In-bound links are a major part of Search Engine Optimization and acquiring them can be a cumbersome task. Link addresses, email addresses, anchor text and descriptions get misplaced, code gets miss-written and link managers become stressed. I am still yet to find a piece of software which delivers the results that I desire from a link building program so I went ahead and built it myself! Despite this link building is a major aspect of a successful Internet Marketing Campaign.
In designing a link building campaign there are many attributes that need to betaken into account. The following needs to be decided: the form of inbound links desired, linking anchor text and description, theme of sites (if any) accepted and the desired link acquisition method. Lets start by discussing the form of in-bound links available.
There are many forms of in-bound links: reciprocal links, one way links and the growing trend of triangular links. Reciprocal links are links which are traded with the most ferocity by Search Engine Optimization Professionals as they are the easiest to attain. One way links are the most sought after links but the hardest links to achieve. Triangular links are the middle child, they are better than reciprocal links but, as there is an outbound link involved, they are not as good as one way links. A good internet marketing strategy will include all of the above type of links as they all offer benefits to a sites search engine position and overall success.
Anchor text and description generation is one of the most important aspects of a successful link campaign. A well structured, key word rich, anchor text and description can result in greater key word emphasis to search engines and higher click through ratios. When building anchor text and description take into account the research results of Pay Per Click advertising. Advertisements which have the first letter of every word capitalized receive the greatest click through ratio implement this in your anchor text and description. In-bound links are not only good for greater search engine position but also for traffic! I have seen sites that get 25% of their traffic from in-bound links!
When acquiring links for a site you need to decide whether you will only accept links from sites of a relevant theme, pages of a relevant theme or sites and pages of any theme. For example if your site is a travel related site, will you only accept links from other travel related websites/webpages or from any website/webpage. This decision has a major influence on success as it can drastically affect your link acquisition campaign. Most Search Engine Optimization Professionals believe that you should only accept links from relevant themed websites.
The most important part of link building is the adaption of a successful link building strategy. There are many link building strategies currently being used: link baiting, reciprocal link email blasts, directory submission, link to us page optimization, paid text link advertising, the list goes on and on. A good internet marketing campaign will involve a combination of the most successful link building techniques for your websites and your industry.
While Link acquisition is a major part of search engine optimization, it can be a cumbersome task. Ensure that you don't expend all your energy in acquiring links when well written, informative content will result in natural link acquisition.