Whilst backlink volume remains the key indicator of a website’s popularity, most webmasters and website owners are keen to find out how to increase it. Many take the direct route, i.e. they go to a web studio that specialises in website promotion and, for a certain fee, receive the desired citation index or number of daily visitors, depending on their objectives. However, there are quite a few alternative ways to build backlinks that are perfectly accessible to anyone with a few hours to spare each day and a desire to boost their website’s popularity.
First and foremost, of course, is registering with search engine directories. It doesn’t have a huge impact, but it is certainly a positive step.
Next, we can mention posting on themed forums, commenting on blogs and in the guest sections of related websites. Although this is a fairly traditional approach, its effectiveness has been proven over time. However, it should be noted that the comments posted must be of high quality, i.e. they must be relevant to the material being commented on and demonstrate originality in the presentation of ideas.
Alternative Sources
Another source from which you can attract a steady stream of backlinks could be various ‘yellow pages’ – websites featuring classified ad boards, job search sites, and comments on corporate websites covering topics relevant to yours. However, here too, it is not enough simply to post a link; you need to include interesting, well-written content to ensure your material is not immediately removed.
Another interesting option could be newsletters (Gmail.com, Outlook, etc.), which can distribute your information to a large number of internet users. These could include press release newsletters or information related to your website’s subject matter.
Social is powerful tool for building backlinks. All you need to do is choose the right niche, and they will open up a range of opportunities: direct sales, targeting specific users, subtle product promotion, driving traffic to your website, and so on.
Web 2.0 news resources allow you to post an interesting news item or article, citing your website as the original source. This guarantees a natural backlink profile which, if placed successfully, will spread across blogs and be further amplified.
Posting articles on blogs provides a decent increase in high-quality backlinks. There are two options here: posting themed articles or blog posts, or posting high-quality comments that will spark further discussion, i.e. increased interest in the comment. Otherwise, a comment containing a link may be quickly deleted.
And, of course, viral marketing — but this is a rather specific tool that requires the skill to use it effectively.
All in all, there are plenty of options, and experienced webmasters will name at least a dozen other methods, but it’s important not to get fixated on just one of them, but to vary your approach daily, trying one thing then another, and then success is guaranteed.