SUBMIT 2.0

Getting other sites to link to your website has been at the core of website search engine optimisation since shortly after Google launched, more than ten years ago. However, in an age when everything happens so quickly it seems an oxymoron that a core web activity seems to take so long to achieve results.

When building a fully functional online store selling hundreds of thousands of products takes just a few days work, why should it take months of continued effort to rise to the top of the search results?

The answer is that Google are trying to make the rankings a true reflection of relative importance. If this were not so, then we would have a system whereby any major multinational could throw millions into an SEO budget and guarantee top placement. We should be thankful that the search engine providers are helping to keep the web a more-or-less level playing field for businesses.

The temptation we all have as web marketing professionals is to look for automation and short cuts at every opportunity. If someone promises to sell us the software that automatically generates a million free backlinks we instinctively grasp for this, knowing that manually getting hold of a million backlinks would be a lifetime’s work.

Of course, the reality of such software opportunities is never realised. In fact my first piece of advice is to ditch automated link building tools altogether. They are too easily replicable by your competitors to be of real value. In addition in most cases they fail to generate ‘good’ links.

They also manage to annoy webmasters with their poorly written automated emails. This is important because a good backlink is only likely to be given if the person at the other end likes you. They are unlikely to like you if you send them emails that they perceive as spam.

So, how do you get a link?

Find a site that you want to link to you. Now think seriously about why the human being who receives your request for a link should comply.

Think about the benefits to his or her visitors, the close fit between your two sites. The fact that you are not in direct competition and the free link that you are going to give in return. In your email mention all these things in detail. Be honest about exactly which page you want the link on and the page where your reciprocal link will appear. You might also tell the prospective partner about traffic levels, Page Rank and future plans for your site.

If you don’t think this is enough of an inducement for them then don’t send the email yet. Before you do send it why not up your offer? You could offer to write a brand new article for their site. Most web owners love unique new content so this has real value for them. If you own more than one site, offer 2 links in return for one. In short, put yourself in their position and answer all the questions they might have regarding whether to coply with your link request.

Once you have got the offer right, look carefully at the copy. Proof read it again and again. Spelling mistakes and grammatical howlers speak of unprofessional, uncaring attitudes. In addition, remove cultural references that may not be appropriate. For example, most British webmasters will junk any link request emails they receive that mention God, Jesus or any other deity. The British simply do not include messages of devotion in business emails and will react badly to emails that do include them.

Trawl your own inbox and look at emails that you responded to. Think about the words they used and the ideas that these formed in your mind. By really thinking hard about the emails we send out we can achieve great results and get lots of good quality links.

Article Source: EzineArticles

Filed under: Web-Site-SEO