101 Linkbuilding Methods

What is link building?

Linkbuilding (also known as link-building and linkbuilding) is the practice of promoting your website to other website owners with the primary goal of securing a link (hyperlink) on their website to your site.

Why is link building important?

Link building is time-consuming, frustrating, and sometimes confusing. Nevertheless, there's no way around it. Because ultimately, it remains the trump card that leads to better search engine rankings.

Some may have hoped that this phenomenon would disappear again. In his Robots.txt-Entry from May 18th Brett Tobacco The hope shared by many, many webmasters is as follows.

What will all those who follow the trend and think that getting links equals SEO do when the majority of the Google algorithm becomes worthless?

Trendsetting websites build their success on the equation "links = SEO". If that disappears, they're left empty-handed. Nevertheless, link building is currently absolutely essential when it comes to... SEO goes.

The most important questions about link building:

1. Will link building be of great importance for ranking in the medium term?
2. When will the popularity of links in the algorithm decrease in importance in favor of other elements (elements that are less labor-intensive from the webmaster's point of view)?

The answers:

1. Sorry, but link building will continue to be the trump card in SEO for the foreseeable future.
2. If we were you, we wouldn't expect that the arrival of the semantic web or the replacement of HTTP by a new protocol will reduce the weight given to link popularity by search engine algorithms.
   Because links will continue to be the main connections, or rather the basic network, of the internet. And for the foreseeable future, they will also be the simplest way for computer programs to assess the importance and reliability of a website.

What will happen with the way search algorithms rank links is, in fact, already happening.

The Google algorithm has become significantly more elegant and sophisticated: He is now able to devalue an almost unbelievable number of links that should not count, and to give more weight to the trustworthy links.

And the trust and credibility conveyed through these links is then verified by elements such as user information, the age of the domain, and other factors that are relatively difficult to fake.

So please don't be deceived.

Links that count are still the key to good rankings (at least in Google — and MSN and Yahoo! are only a few years behind).

We created our 101 link-building methods for building links precisely because of this. (As it happens, there are exactly 101 of them!)

Our greatest respect goes to the source of our inspiration: 131 Legitimate Link Building Strategies.

Thanks to Search Engine Watch!

This used to be one of the best articles on link building. It's just a bit outdated now – that's all.

We hope you enjoy reading the following updates!

In the area Search Engine optimizationEspecially when it comes to link building, many an SEO manager has racked their brains over this: What does Google allow and what doesn't?

There are many theories about this, but one person must know: Matt Cutts. He has been working as a software engineer for Google since 2000.

Therefore, we looked at what he had to say about link building, guest articles, article directories, and backlinks in general.

Before we get to the list, let's briefly read what Matt Cutts (Mr. Google) has to say about it!

Link building: Matt Cutts explains what Google allows and what it doesn't.

We'll show you what Matt Cutts says is allowed, what the gray areas are, and what you should avoid.

Here you can go directly to the Google Guidelines.

Google's guidelines are a clear guide for Website-Operators, one would think. Unfortunately, reality is different, as these matters are not so clear-cut. We will discuss individual topics in more detail.

If your search engine ranking is important to you, then you should also know the rules of the game, because anyone who violates them can/must expect penalties or even demotions in Google ranking.

Guest posts, guest articles, sponsored posts

Guest articles exist in a gray area; that is, publishing them is not generally forbidden, but if the links are thematically inappropriate, penalties can be expected. It is definitely a good way to build links.

However, if someone writes a meaningful, thematically relevant article, this is possible and also useful for SEO. Nevertheless, one should proceed with caution.

Link building: Buying and selling is prohibited.

Buying and selling links is clearly prohibited according to Google's guidelines.

Many networks offering such services have already been penalized. As a result, many webmasters and SEO managers now know that buying backlinks is not permitted.

Source: Google SEO Starter Guide PDF

However, there are exceptions here as well:

• If the other party is only borrowing something, then the person can write a blog post about a product, which does not violate the guidelines.
• Consideration for the backlink: If the primary goal is a link exchange, it is not allowed, but someone who receives a gift, for example, and then reports on it is within their rights.

As you can see, it's very difficult to distinguish what's possible and what isn't.

To be on the safe side, we recommend using Nofollow links to work with nofollow links, as these are not considered by Google. Link building is therefore still worthwhile even with nofollow links.

Article directories: The gray area also applies here.

Article directories They are usually free and list all sorts of topics. That's precisely the problem for Google, as they lack topic relevance.

There is nothing inherently wrong with free article directories, but in reality they are used for meaningless texts with irrelevant backlinks, which then violates Google's guidelines.

The following applies here: Using article directories is fine, but it should be done with caution and definitely not overdone.

The content must be appropriate for the target audience.

“Content is King” is a well-known fact, but it hasn't yet reached many people.

Good, unique and above all meaningful content that also suits the target group is rewarded with good positions in Google ranking.

It is also important that the texts are easy to read; the following applies here: Simple and clear.

The age of the websites / domains

Normally, older websites have the edge, but up-to-date newer websites can overtake the older ones by providing high-quality and constantly updated content.

Conclusion

It is not always clear what is actually allowed and what is not, but one thing is clear: Google focuses on added value, and that should be your focus too. If you deliver good content, you can't go wrong.

A link that seems useful to a website visitor is correctly placed for Google.

However, anyone who tries to gain access to article directories through link buying, spamming, or the mass placement of backlinks (link building) will sooner or later face penalties or even suspensions from Google. So, stay clean and, above all, keep up the good work.

71 good link building methods

Lists are effective

1. Write a list along the lines of "The ABCs of xy". These lists are always well-received and often become sought-after, widely shared documents. Most people can't resist linking to them (our tip!).
2. Create articles like "10 simple things that will help you with [insert topic]". As with the previous point, these will also be linked to very frequently;
3. Comprehensive resource lists on specific topics (example for inspiration: Mr. Ploppy);
4. A list of the top 10 myths in a specific category;
5. A list of gurus/experts. If you impress the listed people enough, or find a way to make a project appear more official, the gurus might link to your site or thank you. (Sometimes compliments are the easiest way to start a good relationship with an "authority".)

Help with recruitment

This list is quite long, of course, as there are many ways to link to pages.

And link building can be a tiring, expensive, and strenuous task.

If you have the necessary funds but suffer from a lack of time, then outsourcing all or parts of your link building campaigns can prove to be a very profitable business strategy.

1. Recruit a publicist. Good old-fashioned PR (not PageRank!) can still work wonders. Paul Graham wrote a great article titled The Submarine, which highlights how PRCompanies can stimulate media coverage about themselves. But beware: with many PR firms, the success of campaigns is a matter of luck, and even some of the "successes" won't last long. If your main goal is lasting backlinks, please make sure this is clearly communicated to the PR firm in advance. Some PR firms sponsor paid content temporarily, which disappears about a month after the invoice is paid. 😉
2. Recruit a consultant. Yes, link building can be outsourced! However, make sure you choose someone who is competent. For high-quality, low-risk links, MIC Group would be happy to help with our SEO services. Essentially, SEO from Zurich for Zurich companies.

Build authority & be easily linkable

1. Make your web content easy to understand so that many readers can understand it and share your content. (This is about easy accessibility.)
2. Minimize grammatical and spelling errors – especially if you rely on links to your site from influential people, such as librarians.
3. Include easily accessible privacy policies and an "About Us" section to make your site appear more trustworthy. Using a portrait photo of yourself can also help build authority.

Pay-per-click (PPC) as a tool for link building

1. Purchase relevant traffic with a pay-per-click campaign. Relevant traffic will bring more visitors to your site and increase your brand presence. Whenever someone visits your site, regardless of where they came from, there's always a chance they'll link to your website.

News & Syndication

1. Share articles via sites like Online-Artikel.de, openPR, firmenpresse.deetc. What's so great about good article pages is that they rank highly and send high-quality traffic. (The Google Panda algorithm penalizes some PR sites, which is why good research is necessary. Google also considers many of these pages to be unreliable link sources – even though the search engine still distributes its own ads through these very pages.)
2. Submit an article to an industry news site. Do you have a travel website? Then write an article and submit it to them. raushier-reisemagazin.deDo you have a website about computers? Then submit an article to a leading computer website.
3. Distribute a press release. Take the time to make it GOOD (engaging, publishable). Email it to a few select journalists and bloggers, personalizing the email message. Also, send the article to sites like... PRWeb, PRLeap, Smart PRWhile many press release sites now add a nofollow button to their publications, you can link your press release to media centers on your own site and to specific illustrations, data, and features on your site, so that users who see the release can link directly to the relevant pages on your website.
4. Track who actually publishes your articles or press releases. Offer these individuals or pages exclusive news or content.
5. Trade articles with other webmasters (publish one on your site and send one to the other site).
6. If you have important and relevant news, email some friends to ask for their feedback and/or whether they would share the information (of course, only if they find it useful).
7. Write about and link to companies with "In the News" pages, as these often link back to stories and blog posts that cover developments within their organization. Of course, this is easiest if you have a news section or blog. Try a Google search for [your industry + "in the news"].
8. Conduct surveys and studies that make other people feel important. If you succeed in making others feel important, they will help you and do free marketing for you. Salary.com conducted a Study conducted on how underpaid mothers are and thus received many high-quality links. Even if a "feel-good" approach isn't possible for you, publishing data from your surveys as a hook for a story will get you mentioned further. As SEO Book Users of search engines were asked in a survey how the Google Ads A key government agency later pointed out what they looked like. Services such as AYTM and Google Surveys are easily affordable.

Web catalogs, meme trackers & social bookmarks as link building

1. This tip is old but still good: upload your website Webdirectory24 and other web directories that allow free listings and are relevant to your website .
2. Submit your website to paid web directories. Don't forget that... Quality is important.
3. Create your own topic-specific web directory for your area of ​​interest. Naturally, you should link from this directory to your own website and include links to other important content wherever possible. Of course, if you develop this directory into a truly useful and reputable resource, it will naturally attract further links without any effort on your part.
4. List websites related to you on sites like Del.icio.us One. If other users find the pages you have marked interesting, emotionally appealing, or timely, they may follow the trail back to your website.
5. If you create something high-quality, definitely ask some friends to tag it for you. If your page appears on the homepage of Digg or on the list of popular sites on Del.icio.us When it comes, hundreds more bloggers will see your website and possibly link to it.
6. Check out Memetracker to see which ideas are currently trending. If you write about these popular, trending ideas and provide truly original and high-quality content (as well as linking to some of the original sources), your website might also be listed as a source on the Memetracker website. Alternatively, if you keep track of which companies are regularly mentioned on Memetracker, you can send a tip to the TechMeme editors and get a thank you on your Twitter account.

Local & Business Links

1. For English-language sites, join the Better Business Bureau, and for German-language sites, join sites like the Consumer association at.
2. Enter a link on the website of the local Chamber of Commerce.
3. Add your link to relevant city websites and government agencies. (This is easier in some countries than others.)
4. List your website in local directories.
5. Inquire whether your manufacturers, distributors, or other business contacts would be willing to link to your website.
6. Develop business relationships with companies in the same industry with whom you are not competitors. Leverage these relationships both online and offline by recommending each other via links and exchanging business cards. For example, SEO Books collaborated with Wordtracker to promote a jointly created guide to keyword strategies.
7. Launch an affiliate program. Most of the links you acquire won't have any SEO value. However, the increased reach will almost always lead to additional "regular" links from users who inquire about your website via social media or web forums.

Easy-to-create, free links for link building

1. Depending on your category and product range, you could Craigslist, http://www.gratis-inserate.ch or Ron Orp These are services that you can link to cheaply or even for free.
2. It's quite easy to access Yahoo! Answers or Quora Ask questions and provide links to relevant sources.
3. It's easy to go on Google Groups To ask or answer questions and provide links to relevant sources.
4. If you have a reasonably reputable business, then create a page about it on Wikipedia or in the topic-specific wikis. However, being added is only half the battle. Regularly check your page for overzealous editors who might decide to delete it arbitrarily. If it's difficult to add your page directly, add links to other pages that point to your website.
5. It only takes about 15 minutes to create a topic page on sites like Pagewizz or Hub Pages Create a platform that you can use to establish yourself as an industry expert. Link to industry documents and popular, useful tools. Don't forget to link back to your website!
6. Submit an article with a link to an article on your website. Digg or other similar sites. You can also submit other content and benefit from the link authority, which will positively influence your profile page.
7. If you publish an RSS feed and your content is useful and regularly updated, then some users will use your RSS content (some of them will bring you more links. Others unfortunately will not).
8. Most forums allow members to include links in their signatures or personal profiles. If you then write good posts, some users will click on these links and potentially visit your website, link back to your site, and/or purchase your products. The most important thing is to be relevant and make the links appear more random and complementary. Avoid linking in a way that makes it look like you're doing everything just for the links.

Do you have a big heart for reviews?

1. Most smaller businesses aren't well established online. So, if your site has a lot of authority, content with reviews often ranks quite well.
2. Rate relevant products on Amazon.deWe have found that this brings direct customer inquiries and additional links.
3. Create product lists on Amazon.de, who review the top products and also mention something about their backgrounds (LINK!).
4. Rate related pages on Alexa, in order to attract related traffic flows.
5. Rate products and services on shopping search engines such as Shopping.comto further enhance your authority. Amazon is constantly looking for reviewers who are well-regarded by other Amazon customers and offers them the opportunity to receive free products to review through the Vine program.
6. If you buy a product or service you really like, leave a review if you're good at writing. Many of them turn into backlinks. Two tips for writing reviews: make them believable and be as specific as possible.

Blogs & the blogosphere

1. Start a blog. Not just for the sake of having one. Publish articles regularly and post great content. Good execution will bring in links.
2. Link from your blog to other blogs. Outbound links are one of the cheapest marketing tools available. Many bloggers also monitor who links to them and where their traffic comes from. Therefore, linking to them is an easy way to gain visibility.
3. Comment on other blogs. Most of these comments won't significantly improve your search engine ranking. However, if your comments are helpful, insightful, and relevant, they can lead to more traffic to your website. They also help other bloggers become aware of you. They might even start reading your blog and/or linking to it.
4. On Technorati Featured pages typically achieve good rankings on Yahoo!, Bing, and—to a slightly lesser extent—Google. Even if your blog is relatively new, you can still improve your article rankings on these sites. Technorati Tag pages by adding relevant tags to your articles.
5. Don't forget to post your blog on some of the Web directories of the best blogs to list.

The design as a linking element

1. Optimize your website for Web 2.0. Users love linking everything via AJAX. Even in the smallest niches, there are some useful features you can build with AJAX and share on design blogs.
2. Validate your site and optimize it according to 508 standards. This (indirect) method makes your site more trustworthy and linkable—especially for government sites or design-oriented communities. There are even some major web directories from websites that meet the standards.
3. Commission a beautiful redesign using CSS. A well-designed website can earn you backlinks from sites like CSS Vault.

Link exchange

1. Exchange some links. What?! Did we really just recommend reciprocal link building? Yes, to a small extent and with relevant partners, this will result in more traffic to your website. However, stay away from link marketplaces and networks, as these are full of low-quality websites and hide the link section in a place that no one (except the Googlebot) sees.
2. In case you haven't grasped it yet, let us reiterate: when exchanging links, try to obtain them from within the content of relevant websites. Don't try to buy links from sites that list hundreds of link partners unrelated to your topic. Only seek link exchanges you would consider even if search engines didn't exist. Furthermore, when exchanging links, think not only about your topic but also about your target demographic.

Buying websites, renting links & advertising

1. Rent some high-quality links from a broker. Text Link Ads was the most reputable company in this niche at the time of publication of this list. However, Google has cracked down hard on paid links in recent years.
2. Rent some high-quality links directly from websites. Sometimes the best rented links come directly from... Websites that do not actively rent linksDon't ask to rent links – ask to be allowed to advertise.
3. Become a sponsor. Charities, competitions, and conferences of all kinds link to their sponsors. This can be a great way to raise awareness, build links, and feel good about it.
4. Sell ​​items on eBay and offer to donate the profits to a charity. Many charities will link to both the eBay auction and their website.
5. Many search algorithms seem to favor older, established websites. Link building could therefore potentially be faster if you buy an older site with a strong link profile and link to it from your own site, rather than trying to build link authority from scratch.

Go to court (but proceed with caution).

1. Sue Google.
2. Get sued by a company that people hate. When Aaron was sued by Traffic Power, he received hundreds or thousands of backlinks, including some from websites like... Wired and The Wall Street Journal.

Free gifts & promotional items

1. Run a contest. Contests are great bait that leads to backlinks. A prize of a few hundred francs can result in editorial, high-quality links worth several thousand francs.
2. Create a tool collection. Original and useful work tools (tools – and Collections of toolsThese topics generally receive many links. What value do you think rankings have for terms like "probabilities of winning at football betting", "keyword tool" or "mortgage calculator"?
3. Create and publish designs Templates: for content management systems Who Wordpress on open-source websites. Don't forget the "Designed by" tag. example.com» in the footer! To minimize risks, you can link to pages other than the homepage.
4. They offer free samples in exchange for feedback.
5. Release a Firefox extension. Make sure to provide a download and/or support page on your website that users can link to.

Conferences & social interaction

1. It's easy to take photos of important events and write about why they're so important. Pictures of (drunk?) "celebrities" in your industry are perfect bait for links.
2. Turn new acquaintances from the real world into relationships that help with link building. If you attend SEO conferences, attendees like Tim Mayer, Matt Cutts, and Danny Sullivan are easily reachable. Similarly, in other industries, people who otherwise seem out of reach are extremely approachable at industry conferences. It's much easier to come across as genuine in person. Once you've established a personal relationship with someone, it's easy to extend that to the internet.
3. Engaging, useful, and interesting interviews are a simple way to create original content. And this content spreads like wildfire.

30 bad link building strategies

Below we list some link building methods that can destroy your brand and/or lead to your website being blocked/penalized/filtered out of the major search engines.

Web catalogs as a link building method

1. List your site on 200 tasteless, paid web directories (costing on average around CHF 15 per link) that send no traffic and sell irrelevant links from discontinued sites.

Spam in forums

1. Listing 100 websites in the signature.
2. Only post if you can write links to your website in the text field.
3. Simply post "me too" comments to increase the number of posts. Combine this with a signature full of links.
4. Ask questions about who offers the best [PRODUCT] when you are the one selling the [PRODUCT]. To do this, create another account on the forum from the same IP address and answer your own question by raving about how great your own website is.
5. As a new member, ask the same question in at least 20 different forums on the same day.
6. Write posts in the same forum thread that is already several years old – just to link to your website, which has only the remotest connection to the topic.
7. Register on forums to create profiles, even though you have no intention of ever commenting on anything.

Spam on blogs

1. Instead of signing comments on blogs with your real name, use spammy keywords.
2. Start heavily marketing your own website from the very first blog comment. Don't add anything truly meaningful in the comment section. Mention nothing more than that you recently posted something on the same topic on _____ and that everyone should read it. Bombard dozens of blogs with this message.
3. Don't say anything unique or relevant to the article. Let the owners suspect that an automated bot has wandered into their comment section.
4. Even better: use automated bots to leave comments. List at least 30 links in each post. Try to see if you can crash any server so severely that it crashes.
5. Ping everyone who writes about a topic. Don't include anything of interest in your mass message. Just mention that other people are discussing the topic.
6. Don't even link to pages you ping. Send them pings of articles that don't even mention the recipients.

Exchange of junk links

1. Send link exchange requests and mention PageRank;
2. Emails for link exchange that look as if they were created by a bot (little or no personalization, no names, etc.);
3. Link exchange requests to Matt Cutts, Tim Mayer, Tim Converse, Google and Yahoo!.
4. Receive links from rather hidden sections of websites that list hundreds or thousands of unrelated websites.

Spam other people personally

1. Go to webmaster conferences and rave about how rich you are and how your partners earn millions without doing anything.
2. Instead of asking people for their name, ask for your website address. Once you have it, ask if they've already linked to your site and, if not, why not.

Be relentless

1. Send a notification to webmasters for every new article you publish.
2. Send webmasters an email every day and ask them to link to your website.
3. And of course, you send the same webmaster references to your website from dozens of different email addresses (you clever fox).
4. If the above doesn't result in a free link, offer 1 Swiss franc for your time. Increase the offer by 1 franc daily until the other party accepts.

Getting links by acting like a fool (not highly recommended ;))

1. Follow the RIAA's example. If you still have doubts, sue one. 12-year-old girl(If that fails, then work in every conceivable way to generate negative headlines.)
2. Steal content from well-known names. Remove all attribution to the authors. Do this with many popular channels and wait for them to start talking about you.
3. Send thousands of fake referrals to every top-ranked website and guarantee larger breasts, a 35-centimeter-long penis (width or girth?), or millions of francs of easy-to-make, unclaimed money.
4. Wear your website address on your T-shirt. Only walk or cycle while simultaneously talking on a cell phone or reading a book. If you run people over, just say, "Sorry, idiot."
5. Pour coffee on other people or find other creative ways to insult them so that they link to your website.
6. Suing other webmasters for linking to your site? Well, that's even "laughably stupid" than saying it's his "bad linking style."

Conclusion

There are many link building methods, but we recommend keeping everything as simple as possible. Write attractive, user-friendly content with valuable information, and you'll get more than enough backlinks.