The latest Google Penguin Update has touched many Webmasters in all the wrong ways. The other day I was watching an old video of Matt Cutts explaining how to build Google friendly links that do not harm your website/blog’s ratings in any way. I am not sure if all of you have watched the particular video, but here are some quick pointers from the video, that can help anyone build good amount of organic backlinks. I really wanted to blog about these as they are awesome techniques :-
1. Start a Controversy
Writing controversial content is one of the ways that can help you get attention to your website or blog. There are famous blogs on the Internet that are always using this technique to garner attention. You can write about bad customer service, share your experiences, start a “sucks” post, make a versus comparison etc. The way this benefits your website is by getting people from both sides (for and against) paying attention to the content. But you should be careful that you don’t overdo this trick as it might get you labelled as a hater. There is a thin line between writing controversial content and spreading unnecessary hatred. So if you are able to write interesting controversial content, people will definitely like to link to your blog.
2. Participate in the Community
There are various websites that allow you to answer questions posted by other people (asking for help etc.). These can be related to any subject that might interest you and when you do this, you are adding value to the community. You are also allowed to leave your links on such websites which is a way of positive link building. Gradually, people will start recognizing your genuine efforts and in turn link to your website.
3. Original Research
According to Matt, if you do even a little bit of original research on a topic and provide analysis and results to the community, people will want to link to you. This does require a little bit of homework and efforts from your side but the results can be very beneficial for your website. For example, Danny Sullivan in this post compares which e-mail services filters the most spam from the inbox and provides the results. Such articles/content can contribute towards building automatic links for you free of cost.
4. Newsletters
If you already have a readership or following, its easy to get people link to your website by sending out helpful articles and content through newsletters. Newsletters might be old school marketing but they still work
5. Social Media
Social Networking websites can be a great place to earn the attention that you website or blog wants. If people are spending 5-6 hours of their time on Twitter or Facebook, then you should be spending some of your time on those sites too. Connecting with people and talking/conferencing about the topics that concern you will get you good links.
6. Resource Lists
I am sure everyone has seen such lists like, “50 ways to build backlinks”, “100 creative WordPress Themes” etc. These lists are usually a compilation of different resources available on the Internet but getting them in one place and handing out to the people can definitely earn you their respect and in the due course, backlinks. There is sure chance of getting stumbled or dugg if the resource list is extensive and helpful.
7. Build a Blog
If you are running a website and not writing a blog, you are losing out big time. Almost all companies abreast of the happenings on the Internet do have a blog on their websites as it helps them to reach out to their users in a personal basis. Blogs are the most viral and authoritative way to earn backlinks. It doesn’t matter if you are getting links back to your content. Just your post title/s (if its unique) can help people search for that particular content which might not be available anywhere on the Internet world. Its that amazing
8. Distribute Free Product or Service
If you can afford the time, you should think about building up a free digital product or service and allow people to download it (e.g, E-books, WordPress themes, plugins, templates, Firefox Extension, etc). This will make people like you and in turn link to you.
I hope you like these tips. Do leave a comment
