One way that Google judges your website is by the links that surround it. Search engines currently view links as a good measurement of social proof. The more links you have coming in to your website, the easier time you will have ranking on search results for your chosen keywords.
But how do you get links?
Stone Reuning attempts to answer that question in an article on Search Engine Guide.
All types of links can impact your search engine optimization results, helping determine where your web site shows up online. Though the hardest to control, inbound links pointing to your site can make the biggest impact.
Read the full article – A Brief Intro to Link Building for Small Business Owners
Reuning goes on to explain linking strategy, what to avoid, and how to build great organic links. He says it comes down to four main areas of effort: directories, press releases, blogs, and link bait.
I encourage you to read his thoughts on this subject, as his article can get you started building out links for your small business website.
I want to add my two cents about building links. First of all, you should think of it as a long term process. Devote a little time to it regularly, and have a plan that you stick to.
Directories and Profiles
When it comes to directories, make sure your website is listed on very important ones like Google Places, as well as any local search directories on the other major search engines. You should also think of social networks as a good place to post a link back to your business. Even if you aren’t super active on some of these networks, you should build out a bit of profile. The link back will help your search rankings, after all.
Press Releases
Press releases are a severely underutilized resource for small businesses. The fact is, a good press release is not that hard to write. Even better, pay someone to write them regularly for you (they will usually have better contacts for getting your release picked up by news agencies). Many press releases are just reprinted on multiple websites. This means your link is getting out there and pointing back to your website. On top of that, you may get a blogger or reporter interested in doing a story on your business.
This article is not about press releases, so I won’t go into great detail here about how to write one (you can listen to an interview on the topic of press releases at All Business Answers). I do want to say that you can create a press release strategy that has you putting out new releases regularly. Your news doesn’t have to be earth shattering. In fact, you may not have news at all, but maybe you can provide a unique perspective on current events. Put it in a press release and get it out there.
Another resource you should consider using is Help a Reporter Out. You can subscribe to regular emails that include calls for information from reporters. If you can fill the reporter’s need, you can get a mention in a news story and often a link back to your small business website.
I have also noticed that many small businesses are hiring PR firms to help out in this area. It is an investment that can really pay off.
Guest Post
The next resource to consider is blogs. You may have some luck getting bloggers to link back to your site if you write really great content yourself on your blog. A better, more controllable, method is to start guest posting. Find the blogs that speak to your market and send them some great articles. Blogs that accept guest posts are always looking for new content. One site I have found to be really help in this department is My Blog Guest.
Link Bait
The last area Reuning mentions is writing link bait articles. These are articles that have a better chance to go viral. They are often list posts, or an article with a unique twist, or funny in some way. This is not for everyone, but you can have fun with link bait articles. If you have an article that you think people will like to share, be sure to promote it on social networks, like LinkedIn, and article sharing sites such as Digg and BizSugar.
You can build links back to your website. Doing so will help you build an audience and get ranked higher in search engines, so it is a worthy effort.
Do you have any questions on this?
Bradford Shimp is the President of Broad River Creative, a blogger and blog designer. He designs blogs and websites for small businesses, and teaches small business owners how to use the web to grow their business.