Let's take on the most important tactic for the most important strategy. Let's talk link building. Why do links matter? What kind of links matter? If Lance Armstrong was an SEO? What would he do? A penguin is just a silly bird, right? How do I get links? This presentation covers the theory and practice behind the most important (and most mysterious) corner of web marketing: links.

1. Wine & Web
Andy Crestodina
@crestodina #wineweb
The Future of Link Building

2. Inbound Links, Backlinks
A link from a website to your site.
Definitions
Link Popularity, Domain
Authority, PageRank
A measurement of credibility of a website, based on
the number and credibility of sites that link to it.
Link Building
The act of improving the link popularity of a website
to improve search engine rankings.

3. Source: SEOmoz, 2011 Search Engine Ranking Factors
Why do pages rank?

4. SEO Steps: Effort and Importance
Tech.
SEO
EFFORT
Keyword
Research
On-Page
Link Building…
TIME

5. The Value
of Links

6. links are credibility

7. more links = more credibility

8. links from credible sites =
much more credibility

9. many outgoing links =
less credibility per link

10. It’s good when the link text
Includes the target keyword.

11. but if all the links include the
target keyword, that’s bad.

12. Follow vs. NoFollow

13. Link Popularity and Domain Authority
Resource: Open Site Explorer

14. Domain Authority over time…
“Predicts a domain's ranking potential in search engines
based on an algorithmic combination of all link metrics.”
Source: SEOmoz,

15. If Lance Armstrong
was an SEO…

17. If Lance Armstrong was an SEO…
Buying Links / Blog Networks
Reciprocal Linking / Link Wheels
Blog Comment Spam
Spammy Guest Blogging
#blackhat

18. Welcome to the dark side…

20. 24, 2012
Revenge!
Penalties for…
• Paid Links / Link Schemes
• Over-optimized Link Text
• Keyword Stuffing
• Cloaking
• Duplicate Content

21. Source: Sean McGinnis, Why Link Building is Hard Work

22. GUEST
BLOGGING
…also known as “PR”

23. Blogging vs. Guest Blogging
Blogging
Content = 2
Links = 0
Friends = 0
Guest Blogging
Content = 3
Links = 1
Friends = 2
YOUYOU

24. Blogging vs. Guest Blogging
Round Two…
content better links + real connections
Blogging Guest Blogging Strategy

25. Blogging vs. Guest Blogging
Round Four…
Nice blog, but… This is what great web marketing looks like.
Blogging Guest Blogging Strategy

26. Guest Blogging Tips: Research
Search for: [topic/industry] “write for us”
…just look at all those blogs!
Is the domain authority higher than yours?
Is there good social activity? Shares? Comments?
Is you audience likely to read this blog?
Know the blog:
• Read the guidelines
• Recent posts
• Focus on the audience

27. Guest Blogging Tips: The Pitch
1. Connect with the editor.
Build a relationship. Use social media.
2. Keep it short and personalized
“I read the article ‘XYZ Title’ and really enjoyed it. I think I
have an idea for an article that your readers will really
love. Would you be interested in that?”
3. Offer to edit “happy to make any changes.”
4. Offer to promote …and respond to comments
5. Follow up, but don‟t be pushy

28. Guest Blogging Tips: The Post
1. Make. It. Good.
2. Make it fit. Length, formatting and images
3. Optimize it! Keyword Research + On Page SEO
4. Author bio: Short, sweet and HTML (rel=author)
5. Link to your other content …if it makes sense
6. Make it easy for them. A „no-work‟ proposition

29. Diminishing Returns…
• 20 links on 20 domains > 20 links on 2 domains
• Vary your anchor text often. Don’t over-optimize!
Source: SEOmoz, What are you best tips for link builders?

30. Here‟s an example…

31. SEO IS
A GAME
Play it!

32. 10 More Ways to play…
1. Check competitors Links (OpenSiteExplorer.org)
2. SEO-savvy PR
3. Use the phone
4. Sponsor Something
5. Interview Someone
6. Ask plagiarists to link to you (CopyScape.com)
7. Ask partners, suppliers, vendors, etc.
8. Run a contest
9. Submit to IYPs(Internet Yellow Pages)
10. Be a Member: Associations, Chambers, Directories
Source: SEW: 131 (Legitimate) Link Building Strategies

33. Keep Score!Source: List.ly: Guest Posts

34. LINK
MAGNETS
…the real secret to
building links and ranking higher

35. Step 1: Write 2000+ words
A. Teaches something useful
B. It‟s on a topic that you love
C. Use Google Authorship tagging
GOAL: Write the best page
on the internet for the topic

36. Step 2: Pick a phrase
A. Yes, people are searching for it.
B. No, it‟s not too competitive.
Source: Orbit Media: How to Research Keywords
GOAL: a realistic chance of ranking

37. Step 3: Use the phrase
A. Once at the beginning of the title<title>
B. Once in the first header<h1>
C. Four to six times in the body of the page
D. Build links to the page from other pages on
your site. Use the keyphrase in the links.
GOAL: indicate the relevance

38. Step 4: Not ranking on Page One?
A. Write a guest post on a similar topic
B. Link to the page from the guest post
C. Get it posted on a site with high authority
D. Improve the page however possible!
GOAL: Link, Link, Nudge, Nudge.

39. Rank Links Rank

40. So that’s how Wikipedia does it!

41. Wine & Web
Andy Crestodina
@orbiteers #wineweb
Thank you!