UPDATE: Webinar audio and video recordings are now available. They’re free, so enjoy!
It’s no secret that link building is the key to any successful SEO campaign. If you want to get traffic from Google, Yahoo, and Bing, getting linked to is crucial. The more links your site gets, the stronger it will become and the stronger it becomes, the easier it will be to get search engine rankings.
In theory, this all seems to be quite simple – get a bunch of links and that will lead to a bunch of traffic. The reality of the situation is that this isn’t always the case. It’s a lot more complicated than that. As soon as you start doing the work that’s required to get links, you will become aware of a lot more questions than you initially anticipated. I talk to people all the time who have worked hard to create hundreds of links that are providing minimal value and minimal benefit. This happens because there are a lot of variables in play, variables that need to be understood and used when you work on your sites.
Here are some of the questions/issues that need to be considered:
- Which URLs are the best ones to point links to? This question is very closely related to ‘Should I point links to my home page or sub pages?’ and ‘What percentage of links should I point at my home page versus my other pages?’.
- How quickly can I get links and does timing matter?
- Where do I get links from and does this matter?
- How do I get the best links?
- Why will no one trade links with me?
- I have some links, why do I not have any traffic?
- I have quite a few links, why do I still not have PageRank?
- How can I get high PageRank links?
- Are PR0 links worth the time it takes to get them?
- Should I spend more time creating content or trying to get links?
- How many links do I need to get before I will see results?
- Why do my tag pages with zero links rank better than my post pages that have back-links?
- I am using (insert method 1 here) and (insert method 2 here) for getting links? Is this enough or are there other methods that I should be using to get links?
The bottom line here is that there are a lot of things to think about when you are building links. The tricky part is that some of the theory that’s out there matters and some of it doesn’t.
Google, Yahoo, and MSN/Bing Have All Changed
In the last year, I’ve noticed some fairly significant changes in the way search engines weight links and rank pages. Don’t get me wrong, they haven’t turned the world upside down but by making a few simple tweaks, they have been able to filter out a lot more weak sites than they did in the past.
One huge change that I have noticed in the last year is that in some cases, links will make rankings get worse in Google. If you have multiple sites at varying levels of age and strength, chances are you have seen this happen. At first glance this seems to be quite contrary to how it should be but once you understand why this happens, it actually makes a lot of sense. This is just one of many issues in play.
Things Have Become More Confusing
While the SEO landscape is mostly the same as it’s been for a few years, small changes have made things become significantly more confusing. If you get a link and your ranking gets worse, it can definitely throw you for a loop. We all know that links help your site to get stronger and it’s REALLY weird when this doesn’t happen. However, once you understand what’s going on it isn’t that big of a deal and it certainly isn’t a ‘death penalty’ for your site.
The key to overcoming the current obstacles is understanding them. If you know what to expect, understand everything that needs to be done, and are executing, you can expect to see great results. If you don’t have all of your bases covered, who knows what will happen.
Knowledge is key. We sometimes work one-on-one with a few clients (right now we’re not taking on more clients – sorry) and it’s safe to say that our average client who we work with is able to make at least ten times as much income as the average member of our program. This is primarily because we are able to teach them what really matters while extracting what doesn’t. We teach them how to get the right links and point them at the right places, with the right timing. We have clients who are doing amazingly well based on these concepts in fact we have multiple clients who are making more than $10,000 per month with these strategies. We have others who are making $5,000+ and then some who are making $1,000+. Everyone is making at least some money. Considering the fact that we haven’t worked with many people, I’d say the results are outstanding.
I’ve been thinking about the differences between what they know and what the average visitor to The Keyword Academy knows and want to do what I can to bridge that gap for as many people as possible.
10 Crucial Linking Strategies For Creating Website Authority
With all of this in mind, I have been working on a 2-hour webinar called ‘10 Crucial Linking Strategies For Creating Website Authority’. It will teach you the strategies that you need to know to create traffic by getting the right links, from the right places, with the right timing. It will also help you to toss out the bad strategy and theory that can lead to inefficiency and confusion. I can promise that those who join us will have a fresh outlook and will understand what’s happening with their sites significantly better than they did before the session.
The webinar will be held on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 6:00 PM, US Mountain time. All are invited to attend. You can register for the webinar here:
Hi Court
Will this webinar be recorded for download like the last one?
I’m in the UK and it’s pretty tough staying up ’til 3am (when you’re old like me!)
You guys still put out the best content on the web IMHO so I don’t want to miss it.
Cheers
Hadi
Yes we’ll definitely be recording it Hadi!
Court, do you need to register to get the download afterwards? I also won’t be able to listen live, but would love to hear it.
We’ll make it available here on the site and will also send it out to the email list Cat.
That’s great, thanks
Hi Court, ive pretty much always had the opinion that incoming links no matter how bad cant hurt you. Otherwise you could just take out your competitors with 10,000 profile links with the anchor “buy Viagra”. Am i wrong?
Thanks P
Let’s say that it takes you a few hundred hours to create 10,000 links. If they don’t provide any benefit that really hurts you. Why? Because you wasted a few hundred hours that could have been spent somewhere else. Getting a bunch of links that provide no value is a common occurrence now.
Paul: It’s not about worrying about what links may hurt you, it’s about finding the links that will be best for your sites. Like court said, it’s a waste of time and money if you’re chasing ineffective or barely effective links.
I’m very interested in this one Court. I won’t be able to listen live but hopefully I can get the download.
Well I am looking forward to tonight. I am curious though if you know what causes google to push down your rankings when you get links. I see this all the time with my older sites. I will gather a great amount of links to them over a few days of working them and my rankings fall then eventually I go back up some then back down. I am assuming your saying that its not a bad thing just something Google does? Guess I will find out tonight:)
Jason
Hi Court,
This is right up my alley. Unfortunately I can’t make the webinar, so I’ll be looking forward to the download. Thanks!
Hi Court and Mark
Great Webinar tonight on linking strategies. I would recommend your readers take the time and review the information once you upload the presentation etc.
I also didn’t realize you had developed a guest posting system in which people could legitimately submit unique content to other websites. Very cool indeed.
Cheers
Court, I’ve been following you guys for two years now and have always learned from you. Missed the Webinar, though, and can’t tell where I should go to check it out. Advice? PS I always recommend you guys to my blogging and social media students, too!
Hey Jennifer! We just updated this post to include download links.
Just watched it! Great stuff Court! What’s with You and Griz and your love of Oil Filters? LOL
I just joined your program but can’t login to the members area, how do I get login information?
Court,
Thanks for nice video.
But you seems to be under the impression that you got to Coin some new fancy words. LOL.
basic links; spot links: but all sound the same.
spot content: another fancy term.
My little knowledge keeps things clearer:
1. premium links: quality links from authority sites with high PR
2. rest: quantity like BMD and commenting.
3. spot content: long tail kw targeted content.
Don’t confuse us and don’t get confused dude.
But I always enjoy the content by mentally stripping these “terms”.
Thanks.
one more point I like to make which disturbed me.
You talk under Syndicated links: these are like “spammy links”. That is almost stunning. You recommended article marketer, UAW before and in core videos, the only link strategies you mentioned were: article marketing, blogrolls.
I understand the Guest post system is ok but you don’t have to demonize article marketing to “promote your guest posting” indirectly getting visitors enroll in your program.
You disappointed me in this video.
John I have always said that syndicated links are weaker links. The landscape has also changed. Sorry John, you really need to learn how to be ok with change.
Right now there is apparently a great deal to know about this. I think you realized many well tips in Features likewise. Keep working ,good job! I have been pursuing your blog for 7 days now and I should say I am starting to enjoy your blog. ways to earn extra money
Follow your site for a while , you talk about he internal link for relevant keywords. For example i have KW list, money page for main keywords ” dog training”, created a post about sub-keywords” small dog training” to point money page, which anchor KW should i use in sub-page to point to money page ?
thanks !!!
well researched article. Thumbs up!
It sounds like you’re creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why their is a problem in the first place
I finally had the chance to watch the webinar. Great work, Court!
Just one question. In the webinar you clearly mentioned that going after “nofollow” backlinks isn’t worth the time. So, why is it that the comments for this blog are all “nofollow”?
Wouldn’t this keep a lot of people from commenting on your blog? I mean, obviously people comment, but there’s a large percentage of people that aren’t going to bother just because they know they won’t get a “do follow” backlink.
I know that there are other benefits to leaving comments on “nofollow” blogs, but as an advocate for backlink building and getting “do follow” links, this almost seems hypocritical to a point.
Just a quick observation.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this, Court.
That’s a fair question Alan. The answer is that we have a business to run here. Our site averages more than 45 comments per post. Giving out links that you have no control over is NOT a good idea.
People leave comments here because they have questions, or they have something to add to the conversation.
I have to say that I’m somewhat confused by your question though. You seem to imply that since I tell people that getting links will help their businesses, I’m obligated to give them free links.
Hi Court,
That’s a valid point; although, you can easily moderate the comments you receive. Unfortunately that can be time-consuming, so I understand why you wouldn’t want to bother with it.
No, I’m not implying anything here. It’s your site, and you can do what you want, right? It was just a quick observation I noticed and wanted your view on it. That’s it.
Every site owner has different goals and reasons for doing things, so I can understand where you’re coming from. Obviously your goals for this blog are going to be different than the goals I have for my blog. So, your reasoning for keeping them “nofollow” makes sense.
BTW, great content. I’m not a member, but I’ve learned some valuable tips from your blog and the webinar.
Take Care,
Alan
Thanks for being cool about it Alan. Lately most people aren’t lol. You’re right, everyone has different goals and should run their sites accordingly.
No problem, Court. Keep up the great work.
Your blog looks nice, however it would be better if you can use lighter colors as well as a professional design. This will ensure that a lot more readers come to check it out.
Informative post by the way!
Hi. I just discovered that your blog appears like it has a code issue at the very bottom of your site’s page. I am not sure if everybody is seeing this same problem when browsing your web site? I am using a completely different browser than most individuals called Opera, so that is what might be causing it? I simply wanted to make sure you know. Thanks for posting some great info.
Just finished listening to the webinar…what a wealth of information
Good stuff Court. It seems like you really have a firm grasp on SEO and the importance of link building services.
Skate Longboards
Just saw the video! great stuff court, i must congratulate you on drafting such an informative post.