SEO: A short Introduction to Link building (Part 1)

The following infographic illustrates an SEO strategy in the form of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.

In this “SEO Hierarchy of needs” effective keywords and content are basic requirements/ needs for an effective SEO strategy. As with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, each aspect of SEO will have a direct effect on the other.

Many businesses make the mistake of investing all their time and effort into one aspect of SEO. Effective SEO however, is made up of various factors and “needs” as indicated in the infographic.

Link Building: Part of a bigger picture

By now, it’s common knowledge that Google places value on the number of links coming through to your website and many companies have taken this to heart. But before launching that ambitions online link building campaign …it’s important to have those basic SEO building blocks set in place. An effective and comprehensive on-site optimisation strategy will give your website the necessary platform from where you can launch your link building campaign.

What is Link Building?

Simply put; link building is a way of getting other web users to link to your website. Each person linking to your website is in a way giving you their vote of confidence and this has a knock-on effect on the web. Each person that links to your site will boost the reputability of your online brand.

Luring traffic trough Link Bait?

Link Bait refers to content and widgets that have been especially designed to draw people’s attention and therefore attract more traffic to the site. If the nature of your “Link-bait” is compelling, useful and of interest to the user, it can quickly become viral. Here are a few tips for creating effective link bait:

Make it accessible:

The average Internet user won’t enjoy reading through unnecessary information in order to find the thing that lured them to the site in the first place. It’s not enough to get them to land on your page; you have to present them with more than just a promise of compelling content.

Make it digestible:

Users browsing the web for information have a number of sites fighting for their attention. Your information should be to the point and straight forward. If you can present complex information in a clear and simple way, you’ve won half the battle.

Use Lists:

Lists are an effective way of displaying information in an easy to read and simple format. It’s never a bad idea to give a breakdown of information as an ‘appetiser’ to the rest of the article. Give “deep” readers the option to read a more detailed version of the article.

Use Infographics:

Some people respond better to information that’s presented in a more visual format. Infographics are a great way of making complex information digestible.

Start a buzz:

Launching a competition or special offer on your website is one way of creating a buzz around your content.

Helpful information:

Share useful ideas and information with your users.

News:

Provide fresh information and obtain citations and links as the news spreads.

Part 2 to follow soon…