Mar 25, 2008 at 4:05pm ET by Rae Hoffman
Link development, before search engines polluted the process into a currency for search engine rankings, was all about promotion. Links were simply a natural side effect of promoting your website. And one of the most tried and true methods of promotion is PR (as in Public Relations, not Pagerank).
“The American Heritage Dictionary defines PR as “the art or science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public.” A public relations firm does this mainly by promoting favorable news.” – Wikipedia
Link development is essentially an online PR campaign that promotes favorable content to the public (who are also known as the linkerati) in an attempt to foster goodwill (which, if we’re lucky, results in links as well).
Identifying the linkerati is pretty easy. But knowing that you need to get links from bloggers and people in the limelight is pretty obvious. The real question is not who needs to take notice of you, but how to get them to actually do it. And since know we’re all tired of hearing untested theory, I’m also going to give you actual examples of how we’ve caught the attention of the linkerati, which a successful site needs.
Developing a list of the Linkerati isn’t hard, but actually sitting down and doing it can be a little time consuming. Create a spreadsheet and start entering data such as:
Scour your niche for the most respected A, B, and C list bloggers you can find (regardless of whether you’re currently B, C, D, or “who?” yourself) along with online and offline news writers and columnists. Look for writers who are already interested in your topic or link to your competitors. Once you’ve created the list, you’ll be able to actually use it. If you’re lucky, eventually a percentage of that list will turn into “friends of the site” and become your network within the niche.
Don’t wait until you need something to start reaching out to and introducing yourself to the linkerati. Send out personalized (I cannot stress the importance of personalized here; not only do people not want to be mass mailed, but mass mailing them where they can see the entire linkerati distribution list for your niche you spent a day creating is not the smartest move) emails introducing yourself and your site and tell them you’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions they might have. The point is not to get internet reklamcılığı anything or any links at this point. You’re simply letting them know you’re alive.
For the linkerati without traditional contact methods (some bloggers don’t welcome email contact) or even publication methods (top forum posters would be an example), start getting involved in the conversations they’re involved in. The best way to a hermit blogger’s or top forum poster’s heart is to become a contributing and non-obnoxious member of a society they care enough about to create or take part in every day.
People hear the term linkbait and too often think of “99 ways to save money on your student loans” (no doubt a problem inexperienced and ignorant marketers have encouraged with spam). Linkbait is essentially any good [insert whatever you created here] with a “take notice” title that is promoted well, either by the content creator or by evangelists (paid or unpaid) of the site (and has been around offline for years). Linkbait, done professionally and done right, is content worth talking about (providing you don’t forget to promote it).
If you’ve followed the above steps, you’ll have a list of the linkerati in your niche, have already been in contact with them without trying to pitch them, and will have a piece of killer [insert creation here] you’re ready to market. Scan your linkerati list, decided who it applies to, and start contacting each one. Wash, rinse, and repeat as many times as it takes to get them to notice you. Chances are, even if they don’t link to THIS story, they might at least sign up for your feed or remember your brand name for when they do find a reason to link to you.
We do a lot of networking, aka public relations, aka contacting of the linkerati. We wait until we have something of extreme value to contact the whole list, and we sometimes create special pieces to attract a few of the linkerati with a stronger scent being wafted in their direction. And we’ve had a lot of success.
With a little bit of effort, patience, time, and a public relations strategy (and, of course, a quality site), you can build links that are traffic driving, timeless, and algorithm resistant.
Related Topics: Channel: SEO | Link Building: General | Link Week Column
About The Author: Rae Hoffman aka "Sugarrae" is an affiliate marketing veteran and an occasional SEO consultant. She is also the CEO of PushFire, an online marketing agency and the co-owner and SVP of Marketing for Speedy Incorporation Service. You can meet her in person at her next affiliate SEO training course (seating is limited) or follow her on Twitter @Sugarrae. See more articles by Rae Hoffman
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