Link building is a common internet marketing tool – you get other websites to link back to your website. Not only does it increase quality traffic to your site, but it can also dramatically bump up your SEO rankings.

This “off page” technique has become more popular and very important in the SEO realm. Search engines won’t recognize fluffy, useless links and this outdated trick will get you quickly booted out of the search engines.

Before you tackle these awesome link building strategies, remember that visitors aren’t going to link back to your site if they don’t receive a benefit. What can you offer them? How can you get them to take action? If you keep those questions in mind, you’ll be a huge success with link building and drawing more traffic to your sites.

Directory listings – The best way to begin link building is to submit your websites and blogs to directory listings. Don’t just submit to any directory. Submit to niche-specific listings since this allows you to target your markets more accurately. Free listings: ODP and Search Engine Guide

Social Networking sites – Use catchy headlines and add keywords in your headlines and profiles when you post content. Check out the following social networking sites: Reddit, Delicious, Fark, and StumbleUpon

Discussion forums: Another great way to market your site or blog is to interact in online discussion forums. Post to forums that target your niche. Make sure to include your URL in your signature line.

Article Directories: If you’re an expert in your field, you need to submit content to article directories. When you share useful content with visitors, they will highly benefit from this FREE, helpful information. This will generate a stronger marketing branding and always include your URL in signatures and company bios.

Online Press Release Services: Another easy way to link to your site is through press releases. Include your URL throughout the press release and also in your company bio.

Blogs: Create your own blog and post helpful content. Link back to other blogs in your niche – you’d be surprised at the traffic you’ll generate. Submit to blog directories: Best of the Web Blog Directory

Multiple sites: If your company has multiple blogs or websites, make sure to link to the main site.

Guest Comments: Use your expertise to your advantage by posting guest comments to other blogs in your niche. Remember to include your URLs.

Quality Outgoing Links: Be known as a resource in your field and people will take notice of your outgoing links on your site (i.e. industry news, professional groups, etc) This helps generate high PR because you will draw quality traffic to your site.

Contests: Generate incentive by offering a links contest – whoever links back to your website or blog wins a prize.

Affiliate programs: Affiliate marketing programs can effectively promote your links.

Lists:  Look like an authority in your niche. Another trick is to create a resource list of experts and gurus in your industry. As a thank you, these experts will probably appreciate being named and will link back to your site.

Q&A Sites: Utilize Yahoo!Answers and other Q&A sites. These sites allow you to add URLs. Be an expert and answer questions in your field of expertise.

Local Resources: Tap into local resources. Submit your link to your local Chamber of Commerce, professional trade organizations, and the local library. Leverage links with clients and vendors (non-competitors in your niche).

“No man is an island,” said English poet John Donne centuries ago. And neither is your website. With no inbound or outbound links, what’s the point, really? It is worthless. Merely decorative. It won’t work for you. So you have made good use of competitive keywords and included them throughout your website. Big deal! If you can´t go the distance, your business will never thrive, and while good keyword usage is recommended, it just isn´t enough. Link building is perhaps one of the key aspects to search engine optimization, along with keyword usage. And here are 33 of the best link building tactics, guaranteed to increase traffic to your website and boost your profits.

1. Just ask nicely. Simply ask visitors to your site to link to you. And they will, as long as you have an engaging website, with relevant information, a unique view, in other words, if you offer something that not many others do.
2. Provide a “link to us” page. Make sure it includes stuff like URL(s), logo and an anchor text they can use.

3. Create interesting lists (ahem!). Write a “101” list or a “Top Ten Tips to…” list. This kind of document becomes an “authority” opinion and will naturally get links.

4. Offer to be a guest writer. Send an email to a magazine, ezine, blog, or online journal, and let them know you’d be interested in contributing an article to share your valuable expertise.

5. Offer testimonials. If there is a tool you’ve tested or bought recently, go to their website and see if there is a testimonials section. Write in with your review/opinion and kindly ask them to link back to you.

6. Get your website listed. Submit it to several directories, but remember that quality matters, so submit it to the good ones.

7. Submit Your Blog and RSS Feed. Submit to Blog directories and RSS submission sites.

8. Make use of Web 2.0 resources. Use MySpace, Facebook, MSN Spaces, whatever you feel most comfortable with, to promote your site.

9. Write articles for Hubpages. Submit quality articles, comment on other hubs, post in the forums, and you’ll get a hubscore plus quality links.

10. Post free ads. Websites like Free Ad Blog and Free Blog Post allow you to post two to three links to your site.

11. Participate on Blogs. Leave your comments, network with them, email them, link to them, and they’ll surely link back to you.

12. Make many different Blogs. On sites like Blogger or Wordpress.

13. Post on forums and groups. Find the largest and the best in your field.

14. Post in Ebay Blogs. Post your link within your blog, and you can actually say you have a link from Ebay!

15. Acknowledge the contribution of experts. Write about them, review one of their books or articles, or even compile a list of experts like, “The Five Definitive Experts on…”. There’s a good chance they’ll notice you and link back to you.  Interview a guru or get permission from him to post his work, articles, e-book.

16. Make use of local resources. Get a link from your local chamber of commerce.

17. Sponsor an event. These all link to their sponsors.

18. Offer useful tools. Calculators, conversion, translation tools; they’re naturals for getting lots of links, as people are often in need of good, quality tools.

19. Find out which websites link to your competitors. And get them to link to you, as well.

20. Join an affiliate program. But make sure you choose a good one.

21. Win awards for your website. There are plenty of reputable award sites like webbyawards.com or webaward.org.

22. Article submission. Submit articles to websites like Ezine Articles or Goarticles. Just contribute quality, relevant content and send it in.

23. Write reviews. On sites like Amazon or ePinions.

24. Become an authority. It is most likely you already are an authority in your business, so answer questions on Yahoo Answers and post your content everywhere.

25. Post in classifieds sites, like Craigslist and USFreeAds.

26. Create a Squidoo lens. Advertise one or all of your websites on Squidoo.com.

27. Submit guides to Work.com. The nifty thing about this one is that if your guides are approved, you can include as many followed links as you want.

28. Write an article for Wikipedia. Although you may not be able to directly link to your website, include links to other pages that link to yours.

29. Exchange links. Link to other blogs/websites from yours, but which provide relevant content, and ask them to kindly reciprocate.

30. Use your forum signature. Please leave your name, message and link! There are lists of directories that allow signature links.

31. Oops! You forgot my link! Find websites that mention your company or products but don’t provide the direct HTML link. Simply send them a friendly email and request the link.

32. Submit your design to CSS directories.

33. Give exclusive scoops. Provide newsworthy stories to bloggers who’ll be dying for the exclusive and will be more than willing to post it.

There is one thing that must be stressed and it cannot be emphasized enough. As long as you provide quality, relevant, useful information and treat other website owners/users or bloggers with respect, you’ll never go wrong. There’s nothing wrong with asking for links (ask and ye shall receive, right?) as long as you don’t badger people into it. Sometimes a little flattery goes a long way.

Links are essential because they connect us all so we may form one global community. It’s not about competing to get more links or taking links from others. It’s not a link popularity contest. It’s all about sharing the link love.

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