Tips for Generating Inbound Links

As ranking factors change and evolve, it becomes more difficult to tell which SEO techniques are going to have an impact. Inbound links, for instance, have been a staple of solid campaigns for years, but is their relevancy on the decrease? Not really. High-quality inbound links can still increase your visibility and build credibility – while poor-quality links can harm your site. Here are a few ways to generate those valuable Google-friendly links.

Now obviously, link farms and schemes are not on our list! Stay away!  Instead, try this:

• Blogging. An oldie but a goodie.  Blogging helps you build your credibility, and the inherently shareable content can spread easily via social networks and curation services like Reddit.
• Guest blogging. If you can get a gig guest blogging for a high-quality, reputable site, this is great fodder for inbound links.
• Infographics and webgraphics. These are very shareable and stuffed with valuable information. Don’t forget to add your social sharing buttons.
• Whitepapers. Blog posts are short and pithy; whitepapers are downloadable files that contain more information. These are great for professionals of virtually any stripe, whether B2B or B2C. The key is to ensure the information is relevant and useful. It has to teach the reader something of value.
• Videos. Again, these are very easy to share. Stick to topics of interest and that teach viewers. How-tos, top tens, tips, box openings, and tutorials are perfect and applicable to any industry.
• Press releases. These are sought out by journalists and bloggers, so a carefully crafted press release can be the ideal way to generate links to your content.
• Testimonials and comments. Be careful here. No one on a health food blog wants to read your comment and hear your pitch to visit you at EatFriedFood.com. You’ve got to be relevant and related to the topics in which they are interested. If you cannot be of help to the reader, do not comment.
• Social media. Link from your social profiles to your best content.

Quality inbound links indicate to Google that your site is of value to its viewers and to others in your community. When you cultivate these links, you’re shining a spotlight on your website and business.