Getting inbound links to your site
Inbound links to your site from other places on the web, called “backlinks,” are often used by search engines to determine rankings in search results.
The best way to get links to your website is to create remarkable content that others find valuable enough to link to online. Creating this link-worthy content should be an ongoing process so that search engines find good content to index and web searchers find good content to read and share.
In addition to creating linkable content, there are other great ways to get backlinks for your site:
Link to your site from social networks
Be sure to complete all the information in your social network profiles, including URLs of your site and/or landing pages. Be sure to include links to your relevant website content on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other appropriate networks.
Comment on blogs and online communities
Comment on blog articles relevant to your industry and in online forums where you customers participate, and always include your website URL in your signature.
Add yourself to online directories
Web directories such as http://dmoz.org and http://dir.yahoo.com allow you to add your site’s URL to categorized lists of website links.
Use social bookmarking
When you create new quality content, tag it on social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Reddit, Delicious, and StumbleUpon, and ask colleagues to tag it for you, too.
Submit online press releases and articles
Share company or industry news and articles on PRWeb, PRLeap, EzineArticles, GoArticles, or iSnare. These sites often rank highly and provide quality links to your site.
Answer questions online
Ask or answer questions on Yahoo! Answers, Google Groups, LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn Answers, and Facebook Groups and provide links to relevant resources on your site and elsewhere on the web.
Ask for customer reviews
Ask customers to review your company on relevant review sites such as Yelp, Amazon.com, Alexa , and ePinions to help build your authority. Review content relevant to your company or industry on these sites and include your website URL.
Ask for links from influencers
Ask an influential person in your customers’ industry for their feedback and/or link on relevant news that you share on your website or blog. Get links from your local Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and other local or industry groups.
Note: All backlinks are not created equal.
Getting a bunch of links from disreputable or irrelevant sites can be worse than no links at all. Be sure to seek links only from sites that bring you relevant, quality traffic. The goal is quality, not quantity.