Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Link Building and its Basic Function: Getting Found
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
Every small business has a unique product or service to offer
and in some cases a truly beneficial addition to the cultural
landscape. Creating or providing consumers with a distinct
perspective is only the first step in becoming a successful
enterprise. For your items to take off, they first have to be
noticed.
Small businesses rely on cost-effective marketing techniques
including word of mouth and client referrals. While these are great
business builders, they will rarely maintain a consistent base
growth and sooner or later your company will level out or even
decline in sales. Getting involved in multiple marketing channels
is important in fortifying a solid lead-generation strategy and
pushing your brand into the scope of potential customers.
The internet allows small businesses from around the world to
get noticed on the same stage with the likes of big brands. While
this presents a brand-loyalty challenge, the beauty of the internet
is that every user has the ability to build a business from the
ground to the top of Google search pages. In order to do this,
potential customers must be able to find you-Google or no
Google.
Link building is a critical technique that gets you "noticed"
online. From an SEO perspective, link building helps increase
important keyword search terms aimed at pushing a small business to
the top of a certain search query. However, let's ignore search
engines and their incredible contribution to online browsing for
the next minute or so. What does link building REALLY do besides
helping your small business achieve Google first page status?
A web browsing competition held in Germany explains on a very
basic level the importance of link building. This event, called
Trailblazers, summons die hard web surfers to "surf the classic way
from Amazon to pirate bay," according to a Gizmodo write up. Armed with only a browser,
mouse, and plenty of experience maneuvering through website links,
the participants were given a beginning point and an end URL that
needed to be reached exclusively through clicking on established
links. For example, one of the challenges was starting at
web.mit.edu and ending at icanhascheezburger.com. The fastest
internet surfer (referring to the most efficient use of links)
comes out victorious.
So what does this have to do with small business and link
building? Simple-in a world without search engines, the most
effective way to be seen is inbound links from outside web pages.
Your small business website is an island that needs to build as
many bridges to relevant websites where an established user base
can find the easiest route to your site-a link. An online user can
be one step (click) away from entering your store (website), but
they need an entrance (a link).
Here are a few tips on building connections so potential
customers can find you online:
- Build and balance a diverse set of inbound
links. Whether by bridge, boat, or plane, there are
multiple ways to arrive on an island. Likewise, inbound links can
be in the form of link exchanges, guest posts for relevant blogs,
or comments on related articles. Relying heavily on one form of
link building will only attract a certain group of online users
(i.e. the frequent flyers, the sea farers, or the land-locked
tourists).
- Concentrate on content - both in link creation and link
building. In the beginning, genuine content should spawn
the creation of a link. In the end, that link should be shared with
other deserving online content locations. Inbound links are more
effective on sites that produce similar content and a positive
reputation. There are plenty of website scams out there - avoid
these dark places, as internet folks frown upon these sites and any
of their associations.
- Monitor your link locations. Once you've
started building links, watch where your links are popping up and
being used. Many sites like to steal and use your content without
citing a source - make sure your link follows your content. Finding
an appropriate site can lead to other valuable websites where your
link could benefit from being broadcasted.
Check out more helpful tips from
SearchEngineWatch.com here and here.
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
Leave comment: