Link building is a vital part of your SEO strategy. 
Google uses the links that point to your website to judge its authority – the more relevant links it has, the higher its authority is deemed to be and so the higher it will rank. Therefore every external link pointing your way acts as a vote so long as it is:
- Relevant to your site
- Comes from an authoritative site
- Of high quality (i.e. from a trusted site)
So how do you get such sites to link to you?
Generating link love
Knowing you need links and getting them are two very different things, so where do you start?
Well, firstly there are directory submissions. Find those that are relevant to your industry and enter your details and you’ll get a link back to your website. Many are free, but some may charge.
Then the best way to generate links is to create great content that people will want to link to. This type of content marketing will help you in a number of ways: it will create link bait, raise your profile as an expert in your field and help you own more of the web – and with more web pages out there you’ll increase your chances of appearing in the search results. This could be in the form of article marketing or blogging – you can widen your reach using social media.
That then just leaves forums. Participating in online forums is a great way to get your name knows and show off your expertise. You’ll be ideally placed to be in the right place at the right time when someone needs help – just offer advice and watch your relationships grow.
Getting the link building ball rolling
Link building isn’t a one-off exercise, it’s something you have to constantly work at so you need to devise a strategy to help you attract:
- Links from authoritative sites
- Links from numerous domains
- Links that point to pages other than your Home Page
- Anchor text links
- Local links from Chamber of Commerce etc.
Although it may be tempting, never resort to buying links because it you do, you’ll incur the wrath of Google.
As with all forms of SEO exercises, natural link building is the way to go. There are no short cuts, only website owners who are prepared to put in the work will reap the benefits.