Link Building for Success

Posted on 08. Sep, 2011 by in SEO Strategies

Link building is one of the best methods for getting your website noticed, loved and ranked by Google’s search engines; and, some of the best strategies for link building are the pointers you find and follow from Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

When you build a website, links do not just naturally come to you, nor do they randomly find you. You must strategize keeping the above guidelines in mind and implementing some very specific, yet easy tactics.

How do you get noticed on the internet?

The Google Bot is a very interesting little machine that roams the internet looking for the most popular websites and for who’s linking to who. It’s fun to look at it as a bit of a “who’s who”.

Google’s created a popularity contest.

Popularity is key. The most visited and most liked sites rank the highest.  So, if your website is hidden, you’ll never be number one in Google for any keyword. However, if you hang out with other people and they communicate with you and link to your website, you will always be rewarded.

You can reach number one in the popularity contest when you have a number of people physically linking to your website and pointing to you.

Google loves words but it cannot really see what your content is all about.

Remember, it’s an algorithm, a computer program that doesn’t know what you’re saying. It does recognize patterns though and the maze or web of link building moving in and out of your website.

So, how can it tell who should rank number one? If there’s a lot of websites pointing and linking to you, creating a web of traffic to and from your site, you will be the better site above all others with just a few links.

Your goal is to get ranked by Google. Higher ranking means more traffic which equates to increased business. This means you have to commit to continuously work on link building. It’s really that important.

Keyword specific rank depends on keyword specific links. The site with the highest recommendations around a particular keyword or subject stands the highest opportunity to rank for that topic.

Content is ranked by what you write your keywords around. Write your content and structure your pages to target keywords; the best strategy when creating content is to target the website pages around one or two keywords at the most.

The quality of links are crucial to link building.

Links alone are not enough. As well as popularity, the following list is also very, very important in Google’s eyes and plays a critical role ranking.

1. Link Age and Longevity - has the linking site been around a while; is it an established, aged site? Old is never a popular topic unless we’re talking about cheese, booze or websites. In Google’s eyes, older is better.

2. Link Relevance - is the site connected to your niche; does it cover a similar or related topic?

3. Link Authority - are you getting links from higher trafficked, authority sites that are continuously ranking in Google and have a very strong link profile for your topic? If they’ve been around as a strong resource, they will have tons of visitors.

4. Link Reputation - is the linking site a trusted site in Google’s eyes and has it been with google for a very long time, continues to get a lot of traffic and provide a lot of value to its visitors? Does it have keyword based links pointing to it?

5. Link Growth Rate - how frequently are you adding new links to your site; is link building happening quickly or is it occurring gradually over time? Don’t be in a frenzy or flurry to build links, do it in a natural and consistent way so you avoid being penalized by Google.

6. Link Focus - are you focused within your niche instead of getting links from everywhere? Weight loss and SEO, although two of my favorite topics, are not a perfect match for trading links.

7.  Link Anchor Text - is your anchor text keyword relevant; keyword specific rank is dependent on keyword specific links.

Using the list above as a guideline, check to see which items you have implemented in your link building strategies for better ranking. From the list, it’s easy to see what is missing and needs to be applied; it’s also a good, basic list to work from to gain more visibility and win your rightful standing in the Google popularity contest.

Wishing You Every Success Always in Your Link Building,
time management

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45 Responses to “Link Building for Success”

  1. Willena Flewelling

    28. Sep, 2011

    Loren, your whole blog is an awesome treasure trove of golden nuggets for bloggers. (I hope I’m not mixing my metaphors there…) I need to keep coming back and checking my blog against what you have laid out for us.

    Thank you for the practical breakdown.

    Willena Flewelling
    Willena Flewelling recently posted..A New Race is About to be RunMy Profile

  2. Teach Jim

    27. Sep, 2011

    Thank you for the sharp list with specific short descriptions. This is a clean and clear tight list.

    In the next few weeks I’m launching a collaborative community which will be working together to spread some back link love to a few key sites. I’ve started a short list of some great backlink sites but never have considered grouping them as you have here.

    Maybe for my community and for your raving fans we should identifying specific sites to add in as examples of each type of back link. Maybe your fans would be willing to help generate this essential sites list.

    What do you think? Useful project? I sure hope it would be of value for you and many others.
    Teach Jim recently posted..ABC’s of Business DevelopmentMy Profile

  3. Ryan Ward from roswell real estate

    27. Sep, 2011

    Well explained Loren! I strongly believe that after setting up a website, the next thing to do is to make it known through link building and keywords. I heard that Google is very strict when it comes to ranking sites but the above mentioned are so helpful to remember.
    Ryan Ward@roswell real estate recently posted..Pricing a Home in a Down Market – You Can’t Underprice a HomeMy Profile

  4. William Earl Amis, Jr. III

    22. Sep, 2011

    Lorin,
    I had to re-visit your site to gain more clarity on the link matter. I never utilized key words in my articles. Most people spend to much time on that one element and never have the end result desired.

    We must have usable content or all will not matter. People must get something out of your post and this will have them return. They will start to tell their find with all contacts.

    Loren, your one of our great information leaders in this industry. I trust your content and continue to count on it. I would recommend your site to all.

  5. Theuns

    22. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren

    Thanks for this great info.

    What you say make sens and to belong to a group
    that help you is the best you can do that is why i belong
    to TSA that help getting back links to your blog.

    I just start my brand new WP blog so i need to get to work LOL :-)

    Regards
    Theuns
    Theuns recently posted..The Power of Intention: What is the Power of The Power of Intention and how to apply it to your business and life.My Profile

  6. David Paul from network marketing leader

    22. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren,

    This is great information. I found it to be a nice refresher. I only wish you would have directed me to something of value to help me make all of this link building a bit easier to accomplish. Just a thought.

    Thanks,

    David H. Paul
    David Paul@network marketing leader recently posted..How to Use Your Burning Desire to Own Your LifeMy Profile

  7. Kevin DeRoo from kevinderoo.com

    21. Sep, 2011

    Hey Loren,

    Excellent article on the importance of Link Building with some awesome examples of how effective link building can be accomplished.

    While most people in the industry know that there is value in back links, most do not know just how much value back links hold when one is trying to get good ranking in the search engines.

    Back Linking alone accounts for over 80 percent of the total SEO required activities to achieve good rankings.

    Thanks so much for sharing your list Loren!

    Kevin
    Kevin DeRoo@kevinderoo.com recently posted..Mentoring an Everlasting InfluenceMy Profile

  8. William Earl Amis, Jr. III

    16. Sep, 2011

    Loren,
    this is a article that is packed with usable information that will get everyone up to speed with being noticed and getting more traffic.

    Lots of people spend to much time with little results. Getting the traffic is great if you can keep people returning. You must have good content and not to much over crowed stuff on your site. Too much ads and pitches of many opportunities will turn people away even with maximizing SEO.

    Loren, your our information person in a difficult industry. I love your insight to what is updated and making it simple for all of your readers understanding.
    William Earl Amis, Jr. III recently posted..Are You Hungry?My Profile

  9. Kyle from After High School

    14. Sep, 2011

    Thanks for the SEO rundown. Some good information to take advantage of on here.
    I don’t mind doing the on page SEO stuff, but when I start to get a little confused when it comes to link building. I’ve only recently been able to grasp the concept and this article helped me to more clearly understand it.
    Thanks for the post.
    -Kyle
    Kyle@ After High School recently posted..The Biggest Mistake You Don’t Want To Make After High School Is…My Profile

  10. Jaclyn Castro

    14. Sep, 2011

    Loren,

    This is such a great article on link building. I am going to bookmark it so I can refer back to it. It’s super important for us to do what we can to stay in the game of Google’s popularity contest.

    Bookmarking this now and will come back to it when it’s my chunking time of the day for WP related tasks :-)

    Thank you again for sharing your expertise with us!

    -Jaclyn Castro
    Jaclyn Castro recently posted..This is How to Create a Facebook EventMy Profile

  11. Raena Lynn

    14. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren,

    Thanks for this informative article on link building. What makes me laugh is the fact that the bot is “an algorithm, a computer program that doesn’t know what you’re saying.” It sure doesn’t seem like it, does it!

    You listed 7 factors to consider in link building:

    1. Link Age and Longevity
    2. Link Relevance
    3. Link Authority
    4. Link Reputation
    5. Link Growth Rate
    6. Link Focus
    7. Link Anchor Text

    I would like to make mention of #1. My personal experience is that the link age and longevity makes a huge difference in rank. There is a substantial increase in impressions and ranking over time. Of course the content has to be relevant. If you have followed all the guidelines, it is fun to witness the results of a happy bot!

    Raena Lynn
    Raena Lynn recently posted..My First Newsletter Was Born Yesterday-Weekly? or Bi-Weekly?My Profile

  12. Debbie Lattuga from Finding Yourself

    14. Sep, 2011

    That’s why I love CommentLuv so much. It is a great tool for getting and giving link love. Thank you for explaining the intricacies of linking.

    A great way to create lots of links to your site is to create a ‘link-bait’ piece. I know, it sounds kind of creepy.

    But link-bait can be any sort of resource you create that would inspire people to link to you. For instance, Top 100 Blogs in your Industry, or 100 Things you can do to Improve your Blog.

    These sort of blog posts tend to get linked to by lots of other bloggers.

    Debbie
    Debbie Lattuga@Finding Yourself recently posted..Total Alignment | BalanceMy Profile

  13. William Earl Amis, Jr. III

    13. Sep, 2011

    Loren,
    your on your A game with this share. I gain more knowledge from this article and it felt as though I was in “Numbers”. This is my favorite show.

    Yes, being recognized and placed in high ranking means more traffice. Yet, one must have usable content that will keep the interest of the massive people visiting that site.

    Keeping your site updated by responding to all the comments is a plus. People see your persistent in responding with positive edification.

    All is well with getting noticed. Just keep your content real and usable.

    Lorin, your a great visionary in our industry. I am very fortunate to have made friends with you. I look forward to more awarding wisdom from your next article.
    William Earl Amis, Jr. III recently posted..Overwhelming SupportMy Profile

  14. Kevin Martineau

    13. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren:

    This is a topic that I still have much to learn about. Thanks for your informative post. You have helped me understand some new aspects of link building.

    Kevin
    Kevin Martineau recently posted..Do fewer things in order to make a greater impactMy Profile

  15. Paul Reimers from Network Marketing Online

    13. Sep, 2011

    Great post Loren,

    Thanks for providing a well-rounded list of criteria for links. I have seen a lot of people using the shotgun approach and believe that blasting a lot of low quality links/ articles out there will get them to the top of the search results.

    The key with most things is quality and balance and you have shown a number of factors that are more important than just sheer quantity.
    Paul Reimers @ Network Marketing Online recently posted..How to Ride a Purple Cow and Stand Out from the CompetitionMy Profile

  16. Roshanda Gilmore

    13. Sep, 2011

    What a high quality post here Loren!

    I didn’t focus on link building when first got started. Actually I had no clue what it was! So post like this help tremendously!

    I loved the booze, cheese and website part, HA HA!!! That was a great way to hit the point home!!

    I get so much value from every visit! Muchos Gracias!

    -Ro
    Crazy Sexy Branding
    Roshanda Gilmore recently posted..Passion To Profit, 5 Week Blog Series, Pt.1-The Importance of DiscoveryMy Profile

  17. Stevie Smith

    13. Sep, 2011

    Hello Loren,

    As someone who has relied on the principles of link building you have summarize here, I can only concur with everything you say.

    When used wisely, a link building campaign can work wonders for the traffic of a website. But step out of google “comfort” zone and pretty soon a website can be lost a the Delta Quadrant.

    Stevie
    Stevie Smith recently posted..Don’t Call Me, I’ll Call You!My Profile

  18. Loren Greig

    13. Sep, 2011

    So true Dewane! We want to seek out quality links. Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments; it is very much appreciated.

  19. Loren Greig

    13. Sep, 2011

    Yes! Steve, use NoFollow if you don’t fully and completely trust the page that’s linking to you. Links are votes for your trustworthiness and popularity; avoid sites that may devalue yours. The “trust factor” and popularity, based on the value our sites provide as a resource of information people want, has become very important to Google and it measures that through the linking. Thanks for stopping by and adding your valuable comments; it is very much appreciated. There’ll more linkbuilding tips in my next post!

  20. Dewane Mutunga

    13. Sep, 2011

    Loren,

    Linkbuilding is an important aspect of growing a website. Too many people have to mindset of getting any link by any means, and I think this is a mistake.

    The “quality over quantity” approach should always be adopted. 10 quality links can do more for a site than 100 lousy ones.
    Dewane Mutunga recently posted..Creating Resource Pages: Why Optimizing Content is ImportantMy Profile

  21. Steve-Personal Success Factors

    12. Sep, 2011

    Loren, I’m learning so much from you! I’ve been online for about four years, and I’m only now beginning to more clearly understand what link building is. I still have to figure out how to make certain links no follow. For example, I sometimes have quality comments come onto my site, but they are from sites that are a bit more ‘spammy’ in nature. I want to let the comment stand, but I don’t necessarily want to be ‘linked’ to that site, so I will remove my commentluv for that particular comment.
    Steve-Personal Success Factors recently posted..Discover the Secret of Future Proofing Your CareerMy Profile

  22. Marcus T Cox

    12. Sep, 2011

    Thank you for this post, you just let me know, how much I did not know. I really did not know how much went into getting a top rank. Very helpful infomation to know. The one thing I realize is that I have to make more links to common concepts. Thanks again.
    Marcus T Cox recently posted..True factors vs true to reality factor (Debate)My Profile

  23. Loren Greig

    12. Sep, 2011

    Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments Trevor; it is very much appreciated!
    Fun concept Trevor! They’ll never tell us exactly, but people sure have figured it out!

  24. Trevor Barrett

    12. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren, wouldn’t it be terrific if we knew EXACTLY how that little bot from Google works?

    I guess they are never going to release that soert of information though so we need to use the tried and tested methods such as link building to get our rankings higher.

    Your seven bullet points give us plenty of excellent details on how we should approach it.
    Trevor Barrett recently posted..IBOtoolbox Is The Marketing Site You Have Been Looking ForMy Profile

  25. Lynn Jones

    11. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren,
    I love it when people have a passion for a certain niche, research that topic and share with others so we don’t have to spend our time searching ourselves.
    I’ll have to admit that SEO has not been a priority on my list, I can certainly see the HUGE potential and value in paying particular attention to it.
    You have given comprehensive information to help us hone in on SEO and make it work for each one of us.
    Thanks a bunch!!!!
    Lynn
    Lynn Jones recently posted..The ABCDE Method. A Powerful Priority-Setting TechniqueMy Profile

  26. Jeffrey Sooey

    11. Sep, 2011

    At the end of the day I am a great great believer of quality links and not quantities of a load of bad links. For me, having in place good back links will pay off; it has to have a good page rank and come from a good source
    Jeffrey Sooey recently posted..Sports Psychology and Coaching: How To Be A WinnerMy Profile

  27. Melodie Kantner

    11. Sep, 2011

    You have done a great job explaining link building. It is very important for SEO. I have a web site that is over 12 years old. I have been linking since it was first online but I didn’t understand back then why it was important. I just knew I wanted links to get people to my site. It has been on the first page of Google for years.
    Melodie Kantner recently posted..How Attraction Marketing Helps You Love What You DoMy Profile

  28. Loren Greig

    10. Sep, 2011

    Thanks for stopping by, Andy, and adding your comments; it is very much appreciated. I like the day by day approach to building our network in a natural way so it doesn’t cause any alarm buttons going off in Google’s eyes. I prefer methodical link-building to set a strong foundation for creating our trusted, aged sites.

  29. Loren Greig

    10. Sep, 2011

    Thanks, Rachel, for stopping by and adding your comments; it is very much appreciated. Yes, backlinks from popular, authoritative and trusted sites are the links we want. Backlinking for such sites is one of the most powerful ways to increase your traffic and grow your business. The best way is to do it manually, over time so it looks natural in Google’s eyes. It’s easy but very important task and does require some work.

  30. Andy Nathan

    10. Sep, 2011

    That might be the first time I have ever heard link building compared to cheese! But it makes sense that in regards to link building. A new site will never have a PR that is extremely high or produce all of the link juice that an established site with years of links and connections will. Just makes sense. Like building a business in an established field. You do not become the top salesperson overnight. Instead, you build your network one day at a time.
    Andy Nathan recently posted..Youtube 101: Quickie Videos That Just Rock!My Profile

  31. Rachel Lavern from Live for Success

    10. Sep, 2011

    Loren this is great information for someone like me. Although I have had a blog for approximately 2.5 years, I just began learning how to optimize it two weeks ago. Thanks for making this so easy to understand.

    I read earlier this week that it was important that a site gets links back from popular sites (such as a popular blogger). Is this correct?
    Rachel Lavern@Live for Success recently posted..I Can’t Say These 12 WordsMy Profile

  32. Loren Greig

    10. Sep, 2011

    Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments Marty; I really appreciate it. Great work… and awesome reward that you got or all your efforts!

  33. Loren Greig

    09. Sep, 2011

    Hi Yorinda,
    Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments; it is very much appreciated.

    Yes, it’s backlinks that I’m referring to… using the anchored text that we reciprocate with to and from each others sites. When we build backlinks we want them from authority sites in our niche. So, a little digging and research has to be done to find those sites. Then you begin by adding comments on that authority side but WITHOUT links and anchor text at first so you’re not asking for anything; just building the relationship. I’ll write more about backlinks and some tips in my next post.

    You can also use anchor text to create a web of links within your own website. It’s a good little tactic for seo. I don’t know how big of a role it plays but every little thing we do helps. Place internal anchor text within the first paragraph of your post and link it to a relevant page and topic, just as I did in my last post. You’ll notice others in our TSA community practising this tactic as well.

  34. marquita herald

    09. Sep, 2011

    Terrific tips Loren. It’s been awhile since I checked my inbound links and was stunned to see that since I last looked they’d increased by 200 links … nice to see all the effort paying off. Still, as you rightfully pointed out – it can just as easily go south so there’s always plenty more to learn and do. Thanks!
    marquita herald recently posted..#1 Secret to Getting What You WantMy Profile

  35. Yorinda

    09. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren,

    a very informative article, which explains very well how google does sort out links and the different aspects in regards to links.

    Are you talking about backlinks as well which you can get through leaving comments or people leaving comments on your site.

    I read somewhere that if you place a link to another website into your article and anchor it so if you hover your mouse over the link it can help the ranking of your site.

    Thank you for sharing this great information!
    Cheers
    Yorinda
    Yorinda recently posted..Blog Website WordPressMy Profile

  36. Holly

    09. Sep, 2011

    Lots of things for me to learn here. The thing that struck me most before I read all the link info was that fact that Google loves words. I had not thought of it that way before, but that makes perfect sense now. I have some work cut out for me now.
    Holly recently posted..Do You Do Whatever It Takes?My Profile

  37. Loren Greig

    09. Sep, 2011

    Hi Jim,

    Thanks for stopping and adding your comments; it’s very much appreciated. Backlinks from outside our niche don’t really help with our rankings as would an aged, authority site from within our niche. The link still would form part of the web trail that goes to and from our site; it just doesn’t count much as a point scorer for seo. Building links too fast will definitely get you a good nip… the image made me laugh! :) Have a great weekend!

  38. Jupiter Jim from Thesis Tutorial, Thesis Theme, WordPress Tutorial

    09. Sep, 2011

    Loren,
    Lots of thorough detailed work. Great job. Very important for people to look out for these criteria. Having weight loss and nutrition sites link to my blog on WordPress and the Thesis Theme doesn’t help my Google rank much. Building links too quickly is something else people need to be careful of. Therefore, paying companies for 1,000 backlinks could bite you in the BUTT and actually end up hurting your rankings!

    Thanks for the great information!
    Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim@Thesis Tutorial, Thesis Theme, WordPress Tutorial recently posted..WordPress Tutorial: How to Create a “Better WordPress Google XML Sitemap” to improve blog SEOMy Profile

  39. Loren Greig

    09. Sep, 2011

    Hi Erica,
    Thanks for stopping by and adding your comments; it is very much appreciated. You are so wise to adhere to the rules of staying within your niche; it’s best for ramping up your ranking points. A little due diligence goes a long way in supporting what we have worked so diligently for. I like your image of an “amazing internet puzzle”. It truly is just that, and we are constantly placing in the pieces, moving and building!

  40. Loren Greig

    09. Sep, 2011

    Hi Donna,

    So glad you found this article useful…thanks for so much for stopping by and adding your comments; I really appreciate it!

  41. Loren Greig

    09. Sep, 2011

    Hi Marc,

    Thanks so much for stopping by and adding your valuable comments; I appreciate your visit. You’re right, it’s so important to continually use SEO and linking strategies, as business doesn’t just come our way. We have to put in a little effort to attract it and learning these two strategies gives us so many opportunities.

  42. Dr. Erica Goodstone

    08. Sep, 2011

    Loren,
    You have so clearly delineated the different aspects to pay attention to when creating links. I have had many requests from outsiders asking me to create a link to their site. They are sometimes completely out of my nice and do not offer to reciprocate. I now look at their ranking in google before considering the link, unless I truly value their services or products. Link building is just one more piece of this amazing internet puzzle.
    Erica
    Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted..Reawakening Love: Adventures in ManifestingMy Profile

  43. Donna Merrill

    08. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren, You have really laid out the importance of link building. Before I post anything on my blog, I go over it with “google eyes” to see if it is rich in words.

    I liked the way you explained it so that newbies can learn from it and old timers like me. Lots of points were great reminders to me of what I was NOT doing.

    Thanks,
    Donna

  44. Marc Korn

    08. Sep, 2011

    Hi Loren,

    Excellent post packed with solid information that is very comprehensive, but easy to follow and understand.

    This post is one of the best I have seen that really captures the importance of link building and really explains WHY it is important and what strategies you need to incorporate.

    Like with many things, SEO included….many people feel overwhelmed and confused with link building strategies.

    But, you have pointed out that it doesn’t have to be intimidating, as there are specific, easy tactics to implement.

    If you understand the importance of getting ranked well on Google, it will be worth your time to make sure that you are aware of all of the ranking components above.

    Keep up the great work and continue to provide this great content.

    Marc
    Marc Korn recently posted..Your First 30 Days in MLM and 2 Ways To ProfitMy Profile

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