So we have covered what backlinks are and the reason why you
need them. Now it's time to start building some links. Back in the day, link
building was a tedious and time-consuming process as the best way to get links
was to solicit others in your industry and ask them to place a link on their
site to yours. This of course was before blogging was popular so the web wasn't
nearly as interactive as it is today. Link building is still the most
challenging part of SEO but now there are more effective ways to obtain links
to your site. Today, we will explore one of the top methods to get backlinks
for your site. But before we get started, there are a couple of things to remember
when beginning your link building campaign:
-
Pay
attention to the PageRank of any site you are trying to get a backlink from.
Links from sites with a high PageRank will help you more than links from those
with little to no PageRank. Aim to get as many links from sites with a PageRank
5 or better and avoid seeking links from any site with a PageRank of less than
3. Check the PageRank of the sites by running the RankQuest toolbar in
your browser. Following this piece of advice will save you time and energy as
well as enhance the overall value of your site.
-
Avoid paying
for backlinks. There are many sites out there trying to make a buck and are
charging to give your site a link. More often than not, sites of that nature do not
have good PageRank and a link from them would really be worthless to you. Not
to mention that Google is catching on to people who purchase backlinks in bulk
and penalizing them for it.
Now, let's build some links!
Method #1 - Submitting Your Site to Blog & RSS Feed Directories
Blog & RSS feed directories are like mini search
engines. They allow a person to search through blogs and feeds for information
on any given topic. Having your blog or
feed listed in these directories creates a very valuable backlink for your site.
When submitting to blog directories, you are often required
to create an account, describe your site and submit your site's URL. Be sure to
use your keywords when they ask for a title or description for your site so you
get the best backlink possible. Here are 5 directories you can submit your blog
to now-for FREE:
DMOZ-PR 9
ZoomInfo-PR 7
Business Week-PR
7
Web World Index-PR
6
Illumirate-PR 5
RSS feed directories are a little bit different. Here you
are not submitting your site's URL. Instead, you are submitting the URL to the
feed of your blog's content. For Dev Element clients, you can get your feed URL
by clicking on the RSS Subscribe button on your site. This will take you to
your actual RSS feed. The URL that appears in the browser for that page is your
RSS feed's URL. Simply drop that URL into the appropriate area when asked for
it during submission and you are good to go! Here are 5 FREE RSS Feed
Directories to check out now:
Globe of Blogs-PR
7
EatonWeb Directory-PR
6
RSS Spider-PR 4
Read A Blog-PR 4
Blogarama-PR 4
Be sure to keep track of all of your submissions. This way
you will know who you are listed with and can be sure not to duplicate
submissions (directories don't like dups!). Directories do have rules that you
need to follow when submitting your site so be sure that you follow them to
ensure that you get listed as soon as possible. If at first you don't get
accepted or listed, review the reason(s) why you did not make the cut and
resubmit. This is especially important with sites that have exceptional PageRank-you
want that link!
Recommended Resources on Blog Directories:
20
Essential Blog Directories to Submit Your Blog To by Loren Baker of Search Engine
Journal
Submitting
to Web Directories to Build Your Link Profile-Video from SEOBook
Role of
Directories in Link Building by Eric Enge of SEOMoz
Related Posts:
Backlinks: The Key To Search Engine Success
SEO 101: Choosing Your Keywords
The Buzz on Blogs and Why Your Real Estate Business Needs One
