There are various ways to build links as mentioned on my previous blog but then again building links is not as easy as 1,2,3. To be able to really build effective links, it entails careful planning, yes, perhaps this is just a link referring back to your site but this could be hard to maintain. Another, you could be penalized by google without you knowing it, possibly you could also be considered as a “Spomments” , a blog related term meaning spam commenter. If that happens, good luck, though there are thousands of blogs, forums or what have you, it will be hard to retain the same ranking or at least get a link back to your site. Blog commenting is not only the way to build links, you may say, or there are numerous activities like directory and article submission, but take note they can also mark your submission as a spam, like I do with the directory I’m maintaining personally. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to scare the hell out of you, I just wanted to help the same way every blogger does to its readers.
So how do we build links the right way, first let’s create a plan, this enable us to manage our links easily, avoid duplication, getting banned from a particular site as well as help manage our resources. Let’s admit it, building links is time consuming and could be a little expensive if you hire someone to build links for you. This is a good move though since this will allow you to concentrate on your core business but we could avoid spending too much money on this if we can manage it well or hire the right SEO person or team to do it for you.
What we need to include in our link building plan? Let’s start with your goal, everybody knows that a goal should be S.M.A.R.T (Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound). This should also be in line with your company’s goal. If you’re targeting specific sales for the month, this should coincide with your internet marketing strategy and traditional marketing efforts if you have one. From here, let’s set our budget, how much money are you willing to invest on this campaign. You also have to identify your target market, clearly state which niche you belong to. This is a critical part because this is going to be your reference in building links. Remember it’s important that you build links depending on your niche, relevancy to your site is very important. If you’re a web design company, submit directories on the relevant category, if you want to do blog commenting, comment on related sites, usually blogs related to web/graphics design and development or if you also offer SEO then also include that in your list of blogs to submit/comment to.
So now you have already distinguished your goal, working budget and target market. Next on the list for building links the right way is the activities you need to embark to. The best way to explain this is using this simple table below, you can create your own depending on the reports you need but make sure you have a means to monitor each activities on a regular basis.
