Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the number-one way to attract customers to your website. Although it sounds like an official and technical term, it isn’t too hard for beginners to pick up on the SEO basics that can shoot their website to the top of the results page. Fortunately, one of the simplest aspects of SEO is also one of the most useful: link building. For years, boring niches have been able to become very lucrative through proper link building.
In short, link building is the process of establishing relevant relationships between your site and other sites. This can take the form of reciprocal linking, being featured on a directory, or having your website listed in online publications such as ezines but regardless of the method, the result is a rise in your website’s calculated popularity. Since Google and other search engines factor this popularity in when displaying results, greater calculable popularity quickly turns into more hits and link backs for your website, which in turn increases popularity. When done correctly, link building is a simple way for your site to inch its way to the top of the results page. In the example of personal injury law firms, one can see how niches can be ranking really high for relevant keywords. There are also other benefits to SEO, including:- Your website will be more likely to be indexed by search engines.
- It will appear to be a more credible source.
- By attracting users from relevant sources, you are more likely to have quality, meaningful traffic on your site.
Ready to do some SEO link building for your website? Here are some quick tips to get you started!
1. Maximize Your Backlinks
Link backs, or when another website links to your site, are always a good thing. Reciprocal linking to your friends’ sites, however, is not the best way to establish link backs. With the recent changes in search engine algorithms, quality is now more valuable than quantity when it comes to text; the same is true for links. It is important to build relationships when acquiring links. These types of links will be better in the long run. A high-quality link back is from a site that has a few basic qualities.
- It is relevant to your website’s topic.
- The ranking of the site linking back is higher than your site’s ranking.
- Appropriate anchor text is used to link back to your website instead of a generic ‘click here’.
2. Be Careful With Your Graphics
Search engines do not ‘read’ graphics but since graphics are a necessary element of design when it comes to a website, it would be a shame to let them go to waste for your SEO purposes. In fact, graphics have the ability to establish link backs from a unique group of people more interested in your pictures than your content! In order to make sure your graphics attract site traffic with appropriate keywords, you should do a few things.
3. Rename Your Image Files to Include Relevant Keywords
Use the alt text property of the HTML image tag to include keywords. Also use the title tags for each image to maximize your use of keywords with graphics.
4. Use Keywords, Keywords and More Keywords!
As you may have noticed, keywords have a huge place in Search Engine Optimization. There is a fine art to choosing keywords that are not too general but not too specific all at once. Keyword placement is also something of an art, with most SEO experts recommending that they comprise no more than 15 percent of the page text. Other experts go farther, encouraging website owners to only use 3 to 5 percent of their site to devote to keywords.
The final decision is up to you, but as always, we encourage quality over quantity. Remember, the ultimate goal is to garner enough interest through your use of keywords that other people will link back to you on their websites or post your link to a social networking site.
The final decision is up to you, but as always, we encourage quality over quantity. Remember, the ultimate goal is to garner enough interest through your use of keywords that other people will link back to you on their websites or post your link to a social networking site.
5. Beat Out the Competition
Each website has a unique niche in the Internet even if it isn’t strictly interested in selling something. To beat out the competition, you have to figure out what that unique niche is and tailor your content and keyword placement to that niche.
By working with other websites that fit that niche and expanding your horizons, not only will your link backs direct more relevant traffic to your site, but you will also have discovered link backs in areas your competitors may not have.
6. Show Your Involvement
A very interesting way for larger companies or organizations to acquire link backs is through advertising their involvement with charity organizations. Often, this will encourage the charity organizations to provide you with a quality link back. It also boosts your credibility and can enhance your reputation both on and offline.
7. Think Big: Go Beyond Google
Although Google is the big name in search engines, there are alternatives. Not all of your traffic will come in from Google, so while it is important to keep Google’s search algorithms in mind while you establish your SEO patterns, don’t restrict yourself. After all, by enacting a complete web of link backs, you can effectively avoid ever appearing on the first results page of Google or Bing while still streamlining an impressive amount of relevant traffic.
Follow these steps and start reading more about SEO and you will be on your way to being the next internet ninja. SEO can be hard at first, but these beginner SEO steps can help anyone understand the internet better.
