Link Building Tactics for 2012?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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This content blew up a server with 80,000+ hits: http://noahsdad.com/target-down-syndrome/
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Here are seven actual link-building tactics that don't require you to have amazing content:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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This is certainly very helpful.I was looking out for this answer only.
Thank you so much !!
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Hi Eppie,
Where do you find the 150 word writers who will do this for $0.50 to $1? Also what services do you use for directory links?
Thank you
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Have you included social media in your mix? How much weight do you give to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and +1, and LinkedIn?
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Most freelance sites should have people willing to write for those rates if you're willing to buy in bulk or commit long-term to a writer. If a writer can sit down and bang out a bunch of these, they can do it more profitably than if you're giving them 1 or 2 at a time. I prefer oDesk but any reputable site should do.
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If the content's really good, social can have an excellent pay off. If you're promoting mediocre "me too" garbage, it's just not going to work. You have to be really honest with yourself about the client's site and content -- if it's not good enough to work in the social space, don't burn the hours. Instead, fix the content problem or focus on building links like I noted above, since they largely bypass the editorial process.
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I might be a little late to the party and didn't go through all the posts shared by Keri (which I hope to do later), but how about social bookmark campaigns. I have a friend who was able to use stumble upon and the like to get her site to drive huge amounts of traffic to her site: http://www.swayable.com/
So, to answer the question you repeat multiple times, "How do we get them to link after we build great content?" Maybe you should find some way to get in front of crowds with the content and hopefully get them to "like it" or promote it somehow? Facebook...twitter...and these social bookmarking sites.
SEOmoz used to have this website and might still somewhere in their recommended social media websites or maybe it was their directory list: http://www.ranker.com Well, I know I've posted to it's sister site with a blog post of mine and got 10X's the traffic we were used to because it was in front of a crowd. We didn't get a ton of links, but we may have gotten a few.
I thought the original question was about the most effective link building techniques and then has digressed down to a debate about creating great content ='ing link bait vs. other more artificial techniques that Vojt listed. I'd like to read more about other strategies like Vojt's listed because it is sort of obvious that building great content is going to get you potential links, no? Well, here's a few more ideas from other places when I searched for "link building 2012":
http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/link-building-2012.html
http://www.polepositionmarketing.com/library/link-building-secrets-2012/
http://weblogbetter.com/2012/01/02/link-building-strategy-for-2012/
Not saying these are well written or have good ideas, but maybe one idea about link building is writing posts about the next year with the same topics we ask about year after year (i.e., your question) and then get some idiot like me to copy & past it into SEOmoz and then getting links? There's an idea...
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Private blog networks - I would be very careful with these, there are loads of blog networks currently being de-indexed.
Blog commenting - I now have proof that the big G isn't considering these as worthy links and instead consider them as spam.
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Agreed on blog networks, I also think forum profile links are a definite no no. But what proof do you have that blog comments aren't considered worthy and are additionally spam?
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My background is in education, so I set up my site to be a resource and not just a sales brochure. People who visit my site stay on my site because the content is good. My SEO is only just getting started, but I passionately believe that great content, with great context is the way to go.
Great content must be worth the authentic natural links?
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Yes it did.
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Thanks for the tips. It's so hard compete with these other attorneys who are using all these crazy link building services. So many are spammy too. I'm really iffy about hiring some blogging network to work some magic for me because want quality content associated with my brand but... man it's hard to compete that way!!!
Guest Blogging It Is Then!
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this is definately the best wat to fall under google radar for violation of google quality guidelines
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I prefer to blog commenting, guest posting, and forum profile links. For blog commenting, it slow but you can get friend also.
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Andy you made content with the post and comments you made. Now this blog post has a ton of great links and resources lol!
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I think when it come to great content we should all look to the original experts at content creation - journalists. Ask yourself - is this blog post newsworthy, is it relevant, is it unbiased? Put yourself in the readers shoes and be honest with yourself - is this content really worth the readers time? I mean web content producers have it the hardest - pre-internet journalists weren't competing for nearly as much attention as now. For print media, readers may be stuck with only one magazine in the bathroom or plane - so that is what they will read. The web is inherantly a browsing platform - so we are always looking for something better. That is why online dating can be so discouraging - or so my friends say ! ; )
So be very critical of your content. And obviously put the time into what I call "syndicating" the content out to social media, bookmarking, etc.
My best,
- A former journalist
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