Anyone involved with organic search engine optimization knows the value of linking or connectivity and how it contributes to higher search engine placement.
This blog does well on some competitive phrases in part, due to links. For example, a quick check on Marketleap’s Link Popularity tool shows 90,927 links to Online Marketing Blog/”>Online Marketing blog.
The start of those links was the result of competitive research. Finding out where similar sites received links and gaining links from the most relevant sources over time can generate the necessary link popularity to start gaining momentum. Once a site gains content and link momentum, the increased awareness makes it easier to gain new links.
To gain linking momentum efficiently it’s most effective to use tools. One very promising tool that was released recently by Aaron Wall is the Backlink Analysis tool. This is a client side software tool (you need to download it) that you can use to quickly identify not only all the backlinks of your competitors, but also many other useful attributes of those links. This information is invaluable to effectively determine which links to go after. This tool is in it’s first stages, so I guess you could call it a beta. But its feature set compares to other tools like Optilink which cost a few hundred dollars. This tool is FREE.
An effective link building program focuses on gaining links that might naturally happen, just more strategically and at a slightly faster rate. Tools like the Backlink Analysis tool can give you the information you need to link smarter. Long term, the best linking strategy is through useful and sometimes controversial content. But to get started, this tool is a valuable addition to any SEO’s link building tool set.
Get the full breakdown at Aaron’s site, SEO Book. For an excellent article on link building, be sure to visit Todd Mailcoat’s recent post on the topic at his Stuntdubl blog.
Tags: linking, SEO, link building, search engine optimization
