In this article I hope to give those struggling with linkbuilding an insight into how to gain enough links to propel their websites to success. With the right mental adjustment, it may be possible to become one of those people who've pushed their sites to the #1 spot in Google's search engine results, making thousands if not tens of thousands a month.
Linkbuilding in 2011
Linkbuilding (or link-building) refers to the process of engineering the placement of links pointing to one's website, from across the web. Google will tell you that all you need to rank well in the search engine results is a great website with awesome content that people will link to naturally, but this is only partly true. You do need a great website with awesome content, but you also need to help the link creation process a long a little. Actually, a lot.
Unfortunately, while linkbuilding is a crucial process that can make or break a person's online fortune, it is arduous, time-consuming, and slow. Links are hard to come by, and in almost all cases, a huge quantity of links are needed to make a real difference. It takes months and months of tedium to get anywhere, and, not surprisingly, many people give up before getting anywhere.
White-hat linkbuilding is generally considered to consist of article marketing, guest blogging, commenting, directory submissions, forum posting, and contributing at web 2.0 communities. Carried out manually, these techniques mimic the natural accrual of links and the consensus is that they are safe and effective. Put together they can lift a website to the #1 spot in the results in most niches. But they do take a lot of time.
Linkbuilding Shortcuts
Most sane people will look for shortcuts.
There is no shortage of these, and they are generally considered to be black-hat. Supposedly, these techniques exploit weaknesses in the search engine algorithms, allowing you to somehow get around the months and months of tedium, but the real weakness they exploit is yours. Black-hat shortcuts to linkbuilding are designed primarily to prey on the instinctive desire for a quick and easy solution, and none are free.
For example, take a fairly standard shortcut, so standard that it's almost considered white-hat nowadays: automated directory submissions. Purchasing software or access to a web app can let you submit your link to hundreds or thousands of web directories in one go. It sure may be tempting to fill out just one form than gazillions, half of which don't work properly.
Should you do it? Of course not. Identical anchor text and descriptions are easy to detect and an immediate clue that something odd is going on. Any search engine worth its salt will ignore these and possibly penalize the site in question.
Even shortcuts that work usually work only temporarily: Google engineers frequently tinker with the algorithm and make adjustments to punish those sites that gained traction unnaturally. When they do, all the sites that were pushed up by black-hat tactics have to start all over again. Surprisingly, many website owners don't learn their lesson, and look for other shortcuts, only to incur another drubbing when the algorithm gets tweaked again.
There are no shortcuts.
Linkbuilding Decoded
Have you noticed how a lot of wealthy folks are incredibly stingy? Even though they have millions in the bank, they will argue about prices and wheedle for discounts. They will use coupons and take extra care comparing prices. They will sell stuff on eBay as if they are down to their last dollar, even though they could easily afford to give their stuff away. They leave tiny tips. If they run a business, they make ridiculous little cuts here and there which you, the employee, are embarrassed to enforce. A lot of rich folks will use every single opportunity and excuse to save a lousy buck, or even half a buck.
If I had that much money, I wouldn't be such a tightwad! I wouldn't even look at prices, and I most definitely wouldn't demean myself like that. I'd spend freely and tell everyone to keep the change!
If those are your thoughts, that's probably explains why you don't have millions and the rich people do. They got rich only because they obsessively hunted for dollars and cents and experienced intense anguish whenever they had to let go of as much as a single penny.
Have you noticed the similarity yet?
There are folks on the Internet who are at the top of the search engine results thanks to tens of thousands of incoming links. They amassed those links pretty much the same way rich folks amass dollars.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because it isn't high PR. Is that a link? PR 0, no matter, I'll take it.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because it is on a new website. Is that a link? Let's have it.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because you have to register to get it. If it's a link, I'll register and get it.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because it's nofollow. A link is a link, I'll take what I can get.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because it's on an ugly and awfully designed website. I have no pride. What I do have is a need for links.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because you have to make 5 posts or more to get one. I'll post 5 times and get that link.
They do not dismiss a link opportunity because you have to write something unique. I'll think of something and get me that link. Heck, it might be good for two or even three. If I ask nicely it may even get me four.
In short, they do not dismiss any links. They go for high-powered, high-PR links, and they also go for the little links. They go for any link they can get their hands on, and they never stop accruing links.
Before my epiphany which helped me get the right attitude towards linkbuilding, I found linkbuilding to be terribly hard. Like everyone else, I wanted a shortcut. I'd deploy my programming skills and spend months coding sophisticated apps which would somehow circumvent the linkbuilding process. But in the end, there are no shortcuts. I no longer look down on links. All of a sudden, I discovered that links aren't hard to come by at all, and the web is full of linkbuilding opportunities.
Once I get the same mindset about money, I may see that the streets are paved of gold. But that's another story.
