Link Building - Simple DIY online marketing

Link Building is the act of establishing multiple direct links from other websites to point back to yours. E.g. Like when a Sensis Yellowpages listing features a direct website link back to the business website and there is no link back to Sensis.

The more direct links pointing back to your website, the more ‘popular’ it is deemed to be by the search engines, including GOOGLE. Link Building increases your websites ‘Link Popularity’ and can increase/improve on your overall search engine ranking.

DIAGRAM: More websites pointing back to yours is great for the search engines

 

NOW, why do we bother?

There are so many factors that influence where your website will rank, and this is one of them. If you are willing to do it yourself, it is FREE so why skip it? The more websites you are listed on (including direct links back to your website), the better the chance you have of outranking your competition. ALSO, the listings you create, in some of these business directories, can themselves rank in the search engines. This can help drive more potential customers your way by providing other ways of how they can find you online. Another kind of link is a Reciprocal Link. This is where two websites link to each other. Reciprocal links are not quite as valuable as a straight forward direct link but can be beneficial if you are linking to complimentary product and services online.

To Get you Started!

Here is a list of online business directories that allow you list your business details AND website address for FREE.

www.truelocal.com.au

www.hotfrog.com.au (my personal favourite)

www.dlook.com.au

www.localbusinessguide.com.au

www.aussieweb.com.au

www.webfind.com.au

www.shopseek.com.au

Link building also serves as a great FREE alternative to those who are not ready for a website but still desire an online presence. While you do not get the advantage of the website link, you can still list your other details like business name, phone number, address, industry category and, in most cases an in-depth description about your products or services.

“Happy Link Building”

How to influence Google Part One. Your actual website.

The purpose of any search engine, is to collect and present the most relevant results (or websites) when someone is searching for something online. The more relevant a website appears to the search engines, the more likely it is to appear at the Top-Of-The-List.

The first part involves making your website more relevant. This is achieved in a number of ways.

1. The words on your website. The search engines can “Read” all of the text within your website using this to help assess a websites’ relevance. Example: If you want to rank for “Pest control Caboolture” you need to have this mentioned within the words on your website to even have a chance of appearing in the search engines.
2. The search engines cannot read what appears in images. If you have a website which is all photos, graphics and very little text, this can limit the likelihood of ranking on the first few pages (if at all).
3. Make sure your web designer/developer has added the necessary code into the background of your website. These are called Meta Tags.

The more competitive the industry, the more important all of this is.

In past articles, I have covered topics like spelling, fonts and colours and layout. The trick is to find the right balance between a great visual impact and great website relevance to ensure a successful and profitable website.

Drive traffic to your website for FREE.

Another topic (that I will cover more in-depth in my next article), is Link Popularity. This refers to how many other websites link or “point” to yours. E.g. Like when a Sensis Yellowpages listing features a website link back to their website.

Go to www.hotfrog.com.au (an online business directory) to create a listing for your business with as many details as possible. The more detailed you are, the more likely the search engines will deem your Hotfrog listing as relevant. Remember my first point about the text within your website…treat Hotfrog like you are writing the words for your actual website. Once you verify your listing, you can add images, opening hours, service/product summaries and more. A must have for every small business (even ones without a website).