Loading ...According to Gil Reich of Answers.com, “The most important thing to remember about links is that you’re trying to get somebody else to put your message on their site.” So, how do you do it?
As Reich points out, one way of doing it is through flattery. This tactic should come naturally since most all of us have probably used flattery to get things in the past.
The approach however, is often difficult. Popular link builder Debra Mastaler of Alliance-Link suggests looking for the source instead of targeting sites such as CNN or Digg. Reich also adds that users should target the people who are at the center of the community.
For example, see who is frequently being linked to and tweeted. He says Twitter and other social sites are very helpful because the best link building is done through relationship building.
Reich does offer a word of caution in regards to outbound links. He says users need to be careful and monitor when linking out. With WikiAnswers, Answers.com has to be especially careful since it is user generated content. In addition, they use nofollow and hope the community will not take advantage of them. (Correction: See Comments.)
As for the future of link building, Reich does not see it changing dynamically. He says it is similar to the search industry in that the “Wild West” phase is over and people are doing what works. Talking about on-page optimization, he recalls Google’s Matt Cutts saying that SEOs shouldn’t chase the search engine and alternatively, chase the user. Applying that idea to link building, Reich says, “It’s don’t chase the engines, chase the community.”
Are you link building through relationships?
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To really get nice links you have to be very sociable and be willing to communicate with people on regular basis until you get on their radars. Be patient and be part of the community and over time you will acquire some of those harder to reach links.
hmm…right point to build links, relationship building is certainly necessary for link building
Great write-up. Small correction: We often do not put NoFollow on the links from WikiAnswers. We know this leaves us more vulnerable. But we’ve decided that people who are contributing to the community deserve credit when providing relevant and useful links back to their own sites. We hope that people don’t take advantage, and the community monitors these links to protect our site and the community.
Hey Gil,
So sorry about the mix-up! I had the correct information in my notes, but for whatever reason, typed it incorrectly. Thanks for pointing it out!
Abby
No prob. Great job with all the graphics you put in. They really work and make it more enjoyable. Even I don’t want to look at me for 5 minutes
Haha! Thanks, Gil!!
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Wow! Such a wonderful article. Good work.
he recalls Google’s Matt Cutts saying that SEOs shouldn’t chase the search engine and alternatively, chase the user. Applying that idea to link building, Reich says, “It’s don’t chase the engines, chase the community.”