10 Quick Tips for Generating Links to Your Site

Here are a few tips for generating quality inbound links to your site. Some involve creating new content, and others simply leverage your existing content.

Remember, the golden rule of SEO is that high-quality content will inherently rank more highly than low-quality content. Before you go link-crazy, make sure to ask yourself: “Is my content truly link-worthy?”. If so, start generating those links now! If not, you've got some writing to do first.

Create Lists
At the heart of SEO is the idea that valuable content will rate more highly than invaluable content. People love lists. They are likely to link you if you have lists.

1. Build a "101 list". People digg these all the time, and believe it or not, they often later become authority documents.
2. Create a list of the top 8 myths for any given topic. For example, you could create a list such as “The Top 8 Reasons that Your House Won’t Sell”.
3. Create a list of experts.

Directories & Social Bookmarking
The power of social networking speaks for itself.

4. Submit your site to DMOZ and other directories that allow free submissions.
5. Submit your site to paid, quality directories. Remember that quality matters and you get what you pay for.

Local & Business Links
Local business links are an excellent source of QUALIFIED leads. We often forget about our local chamber of commerce, but it’s a great source for links - and customers!

6. Join the Better Business Bureau and get a link to your site.
7. Get a link from your local chamber of commerce.
8. List your site at the local library's Web site.
9. See if your manufacturers or retailers or other business partners might be willing to link to your site.
10. Develop business relationships with non-competing businesses in the same field. Leverage these relationships online and off, by recommending each other via links and distributing each other's business cards.

News & Syndication
Remember your high school newspaper? Time to break out those editorial skills!

11. Syndicate an article at EzineArticles, GoArticles, iSnare, etc. The great thing about good article sites is that their article pages actually rank highly and send highly qualified traffic.
12. Submit an article to industry news site. Have the latest MLS statistics for your area? Write an article and submit it your local real estate association.
13. Syndicate a press release. Make sure it is compelling and newsworthy. Remember, this is a reflection on your organization! Email a copy of the story along with a personal message to a few journalists. Make sure to submit it to PRWeb, PRLeap, etc.

Easy & Free Links
What could be better?

14. Craigslist
15. Ask or answer questions on Yahoo! Answers & Google Groups with a link to relevant resources
16. Set up a topical Squidoo page
17. Submit a story to Digg that links to an article on your site

 
Post is included in group: Real Estate SEO
Post is included in group: Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day
Post is included in group: Online/Offline Marketing and Advertising
Post is included in group: ActiveSEO
Post is included in group: Search Engines, SEM, SEO & Top Search Engine Ranking.

107 Comments on 17 Quick Tips for Generating Links to Your Site

MAR
28
2008
I'm currently thinking about creating a directory for my website that contains local stores. I just need to start compiling the information and ask for their business and referrals.
5:32pm • #1
102,407 Points

Hi Karen,

Thank you for this very useful information.  My business partner and I are always searching for new ways to increase our visibility on the internet and increase our search engine optimization. 

5:34pm • #2
1 Featured Post

Karen:

That's really great information. Thanks for the post.

 

Lisa 

 

5:34pm • #3
245,807 Points 5 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog
I guess its time to polish my website. Thanks for your post.
5:36pm • #4
Thanks for the tips, have some homework to do.  Thought we were doing alot already, but you gave some really good ideas, thanks again!
5:58pm • #5
Great article. Thanks for the tip. I look forward in trying this out
6:01pm • #6
Great Article, although I currently use most of these tips there were a few added ones I will definitly use now, thank you very much :-D
6:24pm • #7
Karen, Thanks for these tips.. I've printed this blog and will also be using these tips to help me out.. I'm so glad I'm checking out AR today, because I've received alot of great information that is useful..
6:26pm • #8

Hi Karen - What a Great post! Thanks for sharing your insight and tips on ActiveRain. Cheers!

tb
10:18pm • #9
1 Featured Post Localism Sponsor
Karen, Really great ideas...now if I could just find a few more hours in the day  LOL
11:33pm • #10
MAR
29
2008
131,342 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

Karen:

 Great post thanks for the information. Hope you have a great weekend.

12:02am • #11

Great post Karen!  These tips are helpful and pratical!  I love it!

 

6:26am • #12
163,458 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog
Thank you fo rsharing the information.  I'm going to bookmark so I can read it again.
6:37am • #13
190,101 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Great post, Karen.  Thanks for sharing.  I too am going to bookmark and refer back often.

Kathy

6:51am • #14
I also bookmarket this post, thanks for all the information, I am sure it will be usefull--Bart
7:54am • #15
Thank you so much for your hints and helpful information! I know I need to spend at least an hour or two each day doing the things you recommended. I use to pay for SEO placement but did not get many leads out of that so I stopped but now my website isn't bringing anything!
8:06am • #16
4 Featured Posts
I like the ideas.  Its nice to see them pinpointed out.
9:55am • #17
Well presented post Karen.  I like the ideas.  You're right people love lists!  I do!
10:01am • #18
1 Featured Post Localism Sponsor
Good Information!  Thanks from the not so technical person.  I can use all the free information I can get.  Thanks again!
11:51am • #19
338,671 Points 19 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Great advice, I have done several of these already and have seen good results. I will now start working on the rest. Thanks for the post.
12:08pm • #20
Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

I like your take on the SEO madness that everyone is after... thanks for the post... I'm subscribing to your post. :) great content

1:10pm • #22
159,959 Points 11 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Karen,

Thanks for the tips!  I just wrote a blog post based on your recommendations.

Tina in Virginia 

 

3:08pm • #23
Great ideas!  I can't wait to try and put some of them to work. Thanks!
4:13pm • #24

Those are really great tips and I actually book marked this post!  Many thanks and happy blogging!

 Jolynna

4:53pm • #25
Localism Sponsor Outside Blog
Thanks KAren for the info....press releases are good I have done them in the past
5:11pm • #26
261,998 Points 14 Featured Posts Outside Blog

 Karen,

 

Thanks for all the great tips!  Very well appreciated! Thanks for sharing!

8:01pm • #27
2 Featured Posts

Great information!  Thank you for sharing your wonderful tips!

Kristina, KFM Staging & Design - A Minnesota Home Staging Company

8:06pm • #28
1 Featured Post
This is really some great information. I am really trying to get the hang of this internet. I have been paying other to do what now seems to be so easy. Thanks for the tips I will put them into pratice after this comment. www.RonellMortgage.com
8:11pm • #29
378,266 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Ok, I've bookmarked, this is a lot of information, will have to come back and look at more carefully, thanks!
11:28pm • #30
MAR
30
2008
Outside Blog
Great ideas...there is so much noise out there on the internet...it is hard for someone on a budget to get noticed...thanks again, Mike
10:57am • #31

These are all great ideas and make perfect sense. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with the rest of the group. Keep up the great work!

John Powers

7:14pm • #32
MAR
31
2008
392,514 Points 58 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Great Post Karen!!!  I am definitely bookmarking this one for later!
1:33pm • #33
2 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor
Karen: Thanks for the great post! It is nice to be reminded that we always need to be on the lookout for ways to improve our value proposition...in this case, by linking.
1:56pm • #34
Outside Blog Hit Router
This is a very informative post. Thanks for taking the time to share this valuable information with us. We always need ways to improve and to remember that we need to improve and keep moving foward with business.
2:12pm • #35

Karen,

Thanks for the great recommendations. I've been waiting to get my URL on DMOZ, they appear to be a little slow at getting URL's up.

11:58pm • #36
APR
01
2008
421,107 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Thanks for the reminder. I have been thinking of DMOZ for some time. I will try it soon.
6:14am • #37
436,837 Points 47 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Karen you have put together some really terrific ideas for people - excellent work!
7:24am • #38

Great stuff.  I am actually going to print this article out & run through it today & go through it systematically.

8:07am • #39
Hit Router
Great tips Karen! I've bookmarked this post so I can start working them!
3:01pm • #40
1 Featured Post

THESE ARE ALL GREAT IDEAS.  THANKS FOR THE ADVICE AND ALL THE GREAT LINKS

DANIEL

3:06pm • #41
Hi Karen - I just came accross your blog, and you summed me up in two words - "Utterly Confused."  Thank you for putting together a brief, informative list of attainable goals for those of us getting our feet wet with SEO.  See you on page one of Google. 
4:34pm • #42
1 Featured Post
Great information Karen. I'll be sending some of your information to our marketing guys at corporate. They may already be aware of it but I think it will be useful for them. Thanks so much!
8:15pm • #43
Thanks for the great information, I really appreciate it!
10:35pm • #44
That's hysterical! You did exactly what you recommended by writing a 101 / 17 tips post. Great ideas!
10:47pm • #45
APR
02
2008
Super good advice. I bookmarked this one !
1:01am • #46
453,214 Points 10 Featured Posts Outside Blog
thanks for the 17 great tips on back links and SEO.  I am going to try to implement them right away
8:31am • #49

I just subscribed to your blog and love the great tips and advice.  Many thanks for sharing such helpful information!!  I especially like the ezine article idea.

 

2:49pm • #50
APR
03
2008
1 Featured Post Outside Blog
Excellent!! I will bookmark to come back to. I love Active Rain!
3:29pm • #51
1 Featured Post
Amazing post! Thanks for all the tips. There's much to be done now!
4:26pm • #52
great advice  and great post.    just keep it coming.  thinrs to bookmark and reread again
8:57pm • #53
Great post.  I am bookmarking this one to come back and focus on each of these that you mention.
10:20pm • #54
Do you have any suggestions on the 'paid, quality directories' that you mentioned?
10:22pm • #55
APR
04
2008
Thanks for the great post!  I had no idea!  This is all brand new to me so this one is a print, save, and DO.  Thank you thank you.  
8:35am • #56
APR
05
2008
Thanks for the tid bits they all really do add up and I like the * reasons, etc......i even dig those! :0
12:30am • #57
131,342 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

Karen:

I have been putting some of these tips to work and they really do work. thanks for your post.

6:24pm • #58
131,342 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

Karen:

I have been putting some of these tips to work and they really do work. thanks for your post.

6:25pm • #59
131,342 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

Karen:

I have been putting some of these tips to work and they really do work. thanks for your post.

6:25pm • #60
133,715 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog
Thanks for all the tips.  I just draw a blank when I try to think what to add.
11:40pm • #61
APR
06
2008

Great Tips, Thanks!

1:10am • #62
APR
07
2008
Really great information. Nice job.
5:26pm • #63
APR
08
2008

Karen,

 

Thanks for the ideas. I think these will be very helpful.

 

John Powers

John Powers
1:33pm • #64

Karen

Thank you for the information. These are good tips.

5:10pm • #65
Localism Sponsor
Karen ~~ This is very helpful.  it just takes a lot of time.
5:59pm • #66
APR
09
2008
Thank you for posting these ideas!  Very very useful...
2:13pm • #67
This is great info. I am going to try and use it with  my SEO every day. Thanks!
3:12pm • #68
249,351 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Karen,

There is always room for extra SEO and your post certainly gives us plenty more ammunition. Those news and syndication sites you mention are intriguing. Thanks for sharing.

5:06pm • #69
great ideas, but for those who are not internet savvy, how do you feel about paying a company to put your url on yahoo etc?
6:35pm • #70
APR
11
2008
You make it all sound so easy and achievable. I'll be watching your blog. Thanks!
12:35pm • #71

Thank you, Karen for sharing such great ideas.  I just joined Active Rain today and already I can see I have a lot to learn from this site.  Just wish I found it sooner.

Ella

5:15pm • #72
141,949 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog
karen I employ all of the techniques that you are mentioning and have watched my ratings swell to the top of google! thanks for sharing with everyone
7:34pm • #73
APR
12
2008

Great points. Where would you say are the better paid sites? Unfortunately, we are buried from so many places asking us for money that it is hard to find the quality material. We have been taking the approach of writing articles and that has been working out well.

We've been waiting for months to get into DMOZ. I would also suggest Alexa, they also took awhile to get listed, but we finally made it this week.

12:28pm • #74
1 Featured Post
Karen, this is great stuff. I do some of it now and am always looking for ways to increase exposure to my business. This is a very good post and has been complimented nicely by many of the comments. Keep up the good work!
4:36pm • #75
227,790 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog
Hot post.  Thanks for the tips.
5:44pm • #76
APR
14
2008

Thanks for the advice.

Andrea

2:44pm • #77
APR
15
2008
136,374 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Thanks for sharing. I will definitely book mark this so I can refer back to it.
10:16am • #78
APR
18
2008
Thanks Karen for sharing such great ideas.
8:45am • #79
APR
20
2008
216,675 Points Outside Blog

I just launched a Business Referral Directory.  My vendors and I are excited that it is up and running:)  Thank you for contributing your advice to us.  Technology is not my best gift:)

It's a Good Life!

Fran

10:03am • #80
Great advice, great post...
11:06pm • #81
APR
21
2008
115,861 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog
These are FANTASTIC tips and have given me some GREAT ideas to work on.  Thanks Karen!
9:02am • #82
APR
22
2008
Karen,  I have been doing a ton of research on SEO lately for my own website and have found a ton of repetition.  Your post gives me some new ideas.  Thanks so much.
8:04am • #83

Karen thanks for the post great info. Is there a keyword program that you would recommend outside of google? I have been recommended to wordtracker but it seems confusing to organize. Any input appreciated.

 

thanks

Don

8:21am • #84

Hi Don,

I personally like Keyword Discovery http://keyworddiscovery.com/, although it can be a bit confusing at times too. For a basic and free keyword tool, you may want to check out the Overture Keyword Tool http://inventory.overture.com/.


Unfortunately, the overture tool is very unreliable and only seems to be available about 1/2 of the time. 

9:23am • #85
APR
23
2008
1 Featured Post
Great article, Karen.  I hadn't thought of several of these ideas before, including the library one (great idea!), and will definitely try to implement some of these things to increase exposure.
11:12am • #86
APR
24
2008
Karen, these ideas are solid and proven! Thanks for posting and sharing this information.
7:14pm • #87
APR
27
2008
191,085 Points Outside Blog

Interesting ideas presented in your post.  I'd only add, shy away from mutual links unless they are related.  Google is sniffing them out and removing or discounting for such.

Google change the game on every dance.

5:18am • #88
APR
28
2008

Great Advice & Excellent Post!

Take Care & Have a Great '08!

4:51pm • #89
1 Featured Post
Easy short and sweet. Thanks Karen! Say "HI" to Bill and Linda Bein of Bend , OR for me. Great people.
9:06pm • #90
198,918 Points
Great article.  Gave me alot to think !about, and alot of research to get the links! Thanks
9:34pm • #91
2 Featured Posts
I've been working on ways to beef up my content and I couldn't have found this at a better time. Thanks for the great suggestions! It's nice to have a place to go and find out what really works!
11:55pm • #92
APR
29
2008

Excellent Blog, Thank you for sharing this information. I would have never thought of Directory links. Thanks again and keep up the great work.

12:07am • #93
MAY
02
2008
Free is always good. I actually got a phone call today from someone that got my name from a community forum site: city-data.com It's a great site and is broken down by areas. Realtors actually get a little house next to their names to mark us as experts!
3:08am • #96
Extensive and great list of ideas.  I have been bookmarking like a fool this evening.  This was well worth bookmarking it for future reference.  Thanks!
11:39pm • #97
MAY
03
2008
thask for sharing with  great concise information to all of us
9:55am • #98
OCT
05
2008

Karen..you have done it again! After reading your tips, my mind is racing at 100 mph..will not be able to sleep tonight! Thanks

6:09pm • #99
OCT
08
2008

Thanks Karen.  I didn't even finish reading the whole post before I bookmarked it. Now if only I could magically find another hour in the day to work on these tips. 

6:14pm • #100
OCT
10
2008

Agreed with Nakia - good stuff...on the to-do list it goes...along with the 50 million other tasks!  Oh boy!

8:19am • #101
OCT
17
2008

Thanks Karen. I have been trying to work on my SEO, so this article will be a jumping off point for my endeavors.

11:07am • #102
111,928 Points 3 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor

Thanks, this is a great post (not just saying that). Thanks for sharing.  Some of these things I'm doing already but I will definitely print this out and apply things I'm not currently doing.

11:30am • #103
OCT
20
2008
OCT
23
2008

Good stuff! Thankyouverymuch!

10:32pm • #106
OCT
24
2008

Thanks for the help. I will give this a try.

1:22am • #107
OCT
27
2008
127,109 Points 1 Featured Post

Thanks for these helpful tips.  I am not sure I understand everything, like digg and squidoo, so I guess I need to research these things.  I will try and do what I can for now, and research the rest for later.  Hopefully these things will help.

2:50pm • #108

That is pretty cool. I'm going to print it and tape it to my computer so I can go thru those steps one at a time. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

11:50pm • #109

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Karen Devlin

Bend, OR

More about me…

HomeFlex, LLC

Address: PO Box 2193, Bend, OR, 97702

Office Phone: (541) 350-1599

Cell Phone: (541) 350-1599

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As a search engine marketing professional, I understand that internet marketing can be overwhelming. With everything out there from SEO to Google AdWords, this blog offers simple, proven techniques to increase your traffic in no time!


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