To be a good link builder, you have to constantly think like a link builder. Since being heavily involved in SEO I can no longer casually browse the internet without thinking SEO; I will use the SEO for Firefox Extension at home (as well as work), I will critique the search friendliness of every site I visit, and above all I will use any opportunity I have to keep a link diary. Despite trying to separate work and play, since starting a link diary this is the only thing I can’t stop out of work time.

One of the most valuable link building ‘tools’ I use is my link diary; a spreadsheet where I can quickly add sites and pages where I may be able to get a link from in the future. It needn’t be anything fancy but it is a way to quickly add a site to come back to at a later date that may be worth looking at for link building. I have found the best way to satisfy the inner SEO in me is to quickly write down the site in a text file or spreadsheet, and then come back to these sites at a later date and take a better look. This way you never pass up good linking opportunities, but are not interrupted every time you see a site that may benefit you.

I do it for a range of sites; a niche directory that I wouldn’t have found otherwise, sometimes it is a links page, but most often it is those kinds of sites which you would never try to get a link from – the more obscure sites where you (and your competitors) would never actually think of – these are the ones you really have to look out for. You wouldn’t believe how many quality sites I have casually came across which I would have overlooked if I wasn’t thinking of my links diary at the back of my head. It is so simple to do, doesn’t interrupt you, and means you never pass up a good opportunity for links.

No Comments »

You will often hear search engine optimisation experts saying that directories do no longer work for SEO; this is just not true. Although submitting to directories by themselves may not provide you with a lot of traffic, it still remains of one of the easiest and most effective ways to get links. Directories may not be the best method but they still work, there are just a number of things you should remember when getting links from directories.

1.    Probably the most important thing to do when submitting to directories is look for quality over quantity. I have lists of thousands of completely free directories, yet rarely would I submit a site to all these directories. The best thing to do is look for niche and topic specific directories, these often provide the best quality links and sometimes even provide traffic as well.

2.    To find niche directories have a look on Google, do some research, and look where your competitors are getting links from. A good tool to use is something like this: http://www.webconfs.com/backlink-builder.php - allowing you to find sites/directories to add a link. Sometimes you will have to send an email to request a link, in this case write out a generic link request email and use this as a template for each site.

3.    As well as niche directories, regional directories are usually of a lot higher quality than average directories. Regional directories will often require your website/business to be located in the particular area and sometimes even require an address; the payoff is that they give high quality links because of their strict editorial process. If you have a high quality site that is regionally appropriate, it will most likely be accepted.

4.    A lot of search engine optimisation companies run a network of directories, and often these are open to the public as well as their clients. Once you find one of them, it is usually easy to find the rest of the network of sites.  These can be good as they are often heavily promoted.

5.    Do not focus on submitting your site to hundreds or thousands of phpLD directories. If there is such thing as Google devaluing directories, they would go straight to sites like these. A lot of non-traditional directories will provide a lot higher quality links than phpLD will.

6.    Same goes for Pagerank, do not focus on solely Pagerank. There are plenty of sites out there with low Pagerank that would provide a lot more traffic than those sites with a higher Pagerank. Do not obsess over page rank.

7.    Look on forums for new directories announced. Digitalpoint forums have a section where people advertise their directories. Often the directories are sometimes not the best of quality, but the one good thing is fast approval; the webmasters of these sites are usually very active in accepting new submissions. And a lot of the webmasters are intent on making something of their directory in the future.

8.    Make sure to include the keywords you are trying to target in your anchor text, but do not make them spammy. Do not use the same description and anchor text for every link. Try to change it around a bit and target different keywords. On higher quality sites and directories, vary your descriptions and anchor text for each submission. It is a waste to keyword stuff your titles, in most cases the submission will not be accepted.

9.    On lower quality sites, automate the process as much as possible. I like to use Auto Form Filler for firefox.

10.    Always aim for one way links, but where you can only get reciprocal or link swaps – see if you can link to them from another domain. Where it is an informal swap (i.e. through email) often works better – allowing you to explain your intentions to the webmaster – often they will be happy about the link swap.

11.    Avoid paying for links; there are a lot of directories out there that want you to pay for a link, but very few sites are worth paying for. Once you have exhausted all free opportunities, then it may be worth looking for paid directories – but stick to the big ones like Yahoo Directory, Business.com directory, BOTW, ect.

Whilst I am sick of people saying that directories ‘no longer work’, I also have to say that they should only be part of a broader link development strategy. Do not solely rely on directories, and you will see good results from SEO

No Comments »