Thursday, October 30, 2008

When Link Building, Don't Spin Your Wheels With Numbers

By Julie Johnson

Getting dragged down in the numbers game is not hard to do. Of the many reasons that mass directory submissions continue the link building process, one deals with a logical business process. That process would be the necessity to pinpoint a method that would be able to be consistently measured. Three good quality, sustainable links are more valuable to a client than fifty minor submissions.

By giving your client the 50 minor submissions, you might be making them happy in the present, but this is not the way to responsibly gain results. The problem with this scenario is that relying on the number of links to the point of forgetting the whole reason of gaining links in the first place.

There are great variances with free directories, for instance, some may have approval instantly, others withing 3 to 6 months, and still others never. There are also directories that may approve your listing, only to disappear a few months down the line. Make sure you are using better judgment when choosing free directories, and only submit to the ones that have a reputation in accepting links in timely ways, and in limited numbers. Be sure that the links maintain staying power.

Most importantly, do not underestimate cultivating relationships on the internet, you will gain valuable links by doing so. Write emails to webmasters that are not spammy, and to sites that are relevant to your industry. Be creative when discovering new ways to submit information to directories, instead of copying and pasting the same thing over and over.

If you work on links on blogs relevant to your industry, this can multiply for you. Try not to get caught up in the numbers and discover better ways to increase your effectiveness, and your clients will be much more responsive. - 15465

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