How to Build Links to a Web Site

One of the most important aspects of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the ability to build "backlinks" to your website. These links can come from a variety of sources, including link directories, blog commenting, readers linking to your website from their personal sites and through social networking sites such as Facebook and Digg. Learning how to obtain valuable backlinks is an integral part of any website's success, and therefore, understanding how to obtain links is of the utmost importance.

Instructions

Building Links Using Link Directories

1. Find link directories by searching online using the words "Link Directory." You can also search for links in your site's category by adding a keyword to your search such as "Gardening Link Directories" or "Law Link Directories."

2. Visit each link directory from your search results. On each directory look for the link that says something along the lines of "Submit Your Site" or "Submit Your URL" and click on that link.

3. Enter information about your site, such as the site's name, the web address (URL) for the site and a description of it. You'll also need to enter the category for your site, such as "Web Design" or "Technical Blog." Submit your site to the most appropriate category, or it may be denied.

4. Check your email address after submitting your site information, as some directories require users to click on a verification link to complete the submission process.

Building Links Using Blog Commenting

1. Search for related blogs using search engines, such as "Gardening Blog" if you have a gardening site. Links on blogs in your site's area of expertise will help rank your site higher.

2. Visit the blogs that show up from your search. Visit a few stories on each blog and leave informative comments about the posted stories. It's crucial that comments add to the topic of conversation to ensure that the moderator allows your comments to be posted.

3. Fill in the contact information and include your website's URL in the "website or URL" field in the comment section, usually located right above the comment field.

Receive Backlinks Using Forums

1. Search for "Forums" via the major search engines while including your website's area of interest, such as "GPS Forums," and visit each link that shows up.

2. Sign up for an account for each forum, and in the user control panel, choose to add a "Signature." In the signature field, include a link to your website. When you post a forum thread or a response to someone's thread, you'll receive a backlink via your signature.

3. Check the forum rules before posting. Some forums require a minimum number of posts before you can add a signature or before it will show up. When you reach that level, your older posts will automatically populate with your signature, along with your new posts.

Receive Backlinks Using Social Networking

1. Install social bookmarking on your website. Wordpress, Joomla and other popular website building programs offer easy-to-install plug-ins for social bookmarking. Social bookmarking programs are used to bookmark a particular link from a site on the social networking sites of your choice.

2. Find out if your web design software offers a plug-in by typing the name of the program and "Social Bookmark Plug-in," for instance, "Wordpress Social Bookmark Plugin." In most cases these are simply downloads that come with install "read me" files.

3. Install the social bookmarking application and make sure the most popular sites are included, such as Facebook, Digg, MySpace, Del.ic.io, and Twitter. Most programs allow you to choose which sites to include in your posts.

4. Encourage your users to post your site's information to the popular networking sites.

Tips & Warnings

• Writing excellent content or being the first to report on an interesting story can also bring backlinks from other sites who support your posts.

• Do not link to FFA (free-for-all) websites, which are sites that allow any link submitted to be displayed on the site, oftentimes without even checking the type of content being submitted. They are seen as spam by Google and may cause your site to be penalized or even banned. Do not pay for backlinks. Sites offering cheap links are scams or provide very little value. Spend the time to build your own quality backlinks from sites within your own site's niche, and you'll rank higher than other competing sites.