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March 12, 2009
Questions and Answers About Link Building
Questions and Answers About Link Building
By John Alexander
Question:
I know that having a continual plan to get new links to my site is very important to help my Web site be found. What is the ideal number of new links I should be trying to achieve on a monthly basis or is there an ideal number?
Answer:
One of the first things to remember is that the number or quantity of links coming in to you should not be your first consideration.
Years ago it was all about the "quantity" but these days, it is also about the "descriptive text" in the link that counts along with the authoritative aspect (how busy the site is) as well as getting links from locations that suit your audience.
Lot's of times you can benefit with links that are not huge in number, but are from authoritative sites using good descriptive link text in the link.
Question:
But are there a maximum number that I should not exceed?
Answer:
Google has said that it's best to keep the number of links on a page to 100 or less.
If you are talking about inbound links that are coming into your site, there is not a maximum number, but the one thing to keep in mind is to build your links so they are growing in moderation, in a very natural way. You would not want to have anything to inflate the volume of links coming in by a few thousand over night. That would send up a red flag.
Question:
What about building outgoing links from one of my pages. Is there a maximum number there that I should not exceed?
Answer:
One thing to remember is that while their are SEO influences realized by different aspects of linking, try and build your outgoing links so that they make sense to your readership. You are not just building links for search engines.
100 links on a page is a good maximum. Obviously you don't want a page that goes on forever with links.
Question:
I have heard that it can be a bad thing to "buy links." Is that true.
Answer:
That is true. Here is a video of what Matt Cutts has to say about buying links.
At least Google has warned about buying links on high PR sites which we have never recommended doing anyways. Basically, you don't want to do anything for the purpose of "manipulating rankings." You can buy advertising from people, but don't buy links. There really is no need to because there are so many other strategies you can use that won't get you in trouble.
Question:
Is SEO not all about manipulation of rankings anyways?
Answer:
I'm sure there are some that may think that way. But we believe that search engine optimization is simply about building high quality content that is truly relevant and useful. Content that merits good visibility because it satisfies the reason why the searcher searched.
Question:
You mentioned that there are other easy ways to build linking. It seems to us that it is an awful lot of work these days. Can you share some examples of easy ways to build links?
Answer:
Absolutely. In our Search Engine Academy Workshops we teach students lots of important ways to build genuine link reputation and link popularity as well as specific strategies in more detail. But let's give you some easy examples that really are pretty basic, but it's amazing how some people don't think about the basic things.
You may want to start by submitting your sites to directories, since directories do not involve search engine robots. Some directories pass more benefit back to you than others, but basically you want to get into a few directories even before the search robots come by. We do not recommend submitting to robots at all, that's another story. But the only way to get into a directory, is to submit to them.
TIP: Here is one stress free way of looking at directories and determining the good ones that pass benefit from the bad ones that pass know benefit.
Drop by this Web site where someone has tested all the directories and made plenty of notes for you. Just follow in the footsteps and take the advice of Martin Preece and it can save you a lot of time.
Check out this information on the best free directories and paid directories (as well as the duds)
Question:
Do you have any other basic reading or suggestions directly related to link building tips?
Answer:
We had written an e-book loaded with tips, but the book became a little bit dated so we removed it from service. We reserve our very best SEO skill building strategies for our hands-on SEO Workshop students but you can also find a wealth of material in the Workshop Resource Center Online too.
You will find a particularly revealing Webinar that you can watch with Mike Marshall throwing some new light on old myths.
Here is Robin Nobles short list of Dos and Don'ts for Link Building.
Posted by John at March 12, 2009 08:12 PM