{"id":8659,"date":"2017-03-06T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T15:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bluehost.com\/blog\/?p=8659"},"modified":"2017-03-06T09:00:39","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T15:00:39","slug":"link-building-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluehost.com\/blog\/link-building-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Link Building 101: Why You Should Do It (and How to Get Started)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most small business owners understand that it’s important to use search engine optimization (SEO) strategies<\/a> to rank high \u2014 ideally No. 1 \u2014 on the search pages. You know that you can’t just build a website and then sit back and wait for new customers to come knocking on your virtual door, but sometimes it\u2019s hard to know exactly where to start if you\u2019re new to digital marketing. Assuming that you already have quality content on your website (<\/span>blog posts<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>explainer videos<\/span><\/a>, relevant infographics, etc.), one simple way beginners can start improving their SEO is with <\/span>link building<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Definition of Link Building<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Link building is an SEO term for the process of getting other websites to link to a page on your own website in order to earn a higher spot on the SERPs. Because search engines value quality over quantity, it\u2019s more important to acquire a few trustworthy links than dozens of inferior or spammy ones. The key to getting authoritative sites to link to your site or blog is to consistently produce relevant, top-notch content<\/a> that naturally lends itself to being shared, commented on, or linked to.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Are These Links Valuable?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all about relationships. When Google sees your content is linked on pages across the web, the search engine recognizes that your brand deserves more respect. That translates to a higher rank on search engine results pages (SERPs).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it isn’t the number of links the bots find that\u2019s most important, but rather the <\/span>value<\/span><\/i> of the links. Having your content shared in a post with just two or three views won’t generate as much buzz as connecting with a website that consistently has hundreds, preferably thousands, of views from unique visitors every month.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s say you’re running a business that sells cookware or organic foods. You’ll get noticed faster, and rank higher, by building a relationship with someone like <\/span>Lisa Leake<\/span><\/a> \u2014 who has more than 1.6 million likes on her Facebook page \u2014 than an unknown mommy blogger who likes to cook but is just starting out. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Relationships, One Link at a Time<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While linking to very popular sites won’t automatically catapult you to the top of the search page, it will help because a good webmaster (the person who manages site content) always checks out the people who are driving traffic to his or her site. If one of these webmasters comes to check you out and finds relevant, superior content that would benefit their readers, they will probably ask if they can repost your articles. If they find that you have relationships with other influencers in a common market or industry, they may even ask if you’d be willing to allow them to write a guest post. Score! That’s a win-win for both of you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building these online connections isn’t difficult, but like every lasting relationship, it takes time and thought. To get the most of that investment, focus on linking from your site to other websites that have a natural relevance. <\/span> In other words, a cookware company who links to a blogger who consistently posts healthy recipes makes sense, whereas a cookware company linking to a government agency that monitors seismic activity doesn\u2019t. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Get Started<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Make a list of ten to twenty influencers you think would make great link partners. Not sure how to get started? Use free tools like <\/span>BuzzSumo<\/span><\/a>, which helps you \u201cfind key influencers to promote your content,\u201d<\/span> Followerwonk<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> which helps you find influencers on Twitter, or <\/span>Traackr<\/span><\/a>, which is an influencer marketing platform.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some other ideas to start the conversation:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n