Probably the most misunderstood and misrepresented of all SEO tasks is that of link building. Throughout my years in the world of SEO, I’ve noticed a core set of habits that the really effective link builders share. It should be noted that I don’t consider an effective link builder one that gets a ton of links.. but rather one that gets results, consistently and measurably.
1.They emulate a natural link profile.
Ask yourself, “What kind of links would a legitimately awesome site like mine naturally acquire?” I’ll bet the answer isn’t hundreds of profile links or spammed blog comments. More likely the links would share these attributes:
- Be placed with varied anchor text
- Be located on a diverse range of IPs
- A wide diversity of site types (web 2.0, articles, etc)
The best link builders are aware of this and act accordingly.
2. They focus on quality rather than quantity.
It may come as a shock to some of you, but I can say with certainty that a handful of highly trusted, high authority backlinks will outperform 2 handfuls of spammed, low quality backlinks. Those in the know begin with building trust and authority early on.
3. They place emphasis on branding and general visibility rather than SEO.
Afterall, the real purpose of internet marketing is to increase sales and/or visibility, right? An interview will do much more for this (and SEO) than a blog comment on some tucked away personal blog.
4. They are organized.
In order to be really effective, you’ll need to keep track of your data for analysis. Is this email converting higher than the last one? Are these types of sites more receptive to linking to my site? Spreadsheets are essential here and many samples can be found online for your use. Also a good way to gauge progress and provide a client with proof of time spent.
5. They offer value when asking for value.
This one should be common sense for the most part. Write a good, useful article before you attempt syndication, offer to make a “donation” for their time required to update the website to encourage them to add your link. Be considerate of others and give them an incentive to help you out.
6. They are persistent.
Link building takes time. Not all of your emails will be responded to the first time, not all viral content will reach the right channels. Rising up the ranks in search engines takes time too. You can’t expect to spend 10 hours on the day after you launched the site building links and pop up at number 1 (or even if you do, you can’t count on staying there). Slow, calculated campaigns will lead the pack.
7. They work smarter, not harder.
Highly effective link builders are able to provide great results without spending a tremendous amount of time. Through optimizing your content and building your site to be a link magnet, focusing on the right kind of links (those that are good link targets), and in general doing the things above, you’ll do more with less.
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I really liked your clear cut analysis for Effective Link Builders. In all a great post.
So true… that it is even getting scary
Great article. Really helped me realized that my focus may be off. Time to start working “smarter, not harder.”
Thanks so much!
Thanks Kim, that’s really my primary concern when I’m working on campaigns… “How can I work smarter here?”!
Spot on here Terry! The first two points are key and companies looking to hire a link builder should keep these in mind instead of drooling over quick and greasy results. Larger companies should want to build up a nice natural, quality link profile to reflect their quality way of doing business.
Absolutely. As an industry we really need to be focusing on client education to help weed out the bad seeds in the SEO garden to to speak