The Web2Marketer

When you’re first starting out, figuring out how to get backlinks, while not the biggest challenge for new webmasters, can nonetheless be a little confusing. Fortunately, it doesn’t take too long to learn the basics. Now, you’ll figure out some of your own tricks and come up with some great ideas on your own as you go, but the following tips should at least be enough to get the ball rolling.

Don’t Linkswap with Just Anybody

Trading links with a high profile site can always help your web visibility. Trading links with a site that hosts questionable content, a site that hasn’t been updated in years, or a site that’s already got dozens of links on their main page probably won’t do you much good. Bear in mind you’ve got limited space for links, and you don’t want to waste precious web space on lousy links.

Learn SEO

Search Engine Optimization. In the early days of the internet, before search engines, backlinks were more important as a way to navigate the web. Today, the primary importance of backlinks is in boosting your search engine visibility. The main thing to keep in mind here is keywords. When you use anchor text, or linking text in your web content, make sure that the anchor text is a hot keyword. Too many keywords and your content looks stuffed. This is important, as search bots, or spiders, might actually reject your content if it’s nothing but keywords, since that suggests that you’re more interested in getting easy hits than you are in providing useful, readable content.

Never Hesitate to Ask for a Linkswap

A blog that hasn’t had a new entry in three years isn’t going to do you much good. Do a Google search on related topics and see what comes out on top, and then see if those webmasters wouldn’t mind swapping links with you. Okay, sure, you’re just starting out, so what would Google’s top earners want with you? Well, if you can provide some really high quality content, if you have something that would really compliment the other webmaster’s site, or if maybe you just happened to catch them in a really good mood, you never know. So write a list of some top-viewed sites, in order from most to least viewed, and just go down that list trying every webmaster along the way. One link from a hot site is better than hundreds from a bunch of dead sites that nobody’s even checking anymore.

Don’t Let the Competition Get Ahead

And see who’s linking to them! Go visit the sites linking to them, and see if they’re willing to trade with you, too. The funny thing about this method is that it guarantees that you’re in competition, but… It also guarantees that you’re IN the competition, and not sitting on the sidelines wishing that you were the one getting those links.

And Last but not Least: Link to the Best

Let’s say you run a website selling your own home brewed beer, so you send a link exchange request to some of your favorite sites on the subject, like Homebrewheaven.com, one of the top sellers of home brewing supplies. Well, even if they turn you down, there’s no rule saying you can’t link to them. You can link to whoever you want, and even when you don’t get a link in return, a link to an industry leader can still improve your reputation, your “trust”, and net you some visibility. Think of it as a sort of “digital karma”.

Mike Gates is an online marketer and recommends HostGator for hosting. HostGator is the cheapest web host. Use hostgator coupon to get discount at the time of sign up.