The Top Six Linking Sources

Inbound links continue to have a very significant influence on website rankings. The higher quality the link, the more authority that link passes on – or the more it’s vote for your site counts. Outbound links have to be even higher quality to make a difference. So what are the top five link sources?

Government and educational sites carry a whopping load of link juice. If you can link back to your site from a .gov or .edu site, DO IT. Also, if you can link out to these sites it won’t hurt a bit.

Local organizations carry relevance, so register with the Better Business Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce. Links from these sites can be very relevant for geographically specific terms and topics. Locate other local businesses in your field as well as organizations that maintain lists of businesses and request links back to your site – offer a free article if you have to.

Press releases can be distributed through press release distribution services to increase your brand visibility, and get you inbound links. Press releases that get picked up by other sources will usually mention and link back to you. These are short term value links, but if you keep an ongoing campaign you can keep the juice flowing.

Directory submissions are great and easy to get. A service can hook you up by providing manual submissions to the best ones out there. Again, if your business services a specific geographic area, find some good local directories to submit to. Optimizing your site and making sure it is included in local data sources and directories can help boost local search visibility, and you should also try to get indexed in each new search engine as they appear as each will end up with diehard fans.

Charity and Non-Profit Links are almost as valuable as .gov and .edu links. They can really give you some punch, particularly if your company’s business model includes philanthropy. When you make charitable contributions to organizations and non-profits, look for a “Donors” list on their website and ask for a link.

Blog. Blog, blog, blog. Guest blog, write articles and comment. You can be an authority, and you can end up with lots of link love! Remember to be respectful, and give as much as you take. Don’t spam, don’t make a nuisance of yourself, and don’t waste space. Be sure to network online with complimentary blogs by sharing industry news, original ideas and useful tips. Lots of people will then link to you for nothing! Link out to other blogs in your industry, and reference fellow industry bloggers – they’ll scratch your back too.

These link tips will help you build short and long term link juice, and if carried through with over time will keep increasing your link power. Happy Linking!