My favorite link gathering tips
by Randall McCarley
June 21st, 2007
Over the past couple of years I’ve found a few link-gathering truths that help me build and manage more link-worthy websites.
Understand why people link
There are three reasons why people link. The first is that website operators - especially bloggers - are always looking for resources to point their visitors to. This makes them look like well informed activists doing the searching for the viewer. The viewer is happy because they got something great with little work. As long as the site they are looking at continues to give good resources the viewer is not inclined to go somewhere else.
The second reason is that website owners will post links as resources for themselves. Most of the links I post are because I want to remember them.
The third reason is the “back scratcher” - you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. This can be paid or reciprocal links, affiliate programs, favors or whatever but really doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of where the link is pointing.
When building links figure out what category your potential linkers fall in and be sure to appeal to what works for them.
Get out of the way of new, inbound links
People want to link to your great content but your own site may be preventing them from doing this! To have a link-worthy site you have to establish it and build some trust.
Your website should have more than 4 pages (home, about, contact, services) of content because those pages rarely give anything worth linking to and “brochure sites” are a dime a dozen. While those 4 pages are the foundation every page after that is what I call “the proof” and the proof can be very linkable.
If your site is a blog there needs to be a running track record of posts since launch. If your blog is 6 months old, has three posts and the last one was two months ago there is doubt that the site will be around in another 6 months.
Design is important. The design should reflect your business, industry and viewers. I’ve seen some really ugly sites pick up tons of links because the design still fell within expectations of those three areas.
Just look at MySpace - generally crappy design for people who are not designers to throw together a website that appeals to their peers. Nobody expects Bob from accounting, divorced, looking for a “good time” to be a polished web designer.
On the other hand, if you are a multi-million dollar company targeting 7-figure contracts your website should reflect that.
Be Generous
Give away as much as you can. This can be advice, tools, special reports or even links. If you are known as a good person people will naturally help you out, often without asking. This may require you to put in appearances at forums and blogs but chances are you’ll pick up links from those places too!
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