Content Writing and Methods of Building Linkage

Anyone can make a site. No matter how much was invested in the site (ex. time, or money), and how good it looks or even how it is structured, alone it will not build the key traffic with internal and external links.

If a webmaster wishes to drive links, there are some options out there. However, there is one that is not recommended, but an easy way one for novice webmasters. It is link buying. Link buying is highly discouraged by Google. Link buying places the site on varied sites that the submitting webmaster has no control over. That does not mean advertising is frowned upon. Using proper advertising with places that have related content to the site to be advertised is very immportant. Already visitors are on the site and not only will it benefit the webmaster offering advertising (monetarily and content-wise), but it will drive the necessary traffic already geared to the topics offered on the website.

There are several ways to attract linkage. I will address them in the importance, like a top five list.

5. Free-for-All linking (FFA): An easy way to explain what a FFA is, is like a weblisting or web directory. While there may be reciprocal linkage involved, pretty much there is next to null on traffic. The real traffic lies in webmasters adding their link to the link directory. If this technique is used, it is best to text link and not use the offered banners. It is also better to not link it on the main page of the site if the directory requires a reciprocal link. There is no quality coming from the site. There are few exceptions like resource directory sites. They can be beneficial as it provides links to quality sites.

4. Linking out: Do feel free to link quality interest sites without expectations of a reciprocal link. However make a section explaining why the link is important so visitors will know what to expect before venturing to that website.

3. Affiliating: This is a fairly okay technique to drive traffic and link building. However, it is best to remember to link relevant sites. Of course, linking friends is nice, but interesting sites not only interest the webmaster, and friends, but if that should be link exchanging. Affiliates should not be friends. The misconception of affiliates is that it is a link exchange that the webmaster expect the other webowner to visit on occasional. No, it is not! Affiliating is exchanging a link in order to share relevant content and drive visitors to both websites. While one site might talk on a subject (ex. Fashion), perhaps the other with relevant topics has a slightly different opinion.

Link exchanging is nice and for friends, but it differs as it is simply a reciprocal link from another person. The site from a friend may not even have relevant topics. For example, ‘Person A’ may have a site about music while ‘Person B’ might have a site geared as a personal weblog.

In affiliating it is important not to be excessive in linking and make sure the links lead to a quality website.

2. Blog Commenting: The art of blog commenting is important. Simple comments like “Hi” or “I love your site” are often skipped over, but detailed, and relevant comments attract not only the webmaster of the site that the comment resides, but also the visitors to possibly click to go to the commenter’s site.

1. Link baiting:

Link bait is any content or feature within a website that somehow baits viewers to place links to it from other websites
from Wikipedia

This method is quite potent as it puts relevant linkage on quality content. This works great for bloggers. While a blogger might have specific focuses on blogging, they can offer interesting articles for visitors to read. Some of the articles may not always coincide with the main focus of the webmaster’s content (ex. hosting business has side articles on SEO and other tips for clients to learn how to harness more resources to build their site.)

There are many more methods to link building, but in the end always remember that quality is the key ingredient. What do you use in your own linking building methods?