add pdf files. Your pdf should contain links back to your site and be locked.

5. Venture out to other forums and blogs. Make comments and when appropriate link back to your site.

There are so many things you can do and still stay focused on Java.

[MarieHaynes]

I am in a similar boat as you.  I have GREAT stuff....but don't get a lot of links.  But, here's what I envision happening - I know that over time I will get a slow trickle of links.  And eventually those links will start to push me up higher in the serps.  Perhaps I'll hit the jackpot with one of my articles and pull in lots of links which will give me a boost quicker.

And then, as I climb higher, I will get more links because my site is more visible.  Then, eventually the little streams of link love will grow into rivers and eventually oceans.

[EGOL]

Links are getting really hard to acquire.  Most of the people who blogged a few years ago have left for FaceBook.

I have not be aggressive with getting links for a few years and now I am convinced that Likes, Tweets and Shares are the future currency for ranking a website.

[krishru]

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[photoseo1]

Ryan, I know this is an old post, but I think you may be able to answer a question I have about distributing content. I know that no matter how good your content is if nobody can find it, it's worthless. What is your recommendation for content distribution. I am currently using social sites (facebook etc) but those don't provide do follow links. What kind of content distribution services do you use or recommend?

Should I use article sites like Ezine Articles, and if so is there a cap on how many I should submit to for affective distribution?

Thanks for the help.

[RyanKent]

There are not any easy fixes which can replace what a live person can do.

Become an active participant in the wedding planning community, or hire an interested college student to do it for you. Every bridal forum, blog, magazine, etc. which accepts user generated content should be read. When appropriate leave comments.

Do not try to offer a link to your content with every reply. You will be seen as a spammer and blocked. Be sincerely helpful, offer tips and occasionally link back to helpful articles on your site.

This is a highly effective means of link building if you indeed have great content and industry knowledge. You will become known as an expert and a helpful person. You will also stay well-informed of the latest trends and ideas.