The Evolution of SEO Link Building: 7 Questions w/ Wiep Knol

1.How has the art of link building changed over the years?

Quite a lot, actually. Where it used to be a sprint race where only the quantity of the links mattered, link building has shifted to an endurance race over the years. Automation and paid link budgets are being replaced by networking and creativity. Of course, there will always be companies or web sites trying to cut some corners, but the recent JC Penney fiasco was yet another reminder that this can be very risky.

2. Why is link building so fundamentally important?

A good link building campaign not only results in links and better rankings, but also in relationships and direct traffic, so it adds value in several different ways. Links connect all parts of the Internet together, and you want to have as many of those connections as possible, to show that you’re (somewhat) in the center of the web, and not just a less-useful bystander.

3. What are your top five tips for small businesses and online marketers to generate links?

I think you mean besides the usual ‘create remarkable content’ or ‘submit your site to relevant directories’? Just having a search engine friendly marketing strategy is more than enough for most small businesses. This includes basic stuff like submitting your site to local resource lists, joining relevant organizations in your industry, or including links to your site in a press release. You can’t imagine how many companies (including PR agencies!) still forget to do this. Other ways to get links could be by launching an affiliate program, or looking for places to publish content, such as columns, interviews or guest articles. You’ll find plenty of link opportunities by just doing business, you just have to keep your eyes open.

4. On your blog, you mention the rising importance of content in generating links. Can you explain more?

One of the first questions I ask people who are looking for links, is “why should I link to you?” You can’t imagine how many people have difficulties answering this question, while it’s actually quite easy. Either you have an exceptionally good product, or you have an exceptionally good web site, or you’ll have to persuade (begging, buying, etc.) people into linking to you. The first and third option is quite time and/or budget consuming, and the first option is hard to influence for most people, which leaves you with the second one. And adding good content to a site is the easiest way to make it exceptional, and to make attracting links relatively easy.

5. What is the value of links beyond SEO?

Direct traffic and, maybe even more importantly, relationships. There’s much more to a link than just the -part, and it’s much easier to connect with other companies online, than it is to do offline. Establishing valuable partnerships with (semi-) related sites can be a very nice side effect.

6. Once you find another business to link with, what’s the best way to follow up? What are the best ways to link with one another?

This really depends on the industry, the web site, the type of link you want to get and the relationship you already have with the business you want to link with. In some cases just a short and simple email is sufficient, while you’ll have to put in a lot of extra work to secure some other link.

7. How do you measure the effective of your link building campaigns? What metrics do you look at, say within Google Analytics?

I keep a close eye on two things – the visibility in search engines and the ‘referring traffic’ section in Google Analytics. A link building campaign is really effective when the amount of referring sites increases at a much larger pace than the amount of outreach emails you send out. This means that you’re getting more natural links, and that’s the cheapest way to build authority.

Wiep Knol is the co-founder of Dutch link building agency Linkbuilding.nl, and blogs about link building at Wiep.net. He loves to approach link building in a creative way, and has shared his insights at several leading industry conferences and events, including SMX, Search Engine Strategies and SEOmoz / Distilled’s ProSEO.

How to Spring Clean Your Website

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Spring is a wonderful time of year but it might not be so wonderful for our online business. The weather is getting nicer and people are spending more time outside, away from their computers. One way to get more people to come to your website is to do some spring cleaning and I don't mean your house! Our websites can get stale and outdated if we do not clean them up periodically.

There are lots of things you can do to freshen up your site and bring new life and new customers to your online business.

1. Add a new section filled with resources, information and maybe even some special deals for your customers. Use relevant keywords to improve your ranking. For example: if you own a home decor business, offer decorating tips and advice. Show people how to decorate on a budget or how to redecorate with things they already own. By providing information and resources along with your products, you are giving people a reason to keep coming back. This is how you build trust with your visitors and get more sales.

2. Remove all dead links, outdated information and products. Nothing is worse than going to a site and finding links that don't work or information and/or products that are no longer useable or helpful. Go through all the links on your site and freshen up the content to offer up to date information!

3. Give your homepage a facelift by adding new graphics, text, etc. Redo your banner and give it some new life. Take out the old graphics and add some fresh new images. Research your keywords and revamp your text with some effective keywords. Write a new introduction to your site detailing all your new additions.

4. If you haven't yet tried blogging, read up on blogging and zap some life into your site. Some free blogging sites are Blogger and WordPress. Blogging is a great way to improve your search engine ranking while expanding your network.

5. Update your product line. Add some fresh new products and offer the old products at clearance prices. Have a Spring Sale and liven up your sales! Keep those customers coming back for more!

6. Add a What's New page so you can let everyone know about all your updates now and in the future. This feature could get more people to return to your site to see What's New?

7. Research the colors used on your site. You may find changing the colors of your site can bring a whole new life to your business.

8. Put a small survey on your site. Ask your visitors what they would like to see and what type of products they are looking for. Getting the information straight from the horse's mouth could do your business a lot of good. Offer your visitors a small gift for answering the questions on the survey.

9. Renew your goals! Make new goals and write out a new business plan. Learn from your experiences, good and bad, and improve your plan for success.

Spring is a time of renewal, revitalization and reenergizing! Our online businesses are no exception!

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