If you build a better website, will the world beat a path to your door? I hate to disappoint anyone, but it’s not likely.
A great website will cause your visitors to hang around to see what you have to say, but on its own, will do little to draw new customers.
Now, if that great website is search engine optimized, contains fresh and interesting content, and has relevant links pointing to it from other sites … well, that’s a completely different story. Note that this isn’t an even / or proposition. Highly visible websites are search engine optimized, have a continual infusion of fresh, interesting content, AND hundreds of inbound links. If your site can’t be found, it’s missing one or more pieces of this puzzle.
Even with all the pieces in place, expect that it will take some time. While you’re waiting, don’t just sit there … continue adding content, continue link building.
What Do You Mean, Link Building?
Inbound links are gained primarily in four ways:
- Build links through social media sites.
- Build links through directory submissions. This can be further divided into submitting to free and paid directories. I recommend a balanced approach, but there’s more to this category than meets the eye. We’ll come back to this in a future post.
- Build links through commenting on other blogs. Have you just read something interesting on another blog? Have something to add to what the author said? Write a brief comment and be sure to fill in the optional box on all web comment forms for your website address. Sometimes this box is labeled “URI.” Other times, it’s “URL” or simply “Website.” Don’t spam the blog with comments on every post. Don’t leave any variation of the “hey, come visit my site” comment and say something more intriguing than “hey, nice post.” Commenting on other blogs will draw some of their readers to your blog. It will also draw the attention of the other blog’s author, which can spark new opportunities for you.
- Build links by asking your business partners, associates and vendors to link back to you.
Leave a comment on this post to get started on point #4 right now. There’s no time like the present, right?
Photo Credit: The Pug Father on flickr
Hello are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any html coding expertise to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Nicolaus,
Yes, this site runs on WordPress. It doesn’t require much in the way of HTML expertise, but a grasp of the basics helps when there’s a problem. We use iThemes Builder for our design framework because it’s provided by a great company that focuses on continual improvements and terrific support. They also provide comprehensive training in WordPress website design.
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My blog site is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my users would definitely benefit from some of the information you present here. Please let me know if this alright with you. Many thanks!
Hi Jonas,
Yes, of course, feel free to quote anything from our blog, as long as you credit our blog as the source and provide a link back to our original article. Thanks!