When other websites link to you because they LIKE you, search engines notice. If a third-party site that has anything to do with yours links to your site, Google interprets this as an independent recommendation, and that adds major points to that Holy Grail of Ecommerce achievements: The climbing Google rankings.
So what makes people want to link to your website? Below are five things that make people want to partner up with your pages.
Networking: Make things convenient for those you reach out to. When you are writing press releases and partnership briefs, include tips on where links should be placed on their page. Make sure to include content pages and evergreen material, as well as links to products.
Competitions:People love competitions. Put up a little contest once in a while. When word spreads, competition sites will link to you. Forums will share your links. Build a page for all competitions. This page will be a place holder between competitions so that the number of broken links remains relatively small and your page stays active.
Include evergreen links with trends: If you are creating content that changes quickly, such as music or fashion, protect yourself from broken links. Put 301 redirects in place and link to more evergreen content. For example, you might redirect a broken link on last season’s trendiest fashion to something like “traditional fall colors.” This will help maintain relevance and visibility.
Don’t ignore the little guy: There are two ways of targeting content. Do you go with the broad approach and reach more people with less targeted content? Or do you reach into a specific audience, getting fewer people but having more relevance to each one? Try to see beyond the here and now, and cater to niche content that helps you reach expert status in your field. If you focus on being knowledgeable in your area of expertise, people will want to link to you.
Press releases: Write your story. A partnership with well-known celebrities can create opportunities. Include your landing pages and content pages in your press release so any writers covering the story have something to link back to. Keep a holding page ready for when it’s hot off the press. Not only will this attract links to your channel, but media, forums, and fan pages will want to establish source links.
