Note: Please download the actual PowerPoint file for a better experience and richer presentation. :) Search engines index the entire Web by following link after link to page after page of content. Brand new pages can be hard for search engines to find because there aren’t any pre-existing links built to them. For a search engine, links from one site to another are like a vote of confidence and trust. If a page on Site A links to a page on Site B, the page on Site B can be said to be “a trusted resource” of value to visitors of Site A. As search engines index the Web, they count one-way, inbound links to each page online. Pages with more links can be said to be more “authoritative” because more individual sites “trust” their content resources. All else equal, pages with more authority will rank higher in search engine results than pages with less. Gaining a higher listing than a competitor for a popular search term greatly impacts both traffic and demand. Studies have shown that users place confidence in the very first results appearing for a search query. A click-through from a search engine indicates that a searcher thinks the resulting page will be relevant. You can learn more about Jonathon Colman at http://www.jonathoncolman.org/

1. Link-Building 101
for search engine
visibility and
optimization
Jonathon D. Colman
Search Engine Optimization
REI
burkinaboy@gmail.com
twitter.com/jcolman

2. Links
Connect people
with meaning
online
How?
By creating trust,
authority, rank,
quality and relevancy

4. Discovery and discoverability
Search engines index the entire Web by following link
after link to page after page of content. Brand new
pages can be hard for search engines to find because
there aren’t any pre-existing links built to them.
Strongly interlinked site New pages without links are
with numerous inbound links isolated from search engines

5. Links are signs of trust
For a search engine, links from one site to another are
like a vote of confidence and trust. If a page on Site A
links to a page on Site B, the page on Site B can be said
to be “a trusted resource” of value to visitors of Site A.
Page on Page on
Site A Site B
“I trust you!”
Link

6. Trust can aggregate into authority
As search engines index the Web, they count one-
way, inbound links to each page online. Pages with
more links can be said to be more “authoritative”
because more individual sites “trust” their content
resources.
Page on Page on
Site A Site B
Five inbound links Ten inbound links
from external sites = more authority

7. Authority can influence rank
All else equal, pages
with more authority
will rank higher in
search engine results
than pages with less.
Gaining a higher
listing than a
competitor for a
popular search term
greatly impacts both
traffic and demand.

8. Users associate rank with quality
Studies have shown
that users place
confidence in the
very first results
appearing for a
search query. A
click-through from a
search engine
indicates that a
searcher thinks the
resulting page will
be relevant.

9. Checklist: new landing pages & campaigns
 Link to the new page(s) from existing, high-
ranking pages on your site
 Solicit new inbound, one-way links from
external web sites
 Bonus points if those external sites are thematically
related to your content
 Include links to the new page in pitches, press
releases, print collateral, e-mail, social media, etc.
 Try to include relevant keywords in the link text of
any new links built to your page(s).

10. In conclusion…
• Search engines discover new content via links
• Links are signs of trust
• Trust can aggregate into authority
• Authority can influence rank
• Users associate rank with quality
• Trust + authority + rank + quality = relevancy,
which is a key factor in conversion

11. Questions? Comments? Contact!
Jonathon D. Colman
Program Manager, Natural Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI)
• E-mail: burkinaboy@gmail.com
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/jcolman