Nobody said quality link building would be easy…
We all know that link building is a key activity in SEO. But it’s definitely one that falls into the easier-said-than-done category.
Let’s face it: Quality link building is hard!
So what is a small business owner to do?
Who has time to write guest posts and email webmasters for links when there is a store to tend or bikes to be repaired or clients to be seen?
It can be tempting to resort to shady link building practices such as buying links or inappropriate trading of links when time is sparse.
Don’t do it.
Rather, read on for a couple of tips about how to manage your link building activities to gain high-quality links without neglecting your business.
Quality Link Building Requires Planning
Like some other great things in life (like vacation), quality link building requires a certain amount of planning. Set aside a couple of hours to get your ducks in a row.
List Target Sites
When we start working with a new client on link building, we create a spreadsheet full of websites that may be potential targets for links. Here are some ideas:
- Industry blogs (in our world, that would be blogs like SEOmoz and SEJ)
- Blogs/News sites that your audience reads (we would look at sites like Entrepreneur and Small Business Trends)
- Niche directories (think eLocalPlumbers or Restaurant.com)
- Forums (where you can serve as an expert)
Determine Types of Links
We further divide these target sites into different groups. For example, some sites may be good for commenting (especially if they have DoFollow links). Others may accept guest posts, so would fall into the “Guest Post” bucket. (Of course, you’ll want to leave some comments on any blog on which you would like to guest post.)
Some sites may fit into several groups. That’s OK.
Create a Link Building Calendar
Link building is not an event. It’s a journey.
You know how much time you have. Maybe you have time to do link building once a week. Or once a month. Whatever it is, schedule time for it by creating a link building calendar (and integrate it into your regular calendar to make sure it happens!).
For example, you may take 15 minutes twice a week to comment on blogs. Or you may write one guest post per month.
Frequency and volume obviously have an impact, but consistency is also key.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Search engines like Google like to see a slow and steady pace when it comes to link building.
Remember: Quality Link Building Is (Almost) Pointless Without Quality Content
OK. This probably should have been the first point, but it might have scared you off…
There’s no point in doing link building if you don’t have solid content. Why?
You’ll get traffic, but no return visitors.
If you don’t have valuable content and a way to capture new visitors through an email list sign-up, your wonderful link building efforts are in vain.
Schedule time to create quality content and then build quality links to this content. That’s the point.
Investing in Quality Link Building
If link building still seems overwhelming, you may want to consider hiring a professional to help you get started.
Quality link building is a long-term investment. Whether you spend time or money (or both!) on it is up to you. The results will make it worth it.
Although a link building calendar can be a good thing I think sticking to it too firmly can be dangerous. Instead you need to be response to changes within an industry by waiting for news or articles and reacting accordingly.
Hi Tudor, the intent with the calendar is to help serve as a reminder and a minimum level of link-building effort. Naturally, if there is an opportunity to acquire a quality link outside of the framework of the calendar, you jump on it.