These days building high quality links can make or break an online business. Its no secret that ever since the Penguin Update, search results on Google are largely dependent on external links that come from highly respected sites, and sites within the same niche.
Gone are the days of being able to spam thousands of links across the Internet with computer software, and I for one, am very happy about this evolution in technology. With that said, if we want our businesses to rank highly, we still need to build high quality links, which is not always easy to do. Sometimes we need a few tricks to get our feet in the door. Here are a few secrets that may help get you on the right path.
1. Hold a contest.
One of the best ways to get a site to link back to you is by holding a contest in your field. For example, my business happens to be in the field of online dating. If I were to hold a contest for best relationship blog on the Internet, I would contact all the sites that I want links from, and inform them that I will be providing an award to the top 25 blogs on the Internet.
Once the emails are sent out, and I have my full list of sites that want to participate, all I have to do is design an award to post, and give it to the winners to post when the results are over. The winners will be more than happy to post the news on their site, since it is good for business and makes their company look great. In return, they will link back to the page on your site that shows they won the award. Just make clear that you would like them to do this before the contest begins.
2. Interview experts in your field.
This is one of my favorite ways to acquire links. Find experts in your field and email them, asking if you can send them a few questions for a brief interview. Inform them that they can answer the questions via email and return them at their own convenience.
When they are done, they send will send it back, you can post it on your website, and naturally, they will link back to the interview on your site since it is great publicity. As a double bonus, you will get free content as well, thus killing two birds with one stone!
3. Use your weight in the industry to entice others to help you.
People are usually more than willing to help another person out if you can find a way to help them in return. Use the resources you have as an opportunity to make a deal.
For example, there are many great blogs that I have developed a respected relationship with over the years. Since my word with them holds respect, if I ask them to allow someone I know to guest post, they will likely say yes. I can use this to my advantage when contacting powerful websites, by informing them that I can try to get them a guest post on one of my powerful contacts, if they allow me to post on their website.
This is a tool that shouldn’t be abused, and only used in rare situations when you know you are dealing with someone of very high quality. But when used properly, this can be extremely effective. In fact, receiving three of my all time greatest gigs were acquired by using this strategy.
Joshua Pompey is author of the online dating guide, The REAL Online Game. Click here for plenty of free tips and advice on what to write in an online dating profile.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com
