March 29, 2024

Link Building

Link Building

Links are often the Missing Factor for Search Position Success

 

Link Building - What's Missing?

Many businesses seek a high position in search. These businesses fully realize that when someone is actively searching for something and then finds what they are looking for (their business) it is a big success for their business.

 

When comparing the result for a business that is found by an active searcher using a search engine with traditional interruption marketing the hands-down winning result for everyone is the searcher using the search engine. The searcher is certainly pleased (he or she found what they were seeking) and the value of this searcher to the business is very great. The value of someone seeing a billboard, an ad in a newspaper or hearing a radio ad is very low as the person seeing the ad or hearing the radio ad may not even be interested and if interested may not be able or may not want to take action at that time.

 

“Traditional” marketing no longer works well and is still expensive. To spend significantly on traditional marketing with its diminishing returns only serves to eat away at your profits. Traditional methods such as display ads, billboards, bus signs, radio spots and the tried and true Yellow Pages (who use the Yellow Pages these days) just do not work well today. Even though these marketing paths are no longer effective they are still expensive. In today’s environment people largely ignore paid advertising.

 

Therefore, are you going to spend thousands of dollars on “interruption” media like commercials, display ads and signage? The reality of today is that consumers go online first and respond more to credible content than they do to display ads or sales pitches.

 

Make A Match!

 

To be effective today you need to be online. To be effective online you need to make sure that the search engines present your business when a searcher is in the act of searching for your product or service, Think about it. If someone is actively searching for a product or service they actually block out interruptions. When searching they are doing something they are interested in doing and do not want to be interrupted. If they find your business after searching for what you offer then your business is now well positioned to get this person to move to the next step with your business.

 

This is the beauty of the search engine. They match people who are seeking products and services with an organization that can provide them these products and services. Everyone can win (the searcher, the company and the search engine also wins). This is effective marketing!

 

As a business owner or manager what can you do?

 

  1. Create A Nice and Effective Website
  2. Ensure Proper On-Site Search Engine Optimization
  3. Get In-Coming Links
  4. Measure and Improve

 

Let’s look at each one of these items in more detail.

 

Create a Nice and Effective Website

 

I am often asked what I see as the biggest search engine marketing mistake (and I see many) and I can list many big mistakes. However, the biggest mistake of all is not having a website or not having a website which is proper for your marketplace.

 

To not have one is self explanatory. A business today needs a website to serve as its center of content on the web.

 

To not have a website well suited to your marketplace means that is does not stand up well to the competition. It may not stack up well when compared to their competitor’s websites.

It may have:

 

  • Out-Dated or Old Website Technology
  • Out-Dated Images
  • Low Photo Quality
  • Dated Webpage Content
  • Little Depth of Content
  • Little Variety of Content
  • No Blog or a Blog without Fresh Content

 

When competing in the search engine marketing world you do not need to be perfect – let’s be clear about that. However, you need to be better than your competitors. If your competitors are not very good then you don’t need to be good either. If your website is not very good (for example if you never invest in it) then you are making it easy for your competitors to be better than you. You need to be better than them for the search engines to place your site above them in search.

 

Therefore, you can conclude that you need to know about the quality of your top competitors so that you know how good you need to be in order to out-perform them in search.

 

Ensure Proper On-Site Search Engine Optimization

 

I see many mistakes in this area. A common one is to have a Graphic Designer make the site without any input from a search engine optimization expert. You may have a site that looks wonderful but you may also end up with a site with an architecture not well suited for search engine optimization. You may also end up with a site where perhaps none of the search engine optimization has been done or is has been done poorly.

 

Get In-Coming Links (link building is the missing link!)

 

When I see a site that has . . .

 

  • Been well designed
  • Modern website technology
  • Fresh and well thought out content
  • Been properly optimized but . . . does not have good search position

 

Then . . .

 

I know that they do not have enough links or the site has links that have not been set up well (again compared to their competitors). Links are essential in a competitive online marketplace. If they have done everything properly on their site from a search engine perspective then I can conclude (without even doing an analysis) that the competitors have a superior link profile.

 

Therefore, a website owner or business manager needs to acquire in-coming links. It is a MUST DO to gain search position in a competitive market. Link building is absolutely necessary!

 

Measure and Improve

 

It is very important to establish some key metrics. These could be:

 

  • Search Position
  • Traffic Levels
  • Bounce Rate
  • Time-On-Site
  • Conversion Rate

 

The things we measure we tend to improve and you need to establish performance metrics and then monitor them. The metrics you need to improve need to have an action plan. You need to measure the results and make any necessary adjustments.


 

If you are fighting for search position and need some help then give A Global Reach a call (802-457-9799 United States EST). We can help you to analyze your present link profile and the profiles of your competitors and then define a plan with you that helps you to become more competitive when it comes to link building.