Legitimate Link Building: Is There Such A Thing?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis

Link building strategies have come and gone. You still hear about the infamous link farm, and every now and then you’ll actually see one still. But what is it and can it benefit you?

Link farms are definitely bad. They really haven’t been very effective since about 2001. But don’t discount all link building efforts as worthless. There are still link building methods that are effective and worth using. In fact, if you aren’t doing any link building at all then you are likely not increasing your search positioning. That will only lead to your competition outpacing you in the long run. But what is considered effective and legitimate link building?

Various Link Building Strategies That Work
There is no one way to go about link building. There are several ways to build links that are effective. One way is to just find websites like yours that are noncompetitive and ask for reciprocal links. Or one way links. The best kind of link is a one way link so if you can build a decent website that gets other people to link to you without requiring a link back then that is the best way to get a link. But it’s not the only way.

Articles As Link Building Tools
Another way to get links is to offer webmasters to write articles for them. Providing exclusive content to other webmasters in exchange for a link back to your website is a great way to get those high value links that everyone covets. You benefit by getting a great link and the other webmaster benefits by getting content for their website.

Directories Offer Great Link Building Opportunities
Directories have often been mentioned. There is a reason for that. They are great sources of links.

• Article Directories
• Blog Directories
• Website Directories
• Niche and Specialty Directories
• General Directories
• Newsletter or Ezine Directories

Any kind of directory is valid. Even paid directories. The key is to get your site listed in a directory that doesn’t require a reciprocal link. But even if you do have to require a link to get listed in some directories, it may be worth it.

Link Building Opportunities Are All Over
Legitimate link building practices are every where. Opportunities come in many forms. It helps to stay on top of the latest strategies for webmasters and using them. Be creative and know the search engine policies.