My presentation from SMX Stockholm, 2012. My 'link building dos and don'ts' focus on some of the lessons I've learn't in the past whilst working for a variety of brands in competitive spaces.

1. LINK BUILDING DOS AND DONTS
Jon Quinton
SEOgadget.co.uk
@jonquinton1
jon@seogadget.co.uk

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WEBMASTER TOOLS LINK WARNINGS
The webmaster tools unnatural link warnings signified the start of a major shift in link building.

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WHAT DID PENGUIN LOOK LIKE?
Large Drop in Organic Visibility
http://www.searchmetrics.com
Understanding what an algorithm update looks like is key.
Analysing SearchMetrics and Google Analytics data should show if a site has been hit.

5. #1 – DON’T LINK BUILD BLIND

6. #1 – DO LEARN TO ANALYSE
YOUR LINK PROFILE

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ASSESS YOUR QUALITY DISTRIBUTION
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THIS IS WHAT ‘GOOD’ TENDS TO LOOK LIKE…
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GATHER AND COMBINE DATA
Use OSE, Majestic and Webmaster Tools

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DE-DUPE YOUR LIST
Once combined, de-dupe by ‘URL’ and remove metrics that are not required

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SEPARATE DOMAINS
=IFERROR(MID(A2,8,FIND("/",A2,8)-8),MID(A2,8,LEN(A2)))
Page level metrics don’t always give you the fairest representation of a website

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USE SEOTOOLS FOR EXCEL TO PULL IN DOMAIN PR
Ensure that you work in a new tab with a de-duped list of domains. Paste as values once finished!

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ARE MY LINKS STILL LIVE?
Use Screaming Frog SEO spider in ‘list mode’ and configure a custom filter to
search for your domain in the source code of each URL

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15. #2 – DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING
YOU READ

16. #2 – DO TEST IT INSTEAD

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WILL GOOGLE REALLY DEVALUE INFOGRAPHIC LINKS?
http://www.stonetemple.com/matt-cutts-and-eric-talk-about-what-makes-a-quality-site/
Often times industry gossip can blow things way out of proportion. Experience and testing
breeds confidence and a true sense of reality.

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MAYBE THE WORD ‘INFOGRAPHIC’ IS MISSING THE
POINT…
http://everytimezone.com
2,780 links from
752 domains
5,654 tweets
No matter how the algorithm changes; high quality useful content that serves a purpose
will always deserve to rank

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BUILD YOUR OWN SITES
If you’re spending time contacting other websites
you too should learn what it feels like to be approached by link thirsty SEO’s

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UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF LINKS
What happens when you remove low quality links?
If you’ve never seen the impact, build a site and find out first hand

21. #3 – DON’T GET BORED

22. #3 – DO TRY DIFFERENT THINGS

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TRIAL YOUR IDEAS – DOESN’T MATTER HOW CRAZY THEY
MIGHT BE
http://ontolo.com/blog/5-steps-assembling-all-star-link-building-team-odesk
View feedback, profile facts, test results and previous assignments. Please note; self
assessed English scores and test results are two VERY different things.

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THE FREELANCER’S PROCESS
All
Contact List
Email Template Communication
Provided
Via Gmail
Could I find a freelancer who could follow step by step instructions?
The aim was to leave as little room for error as possible.

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RESULT: AN INBOX FULL OF INTERESTED BLOGGERS
Response rate was c. 20%

26. #4 – DON’T FORGET YOUR
PRODUCT

27. #4 – DO LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE
THE BEST

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WHY WOULD ANYONE LINK TO THIS?
3 Linking Root Domains
4 ‘Likes’
With some creative thinking, even the most boring industries can be made fun or ‘link worthy’

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BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS?
That’s better!
106 Linking Root Domains
1186 ‘Likes’
http://monstercooljobs.com
Solution: Build a website that caters for ‘dream jobs’ only

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338 Linking Root Domains
1,100 Likes
1260 Tweets
http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/14/2870533/ipad-review
Live Q&A, video content, incredible images – all serve the user with the best experience

31. #5 – DON’T ASSUME PEOPLE ARE
INTERESTED

32. #5 – DO FIND AND TALK TO
INFLUENCERS

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LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED?
That’s 1419 guitar teachers that I can contact about my content.
Scrape this list with Google Docs and you’re onto a winner.

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READY TO WONK??
https://seogadget.co.uk/googlewonk/

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PLUS A LITTLE BIT OF STALKING TOO
http://www.techradar.com/author?searchTerm=Scott%20Nichols
http://gamerlymusings.wordpress.com/about/
Far too many people give up when contact details are not readily available.
5 minutes worth of digging around is often all you need to go beyond what most other SEOs.

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PULL COMPETITORS BACKLINKS AND FIND CONTACT
DETAILS
https://seogadget.co.uk/mozscape-api-extension-for-excel/
If you can’t find a tool that does the job, why not build something yourself?
It might just give you the advantage.

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Contact On Launch Twitter List – Jumping
Phase Three: Promote on opportunities
Phase Two: On topic
guest posts design work
Having a solid contact base at the core of any campaign is crucial for success.
It’s also a great way to stay inspired when you need to give things another push.

38. 1. Don’t Link Build Blind
2. Don’t Believe Everything You Read
3. Don’t Get Bored
4. Don’t Forget Your Product
5. Don’t Assume Anyone’s Interested

39. TACK!!
Jon Quinton
SEOgadget.co.uk
jon@seogadget.co.uk
@jonquinton1