Search technology took a long time to mature. During its infancy, people would find vulnerabilities left and right. It didn’t take long to figure out how to exploit these imperfections. The outcome was poor search quality that left many users feeling unimpressed.
Google took the lead in search advancement, pouring its massive resources into the project. Their efforts led to an algorithm that is much harder to crack. Now webmasters are forced to use creative link-building strategies to get high rankings, some of which we’ll discuss below.
Guest-blogging
It is not enough to get a lot of backlinks. The nature of these links matters, as well. They must come from relevant sites, use appropriate anchor text, and preferably be located within the main body. All of these can be achieved through guest-blogging and this is why this method remains popular to this day.
Clients and business partners are some of the best people to approach for this project. The relevance of their sites makes them excellent sources of backlinks. Aside from this, their blogs serve as a good platform for spreading awareness about products and services. Regular readers, after all, are likely to be interested in industry developments.
Some sites may already be linking to yours even without your prompting. These can be viewed on the statistics page of your admin panel. Visit the frequent referrers and see how the links were created (random mention, product review, glowing endorsement, etc). Try to ask the site owner if you can write a guest post on his or her blog.
It’s also good to look for related blogs within the same niche. Seek out sites with an audience that would likely be appreciative of hearing what you have to say. Send an email to the owner to suggest a guest post or two and back this up with a link to your blog to serve as writing samples.
Business partners are the easiest to persuade as they already know and trust you. Convincing other bloggers takes a little more skill and effort. You must come across as earnest and friendly yet professional. Some requests will be turned down. Others will be approved. Learn and refine your methods along the way.
Badges
Another way to gain backlinks is to run contests and award badges as prize. Badges are small colorful logos that indicate a notable accomplishment. Site owners who win these are usually more than happy to display them on their blogs. Since badges have embedded links back to the award-provider, you will get several instant backlinks from top sites. The award should be pertinent to the niche and can be repeated annually. Make it about something that companies or individuals would want to be recognized for.
Make the badge a coveted prize to increase the likelihood of the winners using them. Keep the number of awardees small enough to keep an air of exclusivity. If the badge is made available to hundreds of random sites, then its prestige will be diluted. Be fair and transparent when judging. Let people know the criteria used and explain why the chosen sites won. A successful campaign can generate a lot of buzz such that links won’t just come from the winner’s badges but also from other blogs and media outfits that hear about the award.
Infographics
The idea behind infographics is similar to that of badges: embeddable images with links to the source. The difference is that this technique hinges on the viral appeal of the image to get it on as many sites as possible. The content must then be of superb quality to attract attention and move people to post it on their blogs.
Think of an interesting topic, preferably something about a hot issue in your niche. Conduct an exhaustive research on it and jot down some of the pertinent statistics. Present these stats and other findings in a manner that is easy to understand. The image should have a logical flow and clean design. A good infographic will not only go viral but will also enhance the perception that the source is an expert in the subject. These may be shared on social networks to build momentum until they make the rounds across the blogosphere.
Scholarships
If you have some cash to spare, then try to use this strategy. It doesn’t have to be a huge amount. Start with a few hundred dollars as grant one the successful applicant just to test the waters. This should be a legitimate endeavor to pique the interest of educational institutions and move them to post links about it on their well-respected sites.
These sites are difficult to crack but their backlinks are highly prized due to their perceived authority. By offering a scholarship, they can be approached with confidence to spread awareness through their blogs or news site. You may provide them with a press release which they can use as reference.
Conclusion
Google’s Penguin update shook up the world of search engine optimization. Mediocre link-building techniques no longer work. Now it is necessary to think of innovative ideas and create superb content in order to launch successful campaigns. The strategies mentioned may be a bit more demanding than what many are used to, but they can produce remarkable results.