You Never Talk About Backlinks
Published: Fri, 01/27/12
That's the message that was attached to an unsubscribe notice I received last week. Someone wanted to stop receiving my emails because she didn't get enough backlink information.
Even though I never promised any backlink information, she had a point and I felt like I let her down. So, thanks to her, I'm laying out enough backlink information in this email to keep you going for MONTHS. I've laid out all the tools I use to get backlinks today. (Hold on tight, this is nearly an ebook of its own!)
BACKLINKS EXPLAINED
In case you're really new to IM, a simple explanation of backlinks is in order. Backlinks are links on one URL that point to another URL. Basically, they are a measure of popularity that Google uses to help determine where a site should rank for any given keyword. You need them. They're a part of the formula.
When Google crawls the other site and finds a link to YOUR site, they chalk up points for you in their algorithm. "Hmmm...that site must really be about such and such topic because these other sites are all linking to it and referencing the same topic. Give them another point for this topic."
Ideally, you'd put up such good content and have such a huge following in your niche that your visitors and fans would spread word of your site for you, dropping links throughout the web like the Easter Bunny laying down eggs.
However, most of us don't start out with that kind of following and reputation in our niche. It takes a lot of time to get to that point. Instead, we have to build our own links to get going.
The more backlinks you have, the better. The higher the page rank on which your backlink actually sits, the better. However, move too fast or use tricks to get backlinks that Google doesn't like, and you can actually hurt your site.
However, most of us don't start out with that kind of following and reputation in our niche. It takes a lot of time to get to that point. Instead, we have to build our own links to get going.
The more backlinks you have, the better. The higher the page rank on which your backlink actually sits, the better. However, move too fast or use tricks to get backlinks that Google doesn't like, and you can actually hurt your site.
Each page that you want to rank in Google can benefit from its own backlinks. That means backlinking your home page is one thing but you can take your site to another level by building backlinks to your inner posts and pages, too. Any unique URL you want to push up in Google could use some backlinks. You can even backlink your backlinks.
BALANCED DIET OF BACKLINKS
But HOW do you backlink exactly? Do you write a post and then stop doing anything but backlink building until you reach #1?
If you did, you'd be missing out on getting traffic through other content because you'd be spending too much time on backlinking and not enough time on building new content.
If you did, you'd be missing out on getting traffic through other content because you'd be spending too much time on backlinking and not enough time on building new content.
Backlink building is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't try to do it all at once. It's an on-going need. You don't give a plant some sunlight once and then expect it to thrive forever. You keep supplying sunlight. Similarly, you need to keep feeding backlinks to your site.
To do this, develop a routine. Your own publishing cycle that incorporates BOTH adding new content online and backlinking that content. Build content, backlink, build content, backlink, build content, backlink. It's like eating a balanced diet - you need some of both for energy.
Google has to "digest" backlinks. (I must be hungry - everything is tying back to food tonight!) The backlinks have to be found and they have to be incorporated into the algorithm as it pertains to your site. The whole backlinking process takes time. Time for you to build them, time for Google to find them, and time for them to make an impact on your site's rankings.
The worst part of backlinking (besides the time it can take) is that your site can actually DROP in Google after a round of backlinking. Talk about freaking you out entirely. We've probably all had one of those "uh-oh" moments. You can see thread through the IM forums that say things like "I just bought a ton of backlinks for my site and it DROPPED in Google. What do I do?"
To do this, develop a routine. Your own publishing cycle that incorporates BOTH adding new content online and backlinking that content. Build content, backlink, build content, backlink, build content, backlink. It's like eating a balanced diet - you need some of both for energy.
Google has to "digest" backlinks. (I must be hungry - everything is tying back to food tonight!) The backlinks have to be found and they have to be incorporated into the algorithm as it pertains to your site. The whole backlinking process takes time. Time for you to build them, time for Google to find them, and time for them to make an impact on your site's rankings.
The worst part of backlinking (besides the time it can take) is that your site can actually DROP in Google after a round of backlinking. Talk about freaking you out entirely. We've probably all had one of those "uh-oh" moments. You can see thread through the IM forums that say things like "I just bought a ton of backlinks for my site and it DROPPED in Google. What do I do?"
Don't worry. These drops are just the adjustment process Google goes through when it finds a new crop of backlinks. Those drops are almost always followed by a rise of your page in Google but it really can throw you for a loop because the recovery can be anywhere from days to weeks. Just keep moving forward. I can't stress that enough. Put blinders on and keep building.
In an earlier email (http://archive.aweber.com/revwr123/98c9s/h/You_Don_t_Need_a_New_Basket_Until.htm), I talked about my own publishing routine. I mention building "more" backlinks for specific posts on which I want to focus. The following are how I find additional backlink opportunities for my sites.
In an earlier email (http://archive.aweber.com/revwr123/98c9s/h/You_Don_t_Need_a_New_Basket_Until.htm), I talked about my own publishing routine. I mention building "more" backlinks for specific posts on which I want to focus. The following are how I find additional backlink opportunities for my sites.
BOOKMARK SITES, RSS SITES, WEB 2.0 SITES, AND ARTICLE DIRECTORIES
For the first three months, all of my backlinks come from bookmark sites, RSS feed submission sites, web 2.0 sites, and article directories. (You can find a list of the ones I use most often inside Extreme Review).
Every now and then, I like to add new sites to my mix of backlinks. I don't really want every site to have the same exact set. It might start to make a noticeable footprint in Google. Plus, bookmark sites close down and have to be replaced with new ones.
If you need more bookmark sites:
The results will show you all results for pages showing a list of bookmarking sites that have been updated or published in the past month.
For the first three months, all of my backlinks come from bookmark sites, RSS feed submission sites, web 2.0 sites, and article directories. (You can find a list of the ones I use most often inside Extreme Review).
Every now and then, I like to add new sites to my mix of backlinks. I don't really want every site to have the same exact set. It might start to make a noticeable footprint in Google. Plus, bookmark sites close down and have to be replaced with new ones.
If you need more bookmark sites:
- Do a search in Google for "list of bookmark sites" (without quotes).
- Google has a left sidebar called SEARCH. Scroll down that sidebar to the section called All Results and click on More Search Tools.
- Under the section for Any Time, click on Past Month.
The results will show you all results for pages showing a list of bookmarking sites that have been updated or published in the past month.
Bring up a few of the results and go through the lists looking for new sites to add to your mix.
If you don't find anything, use the Custom time frame search to go back another couple of months.
Work through new bookmark sites one at a time by registering for new accounts on the sites you want to add to your repertoire. Bookmark the site in your own browser for future reference or start building a spreadsheet or Notepad list of all your bookmark accounts.
If you build a spreadsheet of your go-to bookmark sites, you can always use that spreadsheet to outsource link building to a VA. Very easy to say "Here, (insert VA name here), please bookmark this URL (insert URL) with this anchor text (insert anchor text) at all of these bookmark sites." Done.
You can do the same kinds of searches in Google for lists of article directories and web 2.0 sites.
For RSS feeds, see this MASSIVE, regularly updated list: http://web-marketing.masternewmedia.org/rsstop55-best-blog-directory-and-rss-submission-sites/part-10.htm. It's been built up over YEARS and is still kept up to date - even noting which sites are now dead, which are free, and which cost money. Just work your way through the still active, free RSS sites when you need.
BUILDMYRANK
I do have a monthly subscription to Build My Rank. It is a private blog network of high PR sites. As a subscriber, I get to write a certain number of articles each day and those articles get posted on the high PR sites in the network with a link back to my site.
BUILDMYRANK
I do have a monthly subscription to Build My Rank. It is a private blog network of high PR sites. As a subscriber, I get to write a certain number of articles each day and those articles get posted on the high PR sites in the network with a link back to my site.
These are of higher quality than your typical bookmark, RSS, and article directory backlink.
I've been using this service for months and have seen positive results on a regular basis.
I've been using this service for months and have seen positive results on a regular basis.
HOWEVER, there's a trick to getting your money's worth with BMR.
All of the blogs in the network only show a summary of your article on the main page. If you don't put the link to your site in the first sentence or two of your article, it is highly possible that your link will not show up in the summary that shows on the home page. This would result in your link only showing up on the individual post itself which will only have a page rank of 0 or NA. When you subscribe to BMR, you're paying for the ability to post on high PR sites to get high PR backlinks. Don't cut yourself short by not getting that link at the top of that article.
You can put one link in your article for each 150 words. While that means you can put two links in a 300 word article, chances are you would not be able to get both links to fit into the summary that is the only part that will show up on the home page of the site. Therefore, I only do 150 word articles with one link and make sure to place that link in the first sentence.
YOu can build links to more than one domain depending on your level of subscription. You CAN include Squidoo as one of those domains and use the service to build high PR backlinks to your individual lenses.
Buildmyrank offers a free trial so you can test it out. You can read more here: http://www.buildmyrank.com/aff/xp.php?id=1714 (affiliate link) or here: http://www.buildmyrank.com (non-affiliate link).
LINK WEBS
I once watched a webinar presentation by an affiliate marketer who specialized in the Halloween niche. The example money sites he showed in the webinar were easy to find online and I spent days analyzing those examples.
You can put one link in your article for each 150 words. While that means you can put two links in a 300 word article, chances are you would not be able to get both links to fit into the summary that is the only part that will show up on the home page of the site. Therefore, I only do 150 word articles with one link and make sure to place that link in the first sentence.
YOu can build links to more than one domain depending on your level of subscription. You CAN include Squidoo as one of those domains and use the service to build high PR backlinks to your individual lenses.
Buildmyrank offers a free trial so you can test it out. You can read more here: http://www.buildmyrank.com/aff/xp.php?id=1714 (affiliate link) or here: http://www.buildmyrank.com (non-affiliate link).
LINK WEBS
I once watched a webinar presentation by an affiliate marketer who specialized in the Halloween niche. The example money sites he showed in the webinar were easy to find online and I spent days analyzing those examples.
Investigating all the backlinks for those sites gave me a snapshot of how they were building layers of links that all worked together to push up their money sites.
I took their concept and modified it to be more random and to utilize sites with which I was more familiar.
My link webs look like this:
My link webs look like this:
- Build a Squidoo page pointing to my site.
- Build a Hubpage pointing to my site AND to my Squidoo page.
- Build a Blogger blog pointing to my Squidoo page AND to my Hubpage.
- Build a Tumblr blog pointing to my site and to my Hubpage.
- Build a Weebly page pointing to my site AND to my Blogger blog.
I can do this on and on as I see fit. Find another web 2.0 site and include a link to two of my other web 2.0 sites or to my money site and one other web 2.0 site.
Then:
- Bookmark all of the created pages.
- Submit the RSS feeds of all the created pages to 5 RSS sites.
- Write an article for each of the created pages (the Squidoo page, the Hubpage, the Blogger blog, the Tumblr blog and the Weebly page.)
- Submit the articles to multiple article directories.
- Bookmark all the articles.
- Submit the article directory author RSS feeds to RSS submission sites.
See how I'm building webs of links, then backlinking the backlinks with articles and backlinking the articles with bookmarks? Layers of backlinks.
While these are all low quality backlinks to start with, they're great for getting your content going initially. Over time, those Squidoo pages and Hubpages can gain a decent page rank of their own as the value of the links pointing to them grows.
REVERSE ENGINEERING OTHER SITES
Every now and then, I get a little curious about any new backlink resources that might be out there. A down and dirty way to find new backlink opportunities is to "spy" on other sites.
Find a fairly new site in any niche (your own or some other niche - it doesn't really matter) that seems to be ranking decently on the first or second page of Google and look up the backlinks for that site.
REVERSE ENGINEERING OTHER SITES
Every now and then, I get a little curious about any new backlink resources that might be out there. A down and dirty way to find new backlink opportunities is to "spy" on other sites.
Find a fairly new site in any niche (your own or some other niche - it doesn't really matter) that seems to be ranking decently on the first or second page of Google and look up the backlinks for that site.
You can look up backlinks for free with http://www.backlinkwatch.com. Just paste in the URL for any site and you'll get a list of the top 1000 backlinks. You can click on each backlink to bring it up and review it. Scan the page to see where the link exists and decide if you can use that site for a backlink, too. You're sure to find new web 2.0 sites, new bookmark sites, new article directories, or press release sites that you hadn't thought to use before. Explore the site on which the backlink resides and see if you can use the site for a backlink, too.
OUTSOURCERS I'VE USED
While I have a VA who builds backlinks for me, they're not using anything I didn't list above - just articles, bookmarks, and RSS feeds. Every now and then, when I feel I need an extra boost and I don't have the time or inclination to build any more myself, I outsource batches of backlinks to an SEO service. This is not something I do regularly but every couple of months I will place an order.
Literally...that's it. You don't need to order from every new service you find. Start with a routine of the basics - bookmark sites, web 2.0 sites, articles and RSS feeds - along with new content. Get a good 3 months of content and basic backlinks going, utilize Google to help you find more sources as needed to replace the ones in your strategy that no longer work, and rely on a few outsourcers IF you need.
When you combine a regular backlink strategy with the quality kinds of reviews called for in Extreme Review, you'll have a powerful combination that should leave your competition in the dust.
OUTSOURCERS I'VE USED
While I have a VA who builds backlinks for me, they're not using anything I didn't list above - just articles, bookmarks, and RSS feeds. Every now and then, when I feel I need an extra boost and I don't have the time or inclination to build any more myself, I outsource batches of backlinks to an SEO service. This is not something I do regularly but every couple of months I will place an order.
- Joseph Then is a member of the WarriorForum and I've used his services for a couple of years now and been very pleased with the results. You can read about his service here: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-special-offers-forum/242312-1-000-orders-new-lower-price-most-comprehensive-submission-all-backlinks-you-want.html (not an affiliate link).
- For high PR blog commenting, I've used another WF member: http://www.warriorforum.com/members/yousefgreat.html (not an affiliate link). You can find links to his SEO service in his profile description.
Literally...that's it. You don't need to order from every new service you find. Start with a routine of the basics - bookmark sites, web 2.0 sites, articles and RSS feeds - along with new content. Get a good 3 months of content and basic backlinks going, utilize Google to help you find more sources as needed to replace the ones in your strategy that no longer work, and rely on a few outsourcers IF you need.
When you combine a regular backlink strategy with the quality kinds of reviews called for in Extreme Review, you'll have a powerful combination that should leave your competition in the dust.
I consider having you on my list a great responsibility. Hopefully you find the relationship mutually rewarding. If you're ever in need of something specific, don't hesitate to ask. Your question might just become the topic of my next email!
Sincerely,
Erica Stone
erica@extremereviewer.com