Making link building easy
When it comes to links, one can never have enough of them. However, link building strategies have become trickier and trickier in recent years largely due to the oversaturation of content, the watchful eyes of ‘Uncle Google’ and new algorithms every few years.
When Penguin 3.0 was released, many SEO analysts were more confused than ever before as to what criteria Google actually takes into consideration when positioning pages.
There are differing opinions about link building, such as it being dead altogether or that it complicates SEO efforts even further. However, one thing is certain; building good quality links is still a sure bet to ranking higher in search results and staying on the safe side whenever another algorithm is released. How then can you make link building easier for yourself? Here are just a few points.
Easy way:
Guest Posting Done Right
If you manage to find a good website or blog that accepts guest posts but their guidelines are very strict, then you need to come up with a really good pitch and article idea that will be difficult to turn down. Guest posts are still truly alive and well, they just require more effort.
With more and more platforms wanting to get paid for publishing your content, you have to work twice as hard as before.
One thing that can make your work easier is to dig deep into the blog you will be pitching to, and offer a very unique but relevant idea, and then submit a well-written and properly researched article. This way the chance of getting rejected will decrease.
It’s also important to have a platform with valuable content which will make you appear credible, in addition to giving a face and meaning to your articles.
Hard way:
Links, Links, Links and More Links
There is a big difference between quality and quantity when it comes to link building. Just like a million Zimbabwean dollars is only worth a few American dollars even though they are both legal tenders.
So make sure to rethink what you’re doing next time you’re looking for websites to post on. Those irrelevant guest posts and comments, link schemes and all won’t advance your cause in Google’s books. They’ll only make you susceptible to Google’s penalties.
Good link building strategies and following valuable tips will ensure you get the right links.
Easy way:
Quality Platform and Content
Although it might seem like a vague concept, having a good platform with quality content does give your link building efforts an edge. Nothing sells itself better than a good product, right?
When it comes to link building, it’s only the first step towards selling a product and not the actual sale, however, it’s still extremely important. The relevance and authority that you will gain will make building relationships with journalists a lot easier.
The idea is to look inwards before you venture outwards.
Hard way:
Link Building Right… in the Wrong Direction
As they say, you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole. You might be ticking off all the right boxes towards your link building efforts, but going in the wrong direction. Sometimes, not aligning your link building strategy with your own values, goals and objectives can bring more harm than good.
Easy way:
Sharing and Promotion-
Once you have a piece of great content and your other link building efforts are being done right; it’s time for these to be properly promoted. Make engagements and build relationships with the journalists and influencers from the industry in which you operate.
Social media is a great way to effectively promote your content, so take advantage of it. It is not like social media will instantly boost your link building campaigns, but it will create a platform for you to share your content with a wider audience.
Hard way:
Instant gratification
Link building requires a lot of hard work and resources, but it also requires a lot of time and patience. Expecting immediate results for your link building campaign will be expecting too much, too soon.
Don’t be discouraged, even if your campaign isn’t bringing instant results. Don’t be tempted to change or discard anything mid-way through promoting your content, it could complicate things even further.
If your campaign was done right, the results will definitely come.
Times are changing and so is the world of link building. This doesn’t mean you should get discouraged from link building or guest posting. Just remember to work hard and be systematic.
Businesses that put more into their link building efforts, instead of spamming on forums etc., deserve to be visible and rank highly on Google.
Do you have any other ideas on how to make link building easier? If so, leave a comment below.