10 strategies-to-drive-your-competition-crazy-v1

10linkbuildingstrategiestodriveyourcompe77on

crazy!

KenMcGaffin,CMOWordtracker

www.wordtracker.com/linkbuilder

3 ways link building helps your website

(i) Links boost your search engine rankings - so you get more traffic and sales on your website

(ii) People follow links like cars follow road signs - so you get more traffic and sales on your website

(iii) Links position you as leader – the more links you have, the harder you are to compete with

November 2009 - A blog campaign for a free keyword tool, ‘SEO Blogger’ brought over 1000

inbound links to Wordtracker...

And it’s still bringing them…

And it’s still bringing them…

So how do you get links to your website?

The days of JUST looking for “Add URL” or “Submit a

resource” links have long gone…

Now you’ve really got to engage with your online

audiences…

1. Get curious…

2. Get organized…

3. Get creative…

4. Get busy…

5. Get counting…

6. Get curious all over again…

www.wordtracker.com/linkbuilder/

Strategy 1

Blogs

h"p://denverchiropractor.com/blog/healthy‐valen7ne‐gi8‐ideas/

h"p://www.kendallgiles.com/kegblog/travel/

h"p://www.abebooks.com/blog/index.php/2009/02/23/socks‐the‐cat‐dead‐at‐19‐and‐the‐10‐oddest‐presiden7al‐pets/

h"p://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small‐business‐braintrust/andy‐dunn‐100222

November 2009 - A blog campaign for a free keyword tool, ‘SEO Blogger’ brought over 1000

inbound links to Wordtracker...

And it’s still bringing them…

And it’s still bringing them…

1. We did extensive research to identify blogs about how to

blog for business

1. We did extensive research to identify blogs about how to

blog for business

1. We did extensive research to identify blogs about how to

blog for business

2. We created a free tool, SEO Blogger

3. We commissioned a book from Chris Garrett that generated income

4. We created a category and content on our own site

5. About 4 days before release we contacted our top targets

and asked them to try the tool

6. We wrote a series of customized press releases

7. We tweeted about the launch extensively.

Strategy 2

News Media

Writing a link request… …for an editorial opportunity

Subject: Story idea – The Handmade Brand

HelpAReporter.com

HelpAReporter.com

HelpAReporter.com

h"p://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/young‐entrepreneur‐interview‐sarah‐preve"e‐of‐sprouter‐com/

h"p://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/734277/Where‐the‐West‐was‐shot.html

h"p://www.epicurious.com/ar7clesguides/everydaycooking/tastetests/healthysnacktastetest

h"p://www.jsonline.com/business/49048151.html

h"p://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodworking_blog/index.php/tag/furniture/

h"p://www.ne7mpera7ve.com/news/2008/june/9/coremetrics‐speeds‐up‐site‐tagging‐7me

Strategy 3

Social Media

h"p://www.spearboard.com/showthread.php?t=87368

h"p://www.apartmen"herapy.com/ny/good‐ques7ons/adding‐rollout‐shelves‐to‐exis7ng‐cabinets‐good‐ques7ons‐106832

What makes a quality link prospect?

http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/evaluate-link-prospects

1. The site…

•  Is it relevant?

•  Are there real people on the site?

•  Is the content well-written?

•  Is the content updated frequently?

2. Their online presence…

•  Does the site link out to many other sites?

•  Has the site got good inbound links?

•  Is the site well-established?

•  Does the site perform well on keyword searches?

3. Their policies…

•  Are they easy to contact?

•  Do they publish resources or reviews?

•  Do they invite articles or guest posts?

•  Do they interview people for opinion or case studies?

Strategy 4

Jobs Sites

h"p://www.onedayoneinternship.com/internships/warby‐parker/#more‐7197

Strategy 5

Directories

Link:h"p://www.skaffe.com/viewCat/11594

Strategy 6

Shopping

h"p://www.coolmompicks.com/2008/11/holiday_baby_gi8s_that_is_actually.php

h"p://www.mommyenterprises.com/2009/03/eleven‐review‐and‐giveaway.htm

Strategy 7

Trusted Sites

h"p://www.na7onalcherryblossomfes7val.org/news/japan‐relief‐efforts/

h"p://www.ndsu.edu/caedm/partners/

Strategy 8

Business Sites

Link:h"p://www.woodworking.org/WC/members.html

h"p://www.outerbankschamber.com/vguide/rentalagents.cfm

h"p://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/wellness‐expoandtrade‐2009‐directory‐of‐exhibitors/Content?oid=1253313

h"p://www.marke7ngprofs.com/ea/qst_ques7on.asp?qstID=12376

h"p://www.coolbusinessideas.com/archives/barber_stop.html

h"p://www.sema.org/sema‐enews/2009/28//full

Quick Tip: How to make the time to build links…

Make link building as routine as you can…

Many of these activities are beneficial to your business in their own right…

…so build them into your daily routine

1.   You must convince yourself it’s important (you would never be too busy to sell, would you)

2.   Look at what you do already – talk to customers, publish information, memberships – all of this can be turned into link building

3.   Make use of dead time

4.   Put a set period aside every week

5.   Interview yourself – it’s quicker than writing

6.   Start small – focus on targeting specific blogs

7.   Keep a notebook and review it every week.

How to find the time to build links…

Quick Tip: The best place to start link building tomorrow…

…is with sites that already link to you.

Strategy 9

Already Linking

1.   How much traffic do they bring you?

2.   How popular is their site?

3.   Have you done them a favor in return?

4.   What can you say that is good about their site?

5.   Do you know the names of the people behind the site?

6.   What social sites are they most active on?

7.   What linking text do they use and can you improve it?

8.   What can you do to develop the relationship?

Sites that already link to you

Strategy 10

Co-linking

www.wordtracker.com/linkbuilder/