When most online marketers begin to think about generating incoming links to their site as part of their online marketing campaign, it is normally because someone else in the business has told them that it is a good idea. Rarely is it because they actually know anything about link building or how to get results from a link building strategy.
This is why so many online marketers fail terribly when it comes to link building. They know that they need to get links and they know that they can try posting comments on other websites with links back to their site, create winning content or make direct connections as guest bloggers for other websites in the industry.
However, they do not really consider how to develop a winning link building strategy. They merely consider how they can “get some links” as quickly as possible. This is the big mistake made by most online marketers.
If you want to get links, you need to formulate a winning link building strategy and the easiest way of doing that is by considering the following basic elements…
What?
What is the purpose behind your link building strategy? What are your company goals? Do you want to create links so that you can generate more traffic or are you looking to improve the branding / online reputation of your business? Unless you know why you want to generate links, you cannot even begin to decide where you would like to get your links from, for example.
Who?
Once you know what you want, you then need to decide who will be in charge of your link building project. Most marketers fail at link building because they think it can be done in their “spare time.” They try fitting it into other daily work routines and this places their strategy on an instant road to disappointment.
On the other side of the coin… who is your target audience? Do you want other professionals in your industry to start taking note of your website or do you want to generate more sales and interest more clients in your products or services? The two are very different and your link building strategy will be affected depending on which route you choose to follow.
How?
How will you reach your goals and how are you going to monitor your achievements? Do you plan on sending out winning content to other websites so that they post your writing in exchange for a link?
Do you think that a heavier emphasis on sharing your content via social media channels is the key to success? Whatever you decide, your link building strategy deserves the time and consideration needed in order to reach some sort of decision in this area.
Why?
Have you ever really considered why you want to pursue a link building strategy? Are you doing it because everyone else is doing it or are you doing it because it will truly benefit your company and help it to grow to even loftier heights?
Have you considered the benefits of link building for your users and clients? If you haven’t, you must. Internet users and business clients must be at the center of all your online marketing plans. If you haven’t considered what the benefits of link building are for these two groups, then you shouldn’t be pursuing a strategy of any kind in link building.
When?
Do you know when your next holiday will be? Do you know how long you need to leave the meat defrosting before you can begin to cook? Do you know at what time you need to leave your house in order to get to work on time? If you can plan all of these things, you can plan your link building strategy too.
Put a time limit on your efforts. Develop a sense of urgency when it comes to link building like you do with everything else. Otherwise, your link building efforts will get pushed aside and the results will be less than satisfactory.
Where?
On a final note, consider how your link building strategy fits in with the rest of your online marketing campaign. Where will your link building strategy lie in the overall scheme of your online advertising ideas? How does it support other online marketing strategies you have in place and which members of the online marketing team will be particularly involved in the developments of the link building strategy?
Lots to think about, so get going!
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