Anyone can post a tweet, status update, digg, or bookmark. But those alone don’t push the needle when it comes to competitive search engine rankings. What separates the best from the rest? Professional link building.

What’s the secret to link building? Most companies who handle search engine optimization in-house aren’t actively engaging in link building. Why? Because it’s the hardest part of SEO to teach, and the most valuable to learn. For every professional link builder, there are more than a hundred SEOs doing on-site optimization only (on-site means making changes to one’s website only). Every professional link builder has their own bag of tricks, but this Five Step Process we use at MarketNet is a great place to start.

Five Steps to Link Happiness

1. Research and Strategize
2. Create Fresh Engaging Content
3. Analyze Competitors
4. Contact and Negotiate with Webmasters
5. Build Relationships Online

Let’s get to it. We’ll break each one down a little and then open the floor for comments.

Step One: Research and Strategize

Research in this instance refers to keyword research and web analytics analysis. The endgame of link building is to increase targeted traffic to your site through improved search engine visibility (i.e. search engine rankings). In order to formulate strategy and tactics, you must first know which raw materials you’re working with. Raw materials include URLs, content, and keywords. An online shoe store, for example, won’t benefit from pursuing increased visibility for “cheap shoes” or “dress shoes” if the goal is to increase sales of  $100 Vibram Fivefingers. You could drive tens of thousands of visitors searching “cheap shoes” to your page, but the end result would be disappointed and disgruntled people who feel misled ($100 shoes aren’t cheap).

Questions to ask:

You start by analyzing where your existing pages already rank and for which terms. Once you have a firm understanding of where each page stands, it’s time to ask some questions.

Q: Which pages / products / services could see a significant boost in conversions if bumped up a couple spots in organic search engine results?
Q: How steep is the competition in those areas?
Q: Based on the level of competition, which pages should you promote the most in order to see the greatest ROI?

Step Two: Create Fresh Engaging Content

You can only attract so many links to your website without regularly producing fresh content on your website. For most in-house internet marketing managers/directors, this requires a shift in thinking. Social Media and Link Building work hand in hand with AWESOME content. They cannot be gamed successfully for any length of time. Rule #1: You cannot trick people for very long into thinking you have a site worth visiting if you don’t.

Look at your website from the perspective of a visitor. It’s your first time on the website. What are you looking for? After a few minutes, why will you EVER return more than once? If you know the content will always be the same, you get the gist of the message on your first visit and you maybe reference it a second time to refresh your memory.

In 2010, every company becomes a publisher. Covering industry news, current events, employees, customers, and a host of other topics in a UNIQUE and FASCINATING way, any and every website can naturally become a link magnet. I realize that content creation isn’t your primary business model. But it IS a successful marketing tactic. You build links by being relevant. You become relevant by being fresh, interesting, and engaging.

Step Three: Analyze Competitors

Let’s take this step in two directions: direct competitors and similar but non- competitors.

Direct Competitors. Where are your direct competitors getting their links? There may be quite a few opportunities to be listed as a resource on the same pages. Getting the same links as your competitors won’t be good enough on its own to launch your pages over theirs, but in combination with other unique strategies, they can put you over the top.

Non-Competitors. Though not in the exact same industry, analysis of related industries can yield some quality link building opportunities. Example: a mattress retailer could research links from pajama retailers and manufacturers. Since they all share the common thread of sleep, there are likely some websites who would consider linking to both types of sites based on the theme.

Step Four: Contact and Negotiate with Webmasters

After you’ve done your research and competitive analysis, it’s time to make contact. Emails, contact forms, and phone calls are all necessary to reach the appropriate person and begin the process of requesting and negotiating links. This is the least glamorous part of the job, and usually what separates success from mediocre results. The difference between Step 4 and Step 5 is that Step 4 typically involves contact with static websites. Relationship isn’t as vital for people managing websites that rarely ever change. The approach with these people should be more business-like.

Step Five: Build Relationships with Bloggers

It’s not good enough to spam every blogger in your niche with press releases when you want coverage. Trust me. As a blogger who has received his fair share of PR spam, I can tell you that I have only covered maybe 1% of the press releases I receive, and those only because the topic was so compelling I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity. That’s rare.

Build relationships that don’t begin with your needs.

1. Identify bloggers who would be interested in the content of your site, industry, or who could see the benefit of cross promotional opportunities.
2. Engage them in conversations. Be humble. Acknowledge their accomplishments and ask for their experienced insight on something related to your site.
3. Share content with them privately that is worth sharing. For their personal interest. Some will turn around and link to you. Most won’t. Don’t abuse this approach. Leave valuable blog comments on their posts and become a useful member of their blogging communities.

Now What?

You may have some deeper questions about how to employ a competitive link building initiative. We’d love to hear your comments and questions. You can drop us a comment below or contact us through our Contact Form.