Quick and easy link building ideas that you don’t want to overlook

Let’s face it, bonding is hard.

It’s hard for businesses to create content that people want to link to.

It’s hard for businesses to find contacts on the right websites who want to link to the content you’ve created.

And it’s hard to know which links will have a positive impact on your SEO efforts versus which ones will stay like an overripe potato and start to smell funny.

Even so, there are still “easy” link building tactics that work without putting too much strain on your inner PR flack.

These tactics are tried and tested and true.

You are missing out on link building opportunities if you don’t take advantage of these relatively undemanding tactics.

And while they might not bolster your domain authority with Amazon.com, the benefits they provide outweigh the effort required to get those links.

Who do you know?

Google says it’s against their terms of service to provide anything of value in exchange for a link.

This policy is designed to keep the link graph clean, and it is there to ensure that sites earn links completely on merit, as opposed to earning links based on influence – paid or unpaid.

In theory, if sites are linked only on the basis of merit, the end results should be exactly what searchers are looking for.

In reality, humans decide where the links point.

Humans point to links to sites they trust based on their personal connections.

In many cases, people will place links to sites where they know someone on a site that they may find a little better or a little more relevant.

It is therefore beneficial to exploit the relationships that have been established within an organization.

Like many aspects of life, it’s not always what you know, but who you know.

The easiest way to bond is to take a close look at an organization’s friends and acquaintances.

Linking works best when the link provided is relevant to the site it points to.

If a company has been in business successfully for a while, it is likely that someone in the company has networked with others related to the company.

It is the responsibility of the person in charge of bonding to find these business networkers, sit down with them and choose their knowledge over the ones they know.

In a larger organization, sending frequent surveys or solicitations to employees asking them who they know can pay off.

If you want to wear a little gray hat, create a “bounty” for employees who provide warm leads for bonding opportunities.

I’ve never read that it’s against Google’s rules to pay your own employees to give you advice on sites where they have connections that could provide beneficial links.

It can be helpful to check the LinkedIn profiles of company employees to see who they know.

Look for acquaintances who work for companies with a strong web presence.

But don’t ignore the potential relevant link on a site with a smaller footprint.

Remember, relevance matters when it comes to links.

The more relevant a link is to your business, the more valuable it is, even though its value lies primarily in the direct traffic it can provide.

Who do you do business with?

Salespeople are the handy fruit of the link building world.

Your suppliers are relevant to your business.

You already have a relationship with your suppliers and they can provide you with links.

In fact, sometimes they can provide you with relevant, high-quality links.

In my experience, it’s best to approach vendors individually when looking for links.

For example, some providers are not inclined to provide you with a link.

The larger the company, the less likely it is to provide links to its customers.

However, if your business is a well-known industry leader, many vendors will want to connect with you just to show they are doing business with the leaders.

However, large companies are generally unrelated to their customers.

But if you do business with them, you stand a chance.

You can combine your media relations style bonding efforts with being a client of a specific business.

Typically, sellers don’t like to say no to requests as simple as a link, especially if they’re trying to close the deal.

Even enterprise-level vendors typically seek out relevant content for their own marketing efforts.

Find out who is in charge of the content on your provider’s site and ask if you can write a case study on your company’s experience with the provider.

Of course, your case study should include links to your site.

It is usually easier to get links from smaller providers.

In most cases, all you have to do to get a link from a provider is ask them.

A good practice is to create a label for a link request from a supplier to be given to everyone responsible for purchasing.

Chat with your buyers and make the request a standard link in your negotiations with suppliers.

Give and You Will Receive – Charity Link Building

Corporate charitable giving is growing exponentially.

Cause marketing is booming, and more and more businesses are donating to nonprofits that match their goals.

It feels good to do good.

And that makes commercial sense.

Most organizations do not request a link from the charities they support.

This is a mistake, especially for companies with well-known brands.

Charities want to announce that a well-known company has donated to them. This gives legitimacy to the organization.

But many don’t even think of ties when considering their charitable giving.

Of course, you should never give just to earn a link.

But if you’re going to donate, it doesn’t hurt to ask if the charity will provide a link to your business, announcing that you are a supporter of the charity.

Additionally, if you’re having trouble deciding which charity to donate to as a business, you can use the metrics on the organization’s website to help you choose.

For example, if there are two veterans organizations that you are considering donating to, you can choose the one with the best backlink profile.

All other things being equal, you will benefit from the link.

In conclusion

Link building is difficult, but there are still ways to create high quality, acceptable relevant links that don’t require a comprehensive media relations strategy.

Link building is where SEO professionals can get creative.

Embrace your creativity.

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