There is more to getting your site ranked high than just creating a great fully optimized, content-rich site. While on-site SEO is a very important part of achieving success in the search engines, there is also a lot that must be done off-site in order to achieve results. But where do you start?
Why not start by getting whatever FREE links you can get. Many good website directories are free to submit to, especially regionally specific directories. So, with the help of Google, do a search for various keyword string that might bring up some directories, here are a few examples of what I mean: submit site, website directory, free website directory, submit url, and so on. Keep searching, there are so many of them, I am sure it would be impossible to find them all.
Install the Google toolbar as this is a very helpful tool to check the PR of the directories and pages you are submitting your site to. If the site has a PR 0, this may mean that the site has been in some bad neighborhoods, but on the other hand the directory may simply be new. Keep your site away from link farms (pages filled with unrelated links and usually have low PR). Do not submit your site to any automatic submission sites that advise you your site will be submitted to 20+ directories for example. You want manual submissions to these directories and engines. There are of course other ways to build links besides submitting to directories. Here are a few examples, and depending on the subject of your site or the type of business you engage in, I am sure that a few will be helpful:
1. Write industry specific articles and submit them to sites such as Ezine Articles (One link to your site per article accepted. This is a slow process but good for building a reputation in your field).
2. Start a blog, which includes links to your site. This is a great way to build a few links, and is great if you are in a more creative business. These are of course not high PR links, but your blog posts will at the same time create some exposure for your site.
3. Use Yahoo! Answers. You can answer questions specific to your field, and include a link back to your site at the bottom of your page. As with the Ezine articles, make sure your responses to issues are thoughtful and concise. Being careless and “spammy” will only make you and your site look bad.
4. Do any customers or suppliers of yours have a site? Maybe they would like to arrange a link exchange. A good link exchange is good as a blueberry muffin if you are trying to get rank high in the search engines, so don’t be afraid to ask. Some of my best link exchanges were done this way.
5. Be creative. This is by no means an exhaustive list of possibilities. There are a million and 1 ways to build links for your site.
Author: Danielle Gauthier
Previous news: 24 April 2007
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