We’ve talked before about how good SEO comes from strong web development and quality content, rather than from ceaseless optimization for search engine algorithms. The most tried-and-true strategies for great SEO are largely the same as those for hooking and keeping potential customers, which makes sense, given that search engines are as concerned with displaying quality content as you should be. At the end of the day, the same is true of link-building.
SEO Book has an extensive list of link-building strategies and tips – 101 of them, in fact. A list that large can be a bit daunting;, if nothing else, it shows just how much there is to link-building, and how many different ways there are to drive links to your website. However, out of all of them, some of the most potent methods involve leveraging good, strong content to help out your link-building. Some kinds of content tend to attract more links than others, so here are five strong ideas to help you get started.
1. Help out your peers by writing how-to articles or lists of tips relevant to your field. This will help you build authority in your field and become a thought leader. People link to articles that they find helpful, and simple formats such as step-by-step instructions and lists are easy to digest. They are also easy to reference, making these types of content very linkable.
2. Make eye-catching infographics for bloggers to embed. Everyone loves infographics. People are extremely visual in how we process information, so graphs and images are even easier to digest than a list of tips or a well-written how-to. Infographics take research and thoughtful design, though, and as with any other type of content will only attract links if they are well-executed. There are many tips out there for creating good infographics; here’s one article that hits all the important points.
3. Exercise your originality and create unique and interesting viral content. This is easier said than done, but viral content is king at driving links back to your site. Whether a piece of content goes viral or not is part luck, part great idea, and part great execution. This is where thinking outside the box and coming up with something totally different gets rewarded. For some insight into why content goes viral, check out this awesome infographic.
4. Don’t forget PR’s important role in link-building—use it to your advantage! Public relations, when employed correctly, has much to offer for your link-building. Press releases and articles in good places can work wonders for your link building, but be wary of backlash and make certain that you’re using this powerful strategy well. Search Engine Land’s guide to Public Relations for SEO is a great place to get started.
5. Make sure your content is well-edited and easy-to-read. This may seem obvious, but it still needs to be said: well-written content gets more links! Typos, grammatical errors, and awkward wording will obstruct what you’re trying to say, and readers will simply move on. There’s more to readability than just having a decent editor on-hand, though—it’s important to keep in mind that people skim online content more than they read it. Make sure your content is easy to take in, and don’t get too verbose, lest your readers feel like you’re wasting their time. The average Internet user only reads 20% of a typical webpage, so it’s on you to give your audience every possible reason to stick around for the whole article!
At the end of the day, well-thought out, well-written content is a sound strategy for optimizing multiple aspects of your digital marketing strategy, including link-building. While it’s tough to imagine a truly effective link-building effort that doesn’t involve great content, there are definitely still other approaches out there to round out your SEO. An integrated web marketing strategy is the best way to get the most out of your SEO efforts, and InSegment is here to help.
Tags: web development, SEO
