SEO Link Building - Off-Site SEO
Why do back-links matter?
A back-link is a link on someone else's website that points to your website. Google considers a link to your website as being like a vote for your site. In general, sites with more links will show up higher in the search results. The process of trying to get more back-links is referred to as link building or off-site SEO.
Quality vs. Quantity
All links are not equal. Google considers both the quality of the site that is linking to you and the relevance of the content on that site. A link from a prominent website (e.g. a major newspaper) carries a lot of extra weight. Government websites with .gov domain names and school websites with .edu domains are also weighted more heavily.
Ideally your links will be from web pages with content that is related to your website's content. For example, if your office is featured in an article about local health care practitioners, that would be more beneficial than if the article was about interior decorating.
Getting Started with Link Building
- Promote your content on social media, like Facebook and Twitter.
- Add your website to local business directories and industry databases.
- List your website in your college's alumni database.
- Write articles for local newspapers or industry journals.
- Be a guest blogger on industry websites.
- Offer to trade links with colleagues and friends.
- Offer website testimonials to businesses you interact with. They'll often be happy to place a link next to the testimonial.
Great Content Attracts Links
Interesting, informative articles can naturally attract links. So if you enjoy writing, consider starting a blog. Quality is better than quantity, so focus on writing content that will actually be useful. And remember to optimize each blog post for specific keyphrases.
One great way to attract links is with lists of tips or "best of" advice. For example, "7 Secrets to Natural Weight Loss" or "10 Best Healthy Snacks for Toddlers" or "5 Tips for a Better Night's Sleep." Articles of this style are sometimes referred to as "link bait" because they do a good job attracting links.
Start a Conversation
If you want to attract links to your blog posts, consider responding to articles written by others. You can leave comments on other people's blogs and/or via social media and write your own blog posts responding to what others have said. This is a great way to get other bloggers to pay attention to your articles and link to them.