1. Link Building Is Marketing<br />Link building is an important part of search engine optimization because the search engines use inbound links as a ranking factor. If a website has lots of quality inbound links pointing to it, the search engines figure that the website is of good quality by association. Once a website has been optimized, it’s important to engage in link building activities on a monthly basis to improve and maintain a search engine results page presence. However, link building shouldn’t just be done to get inbound links and to get noticed by the search engines. It’s also a way to market a website online. For this reason, it’s important to choose the right link building strategies that are the most brand appropriate in order to get the most out of the effort. <br />There are numerous link building strategies to choose from. The best approach is often a combination of all of them. The most popular link building strategies include article marketing and document sharing, directory submission, public relations press release distribution, blogging and blog commenting, video marketing, social networking, and local and industry association profile creation. All of these strategies can be used in almost any industry. The key is to always keep the company mission, brand, and audience in mind when getting involved in any of these activities.<br />There are thousands of directories online to choose from. Some are free to submit to and others are paid. When it comes to directories, the key is to choose directories that will be found by a specific target audience. Any directory will get a link out there, but they might not be that valuable. Before submitting to directories, it’s important to do some research. There might be some directories that are industry or niche specific. Links gained from those directories are obviously worth more than links from Joe’s directory. They will not only get a relevant link pointing to your website, but will also attract the attention of a targeted audience that uses that directory. It’s also a good idea to check the domain information before submitting to a directory. Directories that are aged and U.S. based have more power than those that aren’t. <br />Blog commenting is another great way to build links while building a brand. By submitting a comment the commenter is not only earning a link but is also sharing their industry knowledge. The key is that the blogs need to be related to the products or services that the blog commenter offers. There is really no point for a lawyer to get a link from a car enthusiast’s blog. Since that link is not related to the services that the lawyer provides, there isn’t any value. There are numerous websites that provide lists of industry specific blogs to comment on. Remember, the comment needs to contribute to the conversation and be well thought out. Simply stating, “nice post” won’t get any results. <br />The same link building theory can be used for any of the most commonly practiced strategies. Inbound links from good sources are great. Inbound links that also attract target audience attention and build a brand are even better. <br />About the Author:<br />Brick Marketing is a Boston, MA search engine marketing and SEO company. For more information please call 877-295-0620 or visit http://www.brickmarketing.com. <br />